Apple Music Explores the Future of the DJ Mix at International Music Summit Ibiza

At this year’s International Music Summit (IMS) Ibiza, Apple Music convened leading voices from across electronic music for a panel discussion, Apple Music for DJs: DJ Mixes and the Culture. Moderated by Tim Sweeney (Lead DJ & Curator, Dance & Electronic, Apple Music / Host of Beats In Space), the conversation featured Stephen Campbell (Global Head of Dance, Electronic & DJ Mixes, Apple Music), Eliza Rose (Artist), Mark Abbot (The Warehouse Project), and Iain Watt (Attention Management), exploring the evolving role of DJ mixes, culture, and technology.

The discussion underscored how DJ mixes remain central to electronic music culture, serving as a vital tool for discovery, storytelling, and artistic identity, while also highlighting Apple Music’s continued investment in supporting DJs, artists, and global scenes through the DJ Mix program.

Apple Music also detailed how its DJ Mix program is addressing longstanding industry challenges around rights, attribution, and payment, using technology to ensure that all contributors within a mix are recognized and compensated, while enabling the format to scale globally.

A major theme throughout the conversation was the importance of human curation in an increasingly technology-driven landscape, with panelists emphasizing the role of cultural expertise, local knowledge, and authentic taste in shaping meaningful discovery. The panel further explored how partnerships between platforms, artists, and promoters are extending the life of club culture allowing moments from  the dancefloor to reach global audiences and continue resonating far beyond the physical event.

Stephen Campbell on the Apple DJ Mix program

«We wanted to solve a generational problem: the DJ mix has long-term monetary value for the DJ, the people whose music is in that mix, and whoever made that moment in time… The technology [Apple Music provides] identifies all the different tunes that are playing, whose tunes they are, how much they play, and then pays them…Traditionally, you could spend many, many months clearing a single mix… So we needed something to scale. We needed to solve it forever, and this is a forever thing.”

Mark Abbot on extending the life of events at The Warehouse Project

«These events happen and then they’re finished, whereas this [on-demand streaming] gives it a second life… It’s for the people that were there, they want to relive that moment , but it’s also for people who missed out… These moments are happening in a warehouse in Manchester, but they’re ending in an apartment in Tokyo. That’s really exciting for us”

«Apple Music is amazing at picking out local artists and key artists further down the bill for people to discover alongside the names that are already going to get good plays… The local artists were so excited to play these shows because they were recorded for Apple Music.”

Iain Watt on the DJ Mix & Culture

«The DJ mix has always been incredibly important… people want to share it, people want to show their friends and their network the music that the mix constitutes… It’s an incredibly important tool for an artist to show what their tastes are, what culture they’re from, and their ability to create as a selector.”

Eliza Rose on the DJ Mix program & integration on Apple Music

«The mix allows that exchange and connection online in a year where sometimes we’re losing that a little bit… When you do find one that you really love, you go back and go back and go back to it.. It feels like you’re there in the room… It’s really crucial for me.”

«When I’m traveling, [with Apple Music] I can put all the tracks I’m going to play that weekend in there and listen through to them… It allows me to work on the fly, which is really helpful when you’re really busy.”