04/07/2025
An Open Letter to the Production Music Community: Let’s Bring Back the Magic!
Dear Colleague,
For many years, the NAB Show in Las Vegas was the unmissable fixture in the production music calendar. It wasn’t just a trade event — it was an experience. We came not only to connect with one another, but to recharge creatively and professionally. Vegas gave us the space to do that: great hotels within minutes of the airport, vibrant entertainment, easy movement around the city, and — crucially — access to the major tech innovators shaping our industry’s future: Sony, Apple, Netflix, BBC, Adobe, Roland, HP, and more.
In recent years, however, something changed. The event moved to Universal City, Los Angeles — and with it, much of the energy and excitement drained away.
Let me be candid.
The hotels used for the LA event are, at best, average. They’re far from any real nightlife or cultural life. There’s no sense of spectacle, no surrounding major-tech presence, no great restaurants nearby, no real buzz. The event has been stripped to its bare bones — a meet-up in a corporate meeting room or bar, an alcohol-free and food-free awards show, and a few panels. And while catching up with colleagues is always valuable, in an age of Zoom, we don’t need to fly across the world just for that.
What’s more, the balance has shifted — from principally a professional publishers’ event to a gathering where semi-pro composers predominate. And one that we pay handsomely to attend.
Compare that to what we had: glamorous bars and restaurants, world-class entertainment on our doorstep, access to the world’s greatest entertainment tech show, and spontaneous encounters with fellow publishers by the pool at the Wynn or Bellagio after a hard day on the conference floor. There was room for business and pleasure. There was joy. (And the conference was generally free.)
Now? We land at the building site that is LAX, wait an age for a taxi, pay $120 to a disengaged driver for an hour-long crawl to a beige hotel, check in, and try to squeeze into an overcrowded bar — all for the price of a family holiday.
And in this age of exaggerated political division, rising global tensions, and declining conference relevance, we might also ask: why not Europe? Amsterdam, Berlin, Lisbon — cities with style, affordability, cultural weight, and international accessibility. Or better still — why not go back to Vegas?
This isn’t a moan. It’s a heartfelt call to reconsider what our annual gathering could and should be.
Let’s bring back the magic — the glamour, the tech, the camaraderie, the focus, the sense of occasion. Let’s make it something we genuinely look forward to again. Because if we’re going to invest the time and money, let’s make it outstanding. Let’s make it fun. Let’s go somewhere we really want to be.
Well… at the very least, let’s have the conversation.
Yours sincerely,
Simon Webb
Publisher | Owner & CEO, Music for Sport | Co-host, Synchronized! Podcast | Composer
