The dedicated conference for hip-hop, bass and beats returns to the Melkweg with representatives from Def Jam, EMPIRE, Island Records and much more.
ADE Beats is the dedicated platform for the urban music genres announces the first speakers for this year's edition, which takes place at Melkweg on Friday October 19th.
ADE Beats 2018 presents inspiring talks, networking sessions and business cases, and the latest on rising hip-hop markets, business opportunities and emerging trends. We take a first look at the program, with the full speaker line-up to be announced in the coming months.
Building an EMPIRE: disrupting the distribution business for independent acts
Ghazi Shami, founder and CEO of EMPIRE, is coming to ADE Beats 2018 to discuss how he developed a business model that disrupted the traditional music industry approach towards distribution. EMPIRE played an important part in the early careers of future icons like Kendrick Lamar, Sage The Gemini, Migos, Rich Homie Quan and Anderson .Paak. EMPIRE offers independent artists one-off deals, allowing them and the company to put all their energy towards making one specific project successful. EMPIRE’s way of doing business attracted legends like Snoop Dogg and Too $hort, and upcoming talent like XXXTentacion and BROCKHAMPTON, and is represented at ADE Beats 2018 by founder Ghazi Shami and Sarah Maria Elvira, who represents EMPIRE in Europe. The company is actively looking for new global artists and producers and will additionally host a talent pitch during ADE Beats.
Silence the Shame - Guarding your mental health in the modern-day music scene
Shanti Das ak.a. The Hip-Hop Professional will bring her campaign Silence the Shame to ADE Beats, focusing on the important issue of maintaining mental health as an artist or professional within the music industry. Das is an experienced music industry executive and managed marketing campaigns for acts ranging from OutKast to Prince and TLC to Erykah Badu, is co-founder of showcases for emerging talent like R&B Live New York and ATL LIVE on the Park and chronicled her decades-long career in her book The Hip-Hop Professional: A Woman’s Guide to Climbing the Ladder of Success in the Entertainment Business.
In her Q&A at ADE Beats 2018, Das will discuss her vision and guidance as a successful woman in the urban music industry on creating a more inclusive and healthy industry, with special emphasis on her campaign Silence the Shame that aims to tackle stigmas surrounding mental health and offer more healthy alternatives.
Health will also continue to be an important topic of the ADE Pro program, more info here.
From Cash Money to G.O.O.D. Music – The evolution of being an A&R
Based on his amazing resumé, A&R Bruce Carbone (Def Jam) will be at ADE Beats 2018 to share his vision on the past, present and future of being an A&R. Carbone will talk about his ten years with Cash Money Records and what artists and music professionals nowadays can learn from their story, and about A&R-ing timeless hits, how he helped Timbaland build a studio early in his career, and working closely with artists ranging from 2 Chainz to Akon, and from Missy Elliott to David Banner.
Carbone currently works at Def Jam and is A&R on several projects on G.O.O.D. Music. He will discuss the evolution of breaking songs and approaching major music projects, having longevity as an artist, how his work has changed over the years, and his vision on how the music industry in general and being an A&R in particular will evolve over the next few years.
Q&A Alex Boateng - An insider’s view on the success of the UK urban music scene
Alex Boateng, A&R, DJ and Head of the Urban Division at Island Records, will share his insider’s view on the success of the UK urban music scene at ADE Beats. As well as managing the current urban roster at Island which includes Drake, Giggs, Sean Paul, Dizzee Rascal, Big Shaq, The Weeknd, Donae’o and many others, Boateng develops partnerships with artists, managers and businesses across the urban scene worldwide.
At ADE Beats, Boateng will discuss his coming of age within the urban music scene in the UK, curating his influential mixtape series and building his extensive network, his experience and insight on the urban music industry on a global scale and in his country, and his vision on the success of the national urban music scene, from his key position at the heart of new music in the UK.
Date and location
The international hip-hop, bass and beats conference ADE Beats takes place Friday October 19th in Melkweg. Delegates get to attend inspiring music Q&A’s, exclusive networking and business opportunities, industry panel discussions, demo pitches, keynote speeches and more. Many more speakers and more detailed program info will follow, as well as news on our invite-only strategy meeting, demo competitions with amazing rewards, and talent showcases.
Sign up here for to receive the ADE Beats newsletter.
Tickets & more info
Tickets for ADE Beats go on sale on June 1st. ADE Beats is also accessible for ADE Pass and ADE Conference Pass holders, already available here.
Additional info: