The Winter Music Conference 2011 and the Ultra Music Festival dates have been a point of controversy for several days now and many of us have serious questions, as well as decisions to make, regarding this yearly electronic music pilgrimage to Miami. The Winter Music Conference dates are set for March 8-12 and Ultra Music Festival’s is now a 3-day event, happening the weekend of March 25-27.
According to MTV, “Controversy has swirled around the electronic dance music community over…..the Winter Music Conference and Ultra Music Festival’s misaligned 2011 schedules.
WMC owner and co-founder Bill Kelly spoke exclusively to MTV News and further corroborated the points in Puig’s manifesto, exclaiming, “Louis nailed it on the head!” Kelly, however, does admit that the departure of UMF from WMC week will absolutely affect his longstanding operation negatively. “We’re going to be hurt a little bit,” he says, noting that more than 25 percent of those who buy the official WMC registration pass — which currently costs $275 — do so to take advantage of the complimentary UMF ticket (now selling at $179 for the three-day pass). However, Kelly goes on to speculate that the separation of the two entities might actually open up new doors for both parties, including one scenario that might even entail the creation of WMC’s own exclusive “festival style” performance centerpiece.”
Further, according to a statement posted on the WMC official website responding to the divergence in dates, “WMC remains committed to the artists, delegates and fans that have made the program what it has become over the last 25 years. The festivals, Ultra and many others, are amazing experiences for the fans and artists alike. By contrast the quintessential WMC experience is really about the camaraderie between pioneering artists and industry legends….”
Personally I’m inclined to side with Louis Puig on the subject. UMF organizers are now trying to capitalize on the 25 yr long success of WMC in the electronic dance music industry. Ironically, WMC spawned UMF, basically making it possible. Now that its monstrous tentacles have exclusively hijacked many well known mainstream electronic music ‘artists’, it appears ready to set out on its own. The Ultra Music Festival, now in its 13 yr, complimented WMC, alongside the many other week long festivities that occur each year in March. In the end, the separation of the two will most certainly negatively affect both. Unnecessarily. UMF organizers undoubtedly believe that by doing this they may very well increase attendance, but at $179 a ticket, you can count on many who will not attend based on that price point alone. Especially when there will be many FREE and prestigious events during the entire week of WMC. This battle simply shouldn’t take place though.
For me, the many individual parties around Miami Beach and Downtown have always been more exciting than going to the overcrowded and overpriced UMF. Again, many events that are FREE. Locally, the change probably will not make that big a difference, but UMF organizers are discouraging many electronic music fans who travel to Miami from various places around the globe. Fracturing an already heavily cliquey genre of (largely unpopular in the US) music will only lead to attendees to choose one over the other. The US is still in a recession afterall.
Louis Puig (DJ and Owner of Club Space Miami) offered the first parting shot a couple days ago, blasting the event organizers of the Ultra Music Festival, by creating the following post on his personal blog.
Hello Electronic Music lovers,
With WMC comes WMC Drama, the two just seem to go hand in hand. This year the big D is all about the two different Dates (WMC and Ultra) which are confusing the fcuk out of everyone and raising all sorts of questions… What is up with the 2 dates? What is really happening? What is the inside scoop? What is Club Space doing? When should we come to Miami? My father always had one answer for every question, when in doubt always chase the money and sure enough this is no exception so pay close attention because I am only explaining this once…
This year and once again, Ultra is trying to monopolize WMC by engaging exclusive contracts with all major DJs which will not allow them to perform at your favorite dance clubs. Last year they got Tiesto, Dead Mau, Guetta, Carl Cox, Armin…) to sign Ultra exclusives and this year they are going after everyone else. What this means to the consumer is that you will no longer be able to enjoy your favorite DJ for extended sets after midnight at your favorite clubs, instead you will be forced to listen to them for a one hour set before midnight in a crowded field of dust, mud and ravers. You can also forget about seeing them at your favorite pool parties. You either pay the overpriced Ultra admission or you don’t get to see and dance to your favorite DJ at all, so much for democracy and your rights as a consumer. Now, I love Ultra and what they bring to the game but I do not agree with their greedy strategy to manipulate and monopolize Music Conference. This is just not good for anyone.
WMC used to be about free parties with DJs and industry folks sharing and enjoying new music. Now, it is about greed and money with Ultra and all the clubs fighting over talent, hotels charging 4 times what they are used to and agents and DJs banking on the demand. As the owner of Space, I like all the demand and the high prices as it allows us to raise our prices and make more money and Space will be packed regardless of what DJ is performing and what decision you make. In fact, the better Ultra does, the better we do as we are right across the street and at midnight everyone comes our way. However, as a 35 year supporter of Electronic Music I cannot consciously stand back and see this shit take place. This is not what EM is about and it surely is not what I want to see WMC turn into. In fact, for the past 5 years I have made it a point to stop the door cover at a certain price knowing that we could easily charge double the cover. Our presales discount tickets even start at half of the door cover charged on the day of the event. This Industry has been very good to me and I for this I am eternally grateful. Thanks and thanks again.
Now what does this mean to you? Well, unfortunately the consumer is the one that ends up paying for everything. As long as there is just one music festival and one weekend as long as you keep supporting and feeding the greed you will keep suffering the high prices. This year you have a chance to make a difference and bring back what Music Conference and Electronic Music used to be about. You can either come to Miami on the last week of March, support the greedy monopoly, keep taking it up the ass and lose your right to seeing your favorite DJ at your favorite club or you can come the second week of March, claim back your wallet and your nightlife. It is really all up to you… your life, your music, your choice. The good folks at WMC have taken a brave step towards bringing saneness and normality to this over populated and overpriced chaos by choosing a separate week from Ultra for you to hold their parties and events. Now, if we could just get someone to start another music festival during WMC week things would really stabilize. Gordon Gekko once said, “greed is good†but I truly believe competition is even better. Humm… if I were you I would not book your tickets just yet.
Finally, a good friend pointed out something which we are all overlooking and that is that “without WMC there would not be an Ultra Music Festival.â€
See you the second week in March….
Are organizers deliberately attempting to separate the UMF ‘ravers’ from the ‘hardcore edm old schoolers’ who attend WMC? By now UMF organizers have been asked “why” by many in the industry. Hopefully soon they will have an answer concerning their true intentions for purposefully separating the dates like this.
You will also see me the second week of March!
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