Dance Music Goes Dutch

The Netherlands will become the focus of the dance music business for a month as delegates from all over the world flock to Amsterdam Dance Event and then Rotterdam Beats.

The showcase conferences are both backed by Buma Cultuur, the nonprofit organization that supports Dutch music and is also the main force behind Eurosonic-Noorderslag.

 
The 17th annual Amsterdam Dance Event, which opened Oct. 17 and has this year expanded to five days, appears on its way to being one of the best on record, attracting more than 3,500 music professionals from 65 countries and 200,000 festival visitors.
 
The talent on display will include David Guetta, Armin van Buuren, Fatboy Slim, Richie Hawtin, Paul van Dyk, Paul Oakenfold, Junkie XL, Chase & Status, Carl Craig, Laidback Luke, and Afrojack.
 
At six different locations, the day program – which has sold out for the fifth time in succession – offers an array of conferences and networking opportunities focusing on music and technology.
 
The topics will include “Doing It Yourself,” which will have expert advice for emerging acts, and “The United States Of EDM,” an analysis of the upswing in electronic dance music in the U.S. and the money being made from it.
 
The third edition of the hip-hop oriented Rotterdam Beats Nov. 15-17 will have two keynote addresses from Shaggy. The Grammy winner will talk about all the ins and outs of both the business and performance side of a musical career spanning more than two decades. 
 
This summer Shaggy launched his own record label called Ranch Entertainment, which has offices in New York and Jamaica. At Rotterdam Beats, he may reveal his plans for Ranch.
 
Another main speaker is Riggs Morales, vice president for A&R of Eminem’s Shady Records, which has 50 Cent on its roster. In an exclusive Q&A, he is going to give insight into his work and how he will play a central role in the Shady Records Beats Pitch, an important chance for established and starting producers to pitch their work and receive professional advice on how to build their career.
 
The evening entertainment lineup includes 2 Chainz, Joey Bada$$, Georgia Anne Muldrow & Dudley Perkins, and The Excitements. It also has the best of Dutch talent such as Kraantje Pappie, the hip-hop act from Groningen, where Eurosonic-Noorderslag is based, and Full Crate & Mar, a soul act from Amsterdam.