Chris White (middle) is flanked by his two sons, Zach White (left) and Alex White (right), who currently work in the business and signify the third generation of White House of Music.
For White, making connections is a daily practice. At White House of Music, where he oversees 135 employees and more than 1,150 weekly music lesson students, the busi- ness has undergone what he calls a “back to the future” transformation over the past five years by refocusing on what started the company in 1953: serving schools. “We’ve added repair staff, and we’ve added school service reps,” he said. “It’s kind of like a ‘back to the future’ moment as this is what started the business. This is where customers appreciate what we’re doing. That’s kind of our value add that we provide to them.” Listening Is Key Now, as he settles into the NAMM chairman role he assumed last April, White said he’s thinking about how that same principle of authentic connection can help the entire MI industry thrive. His No. 1 goal? Listen to members. “How do we create something more for them? Members are tired of how fast change is happening in our world,” White said. “So, NAMM needs to be the constant. We need to express that ‘We’re here for you.
Let’s help guide you.’ We need to be that sounding board and get some ideas out of our members as far as how we can help. That’s huge, and that’s my biggest goal.” As a diverse industry made up of com- panies of all sizes, White said NAMM has done a great job in recent years of creating experiences at The NAMM Show that level the playing field, with the release of show features like the Creator Lounge, where social media influencers can converge to create show-related content. “The great thing with features like this is it creates an even playing field brand expe- rience-wise. An indie brand might think, ‘I have to break through all the noise of what’s going on just to be seen,’” White explained. “But, if they go to the Creator Lounge, they may be able to break their message through a bit more. You also have some suppliers who think, ‘I don’t need to go so big, but I want to have a presence in more spots than just my booth at the show.’ In this case, we can make that happen as well. I think it all comes down to helping these brands make connections — connecting with end-users, retailers and audiences on social media.
“NAMM’s done a really great job when it comes to figuring out how to help com- panies develop experiences at the show,” White continued. “The days of what I call the ‘arms race’ of giant, double-decker booths is gone. Now, the focus is: ‘How do we provide a platform so attendees can take a brand’s message forward through social media and through influencers?’ Last year it was really exciting to see, and this year I think it’s going to be upped another notch as far as reach and excitement — painting a picture of our industry that focuses on excitement and opportunity.” A Focus on Music Advocacy Another top goal for White as chairman? Advancing music advocacy at both the state and federal levels. He said he hopes to do this by getting more members to attend NAMM’s annual Washington, D.C. Fly-in, and teach them how to translate federal advocacy les- sons to the state level, where he said he believes the real work happens. “I know some members going into the Fly-ins, and even when doing state-level advocacy, feel like, ‘Oh geez, I’m nervous
38 I MUSIC INC. I JANUARY 2026
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