Longtime dance/electronic world agent Maria May of CAA will be honored with the Legends Award at IMS Ibiza 2025 for her notable contributions to electronic music culture.
With her career extending back more than three decades, May helped develop and legitimize the electronic music scene, bringing it out of warehouses to large-scale venues and events worldwide.
May currently represents a flurry of dance world stars, including David Guetta, Sara Landry, Marlon Hoffstadt, Róisín Murphy, Paul Kalkbrenner, Robin Schulz, Icona Pop, The Chainsmokers, Jonas Blue and Black Eyed Peas, among others. She’s also worked with artists including Frankie Knuckles, David Morales, Layo and Bushwacka, Hercules and Love Affair, Azari and III, Moloko, Soulwax, 2manydjs, Lee Burridge, and X-press 2.
“To receive this recognition is both humbling and very exciting,” May said in a statement. “Not merely because of what it represents for my career, but because of what it stands for in the wider culture of electronic music. The first woman to be publicly recognized for her efforts with an award of this gravitas has been a long time coming. Watching electronic music evolve from underground rebellion to a global movement and being one of the many architects of the global business phenomenon that we have created and now being recognized for these efforts is something I never imagined when I went to my first rave.”
Beyond her work as an agent, May is being honored for advocacy work that includes her role as a board member of Lady of the House, a collective that works to amplify women in the dance music industry. She has a position on the board of Beatport, a position on the advisory board of the Frankie Knuckles Foundation, was a founding advisory board member of the Association For Electronic Music (AFEM) and has been a longtime board member of the Night Time Industries Association.
May has also been included multiple times on Billboard‘s International Power Players and Women In Music power lists.
The award will be presented during The Beatport Awards, happening at Atzaró Agroturismo on the evening of April 24. It’s one of the many gatherings happening on the island in conjunction with IMS Ibiza. There will also be an industry lunch in May’s honor during the three-day dance industry gathering.
“I have enjoyed watching Maria’s career grow from my first meeting with her in the offices of ITB in 1994, seeing her develop with her acts into a global force of nature when it comes to agenting talent,” says IMS and AFEM co-founder Ben Turner. “Her role behind the scenes in affecting how the industry operates may not be seen by so many, but is felt by everybody. She challenges the industry to think and be better. She cares as much today as she did as a passionate agent in her early 20s on the dancefloor at Liquid in Miami listening to Frankie Knuckles and David Morales — which is how I will always visualize her! Both IMS and the clubbing industry of Ibiza are truly proud of her achievements. Electronic music is in a better place because of the person that is Maria May.”
“Maria May has been a transformative force in electronic music for over three decades,” adds Robb McDaniels of The Beatport Group, which acquired a majority stake in IMS in 2023. “Her work behind the scenes has helped shape the careers of some of the most iconic artists in our culture. At Beatport, we’re proud to recognize her contributions and leadership, especially her tireless advocacy for women in our industry. Maria has not only opened doors, she’s helped rebuild the very rooms where decisions are made. She embodies the spirit of this award.”
IMS Ibiza happens at the Mondrian Ibiza and Hyde Ibiza hotels this April 23-25. The event will feature three days’ worth of panel discussions from experts across many sectors of the industry, along with mixers, networking opportunities, performances, a robust wellness program and much more. See the complete IMS Ibiza 2025 schedule here.
