In a world where brands fight for fleeting attention, club culture continues to offer something that’s rare and enduring: meaningful connection, community, and cultural momentum.
This year’s IMS Ibiza summit wasn’t just a gathering of the global electronic music elite - it was a window into the systems, tensions and opportunities shaping how culture is made, shared, and sustained in 2025. And if you’re building brands in fashion, sport, music or media, you’d be wise to take notes from the dancefloor.
Here are five critical lessons for strategists, brand builders and cultural thinkers right now - powered by data, and informed by the subcultures still setting the global tone.
1. The Global South isn’t the ‘next frontier’ - it’s the current epicentre
According to the 2025 IMS Business Report, 80% of new music streaming subscribers in 2024 came from the Global South. That’s not a forecast - that’s a shift. From amapiano in Lagos to techno collectives in Mumbai, the cultural centre of gravity is moving.
Brands that continue to prioritise legacy markets while overlooking local scenes in Nairobi, Bogotá or Karachi are missing both influence and opportunity. These aren’t “emerging audiences” - they’re defining the pulse of global youth culture in real time.
✴️ Strategic takeaway: Your next breakthrough moment might come from a place you’ve never pitch-decked.
2. Human creativity is still the algorithm’s beating heart
AI is changing the way music is made and marketed - but not always for the better. Rights organisations like GEMA are already in legal battles over AI models scraping millions of tracks without compensation, and lawyers at IMS warned of AI being used as a "revenue substitution" that sidelines artists entirely.
Here’s the kicker: AI only evolves by learning from human creativity. If we hollow out that creative well, what’s left is a loop of mimicry. Artistic labour must be protected - not just morally, but to keep the machine running.
✴️ Strategic takeaway: Value creators before code. Audiences feel the difference.
3. Subculture still drives style, sound - and spend
Genres like Jungle and Drum ’n’ Bass have outlived many of their mainstream critics. Why? Because they’re rooted in community, adaptability and legacy. These scenes aren’t chasing relevance—they’re renewing it through intergenerational exchange.
At IMS, SHERELLE and DJ Flight spoke about how older and younger artists trade influence, not just spotlight. It’s a reminder that longevity in culture comes from stewardship, not speed.
✴️ Strategic takeaway: Want to build lasting relevance? Nurture a cultural continuum - not just a moment.
4. Curation isn’t dead - but it is under threat
There’s a quiet crisis brewing: algorithmic dominance is eroding trust in taste. TikTok virality might land a track in the charts, but as Hospital Records’ Chris Goss put it, “some young artists are getting signed off the back of 30-second clips who’ve never finished a full record.”
The collapse of music press, editorial platforms and local tastemakers has left a void - one the algorithm is only too happy to fill. But audiences still crave voices they trust, not just trends they’re fed.
✴️ Strategic takeaway: Curation is now a competitive edge. Champion distinct taste over mass optimisation.
5. The future of nightlife starts with who’s allowed in
While club culture was born in queer, Black and trans communities, not all dancefloors are the safe spaces they claim to be. Trans artists face real threats globally - some have been detained simply for performing. And back home, marginalised voices are still being pushed to the periphery.
At IMS, the message was clear: diversity is not an aesthetic - it’s a structural necessity. Brands, agencies, and platforms must do more than posture. They need to create real access, redistribute opportunity, and protect the cultural innovators they profit from.
✴️ Strategic takeaway: Inclusion isn’t a campaign - it’s the baseline for cultural credibility in 2025.
Final thought: The dancefloor is still a signal
Culture doesn’t just trickle down from Silicon Valley or Soho House. It loops, samples, remixes and travels fast through unexpected channels. Club culture continues to be a testing ground for global influence, emotional resonance, and creative agility.
If you want your brand to feel alive, relevant and future-facing? Look where the basslines are. There’s a strategy in every sound system.
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This is On The Record: analysis for brands that move at the speed of culture.
🌀 To read more about the stories behind these insights, explore the full IMS Ibiza 2025 summary here.