The most talked about news to come out of Miami this week is Ultra Worldwide’s acquisition of the Winter Music Conference (WMC) and International Dance Music Awards.
First thing’s first – what is WMC and why should you care? While many of you know Miami Music Week and Ultra Music Festival, those that are fairly new to the electronic music scene might not be as familiar with WMC. So, let us break it down for you.
In 1985, a handful of geniuses created a week-long series of electronic music events in Miami, bringing together dance music lovers and players, from the best artists in the industry to rising local talent. From then on, DJs, producers, and electronic music revelers from around the world would flock to the 305 every March to show off their skills at showcases, test new material, collaborate with other players, and party like there was no tomorrow. WMC held the title as the leading electronic industry event in the world for nearly 20 years, until its European competitors like the International Music Summit in Ibiza and Amsterdam’s ADE saw massive growth and rise in popularity. It also laid the foundation for the inceptions of both Ultra Music Festival and Miami Music Week to become the global phenomenon’s they are today. In other words, it all started with WMC. And for that, we should all be aware and be truly thankful.
Rather than continuing on as separate entities, WMC and Ultra Worldwide will unite to become one massive music week under the joint workings of Ultra’s Ultra Co-Founder, Chairman & CEO Russell Faibisch and Winter Music Conference Co-Founder Bill Kelly. In a statement to Mixmag, Bill Kelly summoned up the aquistion perfectly when he said, ““Ultra kind of weaved in and out of WMC – it was spawned from it, it was separated from it and now it’s back.”
With this, came the announcement that Ultra Music Festival will hosting its first China edition this June, and then Shanghai in September.
The 2018 edition of WMC is currently in progress at the spectacular Faena Forum located in the heart of Miami Beach. The IDMAs, which generate thousands of votes annually from music enthusiasts in 209 countries and territories, recognize and honor exceptional achievements in various award categories, are running concurrently with WMC.
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