From left, NAMM CEO John Mlynczak, former NAMM CEO Joe Lamond, AIMM’s Bob Bankston and George Hines, Skip’s Music’s Dom Di Sisto, NAMM Chairman Chris White and the NAMM Foundation’s Julia Rubio.
Skip Maggiora Memorial Fund Donates $1M to NAMM Foundation to Create Retail Innovation Award N AMM officially announced the cre- ation of the Skip Maggiora Innovation to The NAMM Foundation to endow this award in perpetuity.
of independent judges. Arthur “Skip” Maggiora, who founded Skip’s Music in Sacramento, California, trans- formed retailing within the music products industry. Partnering with NAMM, his Week- end Warriors program brought global atten- tion to the ‘Woodstock Generation’ of baby boomers’ music as a powerful opportunity for new and returning music makers. The success of the program and his willingness to share his ideas with other retailers resulted in hundreds of similar programs around the world. Along with Weekend Warriors, Skip’s Stairway to Stardom program offered pre- teens, teens and young adults opportunities to create musical performances in a live setting, as well as the ability to connect with other musicians. He truly saw music making as a life-long endeavor. Skip’s Music opened in 1973 and over the years became a center of innovative retailing ideas and industry modernizations. He served on the NAMM Board of Directors and was a founding mem- ber of AIMM, the Alliance of Independent Music Merchants. The Skip Maggiora Innovation Award will honor Skip’s legacy and inspire retail- ers for generations to capitalize on their unique role in creating new music makers and the benefits of giving back to their community. {namm.org}
Award, a new retail award to be given annually at The NAMM Show during the NAMM Retail Awards ceremony on Jan. 21. Each year, the award will provide a $25,000 cash prize to a music retail member that supports projects focused on market creation and music education. The Mag- giora Memorial Fund donated $1 million
The annual award will first be presented next year at the 2027 NAMM Retail Awards and bestowed to one qualifying recipient that’s selected in accordance with award guidelines. The NAMM Retail Awards spotlight the music industry’s best music product retailers and their strategies for success each year, as selected by a panel
36 I MUSIC INC. I APRIL 2026
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