Join leading labels, distributors and PRs as they unpack what’s working in today’s release landscape.  From choosing the right formats and platforms to planning release frequency, strategy and spend, this podcast dives into the real-world decisions behind a successful campaign. We'll also explore the role of social media, the pros and cons of self-releasing vs. working with a label, and how approaches shift depending on the artists' goals and resources.

Contributors:

Connie Chow (FUGA)
Moody Jones (EMPIRE/Dirtybird)
Chris Goss (Hospital Records)
Benjamin Belaga (Yoyaku)
Aoife Lavery (Infectious PR)

AFEM, Paradise Worldwide & Africa Rising Music Conference Presents:  "Understanding the opportunities for artists, brands and labels in Africa”

Join this discussion with artist managers, promoters and artists from South Africa:  Unpacking growth opportunities in Africa’s electronic music scene: Discover how artists and labels can effectively utilize regional brands, distributors, DSPs, touring circuits, and global strategies to drive success. 

Contributors:

Jackie Queens (Artist)
Sarah Jane Nicholson (Africa Rising Music Conference / Paradise Worldwide)
Christian de Vos (Golden Hour)
Tumi Mothei (Jägermeister South Africa)

In 2024 AFEM partnered with the Masters Students at the Arts, Culture & Media programme at The University of Groningen, to initiate a study to explore the scope of burnout among professionals in the dance industry. So we surveyed over 1,000 dance music professionals across our membership and beyond to see what they understood of burnout including the causes and potential solutions.

Hear from leaders at the intersection of health, wellness and the music industry on their insights on how a better and more balanced future is available to all; our sincere thanks to:

Alexandra Williamson - Blue Rhythm / AFEM Health Co-Chair

https://www.bluerhythm.co.uk/

@wearebluerhythm on instagram

LOUISAHHH - Artist & Consent Coach
fyeahconsent.com
@louisahhh on instagram

Belinda Matwali - Listen Up Therapy
https://www.listenuptherapy.com/
@belinda_matwali/ on instagram

Mariana Brandão - DM Wellness
https://www.dmwellness.co.uk/
@mari.l.brandao on instagram

To learn more about our Partnership with the University of Groningen click below:

https://www.rug.nl/society-business/science-shops/taal-cultuur-en-communicatie/projecten/3-publicaties-en-rapporten/burn-out-in-the-dance-industry

AFEM Burnout Survey:

https://www.canva.com/design/DAF_BXxuK_Q/bz7blcmmUYNy2acsSVTvrg/view?utm_content=DAF_BXxuK_Q&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=viewer

Hear from a cross section of AFEM members at the forefront of the festival business as they review the festival season just past as well as looking into the club and festival market in 2025.  What will be the economic, market and cultural forces that will shape the next 12 months according to a panel of leading figures in promotion, booking agency, publicity, insurance and ticket selling. 

Featuring:

Duncan King - Skiddle 
Freddie Sparrow - Vento Insurance
Jennifer Cochrane - Get A Head / Exit Festival / XP Futures
Ryan Saltzman - The Bullitt Agency 
Nikki McNeill -  Global Publicity

Hear a recording from an interview conducted live in front of an audience at Resonate Conference in Glasgow, between AFEM COO Finlay Johnson and Nick Halkes, a dance music industry icon known for managing luminaries like Liam Howlett (The Prodigy) and Bad Company UK. With a rich history at XL Recordings and Positiva, Nick has ventured into music publishing and has achieved top 10 UK chart success as an artist/remixer, including remixes for Kylie and Mel C under the moniker Nick Reach Up. Currently gracing UK festivals as part of Reach Up Disco Wonderland, Nick is now working on the fifth season of his Trailblazers-electronic pioneers podcast and has recently made available the first episode of a new podcast series called Talking Matters where he speaks to people outside the world of music who have faced significant challenges and successfully moved beyond them. Explore the dynamic world of music with Nick's wealth of experience and insights.

Recorded at https://www.resonatescot.co.uk/
https://www.instagram.com/resonatescotland // https://www.facebook.com/ResonateScot/

You can hear more from Nick Halkes here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Z6HiOZX4WUmD4nETMG0oM?si=ebdc4d98860a4a01 and here: https://open.spotify.com/show/6TpE58HuSLRTJqhtCvUk7b?si=f43fb95328ec47a3

https://www.instagram.com/nickhalkes/
https://www.instagram.com/nick_reach_up/

AFEM has invited a variety of members to explore the current landscape of releasing and marketing electronic music in 2024. Hear from labels, PR specialists, managers, platforms and distributors about the success stories and trends emerging this year.

Speakers: Eli Fola (Artist & Tech Afrique), Anton Partridge (Good Company), Hiroki Beck (Fabric Records), Clara Suess (Suess Media), Jack Bridges (Soundcloud)

Moderator: Graham Luckhurst (Believe)

The Industry Insider from AFEM is back! In this brand new episode we discuss the intersection of music and AI, the cultural and business benefits and risks of AI and Web3 platforms in music.

Beyond the hype cycle and the fear, how do we frame the current explosion in AI technologies as an opportunity for artists and creators? 

Contributors:

Sarasara 
Linktree 

Pal Chohan
VP Audio Systems & Music - PIXELYNX
https://pixelynx.io/
https://korus.co/

Carl Hayden Smith 
The Museum of Consciousness:
https://www.themoc.org
Wavepaths:
https://wavepaths.com

Gareth Deakin - Sonorous 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/garethdeakin/  

Jay Ahern - Consultant
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayahern/

Tom Middleton
Co-Founder White Mirror  
White Mirror
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommiddletonmusic/


AI Tools and Apps Referenced in the podcast:

Audioshake: https://www.audioshake.ai/ 

Neutone AI https://neutone.ai/

Human Artistry Campaign https://www.humanartistrycampaign.com/

Content Authenticity Initiative https://contentauthenticity.org/

Articles References In the podcast:

https://musically.com/2023/08/01/tunecore-study-27-of-indie-artists-have-used-ai-music-tools/

https://www.9news.com.au/technology/musiclm-google-artificial-intelligence-music-maker-wont-be-released-for-now/b98b610a-abc9-47d8-a640-7502019e0fa8

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/aug/09/google-and-universal-music-working-on-licensing-voices-for-ai-generated-songs

https://musically.com/2023/07/12/ai-music-startup-mubert-reaches-100m-tracks-milestone/#

Jaron Lanier – Who is Civilization for? (+ Q&A with Ulrich Kelber) Willy Brandt Lecture 2018

Events Reimagined

The massive challenges of the past 18 months have highlighted both the fragility of the electronic music live sector, and the deep interdependence of the chain of businesses and creatives involved.

On this podcast, we look into some of the innovations and new ideas developed during the COVID and lockdown periods, and how we can work together to make the ecosystem and electronic music scene more sustainable, more inspiring, and more future-proof.

Our panel of experts for this discussion are:

Andy Peyton - Maiden Voyage / Phonox / Boiler Room
Claire O’Neil - A Greener Festival
Daniel Fletcher - Primavera Festival
Jo Vidler - AMFE
Morgan Deane - Lasher Louis Productions

Host: Andi Durrant - https://www.thisisdistorted.com/

Links:
https://associationforelectronicmusic.org/

NFTs have really exploded into our industry this year - it’s becoming a high profile new format for selling digital art, music, fan experience bundles and essentially anything where digital ownership changes hands.. so in this discussion we’re going to try and cover off all the basics and explain what NFTs are, what opportunities and potential challenges they might present for creators and the wider electronic music industry, and separate the hype from the reality..

Our panel of experts for this discussion are:

Heiko Hoffmann - Beatport
Paula van der Waerden - RCRDSHP
John Wander - XLR8R
Inder Phull - Pixelynx
Dina LaPolt - LaPolt Law
UMEK - Viberate

Host: Andi Durrant - This Is Distorted

Links:
https://associationforelectronicmusic.org/
https://www.weallareequal.org/
https://www.thisisdistorted.com/

Discussions, profiles, interviews and chat from the AFEM - the trade body for the electronic music scene around the world.

On this month’s episode of the AFEM Industry Insider we’ve put together an expert panel to talk about Article 17 of the EU Copyright Directive - a change of law which will affect a large sector of the electronic music industry from artists and labels to content creators and copyright owners.

We’ll also be hearing about Moving The Needle - a new educational support network for students and young professional women in the music industry.

Contributors and social handles:

@AFEMORG
@MTNnow_
@ChrisUnLimited
@sophie_goossens
@GregorPryor
@andidurrant
@silviavoicebox

https://www.mtnnow.com/
https://associationforelectronicmusic.org/
https://www.thisisdistorted.com/