Asian Music Industry Festival 2025: The Return of the Voice of the Future in Asia

The second Asian Music Industry Festival (AMIF) announced its return to Boston on November 15 and 16, 2025. This will feature an expanded stage, professional roundtables, cross-genre performances, showcases, and cultural exchanges.

In 2025, the Asian Music Industry Festival will ignite Boston with a renewed vision: “I AM IFs.” “AM” symbolizes the echo of a collective identity. “IFs” embodies the sound of infinity – melodies yet unheard, coming from a future in the making.

This year’s program unfolds across several dimensions:

• High-level professional forums on the concert market, the future of film music, and global label strategies
• Next-generation creative platforms with A&R listening sessions, breakthrough guides for DSPs, K-pop fan economies, and international content strategies
• A global music career fair connecting talent with leading industry companies
• The AM/IF Dual Awards ceremony
• Headlining concerts paired with an international networking gala

Among the new distinctions introduced this year, the “AM” category honors careers already recognized by the music industry, while the “IF” category highlights emerging and independent profiles, acknowledged for their innovative potential and growing impact. The selection process is based on professional criteria and real contribution to the industry.

Together, participants will represent the driving forces of the entire music value chain. Alongside them, technology experts, renowned artists, and policymakers will gather to reflect on the future of Asia’s voice within the global music ecosystem.

An avant-garde experience

Among this year’s program additions is a series of experimental experiences. One will present an interdisciplinary project combining emerging technologies with traditional Chinese music and dance, reflecting on the dialogue between innovation and intangible cultural heritage.

Audiences will also be invited to take part in interactive and immersive on-site experiences, exploring new forms of artistic expression at the crossroads of music, technology, and art. These modules will enrich the festival’s forums, concerts, and career fair, together forming a panoramic industrial network under the banner of “Culture Without Borders.”

Thematic axes: music, collaboration, technology, and beyond

AMIF stands out not only as an artistic stage but also as a space for interdisciplinary reflection. During the event, three special sessions and five thematic panels will explore the future perspectives of the music industry.

Among the highlights is “The Sound of Film,” featuring composer Claudio Ragazzi (Grammy and Emmy Award winner), film composer Tim Huling, producer Zhang Yuming, associate director of The Wandering Earth Ke Ke, and director Su Lei. Together, they will analyze creative trends in film music and new models of industrial collaboration, from composition to production.

“The Journey of Music – Office Hour,” led by Professor Christopher Wares – a marketing expert for numerous Grammy-winning artists – will offer young entrepreneurs insights into artificial intelligence, artistic development, international distribution strategies, and balancing creative vision with commercial viability.

The “Highlight Forum: Music Venture” will explore the impact of emerging technologies – Metaverse, NFT, and Web3 – on music rights, artist business models, and evolving audience experiences. Speakers include George Howard (co-founder of Dequency and TuneCore), Gracy Chen (Managing Director of Bitget), and Gao Yang (co-founder of MIXX Lifestyle Group), sharing cutting-edge expertise in innovation.

In addition, five music panels will cover topics such as digital art, pop music, music education, traditional Asian music, and transdisciplinary approaches. Discussions will address the impact of virtual reality on artistic creation, pathways for Asian artists to integrate into Western markets, the reintegration of classical and traditional music into education systems, and experimental e-folk performances bridging reimagined folk traditions and avant-garde electronic music.