Billy Corgan to be awarded 2025 TEC Innovation Award for his “his transformative impact on modern, guitar-driven music” at next year’s NAMM ShowBilly Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins will be awarded the 2025 TEC Innovation Award at The NAMM Show next year.
The 41st Annual NAMM Technical Excellence & Creativity (TEC) Awards will take place on the evening of Thursday, 22 January, during The NAMM Show in Anaheim, California. Corgan has been selected as the award recipient due to his “transformative impact on modern, guitar-driven music and his forward-thinking approach to tone shaping and sonic architecture.”

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The TEC Innovation Award recognises visionary contributions that shape the future of music, sound, and creative production. His work on The Pumpkin’s classic records Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness are noted as stellar examples of his craft, as well as the band’s more recent releases ATUM: A Rock Opera in Three Acts, and Aghori Mhori Mei.
Beyond his work within the band, Corgan’s solo catalogue includes four albums TheFutureEmbrace (2005), Aegea (2014), Ogilala (2017), and Cotillions (2019). He’s also worked with artists such as Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, New Order, Code Orange, and more, as well as having scored music for films such as Ransom, Stigmata, and Spun.
He hosts his own podcast, The Magnificent Others, and even recently partnered with the Lyric Opera of Chicago for the world premiere of A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness: an operatic reimagining of the classic Pumpkins double album.

John Mlynczak, NAMM President and CEO, says: “Billy’s fearless approach to production, imaginative pedal chains, analogue exploration, intricate layering and boundary-breaking studio techniques have influenced countless creators. His deep commitment to innovation and artistic evolution places him among the most distinctive and influential musical architects of the last three decades.”
Find out more about the TEC Awards, or register for the 2026 NAMM Show. 
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