Unsin Brings Miami's Music Community Together to Inspire, Educate, and Connect

"Unsin Music Conference & Festival represents the new Miami — a multicultural melting pot where diversity converges, offering a space to network, collaborate, learn, discover music, and connect in an authentic way," says Julian Duque, founder of Unsin Music Conference & Festival and Miami-based music distributor and label Immigration Records.

Unsin returns Friday, April 26, and Saturday, April 27, with an expanded festival and a new location at Future of Cities Climate & Innovation Hub in Little Haiti. Attendees can anticipate an experience filled with networking, education, performances, panels, and more. Regardless of your role in the music industry — whether you're an artist, manager, or fan — there's a place for everyone to connect.

This year, the festival has three pillars: education, culture, and sustainability. The educational pillar consists of music panels with industry professionals for people who want to get involved in the music industry. Unsin aims to create a cultural hub for musicians, creatives, entrepreneurs, and all types of people in the entertainment industry. Future of Cities, the venue where Unsin will take place, is powered by solar energy, and the festival is committed to going zero plastic this year.

The panels and workshops will include "Focus on Creating Fans – Not Streams: Rethinking Artist-Fan Engagement in the Digital Age," featuring Spozz founders Gabriella Rojas and Christian Müller. The pair will share their insights and experiences in the industry.
"Latin Grammy: De la A a la Z" will be led by Isabel C. Paz, member services director at the Latin Recording Academy. Mr. Pauer, a DJ and producer blending Latin music genres with electronic beats, will join her.

Meanwhile, Spotify will host a "New Tools for Expression and Music Promotion" workshop with Maggie Ortiz and Stacey Aguilar, both managers of U.S. Latin artist and label partnership, and Andres Boutsaktsian, a music sales manager at Spotify. They will present new creative tools for artist expression on the platform alongside strategies for music releases and promotion.

Other panels include "Warner Latin: The Academy: Desafiando lo Imposible" and "Beyond the Beat: A starting point to explore today's (digital) marketing landscape," presented by the Orchard. Women In Music Miami, in collaboration with She Said So, which will also lead a panel, "Music and Tech: Shaping the Future."

Beyond that, more than a dozen live music acts are set to perform, including an eclectic mix of talent ranging from a combination of mariachi and jazz (Mireya Ramos, lead singer of the all-women mariachi band Flor de Toloache) to the sounds of Puerto Rican producer and composer Cabra, who has worked with acts like Calle 13, Monsieur Periné, Shakira, and many others.
There's also Peruvian singer-songwriter Nicole Zignago, who recently collaborated with Camilo; DJ Angie Lonarc, known for her electrifying mixes; and Seba Otero, a Puerto Rican artist, songwriter, and producer experimenting with global musical trends and Caribbean sounds. The festival aims to attract a diverse audience and an array of musical genres from urbano and hip-hop to indie-rock and soul.

"As an emerging Puerto Rican artist betting on a musical vision that somewhat deviates from most Puerto Rican acts and to get the chance to perform in this city, I am extremely thrilled and deeply thankful for this opportunity," Otero says of the opportunity to perform at Unsin. "The fact that I get the support from a dedicated team like Unsin's and its partners, to count on a crowd eager to discover new music, and have the space to connect with a wide spectrum of people doing great things in their respective crafts, it's truly exciting."

Ultimately, Otero hopes the audience connects with his performance.

"I am so ready to share my take on the musical richness of the Caribbean and the sharp yet soothing lyrics and melodies that come out of this skinny and energetic boricua," he adds. "I'm sure people will enjoy my violin over grooving beats along with the three band members who will join me on stage. I want the crowd to know that they should keep looking at what is happening musically in Puerto Rico and stay with an open ear for the diversity of musical acts."

Unsin Music Conference and Festival. 4 to 10 p.m. Friday, April 26, and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, April 27, at Future of Cities Climate and Innovation Hub, 224 NE 59th St., Miami; unsin.live. Tickets cost $20 to $85 via posh.vip.