Tag: Ronny Ho

Join Spotify at ADE 2023 for Artist Talks, Industry Masterclasses, Networking, and More

October 11, 2023

As the biggest club festival in the world, Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) plays home to more than 1,000 events in nearly 200 locations across its multidisciplinary program. And for five days and nights, the city of Amsterdam truly breathes electronic music.

This is our second year as an official ADE partner, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to continue this extraordinary journey. 

“Our partnership is a testament to the unwavering commitment that ADE and Spotify share for nurturing the growth of the dance and electronic genre to reach even greater heights,” said Lisa Ritchey, Spotify Artist Partnerships Manager, Pop, Dance & Indie. “ADE serves as a haven where enthusiasts and experts converge, and this year, we’re not just celebrating the tunes that make us dance; we’re empowering individuals to explore and harness the immense potential within this ever-evolving scene.”

For the 2023 edition, we’re curating a space to let industry partners take a breather from the ADE hustle.

Spotify Huis @ ADE 2023

Spotify Huis at Het West will be open for all ADE pass holders, industry members, and artists, offering something people need: meeting space, nourishments, networking happy hours, and a content studio to bank content with artists who are in town. 

“The Benelux region is a hotbed of electronic music talent, and together with ADE, we’re creating a unique opportunity for artists, producers, and fans to connect, celebrate, and share their passion,” said Milena Taieb, Spotify Head of Music, France and Benelux. “ADE underscores the deep-rooted importance of electronic music in the heart of Europe, and at Spotify, we’re committed to amplifying this vibrant culture.”

If you’re interested in stopping by Spotify Huis, you can fill out this request form and find additional details below:

Date: Wednesday, Oct 18 and Thursday, October 19

Time: 12:00 – 20:00 CET

Venue:  Herenmarkt 99, 1013 EC 

Spotify Talks @ ADE 2023

In addition to Spotify Huis, we’ll be hosting a number of talks at ADE venues throughout the week. Attendees will discover the art of writing a hit song, learn more about Spotify’s playlist ecosystem and how that fuels music discovery, and receive actionable tips for thriving in today’s music industry. 

“We’re delighted to welcome Spotify back as a valued partner for ADE. This collaboration holds significant value for the artists, DJs, and producers attending ADE, offering them a unique opportunity to access the insights and expertise of the Spotify team,” said Jorinde Boom, ADE Head of Partnerships. “We’re passionate about helping talent advance their careers by harnessing Spotify’s powerful capabilities. Our partnership seamlessly aligns with the shared goals of ADE Pro and Lab audiences—to foster creativity within the music industry through a diverse range of platforms. Together, we’re opening doors for artists and creators, enabling them to reach new heights.”

Take a look at our lineup—there’s something for everyone:

Spotify Presents: Written By (Live with Jin Jin)

Date: Wednesday, October 18 

Time: 17:15 – 18:00 CET

Venue: Main hall De Brakke Grond (ADE Lab)

Details: In a new live interview event series, Spotify engages in thoughtful conversation with some of the industry’s most distinguished songwriters and producers. Join the Spotify team as they welcome renowned songwriter Jin Jin to dissect her chart-topping works, including standout hits like Joel Corry‘s “Out Out,” featuring Jax Jones, Charli XCX, and Saweetie; and Jax Jones’ collaboration with RAYE, “You Don’t Know Me.” Ahead of the talk, you can explore Jin Jin’s “Written By” playlist and explore her catalog of hit songs.

Panelists:

Aaron Buckingham (Spotify Songwriter & Publishing Relations)

Jin Jin (songwriter)

Spotify for Artists Masterclass: Playlists & Music Discovery

Date/Time: Thursday, October 19 

Time: 12:15 – 13:00 CET 

Venue: Main hall De Brakke Grond (ADE Lab)

Details: Take a deep dive into the Spotify playlist ecosystem and how music is discovered with Spotify’s expert team, who will run through how Spotify is supporting the Dance and Electronic community, both on and off-platform. We’re delighted to be joined by Martin Garrix’s management team, Watse De Jong and Steven Hiemstra, who will share valuable insights into how they harness Spotify’s full potential.

Panelists:

Watse De Jong (Manager, Martin Garrix)

Steven Hiemstra (Manager, Martin Garrix)

Ronny Ho (Spotify Head of Electronic Development)

Ashley Graver (Spotify Head of Artist Partnerships, Pop, Dance & Indie)

Laura Kiesow (Spotify Artist and Label Partnerships, Benelux)

Spotify Essential Insider Knowledge: Navigating the Modern Music Industry

Date: Friday, October 20 

Time: 16:15 – 17:00 CET 

Venue: Felix Meritis (Keizersgracht 324, Amsterdam) (ADE Pro)

Details: Reaching and engaging your audience when it matters most is always top of mind for artists. In this session, Spotify’s music team will explore the suite of tools available to artists and their teams to help them find and grow their audiences on Spotify. Through a combination of best practices, essential tips, and case study examples, you’ll gain invaluable insights into harnessing Spotify’s full potential.

Panelists:

Milena Taieb (Spotify Head Of Music, France and Benelux)

Laura Kiesow (Spotify Senior Manager, Artist and Label Partnerships, France and Benelux)

Jesse Jacobsen (Spotify Lead, Indie Label Partnerships)

Gearing up to experience a week of the world’s hottest dance music in Amsterdam? Check out the official ADE 2023 playlist to get your mind, body, and ears ready.

Celebrate Filipino Heritage Month With Our First-Ever ‘Jasmine Presents’ Artist Showcase

October 6, 2023

Artists of Asian descent are not just thriving globally, they’re making a massive impact on the overall musical landscape. So in 2017, we launched Jasmine, a genreless flagship playlist that highlights Asian and Pacific Islander music communities around the world. Fans turn to Jasmine to discover artists from the United States, East Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia like Raveena, keshi, Higher Brothers, Anik Khan, Saweetie, and CHUNG HA. 

This Filipino Heritage Month, we’re leveraging Jasmine in a whole new way to celebrate the cultural heritage of artists and listeners emerging from the Philippines by hosting Jasmine Presents: Filipino Heritage Month, presented by Spotify Stages. This is our first-ever Jasmine artist showcase, and October 20-27, eight artists of Filipino descent—Mndsgn with No_4mat; Ez Mil with MBNel; Lyn Lapid with Ashley Mehta; RINI; and P-Lo—will be headlining shows at the legendary New York City venue SOB’s. The showcase is open to the public, and fans who want to attend can purchase tickets for each individual show by following the links below.

Jasmine Presents:

Filipino Heritage Month

October 20: RINI

October 23: Ez Mil w/ MBNel

October 24: Lyn Lapid w/ Ashley Mehta

October 26: P-Lo

October 27: Mndsgn w/ No_4mat 

“We are thrilled to celebrate Filipino Heritage Month this year through the first Jasmine showcase,” said Ronny Ho, Spotify Head of Dance and Electronic Development. “October is a special month to celebrate one of the first groups of Asian immigrants to immigrate to the United States. The vibrant and diverse Filipino community is highlighted in the breadth of our playlist and this year’s showcase, with talents in hip-hop, pop, electronic, and more.”

Ahead of the showcase, For the Record spoke with some of the featured artists to learn more about what makes Filipino culture unique and how their heritage has shaped them as artists and people.

How is your Filipino heritage reflected in your music?

EZ MIL: I can say that I’m very proud of my Filipino heritage and it’s evident with my songs I sing in the languages of the Philippines, like “Panalo.” I also try to incorporate Filipino sounds and tribal instruments in my music.

No_4mat: I try to make my music as organically as possible, so inevitably my life experiences as a Filipino have shaped my taste and creative inspiration. I have a few tracks, like “Manilla” and “Sisig,” that more directly reference trips back home and feelings I get from eating my favorite foods, like sisig. But beyond those, I think a lot of the sounds and melodies I’m drawn to are pulled from my childhood and Filipino culture. 

Ashley Mehta: Growing up in a Filipino household, I was always surrounded by music. Karaoke was always nonstop at family parties, and the love we all have for singing would always shine through. When I write music today I try to capture that same energy that feels very community. I like creating feel-good music that you can use as a sense of release!

Can you share some of your biggest Filipino influences growing up?

Lyn Lapid: Filipino singers such as Jessica Sanchez and 4TH IMPACT were huge inspirations for me. I’d watch them audition on international talent shows with my mom, and that inspired me to start singing for fun. Alex Wassabi and Roi from Wassabi Productions inspired me to start making my own videos and posting them online even if I thought nobody would be watching.  

Mndsgn: Growing up, I remember my parents renting a lot of Filipino movies from a nearby family-owned Filipino bakery. I wish I could remember some of the titles, but a lot of those films were really dark and dramatic, and some of them kind of freaked me out. In retrospect, I feel like watching those movies immediately brought me close to a deeper sense of the unknown. And ironically, the unknown is now something that I constantly search for in music.

Ashley Mehta: My biggest Filipino influences music-wise definitely include P-Lo, Jeremy Passion, and H.E.R. They all have an incredible energy that I take influence from! Aside from music, I would say Manny Pacquiao. Growing up we’d always watch Pacquiao fights and come together rooting for our culture. The representation really showed me how important it is to embrace who we are. 

Are there any Filipino artists that you’re excited about right now?

MBNel: Ez Mil, ParisPlayedYou, JoeMari, and Yatta Bandz, just to name a few.

Mndsgn: Nathan Bajar is a singer-songwriter based in Brooklyn that I’ve been a fan of for quite some time now. His songwriting is always so fresh and tasteful. There’s something in his music that really retains an honesty to his roots. The LA band Xinxin has also been resonating with me lately. The lead vocalist, Janize Ablaza, is Pinay, and the way she floats on each song is effortless. No skips on their records!

If there was one aspect of Filipino culture you could share with the entire world, what would it be?

Mndsgn: One of the most essential aspects in Filipino culture is the communion through food.  We love eating and we know everyone else does too. It’s such a centerpiece in our heritage and it’s probably our favorite way to gather and connect.

MBNel: Having respect for elders and taking family serious. I didn’t really realize or appreciate the value of that until I got older.

Ez Mil: I would say hospitality, and specifically, our ability to make people feel welcome or feel “at home” regardless of their background or nationality. I believe the world could benefit from fostering a culture of inclusivity and warmth. It promotes the idea of being interconnected and it celebrates diversity.

Lyn Lapid: If there’s one aspect of Filipino culture I’d share with the world, it’d be the incredible music that so many Filipino artists make. When I visited the Philippines earlier this year, I was blessed to meet the insanely talented dia maté and Elise Huang, a couple of local Filipino artists who make music on a whole other level.

No_4mat: If there was one aspect I’d share, it would be the hospitality via food and our open-arms mentality. We want everyone to eat and have a seat at the same table, which is the attitude I try to bring to my own life.

Don’t forget to grab your tickets for the Jasmine Presents showcase here. And to get hyped for the showcase, you can discover the diverse sounds of the Asian diaspora on Jasmine. 

track IDs: Presents Takes DJ Curation to the Next Level Through Exclusive Pop-Up Shows, Starting With Tale Of Us

March 30, 2023

Photo credit: Daniel Zuliani

Avid dance fans know what it’s like to leave a show and immediately begin searching for a way to relive the experience. That’s why in 2020, Spotify created track IDs, a new suite of playlists co-curated by DJs and Spotify’s editorial team that include the songs DJs play in their sets as well as gems they’ve discovered along the way. In addition to allowing DJs to connect with fans in an entirely new way, these playlists help listeners discover songs they’ve previously heard live and want to find on Spotify.

Last week, we took track IDs to the next level with a new pop-up show series, track IDs: Presents. This yearlong live extension of track IDs capitalizes on the wave of excitement the dance community is feeling as they return to live shows. Fans can look out for pop-up performances featuring select artists and their exclusive sets in unexpected live places—and then find the DJs’ sets reflected in their track IDs Spotify playlists. 

We debuted this series during Miami Music Week and Ultra Music Festival with an exclusive, 200-person show featuring Tale Of Us, an Italian DJ duo based in Berlin. The first-come-first-served performance excited fans, who dropped everything to experience the impromptu, stripped-down set. 

 

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To understand the ways Spotify engages dance and electronic artists and fans, we spoke to Ronny Ho—Head of Dance and Electronic Development—and Ashley Graver—Head of Dance, Pop, and Indie on the Artist Partnerships Team—fresh off the first track IDs: Presents moment. 

What are track IDs? How have they been used historically?

Ronny: The term track IDs has been used quite a bit for the past few years to refer to how fans and artists alike try to uncover a track that they really like in a DJ set but are unfamiliar with. So today, you’ll see fans across social media or on message boards point out a timestamp on a video of their favorite DJ and say, “What’s the track ID?” For Spotify, specifically, track IDs is a program that we started back in 2020 where we co-create playlists between us and DJs that we select.

Ashley: The playlists really provide DJs with a platform to easily share the tracks from their sets that they would play in live shows. It’s another way for artists to further connect with their fans after the show so fans can rewatch, relive, and listen to their sets on the Spotify platform.

What inspired track IDs on Spotify? What’s been the response?

Ronny: We built the track IDs program during the early days of the pandemic, when there was no live community, nothing that artists could do to share their sets out—except for streaming. So when we launched the track IDs program, it really was a new avenue for fans to connect with the artists who they would normally want to see out at a club or festival. The beauty of naming it “track IDs” was that it was already such a widely used term, so people really were able to gravitate toward it and understand exactly what it was for. Fast-forward to today, we’re working with our global editorial colleagues to continue to launch new track ID playlists that are relevant to their local markets and that really respect the underground culture there.

Fans have been super inspired. The second we started launching these—and we were quite selective about the artists we were working with—we started seeing fans making their own, photoshopping our branding onto homemade versions.