Chapter 2 of 7 · Role guide
Producers
Get useful feedback. Find the right ears.
Nobody gets signed in a ten-minute slot. What ADE gives producers that nothing else does is the formal route to A&R ears: the Lab, label demo drops, Demolition and the Meet the… rooms, all in one week. This guide gets you there with one or two finished tracks, one question and a follow-up they answer.
At RE:UNION For Spanish-speaking producers, this is the afternoon when the labels, agencies and media from home are in one room; bring one private link, not a USB.
Who it is for
Feedback and contacts, not signings: two tracks heard by the right A&Rs, publishers and distributors, one specific note on what would make them releasable, and a name with permission to follow up. Any signing happens months later.
| Profile | What ADE is for, in this case |
|---|---|
| Bedroom producer | Unreleased music on a hard drive. Here to find out whether it is any good and how a label actually hears it. |
| Active producer | Releases on small or mid-size labels. Here for publishing, sync, distribution, the next label and, increasingly, collaborators. |
| DJ-producer | Both at once. Use this guide for the music; the DJ guide covers bookings, agents and promoters. |
| Stage | Realistic goal for the week | First move |
|---|---|---|
| Exploring | Leave knowing how a label hears a track and what to practise next. | Lab Discovery (free): Gear Test Lab, one open session, one peer to follow up with. |
| First releases & gigs | Honest feedback on two finished tracks from people who release your sound. | Private links on your phone; one A&R conversation; ask what would make it releasable. |
| Building momentum | Fill the gap: publishing, distribution, sync or the next label. | Book meetings with the people who hold that door; bring a release plan. |
| Established | Refresh the relationships that move your catalogue and the next record. | A shortlist of decisions; meeting time reserved before panels and nights. |
Numbers that shape your week
- Submissions a week
- ≈ 30,000
- Meet the Labels & A&Rs
- Wed 15:30
- Sync application
- Closed 11 Oct
- Lab Discovery
- Free
Before ADE
Bring
- Two finished tracks, offline
- Private links with download
- One-sheet: three releases, one paragraph
- QR card to one link
- Clean USB, nothing else on it
- The one question
Your week
Wed 21
- 10:00–18:00 daily ADE Lab Discovery Free · registration + wristband
- 12:30–13:15 Bandcamp | Essential Insider Knowledge Pro Pass
- 12:45–13:30 Music & Machines: artists across generations Pro Pass
- 15:30–17:00 Meet The Labels & A&Rs Pro Pass
- 15:30–17:00 BMIM | Meet the Sync Pros Pro Pass + separate application
- Within Discovery hours Gear Test Lab Free · Discovery wristband
Thu 22
- 10:00–18:00 daily ADE Lab Discovery Free · registration + wristband
- 12:15–13:00 Spotify | Essential Insider Knowledge Pro Pass
- 13:15–14:45 Meet The DSP’s & Distributors Pro Pass
- 14:00–19:00 Afro House Summit Guest list · registration required
- 14:30 → early evening RE:UNION · ADE 2026 Free · QR pass
- 15:00–17:00 Meet Arturia at MIDI Amsterdam Check event page
- Within Discovery hours Gear Test Lab Free · Discovery wristband
Fri 23
- 10:00–18:00 daily ADE Lab Discovery Free · registration + wristband
- 13:45–14:45 Artists on AI, A No-BS Roundtable Pro Pass
- 14:30–16:00 Meet the Publishers Pro Pass
- Within Discovery hours Gear Test Lab Free · Discovery wristband
Sat 24
- 16:15–17:45 Demolition XXIX Pro Pass
Sun 25
- Morning
- Afternoon
- Evening and night
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Wed 21
- Morning
- Afternoon
- Evening and night
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Thu 22
- Morning
- Afternoon
- Evening and night
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Fri 23
- Morning
- Afternoon
- Evening and night
-
Sat 24
- Morning
- Afternoon
- Evening and night
-
Sun 25
- Morning
- Afternoon
- Evening and night
Sessions for you
-
- Day
- Time
- Venue
- Why go
- Access
-
Bandcamp | Essential Insider Knowledge
- Day
- Time
- Venue
- Why go
- Access
-
Music & Machines: artists across generations
- Day
- Time
- Venue
- Why go
- Access
-
- Day
- Time
- Venue
- Why go
- Access
-
- Day
- Time
- Venue
- Why go
- Access
-
- Day
- Time
- Venue
- Why go
- Access
-
Spotify | Essential Insider Knowledge
- Day
- Time
- Venue
- Why go
- Access
-
- Day
- Time
- Venue
- Why go
- Access
-
- Day
- Time
- Venue
- Why go
- Access
-
Meet Arturia at MIDI Amsterdam
- Day
- Time
- Venue
- Why go
- Access
-
Artists on AI, A No-BS Roundtable
- Day
- Time
- Venue
- Why go
- Access
-
- Day
- Time
- Venue
- Why go
- Access
-
- Day
- Time
- Venue
- Why go
- Access
In the room
| Moment | Do this | Say or ask |
|---|---|---|
| Meet the Labels & A&Rs, Rosewood, Wed 15:30 | Short introductions, then one-to-one. Pick the A&R who releases your sound, not the biggest name. | What is the strongest part of this track, and what should I change before releasing it? |
| A ten-minute demo slot or demo drop | Play from the bar a DJ would hear first; listen more than you talk; leave with a name and permission. | Who should I be sending this to? |
| Meet the DSPs & Distributors, Thu 13:15 | Bring the release outline and one number. Ask how pitching actually works at their platform. | Who sends you the priority list, and what gets a track onto it? |
| Meet the Publishers, Fri 14:30 | Know which works you control and who co-wrote them. One question about admin, sync or splits. | What would you need from me to pitch this catalogue? |
| Andaz lobby, late afternoon | Ask what they are working on; the demo on your phone, offered once, never pushed. | Can I send you the one track you asked about next week? |
| Backstage at 03:00 | Do not AirDrop anything to anyone. Enjoy the night; send the message on Monday. | Nothing. Dance. |
Mistakes we keep seeing
| Mistake we keep seeing | Instead |
|---|---|
| Expecting a signing in a ten-minute slot. | Ask what would make the track releasable; the signing, if any, comes months later. |
| AirDropping unreleased tracks to strangers, or handing over a full folder on USB. | One or two finished tracks, one private link, a card. |
| Pitching the famous label instead of the one that releases your sound. | Build the target list from the demo-drop hosts and the Meet the… line-ups. |
| Assuming Lab and Pro are next door to each other. | Westergas is 15–25 minutes from the canal ring; plan Lab days and Pro days. |
| Skipping the rights and distribution sessions because they sound boring. | They are the part of the week with the highest financial return. |
| Sending a different track the next morning. | Send only what they agreed to receive; wait a week before anything else. |
| Coming without the question. | Write it down: strongest part, what to improve, who else should hear it. |
What veterans say
-
“Don't make stuff for anybody else. Make it for yourself… try not to make something you think the marketplace wants.”
Darude source -
“It's the distributors that send us their list of priorities every week… and we do listen to everything on that priority list.”
Helen Sartory source -
“Sending more than one or two demos at once is often a sure-fire way to get your demos overlooked.”
Toolroom Academy source -
“There are no rules in making music, which means there's endless learning from everyone else.”
LUXE source -
“…seeing it resonate with others, especially in the contest, feels really rewarding.”
stay vaag (Julia Kuipers) source -
“Find real people, find your freedom, and don't sell yourself out.”
Narciss source
Budget
Indicative five-night totals using published 2025–26 ranges and the Pro Pass price on the official tickets page on 14 October.
| Line | Lab path (no Pro Pass) · €650–1,450 | Pro path (Pro Pass) · €2,150–3,300 |
|---|---|---|
| Pass | €0 Lab Discovery (free); €149 On Track if you were accepted | €795 + 3.77% fee (late rate, almost sold out) |
| Flights / train | €100–250 | €150–350 |
| Bed, 5 nights | €300–600 hostel, shared flat or Westerpark | €800–1,500 canal ring or De Pijp |
| Food and coffee meetings | €150–250 | €250–400 |
| Transport | €30–60 (GVB, ferries) | GVB included with the pass |
| Event tickets | 1–2 nights, €50–150 | 2–3 nights, €120–220 |
After ADE
- Same night
- Within 48 h
- 1–4 weeks
- January
Hi [name], Thanks for the ten minutes on Wednesday — your note on [the breakdown / the low end] was the useful one. Here is the one track you asked for, as agreed: [private link, download enabled]. If it fits [label / series], I would love to know what would make it releasable for you. No rush before November. [Your name] · [one profile link]
New in 2026 for you
- Pro Pass at the late rate: €795 + 3.77% fee, almost sold out. No day or conference-only passes; the Pro Pass does not include ADE Lab. source
- Lab Discovery is free, Wed–Fri 10:00–18:00 at Westergas: register online, wristband at the desk. Gear Test Lab at Het Ketelhuis with Arturia, AlphaTheta, KORG, Roland, Yamaha. source
- BMIM Meet the Sync Pros (Wed 15:30, Felix Meritis Koepelzaal) is matched by application; the deadline passed on 11 October. Twenty sync pros, including Netflix's Tina Chen and Position Music. source
- Demolition XXIX: Sat 24 16:15–17:45, Felix Meritis Zuilenzaal, hosted by Dave Clarke with Joseph Capriati, BT, Pooja B, Louisahhh and Aroha Harawira. Submission details: "more information will come soon". source
- In 2025 Demolition entries went through VIRPP, with a USB wildcard from the floor; the winner got a 2026 Pro Pass. Daily demo pitches ran Wed–Fri, sign-up on the day. source
- ADE Lab On Track's programme (12 October) is for accepted participants only: demo drops, a live A&R listening room with Phoebe Spencer, and a SoundCloud remix competition with San Holo. source