Electronic music’s business side is getting its own summer showcase in Queens.Ad 0:00 Click for sound 0:00 / 0:00 With four days of programming, SHIFT New York is positioning itself as a fixture on the Northeast’s electronic music calendar.
The summit will take over The Ravel Hotel and Summer Club from July 23-26, gathering artists, label executives, managers, agents, promoters, media and fans for four days built around one goal: cutting through the usual industry gatekeeping.The event bills itself as a hybrid of conference and festival, mixing panels and workshops with poolside events and live showcases.
Organizers say the format is designed to create genuine relationships rather than the surface-level networking common at larger industry conferences.That includes demo-drop sessions, where emerging artists can get direct feedback from label representatives and A&R staff, plus mentorship opportunities meant to connect newer talent with established players in the space.
For an industry often criticized for opaque pathways to opportunity, SHIFT set a high bar with its debut alongside the EDMAs during Miami Music Week 2026.The festivities featured sets from Above & Beyond, Hardwell, Armin van Buuren and MEDUZA, among dozens of others, alongside executives from Spotify, SoundCloud, Warner, Beatport and Billboard.
The lineup illustrated the event’s core pitch: an aspiring artist participating in a demo-drop hosted by a label in the afternoon might be talking about an official release with its A&R by evening.Elsewhere, this year’s panelists include Ben Harvey, Director of Dance & Electronic Music Programming at Pandora; David Lapushner, Head of Distribution & Commercial Optimization at Anjunabeats; and Kristen London, Head of Publishing at TuneCore, among many others.
Moderators include Lawrence Lui of Bampire, John Ochoa of The Recording Academy and Mimi Rupert of Dori...