International Music Summit (IMS) is an international conference on the electronic music industry that takes place annually in

Ibiza Ibiza (; ; ; #Names and pronunciation, see below) or Iviza is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is 150 kilometres (93 miles) from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of th ...

over three days. IMS was co-founded in 2007 by

Pete Tong Peter Michael Tong (born 30 July 1960) is an English DJ who works for BBC Radio 1. He is the host of programmes such as '' Essential Mix'' and '' Essential Selection'' on the radio service, which can be heard through Internet radio streams, for ...

, Ben Turner, Danny Whittle, Mark Netto and Simeon Friend. It consists of speakers, performers, masterclasses and the presentation of the IMS Business Report. Its primary focus is on promoting sustainable growth within the electronic music industry. In 2023,

Beatport Beatport is an American electronic music-oriented online music store owned by LiveStyle. The company is based in Denver, Los Angeles, and Berlin. Beatport is oriented primarily towards disk jockey, DJs, selling full songs as well as resources that ...

, a long-time partner of the summit, acquired a majority stake in IMS.

History

Held annually over three days, at the launch of the Ibiza season, IMS is a summit promoting the electronic music industry. Established in 2007 by Pete Tong, Ben Turner, Danny Whittle, Mark Netto and Simeon Friend, now co-hosted by Pete Tong and

Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large felidae, cat species and the only extant taxon, living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat spe ...

, it features speakers, seminars, technology masterclasses, performances and the presentation of the annual IMS Business Report. Originally centred on industry topics, the purpose of the summit is now focused on influencing sustainable change within the industry, platforming issues including climate change, mental health, diversity and inclusion, and the impact of technology on the global electronic music industry. In 2012, the Association for Electronic Music was formed from the delegates floor of IMS, following discussions on the need for a global voice for electronic music. Following an initial meeting, the AFEM was co-founded by Ben Turner and Kurosh Nasseri, and officially launched in 2013. In February 2023, it was announced the US-owned online music store

, a long-time partner of the summit, had acquired a majority stake in IMS. IMS continues to be operated under the direction of its co-founders and General Manager Katie Sallows.

Programme

Speakers

IMS presents prominent speakers from the electronic music industry as their keynotes and speakers. Past keynotes have included Richie Hawtin (2009),

David Guetta Pierre David Guetta (; born 7 November 1967) is a French DJ and record producer. He has sold over 10 million albums and 65 million singles globally, with more than 30 billion streams on Spotify. Guetta was voted the number one DJ in the DJ Mag ...

(2010),

David Lynch David Keith Lynch (January 20, 1946 – January 16, 2025) was an American filmmaker, visual artist, musician, and actor. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Lynch was often called a "visionary" and received acclaim f ...

(2011), Carl Cox (2012),

Nile Rodgers Nile Gregory Rodgers Jr. (born September 19, 1952) is an American musician, songwriter, guitarist and record producer. The co-founder of Chic, he has written, produced, and performed on records that have sold more than 750 million albums and 1 ...

(2012), George Clinton (2014), Erick Morillo (2016),

Pet Shop Boys Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 100 million records worldwide and were listed as the most successful duo in UK music h ...

(2016), New Order (2017), Charlotte de Witte (2019),

Brian Eno Brian Peter George Jean-Baptiste de la Salle Eno (, born 15 May 1948), also mononymously known as Eno, is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, visual artist, and activist. He is best known for his pioneering contributions to ambien ...

(2022), and

Grimes Claire Elise Boucher (; born March 17, 1988), known professionally as Grimes, is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Her lyrics often touch on science fiction and feminist themes. The visuals in her videos are elabora ...

(2023). Other notable speakers include

Lyor Cohen Lyor Cohen (born October 3, 1959) is an American music industry executive. He is YouTube's global head of music. He began his career in the 1980s at Rush Management and Def Jam, and later held senior positions at Island Def Jam and Warner M ...

Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English pop rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. After several early changes, the band's line-up settled ...

and Errol Alkan (2022), Fabio and Grooverider (2022), Nora En Pure (2022), Ole Obermann (2022), Max Lousada (2023), and TOKiMONSTA (2023).

Venues

In 2007, IMS was held at the Insotel Fenicia Prestige Suites & Spa and Atzaro Agraturismo Hotel, Ibiza. From 2008 until 2013, IMS was held at the Ibiza Gran Hotel. From 2014 to 2019, it was held at the Hard Rock Hotel, Ibiza. In 2020 and 2021, the conference was unable to take place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022 and 2023, it was held at the Destino Pacha Ibiza Resort. In 2024, IMS was held across Mondrian Ibiza and Hyde Ibiza.

IMS Dalt Vila

The IMS finale, an open air party featuring a night of DJ performances, takes place each year at the top of Dalt Vila, a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage Site in Ibiza's old town.

IMS Business Report

The IMS Business Report is an annual study of the electronic music business, consisting of IMS analysis of facts and figures from all aspects of the industry. Presented at IMS each year, the report outlines key cultural trends and major emerging themes of the past year, as well as providing an estimation of the global value of electronic music. The 2023 report estimated the dance and electronic music market was worth $11.3 billion, having grown by 34% in 2022.

International editions

IMS Engage LA

IMS Engage was an alternative edition of IMS based in Los Angeles. Founded in 2013, as a one day long summit, it took place each April at the W hotel in Hollywood, running for five years. Speakers from the electronic music industry were paired with prominent figures from film as well as the wider music industry. Speakers included

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (March 14, 1933 – November 3, 2024) was an American record producer, composer, arranger, conductor, trumpeter, and bandleader. Over the course of his seven-decade career, he received List of awards and nominations re ...

Hans Zimmer Hans Florian Zimmer (; born 12 September 1957) is a German film score composer and music producer. He has won two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, five Grammy Awards, and has been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards, Emmy Awards and a Tony ...

Chuck D Carlton Douglas Ridenhour (born August 1, 1960), known professionally as Chuck D, is an American rapper, best known as the leader and frontman of the hip hop group Public Enemy, which he co-founded in 1985 with Flavor Flav. Chuck D is also a me ...

and P. Diddy.

IMS Asia-Pacific

IMS Asia-Pacific was the third edition of IMS to be founded, and was based in the Asia-Pacific region, taking place over two days each fall. Launched in 2014, it first took place in Singapore, at the W Hotel, before relocating to Shanghai for 2016 and 2017. The primary focus of IMS Asia-Pacific was on developing the electronic music ecosystem within the Asia-Pacific region, and providing information for how artists could extend their reach into the Asian market.

IMS China

IMS China was launched in 2015, taking place in Shanghai, forming part of the IMS focus on growth within the Asia-Pacific region, specifically centred around opportunities within China. In 2016 it was merged with IMS Asia-Pacific.

References

External links

International Music Summit (IMS Ibiza)
the event's official site {{DJ Award-Special Award for Outstanding Contribution , state=collapsed Music festivals established in 2008 Culture of Ibiza Electronic music festivals in Spain May Electronic music festivals Music industry Music conferences April