Miami Winter Music Conference 2011

The Miami Winter Music Conference 2011 takes place between 8th and 12th March 2011

Having passed the quarter-century milestone last year, the Winter Music Conference, held annually in the scorching party capital of Miami, is less than a week away from kicking off for 2011 and it promises to be yet another momentous dance music occasion.

The Miami Winter Music Conference is quite simply the epicenter of the global dance music community. The numbers speak for themselves: In 2010 a whopping 1909 artists and DJ’s performed at WMC with 3,763 industry delegates in attendance from 70 countries. Throw in 152 venues, which hosted 414 events across 5 days and a staggering 2 million visitors and the scale and impact of WMC is clear to see.

In 2011 it promises to be bigger and better with a stunning variety of events, DJ’s, guest speakers, competitions and locations. No dance music stone is left unturned as the conference aims to appreciate, showcase and investigate the past, present and future of dance music. Plain & Simple is on hand to give you an extensive preview of what to expect at this year’s Winter Music Conference 2011.

Featured Events

WMC & The Grammy’s present ‘The Producer’s Forum’

A panel of leading industry experts, from major electronic/dance artists to global producers and remixers will discuss everything from dance music creation and craft to business and technology trends in the industry. Presented by WMC and The Recording Academy™.

Closing Remarks with Paul Van Dyk

With 3.5 million album sales and a Grammy nomination under his belt who better to take command of the coveted ‘Closing Remarks’ spot at WMC 2011 than the two-time world No.1 DJ Paul Van Dyk.

Film and Music Passport

The Winter Music Conference and Miami International Film Festival will join forces for the 2011 event in offering attendees of each a special ‘Film & Music Passport’ to attend both. So, if you’ve got your ticket to WMC then you can grab this exclusive pass to the Miami International Film Festival too, whilst film fanatics and industry experts will be able to come to WMC to experience the pinnacle dance music gathering of the year.

WMC will also co-present the screening of the new film The Sound of Noise at the Regal Cinemas South Beach on Tuesday, March 8^th.

WMC at the Shelborne: In Association with DJ Mag

Ranking as one of the most-talked about party line-ups on Miami’s infamous South Beach, The Shelborne will be open all week to WMC Badgeholders to enjoy an unbeatable bill of artists and DJs.

The Official Winter Music Conference Pool Parties

Free to all WMC Badgeholders, the legendary pool parties will offer moments of respite for the work hard/play hard crowds attending Winter Music Conference 2011 with some of the best DJ talent on-hand to deliver live mixes under the Miami sunshine.

South Beach Sessions

Music, art, fashion, technology, business, education and the environment converge at the WMC South Beach Sessions. Hot topics for discussion, skills and educational workshops and of course, plenty of parties are what make the South Beach Sessions a special all-inclusive side to the Winter Music Conference.

WMC VJ Challenge

Masters of sight and sound will compete in the WMC VJ Challenge where VJs will take each other on in two disciplines; Video Only and Audio and Video. Expect sensory overload and hours of inspirational talent on show.

26^th Annual International Dance Music Awards

The legendary and hotly anticipated Annual International Dance Music Awards is open to all WMC Badgeholders where the world’s greatest DJs, artists, producers and musicians will be awarded accolades in 57 categories. Taking place at the height of WMC it is one of the annual highlights of the conference.

Annual International Record Collectors Show

For vinyl enthusiasts across the globe the Annual International Record Collectors Show is the place to get your hands on anything and everything you’ve been searching for. Renowned dealers and dedicated collectors come together on Miami Beach to revel in a love of all things vinyl.

Exhibits at WMC

Everything from the latest technology, products, services, gear and gadgets will be on display at the two-day exhibit at WMC 2011. Every level of the industry is brought together under one roof to showcase and experience the future of dance music.

Left to Right - The WMC Q&A Guests: RedOne, Markus Schulz, Matthew Adell

Q & A Sessions

WMC Presents… Q & A with RedOne & Mohombi

The Q&A highlight of this year’s Winter Music Conference 2011 is undoubtedly with RedOne and Mohombi. RedOne is widely credited as being the brains behind the phenomenon that is Lady Gaga.

Having scored everything from ‘Just Dance, Love Game’ and ‘Poker Face’ to ‘Alejandro’ and ‘Bad Romance’ RedOne has been instrumental in crafting the singer’s unique and world-dominating pop/dance sound. And that’s before mentioning his work with Sean Kingston, Nicole Scherzinger, Alexandra Burke, Usher, Enrique Iglesias and fellow Q & A cohort Mohombi who has recently signed to RedOne’s latest label venture ‘2101.’

WMC Presents… Q & A with Markus Schulz

With an unmistakable hybridization of progressive, house and trance styles Markus Schulz has forged an inimitable musical identity for himself over the past decade. In his Q & A he’ll be discussing everything from his experimental fusing of several dance styles, his work on the prominent Global DJ Broadcast show and resulting breakthrough of trance in America and his Armada and Coldharbour label output.

WMC Presents… Q & A with Beatport CEO Matthew Adell

One of the world’s largest electronic music sources is Beatport and it’s CEO Matthew Adell will be answering questions from his 25 years of music industry wisdom and experience as vice president of music services at Napster.

More Event Highlights

WMC DJ Spin-Off Events – Beat Matching / Scratching .

A battle of skills and technique of the decks. Hosted by DJ Sama and featuring free prize giveaways from Pioneer, Rane and Chauvet.

Moderators include DJ Immortal, DJ Serafin, Ed Whitty, and DJ Danny Diggs.

WMC ‘Project Mayhem Industries’ Social 7

A huge party featuring dozens of DJs – 8pm until 5am – Free to WMC Badgeholders.

Seminars, Panels, Workshops, Demo’s, Debates & Discussion Topics!

Women in Electronic Music

Celebrating the 100^th Anniversary of International Women’s Day a discussion asking how the role of women in the dance music industry is evolving.

The Latin Music Panel… To Remix or Not to Remix

A panel of Latin music personalities to discuss the impact of Latin remixes, it’s affect on sales and the future in the global music market.

South Beach Sessions – Social Awareness through Music

From charity to tradition, a panel of musically-oriented leaders on the forefront of social awareness discuss the huge importance of music in making a difference to people’s lives.

In The Mix: A Guide to Remixing

An intriguing look into the business of remixing, the royalties, rewards and risks. Experts from record labels and music publications will be on hand to give first-hand accounts of how to break into the industry with remixes.

Digital Distribution Delivered

Since the birth of the internet the musical landscape has rapidly evolved to incorporate and deal with digital distribution. The panel of experts will discuss the do’s and don’ts of digital distribution and its impact on the past, present and future of the music industry.

WMC Present: Soundtracking for Film & TV

From the silver screen to the small screen, soundtracks and scores have always been a huge part of the industry that goes mostly unrecognized. A panel of experts from the film and music industries alike will discuss the art of scoring for film and TV and probe the minds of accomplished filmmakers and TV producers.

And that’s just a tiny snapshot of the topics to be covered. Expect several more discussions on the following: