2026 Bass Magazine Awards Show

NAMM and Bass Magazine Announce 2026 NAMM Show Addition of Annual Bass Magazine Awards Show

One-of-Kind Global Celebration of Bass will Honor Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients Les Claypool of Primus, Mike Dirnt of Green Day and Marcus Miller, along with Future of Bass Award Recipients Laura Lee of Khrungbin and Blu DeTiger

NAMM (The National Association of Music Merchants), the largest global non-profit music trade organization, along with Bass Magazine, the world’s leading bass publication, announced today an events partnership heading into the 2026 NAMM Show. The 2026 Bass Magazine Awards Show will be part of the official NAMM Show lineup and will be held on Thursday, January 22 at The Observatory in Santa Ana, CA - just a few minutes away from the NAMM Campus.

The event boasts an audience filled with world renowned bass players and musicians, industry experts, gear representatives, and fans from all over the globe. The 2026 Bass Magazine Awards Show will be honoring Les Claypool of Primus, Mike Dirnt of Green Day Marcus Miller, Laura Lee of Khrungbin, and Blu DeTiger. The annual awards show is the biggest night of bass for the low-end community and music lovers worldwide. The evening celebrates and honors legends of the instrument as well as the new wave of bass trailblazers.

The evening will feature a full lineup of guest presenters and a night of unforgettable performances. 

“The NAMM Show will always deliver a variety of incredible events for our members, and the addition of the Bass Magazine Awards Show adds even more value to the 2026 NAMM Show as a must-attend event,” said John Mlynczak, NAMM president and CEO. “We are thrilled to embark on this partnership with Bass Magazine which will bring another incredible night of live music to the NAMM community.”

“There is nothing like the NAMM Show on this planet and being able to say we are officially part of such an amazing event is unreal,” said Jon D’Auria, Editor-in-Chief of Bass Magazine. “The Bass Magazine Awards Show is the biggest celebration for the Bass community and having the NAMM Show Team as a partner enables us to deliver the most incredible night of live music and awards we have ever produced.”

Bass Magazine’s 2025 Award recipients included: Sting, Justin Chancellor of Tool, John Patitucci, MonoNeon, and Mohini Dey. Award presenters included Nathan East, Victor Wooten, Marcus Miller, Steve Bailey, Verdine White, Tal Wilkenfeld, and Les Claypool. The evening featured performances by Tool, Patitucci, MonoNeon (ft. guest appearances by Les Claypool and guitar virtuoso Oz Noy), Dey, and Scott Mulvahill.

Bass Magazine will also be exhibiting on the main floor at the Anaheim Convention Center from January 22-24, 2026. For tickets please visit: https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/09006357EF1C8512

2026 Official NAMM Events Schedule will be as follows (January 21-24):

• Wednesday: NAMM Global Media Day and NAMM Retail Awards
• Thursday: Industry Insights, TEC Awards, Bass Magazine Awards Show, Yamaha Night of Worship 
• Friday: She Rocks Awards, Yamaha All-Star Concert on The Grand Plaza Stage
• Saturday: Grand Rally for Music Education, Parnelli Awards

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Media Contacts

NAMM Communications - John Dolak, Director

[email protected]

619.735.4028

The Lippin Group for NAMM

[email protected]

201.317.6618

About NAMM

The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) is the not-for-profit association with a mission to strengthen the $19.5 billion music products industry. NAMM is comprised of 15,400 global member companies and individual professionals with a global workforce of over 475,000 employees. NAMM events and members fund The NAMM Foundation's efforts to promote the pleasures and benefits of music and advance active participation in music-making across the lifespan. For more information about NAMM, please visit www.namm.org.

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