Mixmag’s Industry Insider feature series has returned to talk to some of the most influential people behind the scenes of the dance music industry. This month, we caught up with Robb McDaniels, CEO of Beatport since 2017, one of the planet’s most respected download shops and DJ platform. Alongside promoting all the best new music, Beatport today hosts events, awards and donates money to causes to help Diversity and Parity in the industry.
Since taking over as CEO in 2017, what’s been your core mission for Beatport – and how has that evolved over time?
Beatport has survived – and generally thrived – against the biggest companies in the world (Apple, Google, Amazon, Spotify, etc.), because we have always served a different customer: The DJ. Since I joined the team, providing better tools and services for DJs has been our singular focus. It started with investing in our core download product and infrastructure improvements, and then evolved into adding complimentary products like integrated streaming, distribution, promotion, live events, brand partnerships, and more.
What’s the long-term vision for the brand?
The reality is that the laid-back, playlist music experience has been around for almost two decades, and it is going to evolve into something different as consumers look for new ways to engage with music. We believe that we are on the cusp of a more interactive and immersive music experience, and DJing is one of the mediums that will take off as fans look to “play” with music. Our goal is to unlock everyone’s inner DJ and super-serve the global DJ community through a suite of business tools and products that help a DJ and their teams produce, release, promote, and manage their music catalogues.
We have a huge amount of respect for the Diversity and Parity Fund as it enters its fourth year (the fund allocates £10,000 – £15,000 annually to around 8 to 10 organisations plus ongoing strategic support, recognising that guidance, amplification, and visibility are as essential as funding). Beatport have really put their money where their mouth is on making a difference in our industry. Can you talk us through how it came about and what it’s done since?
When I joined, there was a lot that needed fixing and one of those things was the fact that over 90% of our customers were male, and there was a lack of diversity in the music that was being delivered and promoted. There were a number of root causes of this, but it didn’t take a rocket scientist to know that the better business decision was to embrace and activate our global audience by making Beatport look and feel like their home for DJ culture. I also knew we couldn’t do it alone, and there are so many passionate organisations around the world that could help us widen the funnel and get more DJs and producers into the ecosystem. You have to build this from the ground up over several years to effectuate change, and our team, led by Sofia Ilyas as Chief Community Officer, is doing an amazing job bringing these voices together.
Beatport has vast data on what people are playing and buying. What insights would surprise the average person if they knew what you do?
Beatport’s ability to predict the next big DJs and hits is unparalleled in the industry, but perhaps the coolest stat is that more than eight billion sets of ears hear music downloaded from Beatport every year because of all the DJ performances. That’s a lot of promotion and playlist additions on other music services, which means the true value of a download on Beatport is much higher than the royalty we pay through to copyright owners.
Subscriptions could become more important to you than downloads when CDJ’s wifi connections become more reliable, and DJs in a few years time don’t use USBs. Is this the way the Beatport is positioning itself?
We are positioning ourselves to be able to superserve DJs of any type, performing in any medium, anywhere in the world. We want to be their most trusted and critical partner to them for their entire DJ life. It’s that simple.
What’s Beatport’s plans for live events?
Beatport has expanded into the live event space to support artists and labels while complementing our community-focused programming, which is designed around education and connection. We launched Beatport Live in March 2025 with pop-up events during the Winter Music Conference, featuring artists like Patrick Topping, Maz, Shimza, Nick León, and Lovra. This was followed by three sold-out car park shows in Manchester, Liverpool, and Leeds. We have a strong pipeline of events planned in Argentina, Portugal, Lebanon, the US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, UAE, Mexico, and Brazil, including IMS Dubai in November and our Pride celebration at our LA HQ in June.
How do you personally stay connected to the culture and the community while running such a vast reaching, global company?
A meaningful portion of my identity was formed on the dancefloors as a youngster and playing with friends behind the decks, so in some ways I will always be connected and feel welcomed in the community. In other ways, it is hard to keep my finger on the pulse of everything going on, especially with four kids! Luckily, I have an incredible team that is way more knowledgeable than I am on these topics, and so I lean on them to be the experts in the room. That’s one of the secrets of this role I was taught early on: I am not the one with all the answers, I just need to hire the people that do have them and know when to listen.
Beatport is a big, complex, beast of a company with so many moving parts – how do you personally stay focused, grounded and mentally sharp to deal with the role?
I play with my kids and go for a hike with my wife.
Let’s be controversial. Are there any technologies or trends you think are overhyped in the electronic music industry right now?
I think we have to be very careful not to price our fans out of enjoying the live experience. If we lose any of those emotional connections created during those epic moments with friends, it will be an irreversible loss. You can’t get them back.
TikTok has changed how people are discovering music. Has it changed how people use Beatport?
I bloody well hope not.
What pivotal moments in your career defined your path in the music industry?
It’s all about people, and meeting the right people at the right time and taking the leap of faith on each other. There’s Al Teller, former CEO of Columbia and CBS Records, Chairman of MCA, who became my mentor and great friend. David Kent, the former Director of Technology at the original Napster, who became CTO of Ingrooves Music Group for 12 years. Andrew Axelrod, the current owner of Beatport and Axar Capital Management who brought me in as CEO in 2017, and many many more incredible colleagues that have inspired me day in and day out.
Artists aside, who were some of your inspirations from an industry figures perspective when you first got involved in the electronic music world?
Excluding artists? How can you do that and think about inspiration?! That’s the unique thing about the electronic music genre, so many of the artists run their own labels and businesses. They are great entrepreneurs, and so it’s their spirit that I have channelled over the last 23 years building music technology companies. You have to remember that Ingrooves, which I started in 2002, focused entirely on dance and electronic music for the first 4 to 5 years of our existence. This was primarily driven by the fact that there were so many independent labels that needed help with digital distribution, and they weren’t beholden to the major label system. This allowed a startup indie company like Ingrooves to gain traction and build a loyal customer base before the majors knew what was happening.
What traits do you think make a great business person within the dance music industry?
Collaborative independence, innovative boldness, and an unshakeable, tenacious spirit.
What advice would you give to young people hoping to work in the electronic music scene at a tech company like yours?
Never stop being curious, and never stop hustling. Remember, you can’t do it on your own, so find great people to partner with and learn as much as possible from them. Be thoughtful with your actions – make the right decisions, not based on your ego or emotions, but after considering all the variables in an objective manner. Then when you are ready to act, go all in and don’t be afraid to fail. Recognise that when you do fail, pivot as best you can into something that makes an impact.
What’s your own relationship with dance music – do you DJ? Collect records? Still hit the dancefloor?
I learned to DJ when I was 14 from friends living in London (where I was born, but moved away when I was six). Back then it was all vinyl, and I still own some of it, but stopped collecting a while back. Now I have everything at my fingertips with Beatport Streaming! I still play around with some for fun, but my fans are only those that live in my house.
What’s the biggest misconception people have about Beatport or your role as CEO?
That I go to a lot of gigs. Hard to do with all these employees, early calls and meetings, and four kids about the place!
Download the Beatport app here
- Source: NEWHD MEDIA
