April is here and that means IMS IBIZA (International Music Summit) is just a few short weeks away. 

IMS IBIZA, the leading platform for industry, culture and education in electronic music, returns for its thirteenth edition in Ibiza this April following a two-year hiatus. One of the first major global industry gatherings to take place since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, IMS Ibiza Summit 2022 will reunite the entire ecosystem of the genre for three-days of purposeful conversation, connection, and celebration. The summit takes place from April 27-29 at Destino Pacha Ibiza Resort.

The summit today announces first details of the summit agenda, a carefully crafted programme co-hosted by Pete Tong & Jaguar (both from BBC Radio 1), which aims to highlight best practice in core values to an industry emerging and re-building following the devastating impact of the global pandemic. Adopting a no-panel policy for the first time in the history of the summit, IMS Ibiza Summit 2022 has curated a series of keynotes, presentations, conversations, workshops and sessions with industry thought-leaders, exploring the most important topics and themes facing our industry today.

Key highlights announced include:

• ‘In Conversation’ Lyor Cohen (YouTube & Google; Global Head of Music) & Pete Tong 
• Artist Interviews (A-Z): BLOND:ISH, Brian Eno, Deadmau5, Duran Duran & Erol Alkan, DVS1, Jaguar, Jamie Jones,Kerri Chandler, Laurent Garnier, Nastia, Nora En Pure, Patrick Topping, Portrait XO, Prospa, Richie Hawtin, Sarah Story, Tsha 
• Opening Keynote: Road to Recovery by Robb McDaniels (Beatport; CEO; UK / USA)
• Keynote Address: Ten Years of AFEM: Association for Electronic Music by Silvia Montello (AFEM; Association for Electronic Music; UK)
• shesaid.so Presents: In Conversation with Trevor McFedries, Friends With Benefits (Dapper Collectives/Friends With Benefits, CEO/Founder, USA) hosted by Andreea Magdalina (shesaid.so; Founder; Romania)
• Keynote Interview: Skiddle Presents – Surviving 20 Years in the Event Industry with Wilf Gregory (Event Horizon, Group CEO, UK), responsible for AfroNation, Rolling Loud, Secret Project, Hideout, Lost and Found, Origin and BPM Europe.

Pixelynx presents Metaverse & Web3 is a special day of programming dedicated to the conversation of NOW, also supported by EQ Exchange & CELO. It will provide delegates with a comprehensive understanding of how to navigate and harness the opportunities of this fast-emerging new landscape, from NFTs to DAOs to monetisation. Pixelynx will also host a Web3 Clinic at IMS to help on-board the electronic industry to the opportunity and will gift every attending delegate a free NFT. 

• Audius, BLOND:ISH, CELO, Coachella, Deadmau5, EQ Exchange, Emanate, Friends With Benefits, Future Art, Moda Dao, Outlier Ventures, Pixelynx, Portrait XO, Reed Smith, Richie Hawtin, Serenade, Seven20 and The Sandbox are all represented as part of this day.

Two of the world’s leading platforms will lift the lid on best practice and optimisation strategies for electronic music: 

• TikTok & YouTube – Best Practice & Optimisation sessions led by senior representatives.

The summit will once again focus on core values, as we search for purpose post pandemic:

• Environment: Brian Eno on the impact of the music industry on the world’s climate.
• Sustainability: Flip The Script – Sustainability At The Heart of The Music Industry presented by Marina Ponti (United Nations; Director of the UN SDG Action Campaign; Italy)
• Humanity: Ukraine – Emergency Discussion featuring Artbat – represented by Chris Braun (Artist Manager; House United; Germany) and Nastia (Artist; Nechto; Ukraine)
• Diversity & Inclusion: AFEM will discuss creating effective platforms for developing diverse talent and inclusive environments. 

The IMS Ibiza Summit ‘Introducing’ feature will continue to shine a light on new platforms, innovation and technology changing the face of the industry, including:

• Aslice: Equalising The Disparity Between DJs & Producers – Presented by Zak Khutoretsky aka DVS1 (Aslice; Founder/Artist; USA)
• Introducing PTDJA – Pete Tong will be joined by Jamie Jones to announce his latest exciting project.

Icons of the electronic music industry will be recognised and celebrated:

• IMS Pioneer Award recipient Laurent Garnier will feature in a keynote interview.
• The IMS Legends Awards Dinner In honour of Simon Dunmore (Defected Records; CEO/Founder; UK) will be hosted by YouTube at the exclusive Casa Maca, an idyllic restaurant located in the hills with a charming view of Dalt Vila and the old town of Ibiza.

Exclusive reports will be unveiled at the summit,including the much-anticipated annual valuation figure of the genre, and exclusive findings from a new report by The Jaguar Foundation and Sony Music UK Social Justice Fund. 

• IMS Business Report 2022 Presented by David Boyle (IMS / Audience Strategies; UK)
• Balancing Gender in UK Electronic Music – Jaguar (BBC Radio 1; Host of Introducing Dance; UK)

Detailed industry case studies will reveal industry secrets and share invaluable insights on how leading electronic music industry brands are redefining success, featuring:

• DICE & Bicep:  Building an Engaged Community of Live Fans with Oli Isaacs (This Is Music; Artist manager for Bicep; UK) and Russ Tannen (Dice; President; UK)
• LabelWorx & Solid Grooves – Label Optimization with Matt Abbott (LabelWorx; CEO/Founder; UK) and Ramin Rezaie (Solid Grooves; Label Manager; UK)

Lady of the House, a community movement that celebrates women in electronic music, will collaborate with IMS to bring forward an innovative approach exploring the power of networking and peer to peer support. A number of  trailblazing pioneers will be paired with rising stars to engage in speed networking in front of the summit audience:

• Maria May (CAA; Head of Electronic; UK) with Hannah Shogbola (United Talent; Agent; UK)
• Pete Tong  (BBC Radio 1; Broadcaster; UK) with Sarah Story (BBC Radio 1; Broadcaster, UK)
• Becky Hill (Artist; UK) with Tsha (Artist; UK)

Masterclasses and instructional workshops will provide delegates with practical and easy to apply knowledge to optimize the performance and results of their business and careers, including:

• L-Acoustics – Spatial Audio: The next dimension for live / virtual events presented by Guillaume Le Nost (L-Acoustics; Executive Director of Creative Technologies; France) 
• A production masterclass led by Point Blank Music School featuring Prospa (Artists; UK)
• Sentric Electronic on the value of publishing income and the key role publishers play in creative development
• Viberate – How to take your career to the next level with music analytics with Ariana Remskar, Miha Vidmajer and Vasja Veber

The concepts of Ibiza’s newest residencies will be explained by the creative forces driving them, revealing what’s in store across the summer season on the island. 

• Ibiza 2022 – Meet the Residents – Featuring Patrick Topping, HE.SHE.THEY’s Sophia Kearney and Stephen Braines, and more.

Once again IMS will harness the power of its global network to identify and give a platform to the disruptors and visionaries that are changing the face of the industry:

• The global search for the next generation of start-ups, IMS Accelerator, returns to IMS, this year powered by Pixelynx, with one innovative music business start-up receiving $50,000 funding and an invaluable mentorship programme from the Pixelynx team.
• Supporting the next generation of the electronic music industry, IMS Visionaries will highlight innovators changing the game, providing a platform for their ideas and offering opportunities to network and develop their career to the most forward thinking figures in the electronic music industry. Previous IMS Visionaries winners include Pixelynx CEO Inder Phull, Coachella Global Live Stream host Valerie Lee and Identification of Music Group founder Robbie Merch.

IMS Ibiza Summit will also offer delegates a reinvented and refreshed summit experience with opportunities to explore, discover and engage with core summit values on a deeper level at newly created immersive areas:

• shesaid.so will take over one of Destino’s Cherry Pool Suites to create a safer space over three days of programming that will include workshops, talks, music, networking and a family-friendly area. With a focus on web3, parenthood and the next generation, the shesaid.so space at IMS Ibiza Summit will offer attendees a fun environment for people of all ages and genders.
• IMS College Powered by Beatport, Microsoft Surface & Point Blank Music School will offer a complete schedule of artist-led workshops and DJ & production masterclasses. In between the on-stage sessions delegates will be able to drop in for one-on-one production feedback sessions, career coaching and product demonstrations.
• IMS wellness platform The Art of Areté will now be fully integrated into the IMS Ibiza Summit experience free of charge to all attendees thanks to Pioneer DJ. It will offer daily programming designed to balance our mental health including Vedic Meditation (as taught by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi), breathwork, nutrition work, sleep advice, soundbaths, sunset hikes and more. As well as a practice taught by attorney Kurosh Nasseri.
• The Eco Lounge hosted by theHUB Ibiza in partnership with EarthPercent & Ibiza Preservation will create a social space for delegates to connect, discuss and learn about sustainability. The space will be a showcase for the latest eco innovations and will feature interactive workshops delivered by leading experts.
• IMS Ibiza Tech X will showcase the very latest in technology, providing a carefully curated selection of the world’s most innovative brands, including Pioneer DJ, TribeXR, L-Acoustics, Pixelynx, LunaFest, Belair Technology and more.
• Leading NFT-Crypto Art collective Future Art will create a showcase across Destino, curating a selection of art by internationally renowned digital artists including XCOPY, Miss AI Simpson, Norman Harman and more.
• AFEM: Association for Electronic Music will host a Meet the Team: Ask Us Anything to celebrate ten years of the global trade body, which was originally conceived at the IMS Summit. 

IMS co-founder and lead curator Ben Turner states: “We stopped and started work on this event so many times due to covid, it is hard to believe it is happening. In a vulnerable world like the one we now find ourselves in, there is no better time to reconnect, align and assess our future. This is the most exciting time in music for decades, as the promise of web3 brings electronic music culture back to the core community spirit that its foundations were built on. It raises all the right questions about ownership, monetisation and transparency. After all the time off from touring, IMS Ibiza Summit 2022 is designed to focus or find your purpose, as values have never been more necessary to guide us all forwards.”

IMS Ibiza Summit delegates will also be able to experience some of the hottest parties and events on the island, including the iconic IMS Dalt Vila seven hour closing celebration, this year expanded into a two-day event as one of the biggest house music brands in the world, Defected Records, takes over the UNESCO World Heritage Site for a second night on Saturday 30 April, marking the start of the highly anticipated 2022 summer season on the white isle.