As Amsterdam Dance Event prepares for its landmark 30th edition this October, the conference programming reflects the industry's most urgent conversations. Running from October 22-26, 2025, ADE Pro has curated a slate of panels that tackle everything from artificial intelligence's impact on artist careers to Africa's foundational role in dance music history.
We've identified five essential sessions that every electronic music professional should prioritize. These conversations will shape how we create, distribute, and understand dance music in the years ahead.
1. SoundCloud | Beyond the Beat: AI, Law, and the Future of Sustainable Music Careers
Speakers: Ama Walton (EVP & General Counsel, SoundCloud), Jack Bridges (Electronic Music Lead, SoundCloud)
Artificial Intelligence is rapidly reshaping the music industry, from how tracks are created and discovered to how rights and royalties are managed. For artists, AI brings both opportunity and uncertainty: new creative tools, but also complex questions about ownership, ethics, and sustainability.
Big tech platforms frequently shift algorithms and loosen moderation policies, often putting artists at risk of losing visibility or having their narratives distorted. SoundCloud's Artist First approach prioritizes stability, authenticity, and creative ownership. This fireside chat features Ama Walton, SoundCloud's Chief General Counsel and legal strategist specializing in music and IP rights, alongside Electronic Music Lead Jack Bridges for a timely conversation on how AI intersects with artist careers today and in the future.
The fireside chat will explore legal frameworks in the age of AI, tackling questions of ownership for AI-generated music and how artists can protect their intellectual property while ensuring fair compensation. The conversation will examine AI as both a creative partner and a potential competitor, looking at how artists can embrace new tools without diluting their authenticity. Walton and Bridges will discuss the role of platforms like SoundCloud in supporting AI-driven creation while safeguarding human artistry, and address how shifting algorithms on other platforms put artist control at risk. The session will also cover sustainability in the AI era, exploring how artists can balance innovation with long-term financial, creative, and cultural impact.
2. Helix | Cutting Through 100,000 Daily: Strategies to Break Artists Today
Speakers: Patrick Moxey (Founder & President, Payday Publishing & Helix Records), Steve Hogan (Partner, WME Music), Maesic (Artist)
Moderator: Rida Naser Greene (Director, Music Programming, SiriusXM BPM)
Building a new artist in today's digital age is an immense challenge, with the white noise of 100,000 new releases daily. TikTok, Instagram, touring, online marketing, radio and music: what are the key drivers to create a hit artist today and how can they break through the noise?
This panel brings together Patrick Moxey, the visionary behind Payday Publishing and Helix Records; Steve Hogan from WME Music, one of the industry's top booking agencies; and rising artist Maesic, who's navigating this landscape firsthand. Together, they'll dissect the multi-platform strategy required to build and sustain artist careers in an oversaturated market.
Why You Can't Miss It: With over 100,000 tracks released daily on streaming platforms, artist discovery has become exponentially harder. This panel offers battle-tested strategies from insiders who are actively breaking artists in 2025's chaotic digital ecosystem. Whether you're an artist, manager, or label executive, understanding how to cut through algorithmic noise is survival knowledge.
3. Inside MENA's Booming Music Scene: What You Need to Know
Speakers: Nicole Moudaber (Artist), Sezer Uysal (Owner, Theory X)
Moderator: Yasmine Rasool
MENA and Africa continue to shape global music culture with acts like Mohamed Ramadan, Tyla and Amaarae performing at Coachella, and Saudi artist Mishaal Tamer breaking into the viral charts in Latin America. ADE Pro looks at the local DJs, artists and producers driving the region's explosive growth in music consumption.
The panel explores the companies at the forefront of that growth, the thriving Moroccan and Egyptian rap scenes, alongside the pop and hybrid forms such as Khaliji from the Levant and Gulf regions. Which countries are most open to foreign acts and which MENA acts are keen to collaborate with acts from Europe, Asia and the Americas? Who are the managers and bookers working with both MENA acts and foreign artists? What genres are filling the region's dance floors?
Featuring techno icon Nicole Moudaber and Sezer Uysal, owner of Theory X, this session provides insider perspectives on one of the world's fastest-growing music markets.
Why You Can't Miss It: MENA represents one of the most significant growth opportunities in global electronic music, yet it remains relatively untapped by Western artists and labels. This panel provides the roadmap for understanding regional nuances, identifying collaboration opportunities, and navigating a market that's rapidly redefining what "global" electronic music means.
4. Beyond the Hype: Building a Sustainable Narrative for African Electronic Music
Speakers: Carl Craig (Artist), Kitty Amor (Artist), Jackie Queens (Artist)
Moderator: Dare Balogun
In recent years, African electronic music has captured global attention, from festival main stages to fashion runways. But visibility often comes at the cost of context, with cultural histories flattened into trend cycles.
This conversation asks: how do we move beyond short-term hype to build narratives that honour the roots, reflect the present, and sustain the future of African electronic music? Bringing together artists, curators, and industry voices, the panel explores strategies for long-term infrastructure, ownership, and representation, ensuring that the music continues to thrive on its own terms.
Techno legend Carl Craig joins rising stars Kitty Amor and Jackie Queens in a panel that bridges generational perspectives on preserving authenticity while achieving global reach.
Why You Can't Miss It: The music industry has a troubling history of extracting from African culture without proper attribution or compensation. This panel confronts that legacy, offering frameworks for sustainable engagement that center African artists, preserve cultural context, and builds lasting infrastructure rather than exploiting fleeting trends.
5. Africa as the Past, Present and Future of Dance Music
Speakers: Tunde Balogun (CEO & Co-Founder, LVRN), Grace Ladoja (Founder, Homecoming), Aniko (Artist), other speakers TBA
Moderator: Dare Balogun (Homecoming)
The global story of dance music cannot be told without Africa. Its rhythms shaped the foundations of jazz, disco, house, and techno, and today its influence reverberates louder than ever in clubs and studios worldwide.
This discussion situates Africa not as a peripheral influence but as a central force across the timeline of dance music: past, present, and future. From traditional forms and diasporic lineages to contemporary innovations, the panel examines how African creativity continues to define the sound and culture of the dancefloor, and what that means for the industry going forward.
Featuring Tunde Balogun, the powerhouse behind LVRN (home to Summer Walker, 6LACK), Grace Ladoja, founder of Homecoming festival, and artist Aniko, this session reframes the entire narrative of electronic music history.
Why You Can't Miss It: The panel provides essential historical context as the industry increasingly looks to Africa for new sounds. The conversation challenges participants to engage with African music on terms that honor its foundational role rather than treating it as a trend to be mined.
These five panels represent ADE Pro 2025's commitment to addressing the industry's most pressing challenges and opportunities. From the technological disruption of AI to the geographical expansion into MENA and the recognition of Africa's central role in dance music, these sessions chart a course for the industry's future.
The programming recognizes that issues of technology, geography, culture, and sustainability are deeply interconnected. The future of electronic music depends on our ability to navigate all of them simultaneously.
ADE Pro 2025 takes place October 22-26, 2025, across multiple venues in Amsterdam. For the complete conference program and ticket information, visit the official ADE website at amsterdam-dance-event.nl.
Whether you're an artist trying to break through in an oversaturated market, a label executive exploring new territories, or an industry professional grappling with AI's implications, these five panels offer essential insights for navigating electronic music's rapidly evolving landscape.
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