The 2023 NAMM Show will celebrate two of history’s most impactful musical innovations: the 40th anniversary of MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) with MIDI@40 and the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, with Hip-Hop@50. Each day of the show will offer the intertwined story of hip-hop and MIDI, and the relationship between technology and music creation. Together, hip-hop and MIDI — as an underlying, enabling technology — have had a global impact in breaking down barriers and making music more accessible. In fact, MIDI drum machines, sequencers, synths, and turntables are at the heart of many of the iconic records that made hip-hop the cultural phenomenon that it is today.  

As part of the MIDI@40 celebration, the MIDI Zone in the front of Hall A of the Anaheim Convention Center will celebrate a wide range of products and innovations using MIDI. In total, 30 companies will be displaying the latest in MIDI innovation, and The MIDI Association will be demonstrating MIDI 2.0, the most important upgrade to MIDI since its debut at The NAMM Show in 1983. 

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