By Katie Kailus | Photos by Wade Peronto
How White House of Music’s president and CEO plans to bring a listen-first mindset and a passion for advocacy to the MI industry’s top board role. W hen Chris White thinks about his new role as NAMM chair, he keeps coming back to the same word: connections.
chair, during a moment when the industry might need it most as it navigates the effects of tariffs, evolving business models and an increasingly critical need for music advocacy. “I’m a retailer, so I haven’t lived in the shoes of a manufacturer or a rep firm,” said White, who serves as president and CEO of White House of Music. “But to understand what makes [NAMM members] tick, we ask, ‘How does NAMM add value for everyone in our industry?’ I think the answer comes down to helping members make connections.”
Making them. Strengthening them. Ensur- ing they happen, not just at the top of an organization, but all the way through. It’s a philosophy that runs deep at his deal- ership, White House of Music, a Wisconsin- based retailer that his family has built over seven decades into a three-location operation that serves some 600 schools. And it’s one he’s bringing to NAMM as the newly elected
36 I MUSIC INC. I JANUARY 2026
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