NAMM President/CEO Responds to Universal TariffsJohn Mlynczak, president and CEO of NAMM, has issued the following statement about the reciprocal tariffs issued yesterday by President Donald J. Trump: "The reciprocal tariffs announced in President Trump's April 2 executive order will have serious and devasting consequences for the music products industry, which is already facing challenges from the previous tariffs imposed on products imported from China, Canada, and Mexico, as well as the additional tariffs on imported materials. "We believe that the imposition of these tariffs on the music products industry will cause US businesses that manufacture guitars, pianos, violins, mandolins, woodwind and percussion instruments, electronic components, and accessories to lose their global competitive advantage in producing high-quality, iconic musical instruments at both the professional and entry levels. "The unique supply chains of the music products industry are also unfairly impacted by these tariffs. For example, while the share of all US imports from China is 13.4%, the music products industry's China imports are 43%. Vietnam is 4.2% overall, while the music products industry is 26%. "We continue to urge the administration to exempt musical instruments and accessories, along with materaisl used to manufacture musical products, from these measures. The negative effects threaten the economic and cultural impact of US-made musical instruments and accessories. "Exemption from these tariffs for the music products industry will help safeguard the globally recognized American manufacturers of iconic musical products while sustaining competitiveness of our interdependent global industry without undermining the broader objectives of US trade policy." He adds that NAMM "stands strongly" with the statements issued by National Retail Federation and National Association of Manufacturers. 
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