5 Can’t-Miss Tech Panels at WMC 2019


Thursday, March 7th, 2019 |

As one of the four key pillars at the newly relaunched Winter Music Conference (WMC), technology is what drives our scene and industry forward. From early versions of old-school DJ decks to modern-day touchscreen production gear, technology has played a pivotal role in the evolution of electronic music since day one.

At this year’s WMC, we’re hosting some of the leading companies pushing music technology forward via their groundbreaking products and gear. We’ve also curated a well-rounded and noteworthy program of panels, keynote discussions, educational workshops and product demos specifically focused on the technology changing today’s music industry. From cryptocurrency to artificial intelligence, we’re exploring the trends, products and developments blazing a new path in electronic music.

Here, we’ve compiled five can’t-miss tech panels at WMC 2019.

WMC 2019 Industry and Access badges and registration are now available.

Building the Future of VR and AR

As Time proclaimed in 2015, virtual reality is about to change the world. Across the planet, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) experiences are becoming commonplace. From VR-enhanced music videos to Boiler Room’s virtual dance floor, VR and AR are also changing the way we experience live music and music education, among other things. In this panel, we’ll explore the future of VR and AR technologies and their effect on the music industry.

Panel Details

Tuesday, March 26
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm 

Panelists

Artificial Composers: AI Music Artists

With artificial intelligence (AI) on a global rise, the futuristic technology is changing how music is made — in collaboration with musicians and independent of them. This panel will discuss the state of AI within the music industry, and how artists and industry insiders may be able to incorporate some new skills into their routines and campaigns.

Panel Details

Wednesday, March 27
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Panelists

Digital Collision: The Convergence of Esports, Gaming and Electronic Music Culture

Video games and music have gone hand in hand since the days of the original Mario Bros. title. Now more than ever, electronic music has infiltrated mainstream video game culture, with major artists, like deadmau5 and Marshmello, and even underground acts, like the Black Madonna and Solomun, getting in on the action. In this panel, esports and gaming experts will explore the convergence of esports, gaming and music and will discuss where it’s all heading.

Panel Details

Thursday, March 28
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Panelists

  • Afrojack, Grammy Award-winning producer and DJ
  • Niles Heron, COO of Loaded, which connects heroic brands and publishers with the right gaming talent for wildly creative, record-breaking promotions and endorsements across the video game industry
  • Chris White, CEO of Merlin Collective, a talent agency representing clients in esports, broadcast, music and entertainment
  • William Morris, former VP of gaming at Seven20, a music collective and management company 

Crypto & Block Chain: The Future of Decentralized Transactions And Currency

A handful of industry insiders are betting that cryptocurrency and blockchain will revolutionize the music industry. In the electronic world, big-name artists like Gramatik, Gareth Emery and 3LAU have all jumped on the cryptocurrency and blockchain bandwagon. But could cryptocurrencies be the future of music? In this panel, we’ll dissect the role of cryptocurrency and blockchain technologies in music and what that means for the industry as a whole.

Panel Details

Tuesday, March 26
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

Panelists

  • Vasja Veber, co-founder and COO of Viberate, the world’s biggest music network
  • Jesse Grushack, CEO of Ujo Music, a new, shared infrastructure for the creative industries built on the blockchain
  • Charlie Shrem, chief visionary officer of IQ, a premier advisory firm providing expert research, education and advice in the world of crypto assets
  • Vladislav Ginzburg, VP and head of business development of Blockparty, a blockchain-based platform for digital I.D.-based live event tickets
  • Katya Fisher, partner at Fisher Cataliotti, who focuses on representing international businesses and entrepreneurs with a specific focus on media and technologies such as blockchain, cybersecurity, cryptocurrency and AI

AFEM Presents – Get Played Get Paid: How the rise of Music Recognition Technology at DJ Events could put money in your pocket

Association for Electronic Music (AFEM) logo

In 2014, the Association for Electronic Music (AFEM) launched its Get Played Get Paid initiative with one simple objective: When electronic music is played in clubs or at festivals by DJs, the people who make the music and own the rights should be paid the royalties due. Since its launch, the Get Played Get Paid campaign has seen a growing number of performing rights organizations (PROs) and neighboring rights organizations (NROs) adopting or trialing music recognition technology services for the purpose of identifying the music played. This panel will provide insights into how royalties are generated from DJ events, the different technology solutions being adopted and the challenges involved in the process of creating accurate royalty payments.

Panel Details

Thursday, March 28
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Panelists

  • Greg Marshall, general manager of AFEM, a not-for-profit trade association created to represent the common interests of those companies and individuals whose business is electronic music and to advocate best practices for the genre
  • Yuri Dokter, founder of DJ Monitor, the first rights monitoring company specializing in monitoring performances in the live entertainment, hospitality and electronic music industries
  • Alan Miller, co-founder of the Night Time Industries Association, a trade association and membership organization that promotes the unique contribution of the nighttime industry in the UK and internationally
  • Marc Azaïs, director of business development and foresight of the French Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music (SACEM), a nonprofit private organization
  • Sophie Bloggs, artist management at YMU Group, the leading, integrated, international talent management company for clients in sport, music and entertainment
  • Sarah DeMarco, director of marketing for AWAL, a Kobalt company, which offers services including global distribution, marketing and release management, A&R, funding, playlist promotion, radio and PR, YouTube monetization and access to real-time comprehensive music data and insights through the AWAL App

Lead photo by Luca Bravo on Unsplash


Get the latest news and updates.


Subscribe

Testimonials

I feel fortunate to have been part of the first-ever WMC. Over the 35 years, it has grown to give us an international forum where we exchange music and ideas. As an attendee and host of many of the award shows, I am proud each time I see new young talent emerge and then become world-renowned. We all have so many Winter Music Conference moments of hearing a seminal breakthrough record for the first time as well as a new DJ with star quality. Magical moments in my career.


Daniel Glass

Glassnote Records

Winter Music Conference was the cream of the crop of conferences. Every label owner, label A&R, DJ and artist knew they had to go network at the Fontainebleau where the conference was hosted. The conference was not only one of the most important time of the year as it relates to dance music but it was also a place where records were broken and became summer hits. Some of my best DJ memories are from the events I played during WMC in the last 20 years.


Erick Morillo

DJ / Producer / Label Boss - Subliminal Records

Winter Music Conference is my ground zero. It has always provided the perfect storm of opportunity and excitement for up and coming artists, including myself back in 2003, where I first caught a glimpse of how it felt to have an audience respond to my work. Over the years, I’ve always made it a point to have WMC in my calendar because that’s the spot where everyone congregates and you can feel it in the air. Creativity, brother and sisterhood, FUN and most of all the chance to come together as a community and celebrate the reason we are all here—the music.”


Kaskade

DJ/Producer

I’m so glad to see WMC rebooted with such thoughtful content and first-class curation. It’s been a long time since the industry had a must-do American event and this is it. The reborn WMC!


Patrick Moxey

Ultra Music

The Winter Music Conference represents a chance for Beatport to connect directly with our customer community. Having a strong conference means we have a platform to embrace the entire spectrum of electronic music culture. We are proud to support the resurgence of this great event.


Jonas Tempel

Beatport, Co-Founder