Wednesday-Sunday, March 21st-25th, 2012
For 5 straight days consisting of 12+ hours each, 5 different record labels presented showcases each day with an eclectic range of electronic dance music catering to an audience of 5,000 guests daily. Villa 221, an historic 8,500 sqft Spanish-style mansion estate in the heart of downtown Miami, hosted this extensive artist showcase with the hottest underground and indie labels in the industry. As part of Villa 221, the Beatport Lounge was produced inside the mansion for the 25,000 guests to hang during the week.
What began in the mid-1980s as a trade show, known as the Winter Music Conference, for the local DJ community with about 80 attendees, soon became the biggest platform for underground artists and indie labels from over 70 different countries with 50k attendees in the mid-1990s. In the mid-2000s, a major public component was added to the mix called the Ultra Music Festival seeing an additional 100,000 party-goers embark on Miami.
Today, Miami Music Week is the largest electronic dance music program in the world where the entire EDM community gathers, comprised of an estimated 500,000 artists, labels, tastemakers, and music fans. An estimated 300 independent events take place during the week, from artist and label showcases to industry conference panels. From downtown Miami to South Beach Miami, the entire region is essentially taken over by the electronic dance music community.
