Association For Electronic Music CEO Finlay Johnson talks UK exports, club brands & regional scenes

An Interview with Music Week

02 Apr 2026

“The world we live in is increasingly borderless. The way that talent moves across the world touring, and even the way that music is made, is now more international with lots of different influences. We were formed 13 years ago to provide a collective voice for quite a decentralised sector. We’ve now got 300 member companies all over the world in 40 different countries, all with different needs and types of stakeholders. So we’ve spent the last couple of years really finessing what AFEM does.”

Formerly a music agent at WME, Finlay Johnson joined the Association For Electronic Music (AFEM) as COO in 2023 and was promoted to CEO last year. Here, in an extended online version of Music Week’s Spotlight Q&A feature, he discusses the trade body’s global role, the rise of dance music scenes and the sector’s exports success with club brands and stars including Fred Again…

Read the full interview.

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