Winter Music Conference 2026 felt like one of those years where the industry side of dance music came into sharper focus, and the A&R Pop-Up Lounge was a big part of that. The room gave artists and label teams a direct line to each other, though what made it useful was the way it stripped the process down to the essentials. Instead of vague networking talk or overly polished self-presentation, the setup pushed people toward real conversations about readiness, identity, momentum, and what a label is actually looking for when there’s real infrastructure behind the logo.
That made Create Music Group’s presence, through their A&R Director Thomas Garcia (pictured above), in the lounge feel especially relevant. Create operates across a broad ecosystem, and that scale changes the way an A&R conversation works.
Looking back on the week, that was one of the clearer lessons to come out of the lounge as a whole. The format brought a lot of ambition into one room, though it also exposed the gap between having music and having a career framework. Create’s feedback reflected that broader reality, and the most useful part of it had less to do with surface-level polish and more to do with the systems around the artist. It pointed toward a practical idea that came up across Winter Music Conference in a lot of different forms, which is that access helps, though readiness is still what determines what happens after the introduction.
When an artist approaches Create, what signals to you that they are ready for a deeper partnership rather than just getting their music onto DSPs?
Aside from quality music (which is usually a must!), I am always looking for traction within the scene the artist is targeting, artistic credibility, and either a maneger or attorney already involved in the project. While these are not always necessary, these are typically a good sign that the artist has guidance for their career and would make working with them a smoother process.
It’s not a hard and fast rule of course, but when these are all in place, CMG can do a much better job.
Across a network that includes labels like mau5trap and Cr2, what helps an artist make an impression within such a broad ecosystem?
If it is a dance artist, then the artist must already be established within their scene, or at least well on their way. This could take the form of DJ support from peers, a budding fanbase, or credible releases on other record labels already. We also want a unique brand identity. Essentially, the artist must have already done the creative work of working out who they are, have the music down, and have the beginnings of a fan base with folks who identify with them.
When you meet a producer in person, what signals tell you they can handle the pace and momentum that the Create Music Group has been building over the last few years?
Having a (competent) manager is key!
If there is traction from a big song, or viral moment, the artist can leverage that to build the next phase of their career. CMG can of course assist with scaling the song up and growing streams but if the artist and their team don’t follow through, it could be a lost opportunity.
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