Music Industry Student Wins Competitive Award

Dan Reid at The NAMM Show

SUNY Oneonta junior and music industry major Daniel Reid had a rock-star experience last week at a global music products trade show in California, which he attended for free as the winner of a prestigious scholarship.

Reid and 25 other SUNY Oneonta students attended The NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) Show in Anaheim, Calif., from Jan. 25 to 28. Reid was the winner of the NAMM Foundation’s competitive President's Innovation Award, a $600 stipend given each year to select college and university music students interested in exploring career opportunities in music performance and/or music business.

The NAMM Show is a place for professionals in the music industry to explore and discover innovative new products being released in the new year. Reid and the other students got a firsthand look at how music retail and music business go hand-in-hand, testing out the latest products from more than 7,000 brands, attending cutting-edge industry education sessions and demonstrations, and seeing lots of live performances.

As winner of the President’s Innovation Award, Reid got to wear a special badge, enjoy a meetup for student winners, and attend a special symposium with NAMM President and Chief Executive Officer Joe Lamond.

Reid, of Brooklyn, said receiving the scholarship was a great honor, and his favorite part of the trip was “all the friends I made.”

“This past NAMM has to be the best of the three I have attended so far,” he said. “I really saw myself making connections to the people I ultimately want to work with in the industry and, now more than ever, I feel ready to join it.”

Reid is “a very curious, eager and conscientious student,” according to Music Department Lecturer Nancy Tarr, who accompanied the students on the trip. Reid plays the guitar and is working on original music under the name DaniruXMusic. He said his dream job would be to land a job in the Japanese music industry.

Experiential learning is key to anyone’s education, said Tarr, who presented during a panel at NAMM on the importance of internships.

“Whenever you can see people doing what you want to be doing someday, and you can talk to them about how they got there, that’s a wonderful opportunity. NAMM is a great way for students to get a sense of what the music industry is like, and they can make excellent connections with business owners and company owners. If they’re motivated, they could walk away with an internship.”

Tarr has attended NAMM annually with students for the past 25 years. One of her students interned at Fender because of networking opportunities at the event, and he now works there full time, she said.

Although Reid was the only student to receive the President's Innovation Award, all of the SUNY Oneonta students received D’Antonio funding, and some received funding through SUNY Oneonta’s Student Travel Excellence Program to defray expenses.

When the students weren’t at the NAMM convention, they were exploring Anaheim and also performing community service. The students partnered with the House of Blues’ Music Forward Foundation to help out with an All Access event during NAMM, which let local at-risk youth tour the House of Blues venue and learn what goes into the making of a live show.

Sean Miller, a Music Industry major from Staten Island, said the trip to California was incredible.

“From attending NAMM educational seminars about topics in the music industry or connecting with possible colleagues and future employers, the 2018 NAMM Show was truly an unforgettable experience."

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