What do you think has killed it? The organization, the manufacturers or maybe the musicians themselves. I’ve heard several people say that having it twice a year killed it, people od’d on it.
It's been a while since I've been to any trade show, but they could be weird. Like others, I think the pandemic accelerated the move away from them, but it's been happening since since the internet became ubiquitous.
A main reason is that relationship building and media attention are quicker and more effective through electronic communication, websites, releases, videos, etc. And those are always on things.
Another issue at music/sound related shows is the din. It's tough to have a serious discussion when having difficulty hearing one another. And just the sound of a large number of people moving and talking can create a lot of noise, before you get near the drum booths.
I'll guess consolidation of music retail has a large role, as well, as the remaining smaller, independent shops are not as important for many manufacturers as they once were. And important deals are unlikely to be done at a trade show.
And for those staffing a booth, how many of the people they speak with are current or potential direct customers (that is music retailers in NAMM's case) or represent a media outlet with a reliable audience/readership they want to reach?
Trade shows used to be effective for new, start-up businesses and ideas to show their goods & services, gain interest, and attract retailers. But there's the internet and even crowd-funding available now.
And finally, for a lot of companies, large and small, the cost of displaying (or even attending) trade shows, along with hotels, meals, schmoozing, displays, pressure to compete or outdo a competitor's display, hiring artists, models (in some cases), and all makes it a tough sell. Especially when you're talking to a nerdy audio engineer/jazz musician dude with thick glasses and wondering why his nametag says "Lori." (Lori and I would switch to see sales pitches get slightly thrown).
