IMS Ibiza

International Music Summit (IMS), the three-day inspirational, educational and motivational thought-leadership platform held annually in Ibiza today announce full details of the summit; dynamic workshops, illuminating keynotes and timely discussions on the most important issues facing the electronic music industry today, led by 120+ leading electronic music artists and professionals.

In homage to the recent tragic loss of one of electronic music’s brightest young stars the summit will open with a keynote address IN MEMORY OF AVICII delivered by IMS co-founder PETE TONG (BBC Radio 1, Broadcaster, UK), directly followed by SAFE FROM HARM – OUR DUTY OF CARE, a debate hosted by the ASSOCIATION FOR ELECTRONIC MUSIC where key industry figures will discuss why it is time to protect the health of global artists and not the wealth of global businesses.

Other highlights from day one include the annual IMS BUSINESS REPORT, presenting the facts, figures and trends that matter the most in the industry plus the highly anticipated value of the electronic music industry, a figure always the focus of global media attention. Following this HONEY DIJON joins representatives from DJ MAG, AFEM and more to discuss SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN DJ CULTURE – HOSTED BY SHESAID.SO, an important debate exploring solutions to tackle this behaviour and to bring about fundamental change in dance music relating to diversity and inclusion. THE ANNUAL DIGITAL DEBATE assembles some of the brightest industry minds to assess the current digital landscape followed by BELIEVING IN BLOCKCHAIN and BLOCKCHAIN 101, essential viewing for anyone wishing to gain a deeper understanding of this new technology and the backbone for cryptocurrencies worth hundreds of billions; 15 YEARS OF ARMADA MUSIC provides a rare insight into one of the most successful and innovative labels in dance music from its co-founder and CEO; MIXMAG’S 5 UNDER 25 shines a light on the visionaries changing the shape of our scene and taking dance music forward. Not to be missed on day one is a KEYNOTE INTERVIEW from TODD ‘THE GOD’ TERRY, one of the most successful house music producers of our time, who will go deep into his journey from the toughest streets of New York to international fame.

Day two of IMS Ibiza presents further unmissable sessions including THE CASE FOR: DRUG TESTING AT EVENTS – HOSTED BY THE LOOP, examining how drug testing impacts on harm reduction at large scale events. A KEYNOTE INTERVIEW with viral sensation BRADLEY GUNN RAVER will inspire all as he shares his story of how sober raving has led him to be invited around the world to bring his infectious, joyful dancing to global events. EMERGING PARTY DESTINATIONS brings together leading protagonists from Mykonos, Marrakech, Dubai, Tulum, Croatia and the Algarve in Portugal to find out the magic that is bringing thousands of new music tourists to their destinations. GIVE IT AWAY OR MAKE IT PAY assembles cutting edge industry figures to debate the full spectrum of business models and how the industry needs to evolve in a world where purchase price is a thing of the past. In MEET TEAM BLACK COFFEE the artist himself will be joined by leading members of his global team to reflect on his Ibiza residency at Hï Ibiza as it enters its second year and their strategic approach for the next phase of his career.

An exciting new addition to the schedule on day two is FIRST ON SOUNDCLOUD: CELEBRATING INCLUSION, DIVERSITY AND COMMUNITY IN ELECTRONIC MUSIC, an intimate discussion covering the importance of community in music and creator communities, as shared through the experiences of Room for Resistance (R4R), a Berlin-based queer femme/non-binary forward collective focused on community-building and creating safer space & visibility for underrepresented artists in Dance Music.

Day two comes to a close with two sessions celebrating milestone achievements for two UK labels at the top of their game; 15 YEARS OF TOOLROOM RECORDS – INSPIRATION & INDEPENDENCE and 25 YEARS OF RAM RECORDS – DEFINING DRUM & BASS.

The final day of IMS plays host to BLACK ROCK CITY x IBIZA: CULTURAL OPPOSITES OR KINDRED SPIRITS, where lovers of both communities come together to explore and dissect misinterpretations of two culture creators, followed by THE ANNUAL IBIZA DEBATE, a discussion that never fails to spark passionate responses. Day three of the summit brings further milestone celebrations for legendary electronic music brands, with 25 YEARS OF SONAR – SHAPING UNDERGROUND CULTURE and 25 YEARS OF POSITIVA RECORDS – THE CHANGING FACE OF A&R.

Juggling the demands of a career in the music business with family and home life is the focus of PRACTICAL PARENTING on day three, hosted by SHESAID.SO, a session not to be missed for anyone balancing these elements of their life and looking for support and guidance on how to thrive in both the professional and personal worlds.

Ending the final day is a KEYNOTE INTERVIEW with one of the most successful and respected artist managers in the electronic music business DEAN WILSON, who will be followed by a closing KEYNOTE INTERVIEW live from the recording studio of Joel Zimmerman aka DEADMAU5 and TESTPILOT, an outspoken and visionary artist who will take part in a revealing discussion on all aspects of the past, present and future of his career.

The 11^th edition of IMS is set to be one of the strongest years of the summit, with three days of the best electronic music content and networking available to delegates, daily influencer breakfasts at TATEL RESTAURANT, free YOGA & WELLNESS sessions, access to over 20 NETWORKING EVENTS and IBIZA OPENING PARTIES plus the IMS LEGENDS DINNER paying tribute to UNDERWORLD and featuring an exclusive live show at HEART IBIZA and the ultimate Ibiza party under the stars at IMS DALT VILA. 

All Access and Delegate Plus badges are now sold out, limited Delegate badges remain at www.internationalmusicsummit.com

House music legend Todd “The God” Terry (Artist, USA) will appear at IMS Ibiza for the first time for a Keynote Interview about his life and career in dance music, including his early years in New York.

The ground breaking anti-sexual assault and women’s empowerment movements #MeToo and Time’s Up has elevated global consciousness surrounding the obstacles women encounter in their daily lives, both personal and professional. Honey Dijon (Artist, USA) joins the discussion Sexual Harassment in DJ Culture, an open and frank conversation about the realities of this issue in our industry and what we can all do to tackle it.

The modern workplace is no longer restricted to a singular localised office position and this is especially true in the entertainment industry. Facebook & elrow: How Workplace by Facebook Transforms Communication will provide a unique case study into contemporary workflow management from the viewpoints of Vicenc Marti (elrow, President and Board Member, Spain) and Julien Lesaicherre(Workplace by Facebook, Director EMEA, UK).

Despite zero-tolerance policies, illegal substances inevitably make their way into electronic music events. In Is Drug Testing The Solution? non-profit organisation The Loop will examine the benefits of harm reduction services at music events and present recent findings of confidential drug testing at UK festivals and the impact of this service on attendee welfare. Joining the discussion will be leading event professionals Freddie Fellowes (Secret Garden Party, Promoter, UK) and Jon Drape (Broadwick Live, Group Production Director, UK) and artist B.Traits (Artist, Canada), who will confront the subject head on and provide new insight into a much debated initiative.

Help Musicians UK commissioned research revealed that music professionals are three times more likely to have mental health challenges, this research led to the development of Music Minds Matter, a 24/7 dedicated music industry support line.  Representing the charity will be Christine Brown (Help Musicians UK, Director of External Affairs & Business Development, UK) who brings her experience to DJS COMPLAINING OR REAL PROBLEMS? a frank and open mental health discussion hosted by the Association for Electronic Music, which will give vital advice on how to stay sane in the game and remain successful.

In the Digital Debate, Alexander Holland (Deezer, Chief Content and Product Officer, France) Katy Ellis (Anglo Management, Manager, UK), Kurosh Nasseri (AFEM/Nasseric Inc, Founder/Attorney, USA) and Matthew Adell (Native Instruments, Chief Digital Officer, USA) will join the discussion and examine the ever-shifting landscape of digital music consumption.

Rui Da Silva (Artist, Portugal) joins the Blockchain 101, providing an artist perspective on this exciting and complex technology.

Emerging Party Destinations now has additional input from BLOND:ISH (Vivie-Ann Bakos, Artist, Canada) who will share some of the new and surprising destinations that feature on their touring schedule.

Jay Jay Revlon (DJ, Host and Cultural Events Curator, UK), Marina Blake (Brainchild Festival, Creative Director, UK) and Martha Pazienti Caidan (Resident Advisor, DJ/Producer/Radio Presenter, UK) join the emerging trailblazers and innovators in our industry on Mixmag’s 5 Under 25. In addition, Nick DeCosemo (Mixmag, Global Editorial Director, USA) will join the summit and lead insightful interviews with Team Black Coffee and Bradley Gunn Raver.

IMS Ibiza delegates are invited to submit demos to the Toolroom A&R team and receive live feedback from Mark Knight (Artist, UK) and Matt Smallwood (Toolroom Records, A&R Manager, UK), giving invaluable advice on how to get your record signed.

Point Blank Presents: Andrea Oliva – DJ Skills Masterclass brings an artist at the peak of his career to the summit in an informal workshop setting. In conversation with Declan McGlynn (Point Blank, Music Tech Journalist, UK) the Ants resident will give insight into his approach to performing to a live crowd.

Berklee College of Music return to IMS Ibiza for the second year, with a workshop entitled Realtime Video Synthesis, a must for all audio-visual enthusiasts and innovators. Led by Pierce Warnecke (Berklee College of Music, Valencia Campus, Assistant Professor of Music, Production, Technology and Innovation, USA) the session will explain a simple but effective approach to designing abstract geometric visuals for live performance.

IMS co-founder Pete Tong states “Tackling the issues and topics that matter the most to our industry is of vital importance to IMS and with our newly announced speakers we bring further expertise and experience to the summit. Of equal importance to us is education and we are delighted to offer our delegates the opportunity to learn and broaden their knowledge with workshops led by our partners Berklee College of Music, Point Blank Music School and Toolroom Academy”