NAMM President John Mlynczak on Networking and Growth (Episode 171)

Work begets work.

If you play, record or produce, almost every tool you touch passes through one organization. In Episode 171 of The Career Musician, recorded live with students at the Los Angeles College of Music (LACM), Nomad and LACM vice president Erin Workman sit down with John Mlynczak, president of NAMM, the National Association of Music Merchants.

Nomad explains why NAMM matters to a working player: you can't buy every instrument when you are starting out, but you can build relationships with gear makers. John goes further, with real talk on networking in the music industry, lifelong learning, and why your career looks more like a rock wall than a ladder.

A trumpet player who never stopped learning

John says the music bug bit him at birth. Guitar as long as he could hold one, a piano minor, the obligatory banjo phase, and trumpet as his professional instrument. He went straight through music in school, a master's in trumpet, then teaching and gigging. Nobody needs a trumpet at 9:30 on a Tuesday morning, he jokes, so you teach by day and play at night.

A few years in, he missed learning. He went back for a degree in educational leadership, certified to be a school principal, just to open doors. It ended up opening doors in the music industry instead.

"Me walking into a gig with my trumpet and saying, 'Look, I have a master's in trumpet performance, hire me.' They don't care about the paper. They care what comes out of the bell."

John Mlynczak, 9:03

So why go to school? He says you are paying for access and acceleration: experts, private lessons, structure. But it only works if you pull the knowledge out yourself, in school or on the gig. You have to be a lifelong learner either way.

What NAMM actually does

NAMM is the largest global trade association for the music products industry. Its mission: strengthen the industry and promote the pleasures and benefits of making music. Most people know the NAMM Show in Southern California, which John says brings in more than 75,000 people, 1,800 companies and 4,000 brands from over 130 countries.

The other 360 days a year, NAMM does research and reports, business education, compliance work on things like packaging rules for imported goods, advocacy in Washington, and work with manufacturers on policies around endangered tonewoods like Brazilian rosewood. The NAMM Foundation reinvests in programs that create more music makers.

Play the ensemble, not the solo

Nomad asks the band question: if it is hard to get your band to rehearse every week, how do you unite global competitors? John's answer comes from the bandstand. As a solo wedding trumpeter, the organist followed him. In a small jazz group, you learn that the audience hears the vibe of the whole ensemble. Nobody wants the one hotshot making everyone follow.

"Getting everyone to vibe together is way more important than having everyone follow you."

John Mlynczak, 20:03

He calls NAMM's approach "serve, not sell." Give your members what they need right now, the way you play the music the audience wants to hear. Nomad ties it straight to freelancers: specialized service and your unique value are what you sell. That is Humility and Objectivity from the ETHOS code, on an industry scale.

Know why you're special, and why you're not

John's rant for every student: know your unique value proposition. Equally, know what doesn't make you special. Getting the gig doesn't. Showing up on time doesn't, that is the expectation. Playing guitar doesn't, because everyone in Nashville plays guitar. Do all the expected things at the highest level, then figure out what only you can do.

On whether the industry is shrinking, he is optimistic. During the pandemic, people bought two things: exercise bikes and guitars. Sales peaked and cooled, but he sees more music makers, not fewer, and a retail channel that is becoming more specialized, like bike shops after big box stores started selling bikes.

Your career is a rock wall

Some careers are ladders: doctor, lawyer, finance. Music is a rock wall. You can go left, right or up, rest, fall to the bottom and start again, or jump and hope you grab the next hold. That is why your network matters so much: you need to know who is holding your line.

His NAMM tips for students: spend half your time in sessions you know nothing about, and walk up to the exhibitors. The industry is hungry for the next generation, and companies are hiring across product, marketing, finance, education, lutherie and software.

How to network from zero

A student asks how an average Joe starts networking. John's answer: confidence. Put your hand out, look people in the eye, and say who you are and what you want to learn. Be real, because people recognize real. Then ask the step most people forget, a classic from the Zig Ziglar sales cycle: is there anyone else I should be talking to? At NAMM, he says, you will have a list within hours.

His final word to students is to embrace the value of a fresh perspective, from bedroom producers to influencer-driven brands. Work begets work, and it starts with one honest handshake.

The takeaway

Keep learning, know your unique value, serve before you sell, and build the network that holds your rope. Everything you do is an audition, at NAMM and everywhere else. For your next step, grab the free Get the Gig guide.

Get the gig. Keep the gig. Build the career.

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