The Miami Winter Music Conference is back, and it is better than ever. Originally founded in 1985 as an electronic festival, nestled in Miami Music Week, the WMC has been a long-running tradition bringing together artists, producers, record labels, industry professionals, and promoters for a three-day festival of parties, award ceremonies, and outdoor concerts. It is the ultimate party.
Miami Music Week
Miami Music Week is an annual gathering of hotel, pool, and club events attended by hundreds of thousands of people, that take place around Miami and South Beach during Ultra Music Festival, which is the crowning event. The best and Miami clubs and pools are featured for this week-long party extravaganza. The dates for the UMF and WMC typically overlap. In 2019, UMF will now require non-removable, non-transferable wristbands for increased security.
The WMC was recently acquired by Ultra Worldwide, who also purchased International Dance Music Awards (IDMA). As the world’s most successful independent, international music festival brand, Ultra intends to restore the WMC to its former glory days of the most popular dance music industry and networking conference worldwide.
WMC 2019 comeback
According to Billboard, the Ultra Co-Founder Chair and CEO, Russell Faibisch, was quoted saying, “For decades, the electronic music industry ran through WMC. It was where the mega deals were done and provided a launching point for countless legendary tracks as well as breakthrough DJs. In March 2019, WMC returns with a fully revamped program that gets the industry back to business. It’s the perfect start to an unforgettable Miami Music Week.”
In the upcoming year of 2019, WMC will remain in South Beach in the dynamic Faena District on the week leading up to UMF Miami in late March. In the new year, WMC will feature two tracks of attendance, including passes by invitation and application. This event offers the opportunity for electronic music industry professionals to network with peers in other sectors, such as marketing and social media.
Navigating the WMC scene
Those parties hosted by the WMC are considered “Official events” and are either free or exclusive to WMC badge holders. Non-official parties are typically hosted by independent promoters, artists, and venues. Tickets are available through these individual organizers and may be sold online as well. However, tickets for WMC will available through the events page on WMCinfo.com in late February and early March.
The WMC badge offers free or reduced price entry to seminars, workshops, networking events, exhibits, and Q&A sessions. For those popular or more difficult to enter events, The List will be available online, detailing badge acceptance policies and other relevant information. Still, if you’re interested in industry events, networking, and workshops, the badge is the best option. If you are only interested in specific events, it is best to purchase individual tickets.
The place to be!
You don’t want to miss out on this dance music paradise in the hottest city on earth! Every major electronic dance music performer will be there to keep the party going. Party locations will vary from Miami Beach to Downtown Miami, and everywhere in between.
Over 1200 artists will be performing at more than 400 venues within and around Miami. Headliners like Afrojack and David Guetta have been known to join the party. Don’t be surprised to see special guests show up as well. Will Smith, prominent actor and musician, has been known to make a surprise appearance.
WMC continues to be the world’s greatest migration of dance music lovers. If you think you can hang, save the dates for March 25 – 28th and prepare yourself for the 34th year of the Miami Winter Music Conference.
Curious to find out more? If you are a musician or industry professional, check out the Miami Winter Music Conference website to get access. For dance music lovers, give us a call or visit our website for more information on how to purchase tickets to the hottest party of the year.
