NEWS FROM INSIDE THE ELECTRONIC
DANCE MUSIC INDUSTRY

Welcome to the weekly INDUSTRY INSIDER – created by IMS and RECORD OF THE DAY. We've teamed up to create a digest of global electronic industry news, across the full spectrum of the genre, to help you get straight to the stories that matter. INDUSTRY INSIDER will follow the template of Record of the Day but focus on what’s relevant for this genre and demographic…
BEN TURNER
Co-Founder, International Music Summit
Pete Tong's Essential New Tune
The 11th Hour
Brunello
Mellow Circus Records
out now
Comment
"Now one of our favourites, hotly tipped and surging U.S. talent, Brunello drops another heavily requested ID from his set with 'The 11th Hour', landing on his label, Mello Circus Records. It's a stripped-back summer cut, complete with a mysterious, hazy, and jazz-inflected vibe, alongside accompanying Italian vocals. Brunello actually passed this to me a few months ago, so this has been one of the biggest records in my sets this summer as well. This week's ENT, 'The 11th Hour' from Brunello."
This week's featured Essential New Tune was featured in last week’s Friday show on BBC Radio 1. Listen again and forward to 36.45 here. 
Contact
Label: Mellow Circus Records
Radio: Enno Lombaert, Dispersion
04 Aug 2026
Business
  • Sony Group reported that combined revenue from its recorded music and music publishing businesses exceeded $3bn for the third consecutive quarter during the calendar second quarter of 2026, underscoring the continued strength of its global music operations. (Variety)
  • Universal Music Group posted €3.29bn in revenue for the company’s second quarter. (HR) A new streaming strategy will be instituted in India, where the company’s new music from both domestic and international artists will be exclusive to paid streaming for the first 72 hours of release before it will be made available on free, ad-supported tiers. It follows a similar strategy UMG had previously rolled out in China. 
  • Warner Music Group has released preliminary fiscal Q3 results that point to another quarter of healthy growth. (Hits) Revenue is expected to have climbed 10% year-on-year to approximately $1.86bn. Final results will be confirmed this week.
  • Live Nation reported second quarter revenue of $7.7bn, up 9% year-over-year and operating income of $522m, up 7%. (LN) 
  • Deezer released its results for the six-month period ending 30 June. (Deezer)  
  • 'Not worth the risk': UK independent festivals facing dip in ticketer confidence. (IQ) Recent festival cancellations have left independent ticket firms wary of increasingly early drawdowns and refund liabilities.
News and Features
  • BBC Radio 1 Dance is refreshing its schedule later this year, with Charlie Tee becoming the new host of the station’s daily afternoon show, Martha launching a brand-new monthly show celebrating UK club culture, and a fresh line-up joining The Residency. (BBC) 
  • Milk & Honey founder Lucas Keller and producer Oak Felder have sued the AI copyright-detection company SoundPatrol and its co-founder and CEO Walter De Brouwer, alleging they helped develop its copyright-detection software and were never paid for it. (MBW) 
  • ‘Emotional Junglist’ by Nia Archives has been nominated for the Mercury Prize 2026. (RotD) 
  • Germany’s GEMA has notched a legal victory over Suno, as the Munich Regional Court has ruled that the music-generation startup is in breach of German and US copyright law by training its AI systems on songs from GEMA’s repertoire and storing and reproducing them. Suno is set to appeal. (Variety)
    Statements from GEMA, Suno, IFPI, BPI, and The Ivors Academy (RotD)
    Australian organisation APRA AMCOS says the ruling proves AI developers cannot outrun copyright law by hiding behind borders. (RotD) 
Brand Partnerships
  • Tomorrowland has officially joined forces with global crypto platform KuCoin in a major three-year strategic deal (2026–2028) that names the platform the festival’s Official Exclusive Crypto Exchange and Crypto Payments Partner. (EDMTunes) 
Digital
  • Winamp and Deezer announced a partnership that will see Deezer power Winamp’s upcoming premium music subscription service. Winamp will leverage Deezer’s white-label technology and global licensed music catalogue while maintaining its own branding and user experience. (TechCrunch) 
  • Spotify is giving artists an AI analytics tool for its 'Discovery Mode' to “understand your campaign’s impact” and better prove its worth. (MusicAlly) 
Live
  • John Summit’s Experts Only Festival 2026 drops complete line-up. (Billboard) 
  • Arca, Juliana Huxtable, Azzi on the Beat and more are set to perform at Poland's Unsound Festival. (RA) 
  • Marseille's Utopia Festival completes 2026 line-up. (RA) 
  • Tomorrowland shares the official 2026 Belgium aftermovie. (Tomorrowland) 
  • Tomorrowland has appealed for the return of a painting that was stolen during the first weekend of this year’s festival. (Mixmag) 
  • Tomorrowland’s Belgian edition was attended by 400,000 over the two July weekends, while the event attracted a record 233m livestream views. (AAA) 
Comment, Opinion and Analysis
  • The other side of the UGC coin: fans as part of the creative process. (Midia - Hanna Kahlert) 
  • Why music is not enough for an artist fan club. (Midia - Kriss Thakrar) 
Beatport
  • Josh Caffé: “The Night’s Nearly Over, But Nobody Wants It to End” [Q&A] (Beatportal)
  • Made By Pete Steps Beyond the Club on Crowdfunded Debut Album 'Rosebank' [Q&A] (Beatportal)
  • Swedish House Mafia Share Lykke Li Collaboration "Happiness Is So Sad" (Beatportal)
  • Playlist of the Week: Jazzy (Beatportal)
  • Face2Face: Laurent Garnier on Radio, Curation and Cutting Through the Flood (Beatportal)
  • Tomorrowland 2026: The Biggest Moments From This Year's Festival (Beatportal)
  • djay x Beatport Streaming sessions with Lucía Scholtus (Beatport)
Clubs
  • fabric has shared the initial line-up for its 27th birthday celebrations in October. (Mixmag) 
  • Andy C, Kerri Chandler, Moodymann and Loco Dice to play Ministry of Sound’s 35th anniversary weekend. (Billboard) 
Deals
  • Australian DJ and producer Sam Alfred announced his debut release on Technicolour, under label Ninja Tune. (RotD) 
Streams & Podcasts
  • Devonté Hynes (Blood Orange) & Thomas Bangalter (Daft Punk) | The A24 Podcast (A24) 
  • Make A Dance | Mixmag Lab London (Mixmag) 
  • Paula Tape | Mixmag Lab London (Mixmag) 
  • So Solid Crew '21 Seconds' | The Making Of A UK Garage Classic (DJMag)  
  • Learn to DJ Like Kölsch | Three Deck Mixing, Acappellas & Advice For Beginners (DJMag) 
  • RA.1050 O Ghettão (RA) 
  • Chloë Robinson | Boiler Room: Nottingham (Boiler Room) 
  • Armin van Buuren WE2 | Tomorrowland 2026 (Armin van Buuren) 
  • Martin Garrix - Tomorrowland 2026 WE2 (Martin Garrix) 
  • HARDWELL - Tomorrowland 2026 (Hardwell) 
  • Hannah Laing WE1 | Tomorrowland 2026 (Hannah Laing) 
  • Novah WE1 | Tomorrowland 2026 (Novah) 
  • Dimitri Vegas b2b Marlon Hoffstadt | Tomorrowland 2026 (Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike) 
  • David Guetta live @ Tomorrowland 2026 | MainStage WE1 (David Guetta) 
Artist and Music Features
  • How Apple Music’s Stephen Campbell is building ‘a portal into the depth and breadth’ of dance music. (Billboard) 
  • ‘You'll notice I do not call it AI music, because I don't think it's music’: Qobuz’s Managing Director Dan Mackta on music streaming’s biggest problem, and how he hopes to tackle it. (TechRadar) 
  • Arcade Talent founder Dave Alcock on why agents scale demand, not create it. (Magnetic) 
  • The rise of one-of-a-kind merch: how artists are moving (way) beyond t-shirts. (Hypebot) 
  • Peggy Gou: 'They wanted me to look pretty. They didn't want to talk to me about music'. (Standard) 
  • Dance Up-And-Comer of the Month: Tatyana Jane has played the Olympics and gotten lessons from Skrillex, now she’s forging a new genre. (Billboard) 
  • PRAANA talk 'Insight Out', presence, and looking inward. (Magnetic) 
  • Porter Robinson & Ninajirachi on their debut collab: ‘I’m getting messages from people I didn’t even think would like it’. (Billboard) 
  • Hamdi: life goals (DJMag) 
  • Meet ALANDRIA, the emerging duo rising through the dance music ranks. (Mixmag) 
  • Stayin’ Alive: the history of the disco ball. (DJMag) 
  • Welcome to Homies, Ibiza's comfiest club night (DJMag)  
  • DJ Fat Tony's two decades of staying sober. (Mirror) 
  • How EREZ turns Ableton Live into an improv dance partner. (MusicTech) 
  • Recognise 112: RHR (DJMag) 
  • Sweating out to dance music in a dark room is nothing new, but the pairing of electronic sounds with stifling saunas is a wellness trend on the rise, aiming to tap into the mental benefits of clubbing in a setting that also prioritises physical health. Finn Cliff Hodges reports, attending a new multi-sensory experience called Saunasthesia, going in completely blind, literally. (Mixmag) 
  • 10 questions with Olof Dreijer as he brings Loud Bloom to Dekmantel Festival. (10)
  • Six emerging artists you need to hear: July 2026 (DJMag) 
  • 15 recent dance music books you should read this summer. (Mixmag) 
Artist News
  • Kavinsky, the French electronic musician whose 2010 song 'Nightcall' gained international fame through the film Drive, has died at the age of 50. (BBC) 
    The dance world reacts to Kavinsky’s death. (Billboard) 
  • Patrick Gleeson, the pioneering producer, synthesist, engineer and composer, has died aged 91. (DJMag) 
  • New York DJ and producer Derek Marin, AKA Modest D, has died aged 52. (RA) 
  • Jean-Michel Jarre has announced his first-ever book, Machines: A History of Electronic Music. It will feature contributions from Richie Hawtin, Johnny Marr and Gary Numan. (RA) 
  • Singapore bans Massive Attack for showing Palestinian flag, breaching ban on foreign emblems. (Guardian) 
  • Fred again.. and LATIN MAFIA created an entire mixtape in two days this week, and broadcast the full process during a non-stop livestream. (DJMag) 
  • White Claw and Defected Records launch Find Your People promotion in Ibiza. (DT) 
  • Ninjajirachi and Porter Robinson have joined forces on a new single, ‘WannaCry’. (Billboard) 
  • David Guetta is getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. (DJMag) 
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