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
Allo
Alex Wann & JUNO
Crosstown Rebels
out now
Comment
"It's going to go into the hands of a Parisian DJ and producer, Alex Wann, who's become a formidable force within the melodic house landscape, performing at festivals and venues from Tomorrowland to Pacha Ibiza while holding down a Las Vegas residency at Wynn's XS Nightclub. Here he collaborates with another of our favourites, JUNO, who comes off a breakout 2025 marked by his standout hit 'Last Dance' on Magnifik Music and a Hot Mix for this show. This week's ENT is 'Allo' from Alex Wann & JUNO on Crosstown Rebels."
This week's featured Essential New Tune was featured in last week’s Friday show on BBC Radio 1. Listen again and forward to 32.44 here. 
Contact
Label: Leon Oakey, Crosstown Rebels 
Management: Tyler Goldberg & Dorothy Caccavale, Jet Management (Alex Wann) / Carsten Levi, Effect Management (JUNO) 
Radio, Club : Adam Carter, Exclusive Promo 
Online: Jake Price, Dispersion PR
Booking:  Dave Blackgrove, The Team /  Senad Alimehaj, Jackmode (JUNO)
12 May 2026
Business
  • Live Nation’s revenue rose to $3.79bn in Q1, an increase of 12% from the same period last year. The company pointed to a $450m “legal accrual” as dragging down the bottom line. (Variety) 
  • Warner Music Group posted $1.73bn in revenue for the company’s Q2, a 17% jump from a year ago. Recorded music revenue was up 17.4% to $1.38bn, while publishing revenue rose 14% to $453m. (HR) 
  • Sony Music posted solid Q1 2026 financials — recorded music streaming revenue increased by 17%, physical revenue approached streaming-era record. (DMN) 
News and Features
  • Festival organiser Brockwell Live’s planning application for its 2026 event series (Field Day, Cross The Tracks, City Splash, and Mighty Hoopla) has been unanimously approved despite some local objection. (RotD)  
  • Billboard celebrates the most influential labels, distributors and associations in the independent space today. (Billboard) 
  • Brighton Music Conference (BMC) 2026 announces Orbital for keynote interview. (DT) 
  • Mental health and wellness non-profit Backline has launched a mental health toolkit made specifically for dance artists and other professionals, particularly those who tour. (Billboard) 
  • 48% of UK venues launched in 2025 have already closed, according to a new report by TicketSource. (Mixmag) 
  • Positive physical effects of dancing to electronic music have been scientifically proven by a study backed by AlphaTheta. (RotD) 
Digital
  • Spotify reported its interactive AI DJ feature now supports four additional languages: French, German, Italian, and Brazilian Portuguese. (TechCrunch) 
  • Spotify Discovery Mode “payola” lawsuit to move into arbitration. (MusicAlly) 
  • FanLabel, a music gamification and prediction market entertainment company that turns real-world music performance data into interactive fan experiences, announced the launch of FanLabel SongPicks, its paid-entry, skill-based, music-contest app that lets fans use their music knowledge to compete for cash prizes. (RotD) 
  • Google is working with Believe to bring Google Flow Music and Lyria 3 Pro directly to artists. (Google) Flow Music "works as a creative collaborator, helping with lyrics, toying with new melodies or genres and even creating new instruments", while Lyria 3 Pro "was built to understand musical composition, so you can prompt intros, verses, choruses and bridges".  
  • Almost half of all the music uploaded to streaming platform Deezer each day is AI-generated, according to a new report. (Mixmag) 
Live
  • London's Waterworks Festival relocates to The Cause from Gunnersbury Park. (RA)  
  • Amsterdam authorities have shut down Music On festival hours before kickoff. (EDMTunes) 
  • EDC Las Vegas 2026 set times announced. (DJ Mag) 
Comment, Opinion and Analysis
  • The real conflict inside the music industry has never been between art and commerce. It’s between art and ownership. (Substack - Simon Napier-Bell) 
Tech
  • Native Instruments releases Komplete 26 with expanded instrument lineup and updated Kontakt engine. (RA) 
  • Native Instruments has signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by inMusic, the company behind brands including Akai Professional, Moog Music, Denon DJ, Numark and Rane. (DJ Mag) 
Beatport
  • Beatport’s 'The Block' Is Coming to Breakaway Atlanta (Beatportal)
  • Playlist of the Week: THEOS (Beatportal)
  • EDC Las Vegas 2026 set times & how to stream: Full Schedule (Beatportal)
  • IMS Ibiza 2026 signals a New Era for Electronic Music (Beatportal)
  • Club of the Month: Club 77 (Sydney) (Beatportal)
  • Pre-Order David Guetta and Marten Hørger’s Debut Men Machine EP (Beatportal)
  • djay x Beatport Streaming sessions with ‪Babxi (Beatport)
Clubs
  • Ibiza: 
    Pikes Ibiza has shared the full line-up for its Pikes Presents series at 528 Ibiza this summer. (DJ Mag) 
    RESISTANCE has released the line-up for its second season at Amnesia. (Ibiza Spotlight)
    Carl Cox has shared a full run of line-ups for his summer residency at [UNVRS] Ibiza. (DJ Mag) 
  • Two men were stabbed during the ‘Cru2: The Birmingham Shutdown’ event. (NME) 
  • London nightclub Lost is to leave its current home for a new venue. (Skiddle) 
  • London club KOKO marks 125 years with new studio and expanded electronic programme. (RA) 
Streams & Podcasts
  • Fatboy Slim - Coachella 2026 (Coachella) 
  • Jazzy | Mixmag DJ Set | Burn Energy Tour | Ibiza (Mixmag) 
  • SHEE | Mixmag Lab London | Southern Fried Takeover (Mixmag) 
  • RA.1038 The Trip (RA) 
  • 24 hours inside Fred again..'s USB002 tour. (Derrick Gee) 
  • Alan Braxe & Fred Falke ‘Intro’ | The Making Of A Dance Anthem (DJ Mag) 
  • Learn to DJ Like MPH (DJ Mag) 
  • The story of London Records is the subject of a new podcast series titled Hit That Perfect Beat with contributions from Pete Tong, John Niven, Goldie, Phil Hartnoll of Orbital, and more. (DJ Mag) 
Artist and Music Features
  • Superfan subscriptions were promoted as the answer to the music monetisation problem. It turns out they don't really work for artists or fans. (Water&Music, Hypebot summary)
  • Why Spotify has no button to filter out AI music. (BBC) 
  • For decades, the French music company Believe has cultivated local stars in local markets, helping them find global reach. Now it's ready to enter the most challenging territory of all - the US. (Billboard)  
  • Social media bans for young people: boom or bust? (Midia - Hanna Kahlert) 
  • Industry Insider: An interview with AMAAD co-founder Paul Jack. (Mixmag) 
  • Why brands are ditching one-time influencer campaigns for long-term partnerships. (Forbes) 
  • Mathame’s Matteo Giovanelli chats to Rosie Riot about the role of AI in music. (909Originals) 
  • Claptone chats about his long-awaited new album, ‘Wanderer’. (909Originals) 
  • DJ Snake: no borders (DJ Mag) 
  • How Everything But The Girl wove lovelorn pop with drum & bass on ‘Walking Wounded’. (DJ Mag) 
  • Why music festivals are having to adapt to survive. (BBC) 
  • From Tokyo to New York and beyond, vinyl-driven spaces are gaining ground as nightlife shifts toward sound, design and a slower kind of social life. (Observer) 
  • Klymax Discotheque: Bali's Temple of Sound (RA) 
  • 5 DJs on why Belgium is the next dance music capital. (Fader) 
  • Best Live Electronic acts to see in 2026. (Magnetic) 
Artist News
  • EDM community helps deadmau5 reconnect with a forgotten internet friend. (EDMTunes) 
  • Calvin Harris and Jazzy team up on scintillating single ‘Satisfy’. (EDMTunes) 
  • Madeon announces 2026 headline tour ahead of new album, ‘Victory’. (EDM) 
  • The Chemical Brothers’ ‘Go’ sees 429% streaming surge after ‘Apex’ film synch. (Billboard) 
  • Nia Archives has announced a new album, ‘Emotional Junglist’ alongside a new single, ‘Boys In Blue’. (DJ Mag) 
  • The North Quarter founder Lenzman fundraiser event announced after cancer treatment stopped. (DJ Mag)  
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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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