International Music Summit 2013 – Final Report

Ibiza Gran Hotel, Ibiza, Spain. May 22-24

 -   IMS Report says genre worth $4.5 billion. -   Jean Michel Jarre joins AFEM. -  Fatboy Slim & Judy Weinstein honoured. -   Nile Rodgers IMS Anthem to be auctioned.The sixth International Music Summit in Ibiza, the electronic music platform which recently branched out with IMS Engage in Los Angeles, has reported its biggest year to date. The event has grown steadily throughout the last six years, but its turning point came last year with the huge interest in the genre from investors and large promoting companies. In 2013, IMS reached new heights, with tickets being taken off sale two days before the launch and the Ibiza Gran Hotel being sold out weeks in advance.IMS 2013’s highpoints included keynotes from Jean Michel Jarre, Sven Vath, Nile Rodgers returning for a second year in a row “post Daft Punk” plus blogger Bob Lefsetz cut to the chase with two hard-hitting statements. Perhaps the biggest story to emerge from IMS was the news that the annual IMS Anthem, created each year by an artist nominated by the event partners, was to be auctioned off for charity. This was a reaction to it being created by Nile Rodgers and remixed by Eats Everything – two of the hottest names around at the moment, the former for producing Daft Punk. IMS will reveal full details this week about how to bid for the record – with the advance fee going to the cancer charity set-up by Rodgers. Key highlights from the event were:= IMS Business Report announced that the genre is now worth $4.5 billion a year globally. Vegas now contributes $600 million in direct revenues alone. And the industry has seen over $300 million in acquisition in the last 12 months from just Live Nation and SFX Entertainment, with more expected. USA digital track sales have grown to over three times that of other major genres= Pioneer Jean Michel Jarre became the second ambassador for AFEM: Association for Electronic Music, created by IMS Partner Ben Turner with attorney Kurosh Nasseri. He joins Nile Rodgers, with the pair meeting on stage at IMS for the very first time= Fatboy Slim being given the IMS Legends Award in a plush dinner at Cipriani – completed with video messages from Iggy Pop, David Byrne, Carl Cox and more. The dinner is held annually and is partnered with Nokia Music= Long serving Def Mix agency / management company creator Judy Weinstein presented with the IMS Pioneer Award by her own artist David Morales plus industry rivals David Levy (WME) and Maria May (CAA) in an emotional moment on stageKey quotes from IMS 2103 were:= Patrick Moxey, Ultra Records: “There is no bubble to burst, because everything you see (in electronic music) is organic.”= Marc Geiger, WME: “EDM is big money, and with big money comes the responsibility to grow up. You’re seeing the cultural plotting of electronic music all over the world. The ‘boom boom’ is just the beginning.”= Bob Lefsetz: “If you get offered the cheque, take the cheque!”  “If you’re watching TV and relaxing, you’ll never be successful. Don’t give me the excuse that you don’t have time to tweet.”= Paul Van Dyk: “There is no artist identity anymore. If you’re in front of the stage for five hours, you’re hearing all the same things.”= Stephen Greene, RockCorps: “Social responsibility in electronic music is about making ‘giving back’ part of youth culture.”= Valentino Barrioseta, Bridges for Music: “Kids will listen more to Skrillex than Obama. Electronic artists have a huge amount of influence and responsibility now.”= Fatboy Slim: “We all benefit (from commercialism), so we can’t afford to be sniffly about it.”= Jean Michel Jarre: “Electronic music isn’t just a genre – it’s a new way of composing and writing music altogether. Its not the music that’s electronic, it’s the instruments.”= Emmanuel De Buretel, Because Music: “Don’t trust artists, its their nature to kill you one day. A good way to have close relationship with an artist is to take a risk with them.”= Carter Laren, Mox.tv: “There is a whole world of people who will never step into a club, but who still love electronic music.”= David Waxman, Ultra Music: “EDM will come and go, but dance music will always stay.”IMS partner Ben Turner states: “This was our strongest IMS to date. Coming off the back of IMS Engage, it really feels there is strong momentum for us as a business platform. And with the development of the AFEM association and the key quotes from speakers like Bob Lefsetz, the continued rise of Nile Rodgers, the honesty and warmth of Sven Vath, the Legend status for Fatboy Slim and beyond, IMS has managed to put the business of electronic music into the headlines all around the world. IMS is proud to have elevated the debate a little further for the benefit of electronic music as a whole.”IMS 2013 had over 550 paid delegates plus speakers, media and sponsors. Attendees came from 39 countries this year. Full information about the IMS Anthem will be announced this week, and information about Early Bird prices for 2014 for both IMS Engage and IMS Ibiza will be revealed shortly.About International Music Summit (IMS):The Ibiza International Music Summit (IMS) presented by dance music legend Pete Tong, is now revered as one of the world's most important music industry gatherings in the world. IMS signals the beginning of the Ibiza season. It is a high level music industry conference attended by the global industry leaders in the dance music scene, bringing together a captive audience of the global dance music industry's most important decision makers.It is a platform for labels, agents, managers and brands to debate, announce and explain new initiatives and strategies to the industry, and a forum for music technology collaboration and creation - where the biggest minds in music come together to create new dance music apps, exclusive remixes, and music technology trials.It also serves as the official "consumer" opening of the Ibiza Season with the 2 night IMS Gran Finale at Dalt Vila - a UNESCO world heritage site. Featuring the biggest global talent in the world, pushing the envelope for DJ and live performances.www.internationalmusicsummit.com