Managers come to blows at US summit
Comments made by Diplo at the IMS Engage conference in Los Angeles have sparked a fight between his manager and the manager of DJ BL3END.
According to Billboard, while on a panel with Instagram founder Kevin Systrom, Diplo alleged that BL3ND had purchased some of his massive social media following – which includes three million Facebook fans.
He added that the DJ “only plays shows in the OC.”
In the panel's Q&A session DJ BL3ND's manager Steve Haddad questioned Diplo's claims, saying that he had “sold out” events in New York and hadn't been playing in the OC recently. It's alleged that Diplo's manager Kevin Kusatsu told Haddad to “shut up” from the back of the room, “seemingly unprovoked and out of context.”
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Despite Diplo backing out of his claims, the two managers confronted one another at the side of the room before the fight broke out. It is not known who through the first punch, but the fight was broken up by conference officials.
The IMS [International Music Summit] Engage conference is held at the beginning of the Ibiza season and is presented by Pete Tong.