Ten things we learned at IMS Ibiza 2025

Every year, IMS Ibiza, presented in partnership with AlphaTheta, sets the global agenda for global electronic music through 150+ sessions, discussions and showcases. And 2025 was no exception. Building upon the theme of 'Intergenerational Exchange' (introduced perfectly in a keynote by Elijah) and the insights of the annual IMS Business Report, this year, as ever, some strong narratives emerged over the three days in Ibiza that provided food for thought, and, in some cases, calls to action, for our industry and culture.

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Here are ten things we learned at IMS Ibiza 2025.

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Club culture and electronic music can learn from the 'Global South'

As MIDIA's Mark Mulligan pointed out in the IMS Business Report, electronic music is no longer a monolith; every country, even cities, have their own demarcated scenes and cultures. The idea that the 'Western' model of club culture, - born in the discos of New York in the '70s, refined in the house clubs of Chicago, reseeded in Ibiza in the 80s before spreading around Europe in the various 'Summers Of Love' - is the only model, was refuted repeatedly as various sessions explored scenes from South Asia to the Middle East to - particularly - Africa. And just as a transatlantic exchange with a hungry and enthusiastic Europe revived house and techno in the 80s and 90s in the States, established scenes should look outside themselves for new talent, ideas and dynamism. As Metallic Inc's Dare Balogun stated: "Where Africa is right now… it’s how I imagine dance music was at the start. Something real and exciting and led by emotion and community. Those are the people we should all be learning from.” With the IMS Business Report revealing that 80% of all music streaming subscribers added in 2024 came from the ‘Global South', that might be a business imperative too.

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The industry must unite for fair and ethical use of AI

Despite AI tools being embraced by composers and producers, and artists pioneering exciting new ways to connect with their fans by offering a customisable experience, suspicion remains that that big tech sees AI as not just a way to hype their share value, but to try to cut expensive, messy and complex human beings out of the process altogether. "Why, more and more, don’t people want to pay for creativity?" asked Sina Wahnschaffe of German rights organisation GEMA (their recent landmark court case is leading the fightback). The almost total disregard for copyright law, as training models scrape millions of hours of music with seeming impunity, seems to bear this out. "We can't allow AI to become a revenue substitution, another vertical where artists don’t get paid," said lawyer Marco Erler. Marco also pointed out the shortsightedness of eroding the human creativity that AI models need in order to evolve without becoming a poisoned echo chamber - but when has big tech ever looked further than the next earnings report? A unified response from the industry is the only way forward, and that's what the Association For Electronic Music is trying to create.

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Intergenerational Exchange fuels the longevity of Drum 'n' Bass and Jungle

Into their fourth decade, Jungle and Drum 'n' Bass remain among the most dynamic and resilient genres in our scene. Born out the best of British multiculturalism, but with a global appeal that has transcended musical fashions over the years (and sometimes a period of mainstream vogue can be more fatal than a slump in popularity), what's the key to this continued durability? Why, as Duncan King of Skiddle said, is “the audience for drum ‘n’ bass very different to everyone else; they buy tickets so quickly, they love the music so much”? By bringing together established old school legends and the new breakout stars in the genre (SHERELLE's convo with DJ Flight was just one example) IMS Ibiza offered a clue. The two-way exchange of respect and openness between generations, the awareness of deep heritage twinned with an adaptability to new sounds, keeps the genre robust and alive. Not everyone who goes to Drum 'n' Bass events is as much a scholar of the genre as SHERELLE - but few of those who become more deeply involved stay ignorant of its pioneers, its continuum, for long.

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This culture still transforms lives - and the world

In Andy Crysell's keynote, based on his new book 'Selling The Night', he listed some of the things in modern culture that have grown out of the club scene: boutique hotels to pop-up marketing, revolutions in gaming, cosmetics, travel and more. Elijah's keynote introduction talked about how club culture has changed lives; offering a creative outlet and a career for generations of people who might never have felt their horizons broadened without immersion into the scene - a power that so many of us who were present at IMS Ibiza have experienced first hand. The dynamism, the creativity, and the flexibility of this industry has the potential to empower people, but only if we keep it open and accessible to anyone who wants to be part of it, while allowing space for those already in it to continue to evolve and reinvent themselves: those values are the torch that we pass on to keep the culture alight.

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Not every dancefloor is a 'safe space' - the trans community needs our active support more than ever

Club culture and the music industry certainly aren’t perfect. The feelings of unity and free expression on the dancefloor don't always extend to the boardrooms and the people making decisions, nor does the dancefloor's diversity, as Defected's Nathan Jordan and Bradley Zero explained. In fact the idea of every dancefloor as a safe environment for every person doesn't always hold true either, as Beatport's Sofia Ilyas pointed out. But… we have a power and responsibility to continue to welcome and listen to the trans and queer communities that birthed this culture, especially at a time when some of the most powerful people in the world seem to have decided that they are fitting scapegoats. There are trans artists right now being victimised and even detained for doing their job, said softchaos; what are we going to do about it? We might not be perfect, but we can damn well try to set an example.

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We can't let algorithms become the last gatekeepers

Gatekeeping is a word with baggage. Few mourn the days of entitled cultural commentators with an expense account telling the ignorant masses what 's cool and what's not (often with a narrow worldview of unacknowledged privilege that keeps creativity and ambition from the 'wrong people' in its 'place)'. But… sometimes it seems that as social media continues to sweep away the old power structure, from the music press to the role of the A&R, the promised democratisation of culture is yet to replace them. Book readings: the genesis of club culture in Chile by Manuel Martínez and Ralph Moore's memoir about life inside Muzik and Mixmag, plus SHERELLE's early adventures in journalism, all emphasised the role of the music press in nurturing new talents and as an outlet for passion. Meanwhile, Hospital Records Chris Goss warned about "young artists getting signed off the back of a 30 second TikTok who don’t actually know how to produce a full-length track." Maybe we have to decide whether Mark Mulligan's assertion that "there's only one gatekeeper now: the algorithm" is a situation we're all comfortable with.

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Artists: now is the time to build a lasting body of work

In fact, loud and clear this year was the importance of looking beyond socials to substance. How to prove you're 'for real' as an artist? In the fascinatingly granular session How Managers Break Artists In 2025 - A Case Study Of Mochakk & Vintage Culture, Mochakk's manager David DeValera summed it up: “I saw how successful Mochakk was on tiktok and instagram. But when he then sent me 50 tracks, I knew that we had something real.” Sophia Kearney of HE.SHE.THEY. and Vintage Culture's manager Guga Trevisani agreed that time spent building up a body of work is never wasted - and the ideal way to demonstrate both your potential staying power and bona fides as an artist. Guga and Sophia also pointed to getting in the studio as something to do in those times when the bookings maybe aren't coming in quite as fast as you'd like. Guga described how a visa SNAFU led to a particularly creative period for Vintage Culture, while the budding of so many producers during lockdown, now bearing fruit in the success of, say, Mochakk and John Summit, seems to back that up.

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Brands and booking agencies must champion and protect grassroots venues

A shining theme of the Future of Global Nightlife discussion was the fundamental importance of supporting grassroots and smaller venues where genres like drum 'n' bass were born - one of the single most effective ways of securing the future of our industry. With small venues, in the UK particularly, coming under massive pressure in a pincer movement of regulatory and licensing on the one hand and galloping artist fees on the other, it was great to hear fabric Booker Ellis Coles called out two sectors that could make an immediate impact.The first is major artist agencies who "only care about hard ticket festivals and building up fees". Acknowledging the need to support the long term health of the clubbing ecosystem - and explaining that to artists (or supporting their efforts to do so) would be a great start. The second is brands and sponsors who can't see beyond the big splash of festival sponsorship to the huge potential value of supporting the grassroots via club runs and more. Maybe they should read Andy's book.

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Knowledge is power- but only if it's shared

Kind've self-evident given that this was the best attended IMS Ibiza ever, but our industry and culture has now matured to the point where there is a huge knowledge base - and new generations lining up to tap into it. The message at IMS Ibiza this year was that this exchange goes two ways: "Everyone should have a mentee. If you’re now a master at what you do, you should pass that on to the next generation.” said Labelworx Amy Jayne. “If you don’t know something, it’s OK to ask," was MC Chickaboo's advice for women in the industry: "Male DJs are constantly exchanging info on production techniques with each other. Feel comfortable to ask the question.” AlphaTheta's global efforts to bring that knowledge to people - especially those under-represented in the industry, were on show at their well-attended Blending Production and DJing workshop and their Equal Beats lunch, launching their new initiative aimed at promoting gender parity in the music industry and encouraging more women to DJ.

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At every level of the industry, real relationships always win

Not to get all Jerry Maguire on you… but three great sessions on the art and practice of artist management - How Managers Break Artists…, Meet Team John Summit, and the fascinating Intergenerational Exchange between Black Coffee manager Cristiana Votta of Alegria Agency and veteran Fatboy Slim manager (and Anglo Management founder) Garry Blackburn stressed the importance of relationships that are transparent, honest, and go beyond the merely transactional. "Every good relationship I’ve had as a manager with an artist I’ve been able to make a personal connection," said Cristiana, "to talk about real things with them.""There is that side to management where it can be a contractually weak relationship," added Garry, "but also the most important one an artist can have." Making real connections in the industry is very much the ethos of IMS Ibiza, and hearing how important it is to figures at the very top of their game was a powerful message.

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