AVA London unveils line-up of masterclasses and speakers for its 2022 date at Printworks London 24 Jan 2022
KINK LIVE MASTERCLASS | CARL COX VIRTUAL Q&A | IRVINE WELSH | JAGUAR & JAMZ SUPERNOVA | BLACK ARTIST DATABASE | BROADWICK LIVE | plus more to be announced!
www.avafestival.com
TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT kaboodle.co.uk
Supported by Hennessy, Patreon, PRS for Music, Virtuoso, Sentric Electronic & more.
AVA London, the capital’s Leading Electronic Music & Arts Conference returns to Printworks for its fifth edition on Friday 18th March 2022, announcing KINK hosting a Live Masterclass, revered author of Trainspotting and lifelong electronic music nut Irvine Welsh in a special keynote interview, CARL COX will guest in a virtual Q&A as part of our innovation theme hosted by our education partner Virtuoso, alongside a special talk with Jamz Supernova (BBC Radio 1xtra), Jaguar Bingham (BBC Radio 1) and host Niks Delanancy (Black Artist Database). Audiovisual artist and Aphex Twin collaborator Weirdcore will also join for a keynote interview.
The event will host over 40 artists and speakers across a daytime programme at the mighty venue, featuring keynote speeches from industry leaders, artist Q&As – as well as hands-on masterclasses, tech demos and workshops to make for an engaging, educational and insightful programme.
New additions to the conference programme include legendary artist and producer Kink coming on board to host a live production masterclass. Kink has delivered astounding festival sets at AVA in the past – now he will take to the stage to break down his process for all to see, ahead of another surefire performance at the club in the evening.
Trainspotting, Irvine Welsh's debut novel, was rejected from the Man Booker Prize shortlist, allegedly for offending the judges. It went on to sell over a million copies in the UK alone and was adapted into an iconic film by Danny Boyle. Now the author of twelve novels and four books of shorter fiction, Welsh enjoys a dedicated global readership and tweets prolifically. He has been involved in dance music for most of his life, as a DJ and promoter and is currently co-writing a TV drama series charting the rise of electronic music since the late 80’s. Welsh will speak with Derry born Guardian Columnist and book author Seamus O’Reilly in what is set to be a highlight from the programme.
One of the most charming DJs in the business Carl Cox will join the programme virtually for a special Q&A on innovation. A musical ambassador and a veteran of acid house, a champion of techno, a dance music pioneer, label owner, King of Ibiza – you name it, Carl's been there, done it and is still doing it, never losing sight of his passions – playing music, breaking tunes. The Q&A will be curated by Austen Smart, director at Virtuoso, our education partner. A diverse online learning platform, Virtuoso is on a mission to bring music learning into the present day, by making it inspiring, relevant and for everyone. Its video courses, interactive live sessions and online community give members the opportunity to be inspired by the world’s best artists and industry experts.
Three rising UK stars of electronic music, radio broadcasting & curation Jaguar Bingham (BBC Introducing/Radio One) Jamz Supernova (BBC 1Xtra / 6Music) and Niks Delanancy(Black Artist Database) will get together for a conversation about music curation & diversifying music culture.
Audio-visual artist Weirdcore will join the programme for a special keynote talk on his work and process which is the result of years of experimental design and animation work that pushes the boundaries of consciousness and visual interpretation. With a unique blend of formats, colours, designs and mediums, the audiovisual artist has collaborated with some of the most exciting modern artists and directors such as Aphex Twin, M.I.A, Tame Impala, Radiohead, Hype Williams, Charlie XCX, Oneohtrix Point Never and Miley Cyrus.
In a special keynote interview Oli Issacs, The is Music Ltd Founder, and co-manager to Bicep, SMD; Tom Deffee, Solar Management, manager to Floating Points & Four Tet and Georgia Taglietti, Strategist and Publicist for Laurent Garnier, previously Director of Communications at Sónar Festival will get together for a broad discussion about artist and music management in 2022.
Longstanding electronic music publication DJ Mag will host a hot-topic panel on The Future of UK Nightlife with Carly Heath (Bristol Night Time Advisor), Raj Chaudhuri (Living Proof), Michael Kill (NTIA) – and more speakers TBA. In this panel we will speak to artists, DJs, policy makers, lobbyists, venue owners and promoters to take stock of the challenges facing nightlife in the UK and how we can create a stable, safe and more diverse space for clubbers, clubs, festivals and live events.
Resident Advisor will host the RA Exchange Live with Elijah, for Royal-T, DJ Q, Flava D and Swindle, as well as co-founder of the Butterz record label. He writes ideas about art and music on Instagram and Twitter daily.
AVA will also launch a new content partnership with Patreon, the artist-centering membership platform that provides exclusive and direct access to artist content for users and a crucial revenue stream to creators during the challenging past 24 months. Virtuoso will host a live “Fireside Chat” with a creator – and in association with Shesaid.so and Black Artist Database.
AFEM (Association for Electronic Music) will host a panel themed on sustainability, titled “Events Reimagined” and Moderated by Silvia Montello (Remarqabl) featuring Claire O’Neil (A Greener Festival), Chris Goss (Hospital Records), Will Hutton (Beggars Group), Samantha Togni (Boudica) & more.
Sentric Electronic will host an insightful session on licensing and PRS for Music will host a talk on Going Full Time In Electronic Music.
Focusing on four key themes: Innovation, Diversity, Post-Pandemic & Sustainability – AVA brings its core values forward and centre important conversations around an industry rebuilding itself throughout unprecedented times. Working with industry thought leaders bringing their diverse and extensive perspectives to the conference.
AVA London is the largest and only event in the Printworks calendar of its kind, bringing you through both the day and the night, with a combined ticket including the conference and club – with doors opening on March 18th at 11 AM for the conference, and the club opening 9PM until 4 AM. There will be an interval between 6-8PM to changeover between the events.
TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT kaboodle.co.uk
SPECIAL KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
SPECIAL KEYNOTE TBA
CARL COX | VIRTUAL Q&A
ELIJAH
IRVINE WELSH
JAGUAR
JAMZ SUPERNOVA
KINK (MASTERCLASS)
NIKS
GEORGIA TAGLIETTI (LAURENT GARINER)
OLLY ISSACS (THIS IS MUSIC LTD.)
TOM DEFFEE (SOLAR MANAGEMENT)
CONFERENCE
AFEM
A Greener Festival
Black Artist Database
Broadwick Live
Beggars Group
Boudica
DJ Mag
Foundation FM
Hospital Records
NTIA
PRS for Music
Patreon
Resident Advisor
Sentric Electronic
Shesaid.so
Virtuoso
SPONSORS
Hennessy
Patreon
PRS For Music
Sentric Electronic
Virtuoso
NEWS & PRESS
Nile Rodgers honoured with Outstanding Achievement Award at 65th MPA Christmas lunch
Iconic CHIC co-founder and global hitmaker recognised for five decades of musical innovation as the MPA celebrates a Disco-themed 2025 Christmas Lunch The Music Publishers Association (MPA) today presented the legendary Nile Rodgers with its prestigious Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting &...more
FAC & Amazon Music offer a step up boost to five more UK artists
Gigi Moss, lleo, Maya Lane, Nia Wyn and Richard Carter will all receive three days of studio time at The Breakthrough Lab - the bespoke, state-of-the-art production facility operated by Amazon Music and Metropolis Studios This expansion of Step Up Fund...more
‘You could go for years without knowing you can earn a penny’: Kojey Radical on songwriter royalties
Exclusive recording of 101 Part Time Jobs podcast with BRIT, Ivor Novello and Mercury Prize-nominated Kojey Radical out now. The launch of the Livelihood campaign from PRS for Music highlights the crucial need for greater education around live performance royalties. An...more
Over 137,000 Hate Crimes in England and Wales Last Year - Ask For Clive Leads the Charge Against Hate and Builds Inclusive Nightlife Spaces
Hate crime isn’t just a statistic, it’s a harsh reality affecting thousands daily. Over 137,000 hate crimes were recorded in England and Wales last year, though the true figure is closer to 176,000. Marginalised communities, including LGBTQ+ people and disabled...more
rekordbox for iOS/Android now supports SpotifyDJ on mobile devices – rekordbox for Mac/Windows supported
AlphaTheta announces that its DJ application rekordbox for iOS/Android is now compatible with Spotify. Spotify is the world’s most popular audio streaming subscription service, offering over 100 million tracks and billions of playlists. With this update, in addition to rekordbox for...more
Rebecca Allen promoted to Chief Artist and Strategy Officer at Universal Music Group UK
ALLEN TAKES ON BRAND NEW LEADERSHIP ROLE FOLLOWING SUCCESS AT THE HELM OF EMI, DECCA, AND UMG UK’S AUDIENCE, MEDIA & STRATEGY DIVISION Universal Music Group UK (UMG UK), the UK’s leading music company, has today announced the promotion of Rebecca...more
Ticket Fairy announces deal to provide millions in funding for promoters worldwide
Ticket Fairy expands global financing, unlocking funding of up to £5M in the UK, €3M across Europe and $3M in the US, for venues, festivals and events promoters Ticket Fairy has announced a significant expansion of its global financing capabilities that...more
Warner Chappell unifies music publishing and production music sync teams under Rich Robinson
Well respected creative leader also adds Audio Asset team to remit Warner Chappell Music (WCM) today announced it has unified its global sync operations, bringing its frontline, catalog, and now Production Music sync teams together under Rich Robinson, EVP, Global Synchronization and...more
MIT Climate Machine with support from Coldplay, Warner Music Group, Live Nation, and Hope Solutions release first ever total emissions of live music in US and UK
Findings from over 80,000 shows across the U.K. and U.S. provide a foundation to decarbonize the future of live entertainment Click HERE for the full report The Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Climate Machine (formerly part of the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative) with support from Coldplay,...more
2025 Through Music Video: Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild” Was the Biggest U.K. Premiere on Vevo
Skye Newman and Olivia Dean were also among the chart newcomers in the UK on Vevo A first for K-Pop, JENNIE’s “like JENNIE” was the most watched premiere on Vevo globally UK fans rewatch “Die With a Smile”, “BIRDS OF A FEATHER”,...more
It's Beginning to Sound A Lot Like Last Year - new analysis finds Christmas music is on repeat
New study finds 63% of the songs in the 2024 Christmas Top 40 were exactly the same as the year before In contrast no songs were repeated in any of the Christmas Top 40s between 2000 and 2005 Fairytale of New York has...more
Music Studios Business Rates
The Rt Hon Rachel Reeves 11 Downing Street London SW1A 2AA Dear Chancellor, 7 December 2025 As you are doubtless aware, the United Kingdom is famous for its music industry, and part of that is being home to the finest recording studios in the...more
Chancellor's budget sparks alarm as nightlife businesses say Treasury modelling fails reality, new flash poll shows
The lights are dimming on Britain’s night-time economy. From buzzing pubs to packed music venues, local businesses are sounding the alarm after a new flash survey of 345 night-time economy businesses revealed that the Chancellor’s latest Budget will hit them...more
Producer/musician/multi-instrumentalist Terrace Martin signs worldwide publishing deal with Peermusic
Global independent music publishing company, Peermusic, has signed producer, musician, and multi-instrumentalist Terrace Martin to a worldwide publishing administration deal as announced today by Jamie Cerreta, President U.S. and Canada, Peermusic and Tuff Morgan, Vice President of A&R, Peermusic. Through the deal, Peermusic will also represent Terrace Martin...more
Drowned in Sound Announces Partnership with Qobuz
25 year old music publication and ethical streaming platform partner to support mission-driven journalism and music discovery Drowned in Sound, the independent music publication, podcast and online community, has today announced a new partnership with Qobuz, the independently-owned high-quality music streaming...more
Saudi Arabia’s EIF and Legends Global score big joint venture announcement
Saudi Arabia’s Event Investment Fund (EIF) and Legends Global have announced a joint venture to support the Kingdom’s vision and investment in its fast-growing venue industry. This partnership will become the venue operator for venue projects within the Kingdom of Saudi...more
Angry Mob Music Signs Foreign Sub-Publishing Agreement With D-Version Music Publishing in Greece
Angry Mob Music, an independent music publisher boldly serving songwriters, composers, artists, and creatives, has signed a new sub-publishing agreement with D-Version Music Publishing to represent their catalog in Greece, bringing the Angry Mob Music catalog to the Greek market for...more
Universal Music Group announces new UMusic shops in New York and London
Today, Universal Music Group (UMG), the world-leader in music-based entertainment has announced the launch of two UMusic Shop locations in New York and London, dedicated to reimagining the fan experience. Each UMusic Shop offers exclusive custom collections and pieces inspired by UMG's iconic artists,...more
Jeff Sosnow named President of Reprise Records
Widely admired exec takes on new role alongside his post as EVP of A&R for Warner Records Warner Records Group today announced that Jeff Sosnow has been promoted to President, Reprise Records, in addition to continuing in his role as EVP...more
Openstage Puts Artists in Control of Fan Relationships by Uniting Once Fragmented Data
Artists struggle with one basic issue: Control. They don't know who their fans are. Even with large followings, most artists struggle to identify real fans, understand who is engaged, or build relationships over time. Fan information is scattered across ticketing platforms,...more
Seventeen live music sector organisations sign open letter to UK Prime Minister calling for urgent review of Business Rates
Dear Prime Minister, We are writing on behalf of the live events sector to urge you to review the devastating, unintended consequences for live venues of changes announced to the Business Rates system at the Budget. The combined impact of disproportionate, inappropriate,...more
Sony Music Publishing Signs Global Deal with BigXthaPlug
Sony Music Publishing today announced it has signed a global publishing deal with award-winning, multi-platinum selling breakout star BigXthaPlug. BigXthaPlug, aka Xavier Landum, has quickly established himself as one of music’s most powerful new storytellers. With an unmistakable sound that delves into...more
The Live Awards 2025 - Winners announced
The LIVE Awards 2025, which took place in association with Skiddle at The Troxy, in East London, on the evening of Wednesday 10th December, has published its full list of winners. Attended by over 500 guests including promoters, venues, agents, festivals,...more
IMPF Key Principles for CMO Licensing Models for Generative AI
Generative AI is rewriting the rules of the music ecosystem, at speed and scale we have never seen before. For independent publishers and the songwriters and composers they represent, this shift brings both opportunity and profound risk. At the core...more
beatBread Surpasses $100 Million in Deal Funding as Company Marks its Fifth Anniversary
1700 Deals Representing 67 Billion Streams Funded,With Platform Expanding To 42 Countries beatBread, a leader in funding for independent labels and musicians, today announced a series of major milestones that underscore its accelerating global scale and industry impact as it celebrates...more
BDi Music signs exclusive worldwide publishing deal with artist, producer and topliner Jack Critchlow
Critchlow has had significant support at radio at DSPs. BDi Music has signed emerging artist, producer and topliner Jack Critchlow to an exclusive worldwide publishing deal. Hailing from the North of England, 22-year-old Critchlow is one of the most exciting upcoming acts...more
Bucks Music Group appoints Rick Lansdell as COO alongside key promotions
Flash Taylor, James Paterson, Rhiannon Bramley, Maria McDonald, Sevana Mehrunnesa and Andrea Loizidou all step up at independent publisher. Bucks Music Group has announced the appointment of Rick Lansdell as the company’s Chief Operating Officer, as well as a number of...more
Tyler West and Chloe Burrows announced for KISS Breakfast Show
KISS have announced that Tyler West will be the new host of the KISS Breakfast Show. However, he won’t be alone as podcaster and TV personality, Chloe Burrows, will be joining KISS as his co-presenter. Tyler and Chloe will be taking over KISS Breakfast when,...more
Live Music Company DHP Family Brings Two Senior Women To The Board
Two senior colleagues have joined the board of DHP Family, the live music company behind a host of iconic live music venues, award-winning festivals and a thriving concerts business. Julie Tippins becomes a non-executive director as she steps away from the...more
Music League and Roxxem Win Music Tectonics’ 2025 Swimming with Narwhals Startup Competition
Music Tectonics is here to shout about the winners of its annual Swimming with Narwhals competition for innovative startups in music tech. These winners show how music is everywhere, shifting the status quo of media, tech, and entertainment. This year, two...more
THE HEADLINES
The 10 biggest AI music stories of 2025 (see Features)
Do pop stars write their own hits—and if not, who does? (see Analysis)
TikTok unveils its Year in Music Report (see Digital)
Coldplay, U2, Ed Sheeran named most popular touring artists of the millennium (see News)
King Gizzard, having pulled music from Spotify in protest, find genAI clones on the platform (see Digital)
UK parliamentarians join call to regulate most powerful AI systems (see News)
Martin Mills is trying to thwart a record industry takeover by Universal (see Features)
IMPF says members should reject AI deals that do not value songs properly (see News)
Which songs do we replay the most? (see Analysis)
Spotify Wrapped 2025 goes live (see Digital)
Daddy Yankee files lawsuit against former manager and third parties for alleged royalty scheme (see News)
EU touring: Impact of Brexit worsening, says UK Music report (see Reports)
ORCA released a report analysing the economic investments and social impact of nine leading independent record labels (see Reports)
Jorja Smith’s label requests share of royalties from ‘AI-cloned’ song (see News)
A creative nation is a thriving nation (see Opinion)