www.musicweek.com 25.05.12 Music Week 21

DANCE SPECIAL BODYTALK

ELECTRONIC MUSIC IS FINALLYWINNING RESPECT. WHERE NEXT?With dance kicking off around the world, is there now a need for a global electronic music trade body?

DANCE• BY BEN TURNER, CO-FOUNDER, IMS

T he debate about the sustainabUity ofelectronic music around the world continueswith the positive Cream / James Barton sale

to Live Nation positioned next to news of twomajor electronic events in the UK hitting the wall.Is there already a levelling of interest? One thing isfor sure, we have been here before and wül do soagain. But electronic music culture wiU not go away.It wiU continue to incubate and innovate and raiseits head into mainstream culture again and again.

However, those who have been in it long enoughto remember when there was only one official dancemusic festival in this country - Tribal Gathering,anyone? - wiU remember that it's how you operatein the down times that makes you stronger, wiserand sharper.

The Ibiza International Music Summit - anevent I co-created with Pete Tong, Danny Whittlefrom Pacha and other industry professionals - wasalso launched in down times. Five years ago, it wasall doom and gloom and poor Jason Ellis fromPositiva / EMI was the elephant in the room whenthe delegation talked about "not needing themajors" and "staying independent". Five years on hisroster kind of summarises EDM's success today.

IMS was set up to provide stimulating debateand discussion, to not be afraid of putting ideas outthere for the delegation to either help shape or kickinto touch. This year, IMS has been urged by anumber of leading lights to pose this question: Doeselectronic music, or EDM, need a trade body tohelp protects its interests and map out its future? It'sa topic which gets some people quite animated yetmakes others yawn.

When asked about this issue one majormanager said to me: "I don't believe in cliques. I'm alone wolf, fighting my fight, for my artists." A faircomment and one which probably rings true formany successfial company owners. However, it'sthose views that make the creation of an associationor trade body pretty damn essential.

It is very much the case that one unified voicewill help a sector progress, be taken seriously atgovernment and funding levels and giveauthorities a "go-to" place; few have the time orinclination to sit and listen to 30 different viewson any given topic.

It also creates unity vidthin the industry, with like-minded people fighting the fight

Cream's James Barton said of running festivalsthat "it can be a lonely business when you areindependent". It was this view - and the originalidea of Rob da Bank - that encouraged us to set upthe Association of Independent Festivals in the UKwith Alison Wenham's AIM trade body.

AIF has been a huge success on many levels. Itnow represents 41 UK festivals. It has made life alittle less lonely for some really entrepreneurialpeople. As the vice-chair of this organisation, Iwelcome the desire from many in the industry -including respected US entertainment lawyerKurosh Nasseri - to create such a group.

At a series of inspiring meetings at the MiamiWinter Music Conference, and at the IMSsymposium at the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs, weboth sketched out the reasons why we felt the needto propose this. With both of us living in the twomost important markets for EDM, it feels thatthere are common concerns and goals we shareabout how this music is portrayed by the outsideworld, and how we present ourselves to majorpromoters or even Wall Street.

It's about how EDM is represented at theGrammy Awards in such boom times, and whynobody challenged the BPI when they dumped theBest Dance Act category from the BRIT Awards.Why are electronic music producers not paidproperly when their music is played in clubs andfestivals? It's very clear that the industry needs helpto navigate new income streams.

ABOVE

Floor fil lers...

but the electronicmusic genre needshelp to navigatenew incomestreams

Kurosh Nasseri puts it Hke this: "When I seerival American hip-hop legends be asked to get onstage to help celebrate an opponent's success at theGrammys, I think about every dance music awardI've ever seen picked up. Nobody ever brought arival DJ onto the stage with them to celebrate. Welack unity. Hip-hop artists and industry leaders havemanaged to establish their once-ignored musicalformat as a legitimate music genre to be respectedand treated as such.

"Not too many years ago none of the Grammyawards for hip-hop were part of the telecast, nownearly all of them are presented as a highlight of thetelevised portion of the award show.

"AU involved with electronic music should aspireto accomplish the same for their genre but thiswould require speaking with one voice at least aboutcommon goals."

IMS wiU never force ideas on its delegation orthe industry that it loves to reflect, but it is set up tochallenge, stimulate and debate. At IMS this week,the global attendees covering aU aspects of thebusiness will discuss in detail whether there is infact the need and desire to create such a group.

The current issue of Music Week celebrates theseincredible times, but there wül always be ups anddowns. Do you care enough to want to really helpshape the future of electronic music?

Or put it this way, do you want to help secureyour future in electronic music?

See you in Ibiza.

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