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
Lost Keys
Alex Wann
tszr
out now
Comment
"It's coming in hot from the Parisian DJ and producer Alex Wann making his 360 debut, with a tune that he has road tested all summer long. A little bit more high energy from Alex, and we're feeling that." This week's featured Essential New Tune was featured in last week’s Friday show on BBC Radio 1. Listen again and forward to 27.15 here.
Contact
Label:  Sam Hutt, Danny Bragg & Nick Dearman, TSZR
Management: Dorothy Caccavale, JET Management
Radio & Club: Adam Carter, Exclusive Promo
Live Agents: The Team
22 Sep 2026
Business
  • Live entertainment technology company Fever, which owns ticketing platform DICE, has raised $250 million in a major new funding round as investors continue to bet big on the future of in-person experiences. (EDMTunes)
News and Features
  • Universal Music Group is suing digital music distributor DistroKid, alleging the company spreads “AI-generated ‘slop’ that siphons revenue and listeners from the legitimate artists and rightsholders.” (DMN) 
  • Entertainment executive Barney Wragg has obtained a $20m investment for his UK music tech startup that hopes to recreate classic concerts by manifesting musicians as digital avatars. Unit1 will develop the avatars through a mixture of archive footage and hiring actors and musicians who either look or play like the departed star, before blending the footage together. (Guardian) 
  • UK Music has commissioned new research to help show how the music industry can be a key part of the Government's devolution agenda. (RotD) 
  • Universal Music Group and Sony Music have filed a second copyright infringement lawsuit against Suno, alleging that the company’s recently released v6 model — which Suno said is trained exclusively on licensed music — uses their recordings without consent. (HR)
  • Over €400,000 in funding is set to be awarded to 32 clubs, radio stations and collectives in Berlin next month as part of the Clubcommission’s TAG DE CLUBKULTUR festival. (Mixmag)
  • The European Union has shared its concerns over raids on nightlife venues and homes in Turkey as part of an intensifying crackdown on LGBTQIA+ people in the country. (Mixmag)
  • The American Music Tourism Act now awaits presidential sign-off and would require the Department of Commerce to promote travel to live music. (IQ)
  • DJ Mag announces Top 100 DJs LIVE 2026 at [UNVRS] Ibiza (DJMag)
    David Guetta launches Top 100 DJs 2026 fundraiser for Bridges for Music. (YourEDM)
Digital
  • Believe and Tunecore won’t feed music to Suno without giving artists choice to opt in: ‘The artist must consent first, period.’ (MBW)  
  • Spotify has announced Fresh Finds Forward, a new program giving approximately 10,000 emerging independent artists each year the resources, community, and support to turn early momentum into long-term growth. (Spotify) 
  • Suno faces yet another class action lawsuit over alleged November 2025 data breach — plus a separate complaint for allegedly violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. (DMN) 
Live
  • Time Warp Los Angeles Reveals Lineup for Debut 2026 Edition. (DJRevolution)
Comment, Opinion and Analysis
  • Independence is not inherently virtuous. (FirstFloor) It’s no longer clear what the word “independent” really means—and that’s the problem. 
  • Streaming 2.0 hasn’t worked. It’s time for an upload fee. (ORCA - Patrick Clifton) 
Beatport
  • Beatport Live Takes Over Zwart Goud for Three Free Days at ADE 2026 (Beatport)
  • Eight Emerging Artists On Our Radar: September 2026 (Beatport)
  • Hospital Records at 30: The Past, Present and Future of a Drum & Bass Institution (Beatport)
  • Could New York’s Next Flagship Dance Festival Be Artist-Driven? (Beatport)
  • Playlist of the Week: ØTTA (Beatport)
  • Heavy House Society and TSZR Unite for Beatport Live at 528 Ibiza (Beatport)
Clubs
  • Erol Alkan's legendary club night Trash has teased its return, 20 years after its last edition. (Mixmag)
  • Manchester club Joshua Brooks reopens after major refurbishment. (RA)
  • Budapest club Aether is to close after ten years. (RA) A statement cited "a number of circumstances" that contributed towards the decision, including rapidly rising rent and operational costs.
  • For the last 26 years, Philadelphia party Making Time has rewritten the traditional club night script. (Mixmag)
  • Sports Banger and King Alpha Sound System will headline a fundraising gig celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street next month. (RA) 
  • The future of Upstate New York festival Sustain-Release is uncertain following the announcement that Camp Kennybrook, its long-standing venue, has been sold. (RA)
  • New Milan club Studionotte to open this weekend. (RA) The venue promises to bring non-commercial, avant-garde clubbing to the city.
  • Apple opens live music venue at London's Battersea Power Station. (RA) Apple Music Hall will host intimate performances with live Spatial Audio recording, broadcast facilities and global livestreaming.
Deals
  • Electronic producer and DJ, Mason, has signed an exclusive publishing deal with Just Isn’t Music, Ninja Tune’s publishing arm. (RotD)  
Streams & Podcasts
  • RA.1057 Marina Herlop (RA)
  • Mix Of The Day: Tasha (RA)
  • Mix Of The Day: ona:v (RA)
  • Mix Of The Day: Doula (RA)
  • Carl Cox and Louie Vega play disco b2b at [UNVRS] Ibiza (DJMag)
  • The Mix 123: Optimo (Mixmag)
  • Pan-Pot live from Greenfields (TrueUnderground)
Artist and Music Features
  • The Melbourne DJ Moopie talks about the route he’s taken to get to where he is today, and the depth of feeling that’s guided him along the way. (DJMag) 
  • Rounding up festival news from across the dance and electronic world. (Mixmag)
  • Undrscovered: Marco Weber Finds His Groove Between Deep House and Warehouse Grit (Undrtone)
  • Roel on ‘Dreamliner’, Working With Low Steppa and Bringing Disco Into Modern House (Undrtone)
  • Ahadadream talks about overcoming self-doubt, a life-changing chat with Skrillex, and why you have to have build things yourself. (Mixmag) 
Artist News
  • John Summit has shared a statement after recieving backlash and alleged harassment when his Argentina show appeared to be cut short over the weekend. (Mixmag)
  • RÜFÜS DU SOL’s 2026 world tour becomes highest-grossing in electronic music history. (DJMag)
  • French electronic musician and composer Bernard Szajner dies aged 82. (RA)
  • Calvin Harris Announces First-Ever Australian Headline Tour for 2027.(DJRevolution)
  • Sasha & John Digweed Announce First Australian Tour in Eight Years. (DJRevolution)
Recent newsletters

15 Sep 2026

Gotta Be Cool (Luch Remix) - Rafael
"This track's been a feature of Damian Lazarus's sets throughout the year. Rafael's 'Gotta Be Cool' has become one of...

08 Sep 2026

How Ya Feelin' - L.P. Rhythm
"It comes from a young man from Sunderland, and I first had him on the show back at the very...

01 Sep 2026

So Good (feat. Kuuda) Sapian Extended Remix - CamelPhat & Josh Gigante
"The original version of this dropped in June, and it was a close shave for an ENT then, but it...

25 Aug 2026

My Heart's On Fire - Bautista
"This week's selection could almost be an eclectic selection or a guilty pleasure. We're talking about Seth Troxler paying homage...

18 Aug 2026

Mystery Of Raw - Michael Bibi, KETTAMA & Wu-Tang Clan
Michael Bibi joins Pete to talk about this week's ENT. 
"In 2018, KETTAMA's first sent me a version with the sample...

11 Aug 2026

Love Forever - Max Styler & Kuuda
"This is taken from his new six-track EP, 'I Don't Think I Can Stop', on his own label, Nu Moda....

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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