IMS goes to Hollywood!

International Music Summit presents IMS Engage at W Hollywood

• ‘Conversations’ between the manager of Lady Gaga and Swedish House Mafia

• Russell Simmons with Sony’s President of Electronic Music

• Skrillex and The Summit Series founder Pete Tong and Shelly Finkel from SFX Entertainment

• Digital pioneer Jaron Lanier with Beatport CEO Matthew Adell

Official After Party in partnership with The Windish Agency poolside at Drai’s Hollywood at W Hollywood

Exclusive W Hotels Worldwide Symmetry Live Performance by Foxes with DJ set by Soul Clap

Los Angeles, Calif.—Thursday, March 28, 2013—The famed Ibiza summit IMS hosts its first one-day event in America on Wednesday the 17th of April at W Hollywood in Los Angeles, California. After a successful IMS USA Symposium in 2012 at Coachella, IMS is engaging the electronic music world with the wider industries of technology, finance, hip-hop and arts in a one-day event. A series of un-moderated conversations, consisting of seven pairs of speakers, will address the growing influence and prominence of electronic music in America and beyond.

For the past six years in Ibiza, IMS has brought together the leading thinkers and trailblazers in electronic music and beyond, uniting artists, global brands, technology pioneers, event producers and more to discuss one of the most unique and rapidly evolving creative industries. IMS’ debut in America, IMS Engage widens the conversation, during a period of unprecedented growth and interest in ‘EDM’, which has seen huge investments by billionaires such as Ron Burkle, Robert Sillerman and Live Nation, and attendance at EDM events rocket into the hundreds of thousands.

Pairing architect of the hip-hop scene Russell Simmons with Ultra Music’s Patrick Moxey – now President of Electronic Music for Sony worldwide. Moxey started his career as in intern for Simmons over 20 years ago. Together they will assess the parallels of the electronic music scene with hip-hop. Billionaire investment company SFX Entertainment will have Shelly Finkel with IMS co-founder Pete Tong, the global voice of dance music for the last 30 years, is a perfect way to explore the ‘EDM’ US boom, and what it means to electronic music from a creative and business perspective. Finkel was also the manager of Mike Tyson in his previous career. Lady Gaga’s manager Troy Carter and Amy Thomson, who manages Swedish House Mafia, are rewriting the rules of artist management in the digital age, while looking after two of popular music’s biggest acts.

Beatport, the leading electronic music online retailer, just joined Robert Sillerman’s burgeoning empire, with many predicting the digital music provider could be the glue that binds SFX new dance properties together. Beatport CEO Matthew Adell will talk technology, and innovation, with the author and computer scientist Jaron Lanier. A true pioneer, Lanier coined the term virtual reality, has authored the books ‘You Are Not A Gadget’ and ‘Who Owns The Future?’, and has appeared in Time’s 100 Most Influential People list.

Six time Grammy winner Skrillex will chat with Jeff Rosenthal, who is the co-founder and curator of the Summit Series. The Summit Series is a global network of events designed to the next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs. The summit has featured talks from Bill Clinton and Richard Branson, and Rosenthal was the youngest floor staff member of the U.S. Congress.

IMS partner Ben Turner states: “IMS Engage is about elevating the status and positioning of the genre – bringing together people from electronic music, and the associated industries and creative cultures that are reaching in. It will show how far the genre has come and how far it is capable of reaching out.“

Over six years in Ibiza IMS has earned a reputation as the “the TED of music conferences”, featuring conversations and interviews with luminaries such as Hollywood director David Lynch, musical pioneers Giorgio Moroder and Nile Rodgers, tech innovators from Twitter, Soundcloud, Google, Disney and Electronic Arts, plus DJs including David Guetta, Swedish House Mafia, Richie Hawtin, Luciano, Sasha, Danny Tenaglia and more. IMS was created by BBC Radio 1 / Evolution Radio broadcaster Pete Tong, along with electronic music industry veterans Ben Turner, Danny Whittle, Mark Netto and Simeon Friend. Turner recently launched AFEM – the Association for Electronic Music – with the American-based attorney Kurosh Nasseri.

IMS Engage is partnered with the American arm of Pioneer DJ – who have been founding partners of IMS in Ibiza since year one. The event is also held in partnership with W Hotels Worldwide, a long-time supporter of IMS Ibiza. IMS Engage visitors can find details on room rates at W Hollywood by visiting www.whollywoodhotel.com.

As part of IMS Engage, W Hotels Worldwide will be hosting the next instalment of its on-going music series, Symmetry Live, with an acoustic performance by UK singer Foxes, on April 16 at W Hollywood. Curated by W Hotels Global Music Director Michaelangelo L’Acqua, Symmetry Live offers W guests insider access to who’s new and next in music. Past performers have included Cee Lo Green, Fitz and the Tantrums, Janelle Monae, Ellie Goulding, Phantogram, Theophilus London, LP, Neon Trees and Quadrom. For more information, visit Facebook.com/whotels.

Delegate badges for the event are on sale now and limited to 250 places. The event will also feature an IMS Engage: Official Party with The Windish Agency – one of the most prominent independent booking agencies in the electronic music space worldwide—poolside at the WET Deck at Drai’s Hollywood at W Hollywood.

IMS ENGAGE – EVENT SCHEDULE

TUESDAY APRIL 16

19.00 W Hotels Worldwide Symmetry Live Performance by Foxes

WEDNESDAY APRIL 17

09.45-09.50 Welcome from Pete Tong & Ben Turner (IMS Partners)

09.50-10.00 Introduction from Bill Werde (Editorial director, Billboard)

10.00-18.00 IMS Engage

Patrick Moxey in conversation with Russell Simmons

Amy Thomson (Manager, Swedish House Mafia) in conversation with Troy Carter (Manager, Lady Gaga)

Skrillex in conversation with Jeff Rosenthal (Summit Series)

Pete Tong in conversation with Shelly Finkel (SFX Entertainment)

Matthew Adell (Beatport) in conversation with Jaron Lanier (Author, You Are Not A Gadget / Who Owns The Future)

18.00-22.00 IMS Engage: Official Party in association with The Windish Agency