Ben Turner (GB)

Ben Turner is the founder and owner of Graphite, specialising in artist management & the culture surrounding it: brand partnerships, film & TV, web3 and curated events. Turner is the artist manager for techno and technology icon Richie Hawtin, a.k.a. Plastikman, and his many pioneering projects. The company also represents leading female electronic artists ANNA (from Brasil), Ela Minus (Colombia) and Sama’ Abdulhadi (Palestine). Turner is the head of an influential global network in the music industry. He is a co-founder with Pete Tong in the International Music Summit in Ibiza (every April), a powerful networking and discussion platform described as "the TED of music conferences". In 2013, he formed the Association for Electronic Music with music attorney Kurosh Nasseri, a not-for profit 501(C)(3) trade body designed to represent the genre globally. Its intention is to preserve, protect and promote the electronic music industry worldwide. It has over 250 paying members and is an influential platform for advocacy and change. Plus Eight Equity Partners is an early stage venture capital firm that has partnered with electronic music industry leaders to invest in groundbreaking music technology companies. Led by Hawtin, Turner is on the Advisory Board and also an investor. In 2021, Turner and partners Hawtin, Deadmau5, Dean Wilson (720 Management) and Inder Phull launched Pixelyx – a company focused on the intersection and integration of digital collectibles and avatars into the gaming world. The company is “a porthole into the metaverse” and will assist brands and creators into the virtual world. Turner made his name as co-founder of the highly influential dance publication Muzik in 1995 for IPC, subsequently launching the Muzik Awards and then becoming creative director of DanceStar USA: The American Dance Music Awards. He began his career as an intern at Melody Maker aged 16. He authored three books on the culture (on Ibiza / Cream / Bestival); produced and directed over 30 TV shows and documentaries about dance music; and has won multiple awards and is a regular Billboard Dance Power Player.