Dance music heavyweights come together to form The Association for Electronic Music
It’s no longer news that dance music is big business, but dealing with this new power going forward has proven complex. Ben Turner, a partner in the International Music Summit and Richie Hawtin’s manager has teamed up with Kurosh Nasseri, an entertainment lawyer who specializes in dance music to create the Association for Electronic Music (AFEM), “the first international trade body representing a single genre” since the Country Music Association’s inception in 1958. The AFEM’s goal is to unite major players in advocating for the genre and delivering a uniform message. So far industry bigwigs involved include: legendary musician Nile Rodgers, ID&T CEO Duncan Stutterheim, Swedish House Mafia’s manager Amy Thomson, Kaskade’s manager and owner at Little Empire Music, Stephanie LaFera, and more.
Although dance music’s revenue for 2012 is valued at $4 billion wordwide, there’s little relevant data about the industry as a whole. According to Nasseri, putting together this type of information will be the first item on their agenda. Governing bodies like the AFEM will hopefully help further legitimize the genre. Check out their mission statement below the break.
Via: Billboard