NEWS FROM INSIDE THE ELECTRONIC
DANCE MUSIC INDUSTRY

Welcome to the weekly INDUSTRY INSIDER – created by IMS and RECORD OF THE DAY. We've teamed up to create a digest of global electronic industry news, across the full spectrum of the genre, to help you get straight to the stories that matter. INDUSTRY INSIDER will follow the template of Record of the Day but focus on what’s relevant for this genre and demographic…
BEN TURNER
Co-Founder, International Music Summit
Pete Tong's Essential New Tune
Really Love Ya
Liva K & Jiannis Siopis
Armada Music
out now
Comment
"It comes from Athens, Greece, from rising star Liva K, who has been building his reputation by consistently releasing very cool bangers, including the Drill EP and his debut album 1994. This music gets played by loads of the heads, including Black Coffee. He's held down a residency at Void in Mykonos, which has become one of the island's hottest summer nights. And over the past couple of years, he started to tour the world. His tunes seem to be always featuring in my sets, and if you've seen me play out this summer, you would have heard this, which is finally released." 
This week's featured Essential New Tune was featured in last week’s Friday show on BBC Radio 1. Listen again and forward to 34.29 here. 
Contact
Label: Armada Music 
Management: Tom Walters, Club Class Music Group
Radio: Ben Brindle, Armada Music 
Club: Jamie Smith, Armada Music
20 Oct 2026
Business
  • Universal Music Group is undergoing a suite of layoffs this week connected to the $270m cost-savings initiative the company had announced back in 2024, a move that has several major executives from across the company’s North America, Europe and UK operations stepping down. (HR) 
  • Broadwick is planning to expand into several global cities as electronic music continues to grow. Chief executive Simon Tracey said the company is in talks with developers in New York and Miami, and is looking at venues in Paris, Berlin and Milan. (Times)
News and Features
  • Black and south Asian music events in London face disproportionate cancellations, restrictions and licensing barriers compared with white events, according to a two-year investigation into racial inequality in the capital’s live music industry. (Guardian) 
  • Universal Music Group and Sony Music are seeking to require DistroKid to disclose how many AI-generated songs the service uploads each month, claiming they need the information in the ongoing litigation against Suno. (HR) 
  • Superstruct Entertainment has launched The Front Row, a new event series designed to give brands and agencies the insight and inspiration they need to unlock the potential of partnerships in live entertainment. (RotD) 
  • Bot attacks have plagued Ticketmaster for years, so to combat it, the ticketing service is shaking up its executive ranks and going all-in on AI. (Variety) 
  • Time Warp expands its Insomniac partnership with a new record label, Time Warp Records. (Billboard) 
  • 14 night-time economy businesses are disappearing from Britain's operating stock every week as NTIA warns that excluding nightclubs from targeted business rates relief risks deepening an already disproportionate decline. (RotD) 
  • Youth Music launches £2.4 million fund to tackle racial inequity in the arts. (DJMag) 
  • The Irish government has secured €34.4 million for its Basic Income for the Arts scheme. (RA) 
Digital
  • GasLab (Generative AI Solutions Lab), a GenAI music platform created by leading DJ and producer Reinier Zonneveld, is backed by $1m in pre-seed funding. (RotD) It's built to recognise and pay musicians, and includes licensed training data and full attribution back to the original musicians for all generated songs.  
  • YouTube Music announced the rollout of a new labelling system aimed at improving transparency around songs created with the help of generative AI. (TechCrunch)  
Live
  • Martin Garrix, Dom Dolla, Armin van Buuren, Steve Aoki and Afrojack confirmed for Ultra Miami 2027. (DJMag) 
  • Josh Baker, KETTAMA and Prospa have been booked as a collaborative headline act for Creamfields 2027. (DJMag) 
  • Australian festival Sonder reveals 2027 line-up. (RA) 
  • ADE Pro 2026 announces Insomniac founder Pasquale Rotella as the final headline speaker, with organisers saying a major ADE and Insomniac announcement will be made live during the session. (EDMTunes) 
Comment, Opinion and Analysis
  • After three years of lowering its long-term forecasts for the music industry, Goldman Sachs has revised its 10-year projection upward in the latest instalment of its “Music in the Air” report. (Hits, GS full report)
Tech
  • AlphaTheta unveils new wireless DJ headphones, HDJ-F9. (DJMag)  
  • Teenage Engineering announces plans to stop making synthesisers. (DJMag) 
  • AlphaTheta's KUVO partners with the International Nightlife Association. (RA) 
Beatport
  • Moxie celebrates 10 years of On Loop at Beatport Live London. (Beatportal)
  • Label of the Month: Black Book Records (Beatportal)
  • How Miami became a 365-day electronic music powerhouse. (Beatportal)
  • Playlist of the Week: Krewella (Beatportal)
  • Jacques Greene puts the dance floor first on new album 'jg' [Q&A] (Beatportal)
  • Beatport Next 2027 Applications Open: How to Apply (Beatportal)
Clubs
  • Berlin club ZENNER books Ricardo Villalobos, Barbara Preisinger for New Year's Day. (RA) 
  • New venue Club Empire to open in East London next month. (RA) 
Deals
  • Payday Music Publishing has re-signed EDM hitmaker HAYLA. (RotD) 
  • The Chainsmokers have announced parting ways with Columbia/Disruptor, writing “After 11 amazing years, we are now independent". (DMN) 
  • Warner Chappell Music Nordics announced the signing of an exclusive global publishing agreement with Swedish singer, songwriter, and producer Benjamin Ingrosso. (RotD) 
Artist and Music Features
  • Alison Wonderland: "I think people will attend electronic shows until they're 80". (Mixmag) 
  • The music industry's AI reckoning is already here. (TheDeepView) When you let AI overtake creation, Cella said, "You are not responsible for the process anymore. You are essentially enslaved to the outcomes."  
  • The best things to do at MMATH, the Amsterdam Hotel Gathering for the Electronic Music Business. (EDM) 
  • Ibiza's best parties featuring at Amsterdam Dance Event 2026. (IbizaSpotlight)
  • As ADE turns 30 this week, its managing director Jan-Willem van de Ven reflects on dance music as ‘An Emotions Industry’. (Billboard) 
  • 20 questions with Roger Sanchez: ‘The Greatest Currency You Have Is Your Time’ (Billboard) 
  • How COSTA flipped SoundCloud buzz into a career breakout. (EDM) 
  • In Conversation with Antonio Mazzotta. (DT) 
  • A wave of intimate venues opening in Ibiza are offering an alternative to the island’s superclubs, with a more cosy, locals-friendly and affordable experience that’s reconnecting the White Isle with its underground roots. (Mixmag) 
  • The Belgian capital Brussels has stealthily become Europe's most exciting place to dance, but closures and bureaucracy are biting. Bella Aquilina reports on whether it can last. (RA) 
  • A £1.75 billion railway plan is threatening to leave nightclubs, bars and live music venues in Birmingham’s sole creative quarter without a home. We speak to the activists, DJs, and venue owners fighting against the proposed construction project. (Mixmag) 
  • Recognise 117: Black Rave Culture (DJMag) 
  • Dance Up & Comer of the Month Tiffany Day turned her worst-streamed song into her biggest hit. (Billboard) 
  • Head Trip: Goldenvoice rethinks the electronic music festival. (ElectronicGroove) 
  • Six emerging artists you need to hear: October 2026 (DJMag) 
  • 5 must-read books about electronic music. (Dazed) 
Streams & Podcasts
  • Kosheen ‘Hide U’ | The Making Of A Dance Anthem (DJMag) 
  • RA.1061 Andy Martin (RA) 
  • Bakey | Mixmag Lab London (Mixmag) 
Artist News
  • Sonny Fodera to perform at Cardiff Castle and Brighton's On The Beach next year. (Skiddle)  
  • CamelPhat have announced a huge All Night Long show at Manchester’s O2 Victoria Warehouse on Saturday 30 January 2027. (Skiddle) 
  • Justice has composed the score for Grand Theft Auto VI. (Independent)  
  • Calvin Harris announces his first ever headlining North American tour. (Billboard) 
  • Shygirl shares new single and video, ‘Mantra’. (DJMag) 
  • Alesso DJed on top of the Empire State Building in New York to celebrate his new single, 'Fight For Love'. (EDM) 
  • Roni Size DJed 419 metres underground in the Cwmorthin slate mine in North Wales. (EDM) 
  • Jazzy releases ‘Rocket Science’ single ahead of debut album. (EDMTunes) 
  • Orbital announce new album, ‘Other’. (DJMag) 
  • Skrillex has apologised for sound issues at Head Trip festival. (YourEDM) 
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About IMS

IMS: International Music Summit is a global educational and motivational thought-leadership platform dedicated to the continued development of electronic music primarily through the presentation of global summits for the industry. 

About Beatport

Beatport is the worldwide home of music for DJs, producers, and their fans. Founded in 2004, the Beatport family of companies includes Beatport, the preeminent store for electronic music DJs, Beatsource for the open-format DJ community, and Loopmasters, Loopcloud and Plugin Boutique for music producers. Follow us on Twitch, Facebook and Twitter, and Instagram.

About AFEM

AFEM: A global voice for electronic music; representing our culture and commerce. AFEM's membership spans all industry sectors, with over 250 company members across 25 countries, the organisation connects its worldwide membership to develop opportunities and enable change.

About ROTD

Record of the Day has produced a subscription-based daily publication for the music industry for over 23 years, featuring all the best news and comment, along with an editorially-chosen future hit. Sign up for a free trial here.
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