what the split means...

the number of people coming to Miami during WMC week has always been much bigger than the attendancy of the conference.
They come for all the events aside WMC :
Ultra Music Festival,
Hotel pool parties,
hotel roof parties,
Clubs,
Private parties,
free or fee all these events were guaranteed to have  amazing crowds and DJs.

But Ultra develop more and more exclusivity contract with DJ, making organizing side event more complicated, as the DJ had to have a different show than what they offered at UMF.
It is probably for that reason that WMC decided to move earlier in the months.
Despite those exclusivity deals, DJs managed to have their events one way or another, by playing with some else or playing alone if they usually play together...so this reason might not be very valid.

Anyway, what will happen is that some DJs already planned their tour around their set at Ultra and scheduled their private event the same week, while other will be willing to change their date.
Until now, nobody has yet clarified what they will do.

My guess is that  their will be enough party for you to have fun no matter when you go.

If you love outdoor festival, giant crowds, costumes, glow sticks and teens... Go to Ultra.
You will never have access to so many dj for such a price.
All DJs seem to love playing it. They have a special connection with the crowd and play different set than to their own events.
Djs on Ultra set list will probably play somewhere else too this week, either a club or a pool. So if you love the feeling of miami clubs, I think this will be the week too.

If you are a professional and want to built your network, discover new talents then you should go during WMC.
If you like to party in a slightly smaller gathering, by the side of a pool, you should go during WMC week too.
I would assume that most free pool parties will happen during WMC week because they usually compete with Ultra as they are at the same time.
The most famous one being the beatport pool party, my bet would be that wether beatport  follow WMC  move or not would be an indicator of the success of WMC move.

and Finally UMF version!

Here is the reply of Ultra organiser as you could find it on their blogs.  UMF statement

Clearly a shift happened!

"Posted on: November 18, 2010

To all music fans, artists, agents, managers, promoters, labels, sponsors and Ultra supporters who share our belief that it is all about the music:

Ultra Music Festival would like to address certain points in light of recent announcements made.

While the circumstances that have taken place this year have rendered it impossible for Ultra Music Festival and WMC to coincide on the same dates in 2011, we will use our best efforts to try and work with WMC and coordinate dates together in 2012.

First and foremost, Ultra Music Festival has always been an avid supporter of WMC and is grateful for the many years of working together with them. Throughout those years of our partnership Ultra has always admitted WMC delegates into the festival for free, speaking volumes to Ultra’s commitment and support of the music scene. It is with great disappointment that we could not host Ultra during the same week as WMC in 2011.

Due to WMC’s claim to us that they could not secure a convention host hotel on the last week of March to meet their facility requirements as a conference, they chose to go on the second week.

Unfortunately WMC did not take into consideration that during the second week of March the city of Miami hosts the annual Calle Ocho street fair, which attracts more than one million people into Downtown Miami for this free event. As much as we felt it was a bad idea to move the dates to the second week of the month with such short notice to the public, as it would cause serious logistical and financial issues to fans that have already confirmed and purchased travel to Miami for the last week, Ultra used absolute best efforts to maintain the relationship with WMC and join them in the move to the second week. However, this was rendered impossible by the City of Miami police department as they do not have the resources to host Ultra Music Festival and Calle Ocho in Miami on the same weekend due to the fact that all police resources will be outsourced to the one million person annual event.

WMC was notified of this by UMF in writing months in advance of this week’s announcement.

Second, being the last weekend in March in recent history has caused artists and everyone in the industry to rely on these dates to make their touring plans; same goes with music lovers who plan as much in advance to control the costs associated with their trip.  We never felt comfortable letting those people down. We always felt a move like this would have to be done well over a year in advance to allow time for proper planning. Large-scale events and festivals traditionally do not move their dates around year to year.  

Third, after UMF was notified of the possibility of WMC’s intentions of moving to the second week, we aligned ourselves with every contact and resource we had on Miami Beach to try and secure a host hotel for them on the last weekend as the second weekend was not possible for UMF as stated above.  For various reasons, the options we presented were somehow not good enough for them to remain on the last weekend together with us.

Ultra Music Festival is one of the best consumer value propositions in the festival business.  The price paid for each day at Ultra is equal to or in many cases less than what is paid to attend a single nightclub for one night. Three full days of Ultra includes 32 hours of more than 300 artists, DJs and bands programmed on 30 stages collectively. Ultra, like most major music festivals around the country, features exclusive performances by many artists, increasing the value of the festival experience.

Our fans agree as the on-sale launch this week shattered past ticketing performances with an increase of over 5,000 percent! We are on pace to sell out Ultra in advance this year.

UMF guarantees all of our loyal long time supporters and new fans alike that we have been humbly working harder than ever throughout the last eight months on producing this festival and the confirmed line-up is extremely impressive. Hands down the best Ultra has ever presented. Once again UMF will set the standard for EDM festival programming and production worldwide.

Phase 1 Line Up Announcement Is Imminent!!
Stay connected for very exciting artist announcements!!!"

WMC side of the story...

After the open letter of Space owner,  WMC made a statement that Ultra changed their date last minute and decided to plan at another time.

WMC has been at the end of March for the last couple of years, and I am pretty sure, WMC knew that ultra  was booking artists for the same period.

I believe even if UMF made the move of breaking up this marriage, WMC push them out of the bed because UMF was overpowering them.

Here is the Press release of WMC, I  can t wait for an Ultra version of the story to find out if I am right!

"WMC - Just The Facts

Winter Music Conference
March 8 - 12, 2011
Miami Beach, FL

***For Immediate Release*** November 17, 2010 At 12:57am today, Winter Music Conference’s founding Director’s received an email from Ultra Music Festival notifying them that the 2011 Ultra Music Festival would not be presented during and in conjunction with the 2011 Winter Music Conference. The notification was served despite a signed October 15, 2009 contract between the two entities which stated that the 2011 Ultra Music Festival would be presented during the five-day period in February, March or April 2011 designated and promoted by WMC as the ‘WMC week’. WMC organizers say “We were blindsided by Ultra’s last minute announcement this morning.” “The date selection is based exclusively on venue availability. We present one of the most extensive programs of the year during peak season in Miami Beach. We are constantly developing our program in order to provide the best possible venues and hotels at the best possible terms for the artists, delegates and program participants.” Traditionally the WMC dates have ranged from mid February to the end of March. “WMC remains committed to the artists, delegates and fans that have made the program what it has become over the last 25 years. The festivals, Ultra and many others, are amazing experiences for the fans and artists alike. By contrast the quintessential WMC experience is really about the camaraderie between pioneering artists and industry legends - walking into a club or pool party and seeing your favorite artists up on stage performing amongst their own peers. It is the unrehearsed chemistry that goes along with the amazing aggregation of artists, industry and fans converged on Miami Beach that make these once in a lifetime collaborations happen everywhere you turn - from the panel discussions and meetings to the incredible sounds coming from every nook and cranny across Miami Beach for five days straight. Our passion has always been about the love of music. We don’t see that changing anytime soon.”

So that s what s going on with the date!

Yesterday everyone was surprised about the date of WMC as all the booking had started for the usual last week of March.

Here is a letter from the owner of Space giving a beginning of explanation about why WMC has moved earlier in the month of March.

Basically Ultra and WMC are getting a divorce.

Like Eva Longoria and Tony Parker.

People just can t make concession anymore, what world do we live in ...!

"Hello Electronic Music lovers,

With WMC comes WMC Drama, the two just seem to go hand in hand. This year the big D is all about the two different Dates (WMC and Ultra) which are confusing the fcuk out of everyone and raising all sorts of questions… What is up with the 2 dates? What is really happening? What is the inside scoop? What is Club Space doing? When should we come to Miami? My father always had one answer for every question, when in doubt always chase the money and sure enough this is no exception so pay close attention because I am only explaining this once…

This year and once again, Ultra is trying to monopolize WMC by engaging exclusive contracts with all major DJs which will not allow them to perform at your favorite dance clubs. Last year they got Tiesto, Dead Mau, Guetta, Carl Cox, Armin…) to sign Ultra exclusives and this year they are going after everyone else. What this means to the consumer is that you will no longer be able to enjoy your favorite DJ for extended sets after midnight at your favorite clubs, instead you will be forced to listen to them for a one hour set before midnight in a crowded field of dust, mud and ravers. You can also forget about seeing them at your favorite pool parties. You either pay the overpriced Ultra admission or you don’t get to see and dance to your favorite DJ at all, so much for democracy and your rights as a consumer. Now, I love Ultra and what they bring to the game but I do not agree with their greedy strategy to manipulate and monopolize Music Conference. This is just not good for anyone.

WMC used to be about free parties with DJs and industry folks sharing and enjoying new music. Now, it is about greed and money with Ultra and all the clubs fighting over talent, hotels charging 4 times what they are used to and agents and DJs banking on the demand. As the owner of Space, I like all the demand and the high prices as it allows us to raise our prices and make more money and Space will be packed regardless of what DJ is performing and what decision you make. In fact, the better Ultra does, the better we do as we are right across the street and at midnight everyone comes our way. However, as a 35 year supporter of Electronic Music I cannot consciously stand back and see this shit take place. This is not what EM is about and it surely is not what I want to see WMC turn into. In fact, for the past 5 years I have made it a point to stop the door cover at a certain price knowing that we could easily charge double the cover. Our presales discount tickets even start at half of the door cover charged on the day of the event. This Industry has been very good to me and I for this I am eternally grateful. Thanks and thanks again.

Now what does this mean to you? Well, unfortunately the consumer is the one that ends up paying for everything. As long as there is just one music festival and one weekend as long as you keep supporting and feeding the greed you will keep suffering the high prices. This year you have a chance to make a difference and bring back what Music Conference and Electronic Music used to be about. You can either come to Miami on the last week of March, support the greedy monopoly, keep taking it up the ass and lose your right to seeing your favorite DJ at your favorite club or you can come the second week of March, claim back your wallet and your nightlife. It is really all up to you… your life, your music, your choice. The good folks at WMC have taken a brave step towards bringing saneness and normality to this over populated and overpriced chaos by choosing a separate week from Ultra for you to hold their parties and events. Now, if we could just get someone to start another music festival during WMC week things would really stabilize. Gordon Gekko once said, “greed is good” but I truly believe competition is even better. Humm… if I were you I would not book your tickets just yet.

Finally, a good friend pointed out something which we are all overlooking and that is that “without WMC there would not be an Ultra Music Festival.”

See you the second week in March,

Louis Puig
Owner and Resident DJ of Club Space"

Ok. We get it. 

But that does not tell when it s gonna be more awesome! 

That s why during the coming weeks, we will try to see who is playing when and base our decision on the party..because it s all what this is about in the end!