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
Comes and Goes
KETTAMA
Steel City Dance Discs
out now
Comment
"It's going in the direction of our 'DJ of the Year' at the Radio 1 Dance Awards, the tattooed man from Galway, that is KETTAMA. He's back with 'Comes and Goes' via Steel City Dance Discs. It marks the first release since his debut number one album, 'Archangel', written with Maurice Santiago, who also sang on last year's anthem, 'It Gets Better'. It drops ahead of him, headlining Belfast's AVA and Forbidden Fruit Festival in Dublin, and we are really feeling this. Time to turn it up."
This week's featured Essential New Tune was featured in last week’s Friday show on BBC Radio 1. Listen again and forward to 31.37 here. 
Contact
Label: Steel City Dance Discs
Management: Jarred Kennedy, Overcast Management 
Publishing: George Dalziel, Earshot Publishing 
Radio: Vicki McCall, On Aire 
Live Agents: The Team 
26 May 2026
News and Features
  • The UK's Commons Business and Trade Committee recommends the CMA should launch an investigation into the live music industry. (RotD) 
  • NTIA delivered a blunt warning that the Government’s summer VAT cut is a politically convenient but economically flawed measure that excludes the UK’s struggling night-time and live events sector. (RotD) 
  • Warner Music's executive VP of global A&R and marketing for dance music, Bart Cools, is leaving the label this month after 13 years. (Billboard) 
  • Britain’s night time economy is undergoing a profound structural shift, with new data revealing that 28.9% of late-night venues have disappeared since March 2020. (RotD) 
  • The UK government has been accused of siphoning off £1.2m of the £6m raised via a voluntary ticket levy in support of grassroots venues via “stealth” VAT charges. (DJMag) 
  • Tomorrowland Academy launches revamped platform with new DJ and production courses. (DJMag)  
  • Three Six Zero, which represents Calvin Harris, Muse and others, announced the launch of a sports management division. (RotD) 
Digital
  • Spotify’s 2026 Investor Day recap. (Spotify) 
    Remarks From Spotify Co-CEOs Alex Norström and Gustav Söderström. (Spotify) 
  • Spotify announced Reserved by Spotify: a new experience for Premium subscribers (ages 18+) in the US that identifies an artist's most dedicated fans and holds two tickets just for them, before they go on sale to the general public. (Spotify) 
  • Universal Music Group and TikTok have unveiled a new multiyear licensing deal to cover royalties from big name artists and creators. (HR) 
  • Music creation platform Splice announced a partnership with ElevenLabs to build next generation AI-powered creative tools. (RotD) 
  • Distributor FUGA announced the renewal and expansion of its partnership with electronic music specialist Insomniac Music Group. (RotD) 
Live
  • Bridge Conference 2026 arrives in Umag this week with CAA, WME, EXIT and Sziget confirmed amongst speakers. (RotD)
  • EDC Las Vegas to expand in 2027 with 12-day ‘Dusk Till Dawn’ concept. (Billboard) 
  • Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) Las Vegas has shared the official aftermovie for its recent 2026 festival. (DJMag) 
  • Horst Festival is Belgium’s dance music laboratory (Fader) 
Comment, Opinion and Analysis
  • A third handover of gatekeeping power has just begun, and most of the music industry isn’t paying attention. (TheSoundHack - George Ergatoudis) 
Beatport
  • Win a VIP Ibiza trip for two to Beatport Live Presents Heavy House Society vs TSZR. (Beatportal)
  • Øneheart shares the tracks that guided his new EP, 'find yourself' (Beatportal)
  • Rebūke on "Dancing Bears" and building his next sonic era: 'I'd rather be broke and interesting than successful and predictable' [Q&A] (Beatportal)
  • In Memory of Harvey McKay: The Dark Stuff, a Beautiful Soul and a Life Lived Through Music (Beatportal)
  • Eight Emerging Artists On Our Radar: May 2026 (Beatportal)
  • Beatport Live and fabric Bring Indira Paganotto’s Psy-Techno Sound 58 Floors Above London (Beatportal)
  • Speed up your music digging with Beatport DJ (Beatport)
Clubs
  • Ibiza: 
    Dom Dolla returns to Hï Ibiza in 2026, this time for a peak-season Friday night residency. (IbizaSpotlight) 
Deals
  • Material Music Group has launched a publishing arm, created in partnership with Downtown Music Publishing. (RotD) The first signing is songwriter and producer Richard Atkins, who has written and produced for Girls Don’t Sync, Becky Hill, Rudimental, Jax Jones, and more. 
Streams & Podcasts
  • Underworld Live at EDC Las Vegas 2026 (Insomniac) 
  • Subtronics Live at EDC Las Vegas 2026 (Insomniac) 
  • Hardwell - Live at EDC Las Vegas 2026 (Insomniac) 
  • LEVEL UP Live at EDC Las Vegas 2026 (Insomniac)  
  • Kaskade Live at EDC Las Vegas 2026 (Insomniac) 
  • RA.1040 Clementaum (RA) 
  • Tom Leek on building UNUM Festival and Albania’s underground music scene. (Loud&Unfiltered) 
Artist and Music Features
  • Ben Turner, co-founder of the International Music Summit, talks about the state of the industry, the rise of AI, the enduring importance of Ibiza, and where electronic music culture is heading. (Headliner)
  • What happens when you blend generative AI, quantum computing, and a visionary electro artist? Something entirely new hits your ears—without borrowing a single note from anyone else. (FuturaSciences) 
  • Omar+ is bringing R&B back to dance music spaces, blending vocals inspired by the sounds of his youth with crisp modern house. In the middle of a huge year, he speaks about his early inspirations, his rise to prominence, and his relaxed approach to creativity. (DJMag) 
  • Electronic music meets orchestra as DJ Black Coffee stuns O2 crowds. (BBC) 
  • Robert Hood is Detroit Techno (FirstFloor) 
  • Anyma talks AI, ÆDEN, Sphere Production, his next album, and more. (EDMTunes) 
  • Anyma: 21st-century futurist (DJMag) 
  • “By using Sellotape I could make it play two preset rhythms at the same time, creating cool beats”: 50 years ago this summer, Jean-Michel Jarre began making the album that took electronic music global. (MusicRadar) 
  • Blimps, DJ booking stunts, art installation disasters: we look back at some of the most bizarre and unexpectedly influential rollouts. (RA) 
  • ‘Brits are not as groovy as us – but they’re less square than Europeans’: how drum’n’bass united Brazil and the UK (Guardian) 
  • Inside Suwannee Hulaween’s immersive festival blueprint. (EDM) 
Artist News
  • Scottish DJ and producer Harvey Mckay has died. (DJMag) 
  • Philipp Jung, cofounder of Get Physical Music and one half of M.A.N.D.Y., has died aged 55. (RA) 
  • Skrillex’s new creative platform Contra will debut in Berlin with Knock 2, Bladee, Skrill himself and more. (Billboard) 
  • Armin van Buuren will kick off Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) 2026 with an opening-night party at Gashouder. (DJMag) 
  • Amelie Lens announces debut album AURA. (RA) 
  • DJ Harvey will play his only UK set of 2026 at Ministry Of Sound this summer. (RA) 
  • Paul van Dyk returns to ADE with open-to-close performance. (Skiddle) 
  • Shannen SP curates South African electronic underground compilation for TraTraTrax. (DJMag) 
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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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