A new Music Innovation Hub is launching at NAMM 2026. Find out which technologies are being showcased and why this space could shape the future of music.

At the 2026 NAMM Show in Anaheim, California, one of the most notable additions isn’t a new guitar or amplifier, but the launch of the Music Innovation Hub, a dedicated space designed to showcase emerging technologies and experimental approaches to music-making. The hub reflects NAMM’s growing recognition that innovation in music now extends beyond traditional instruments into areas such as tactile design, accessibility, digital platforms and hybrid hardware-software tools.

The Music Innovation Hub has been organised by Rock Paper Scissors (RPS), a music-industry marketing and PR collective, and will operate as a curated exhibit within the wider show. According to RPS founder Dmitri Vietze, the aim is to give forward-thinking creators a central place to connect with attendees at a trade show that can otherwise feel overwhelming due to its scale. The hub is intended to make it easier for visitors to discover unconventional ideas that might otherwise be lost among thousands of booths.

Eight companies have been selected to take part in the inaugural Music Innovation Hub, representing a broad spectrum of creative and technological approaches. These include Playtime Engineering’s Blipblox myTRACKS, a sequencer, sampler and drum machine designed to make music creation accessible across age groups, and Dog Paw, an expressive instrument that combines a tactile playing surface with an expandable app environment. Also featured is Groove Thing, a body-interactive audio player that transmits sound through touch, offering a different way to experience music physically.

Educational and inclusive design is another key theme of the hub. Litejam’s smart guitar uses an RGB-lit fretboard to display notes, chords and scales in real time, helping players learn and perform more intuitively. Omega, a spherical sensory instrument, has been developed with accessibility in mind and is suited to therapeutic, educational and adaptive music-making environments. Together, these tools reflect a shift toward instruments that respond to a wider range of users and abilities.

The hub also highlights products that rethink familiar formats. Trash Talk Audio’s telephone-style microphones aim to deliver distinctive lo-fi tones without the need for effects or processing, while We Are Rewind brings cassette culture into the present with modernised portable players and its Blaster boombox. Completing the lineup is Soundtrap, a cloud-based music creation platform that allows users to compose, record and collaborate entirely online, blurring the line between studio and software.

Rather than functioning purely as a display, the Music Innovation Hub is designed as an interactive space. Company founders and designers will be present throughout the show to demonstrate their products, explain their ideas and engage directly with musicians, retailers and industry professionals. This hands-on approach aligns with NAMM’s broader emphasis on education, discovery and networking.

The launch of the Music Innovation Hub coincides with NAMM’s 125th anniversary, a milestone that highlights both the organisation’s long history and its ongoing evolution. While traditional instruments and professional audio equipment remain central to the show, the introduction of a dedicated innovation space signals an acknowledgement that the future of music technology lies increasingly in experimentation, accessibility and cross-disciplinary thinking.

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