Following the release of their annual IMS Business Report — which provides critical stats about the electronic music industry — the International Music Summit has unveiled a new discussion series called The Big Questions.

Created in partnership with Beatport, Pioneer DJ, shesaid.so, and the Association for Electronic Music (AFEM), the series invites artists and industry leaders from around the world to unpack the most significant issues facing the global dance music scene today. 

Focusing on a new key topic each month, The Big Questions will examine and deconstruct these subjects with the hopes of enabling its resilient international community to reconnect through debate and discussion. 

For the first episode of this ten-part series, IMS invited beloved BBC Radio 1 DJs Pete Tong and Jaguar to host the first online event. Live streamed via Beatport’s streaming channels, The first episode, Co-Existing with COVID, kicked off with an intimate discussion between electronic music pioneer Carl Cox and Circus Recordings boss Yousef. The pair shared their life experiences during the pandemic and their thoughts on the “new normal” as the industry has slowly started to get back on its feet.

This was followed by a panel discussion between James Kirkham (Defected, Chief Business Officer), Michael Kill (NTIA, CEO) and Morgan Deane (508 Events/Lasher Louis Productions, Director/Founder) and Kikelomo (DJ, presenter, AFEM Diversity & Inclusion Working group co-chair) who provided further insight and analysis on the subject. Watch the first episode of The Big Questions: Co-existing with COVID below.

The fundamental objective of the series is to create a workable plan of action and roadmap to recovery, catalyzing debate and industry collaboration as we collectively find pathways to rebuild and develop the global electronic music industry sustainably.

Future episodes will focus on subjects like diversity and inclusion, racial equality, education and legacy, monetisation, environment and sustainability, decentralisation, sexual harassment, mental health and wellbeing, and more.

For those who want to get involved, IMS invites fans to nominate who they would like to see in a future episode of The Big Questions. You can submit your suggestions through the International Music Summit socials or their website.

Keep an eye out for forthcoming episodes of The Big Questions via Beatport’s Twitch, YouTube and Facebook pages.