ILMC launches tech platform PULSE

In collaboration with senior booking agent Mike Malak (Paradigm) and digital entertainment expert Yvan Boudillet (TheLynk), the International Live Music Conference (ILMC) has launched a new industry platform to sit at the intersection of technology and live events.

The first PULSE event will take place within this year’s ILMC on 3 March, comprising a full day of discussion and debate with leading figures from both industries. Companies already confirmed to be taking part include Driift, Moment House, MelodyVR, Maestro, Sansar, Live Nation, The Darkroom, LiveFrom Events and Locomotion.

Beyond its first edition, the PULSE team explain that they expect to host conversations at other events, virtual summits and develop an independent media presence. “Live music and technology are increasingly converging as a partnership, and PULSE will focus on that relationship,” says Malak. “Nothing will ever replace live shows, but the tech space is abundant with both opportunities and pitfalls, and PULSE gives us that platform to discuss as an industry; to remain open minded and informed about the future.”

Topics already slated for the PULSE day at ILMC include The New Fan Experience, considering fan engagement in the plethora of new virtual performance spaces online, with Danny Rukasin and Brandon Goodman (Best Friends Music), Sheri Bryant (Sansar), Ric Salmon (Driift) and Tommas Arnby (Locomotion).

“What’s exciting about PULSE is that it’s a fluid, transportable format”

Pitch sessions, a spiritual successor to ILMC’s popular New Technology panel, see the best new tech and innovation queued up to present with host and longtime tech evangelist Steve Machin (LiveFrom), while The Business of Live Tech looks at emerging business models and new deals around tech and music, with Cheryl Paglierani (United Talent Agency), Justin Lubliner (The Darkroom), Lesley Olenik (Live Nation) and Steven Hancock (MelodyVR).

Sweet Streams: Best in Class invites the leaders in the livestreaming space to share best practice and insight, with Sara Bollwinkel (Paradigm) and Natasha Bent (Mother Agency), and The Livestreamers’ Guide to Live Music collects a line-up of gamers, streamers and platform heads, including Trivium guitarist and vocalist Matt Heafy, to tell the live sector what’s in store.

“What’s exciting about PULSE is that – just like the fast-evolving technology that it’s obsessed with – it’s a fluid, transportable format,” says Boudillet. “As ILMC is the live music industry’s most prestigious annual event, it made sense to launch PULSE there in March, but we’re excited to see where it goes next.”

Early session details for the first edition of PULSE are available here.

Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.