TORONTO — With the cancellation of this upcoming weekend’s Ultra Music Festival in Miami in accordance with measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, SiriusXM announced Tuesday it will broadcast a virtual version of the festival on its UMF Radio channel starting on Friday, March 20.
SiriusXM’s Ultra Virtual Audio Festival will feature exclusive live DJ sets from artists who were originally scheduled to perform at Ultra Music Festival, including Afrojack, Armin van Buuren, Martin Garrix, Above & Beyond, Major Lazer, Lost Frequencies, Oliver Heldens, Nicky Romero, and more.
SiriusXM’s UMF Radio channel will launch on March 20 at 5 p.m. ET and will air through Monday, March 23 on channel 52, on satellite radios and on the SiriusXM app.
The limited-run channel will also play past DJ sets from previous Ultra Music Festival performances, including sets by Kygo, The Chainsmokers, Marshmello with special guest Roddy Ricch, Zedd, and Carl Cox. SiriusXM has broadcasted live from the annual outdoor electronic dance music festival for the past 15 years.
“With the postponement of beloved events, necessary changes in people’s everyday life, and need for social distancing, we know our listeners are seeking a sense of community more than ever,” said Scott Greenstein, president and chief content officer of SiriusXM, in the news release. “To encourage that, we are pleased to be working with Ultra Music Festival to provide our listeners with this virtual audio festival featuring the diverse lineup of artists the UMF delivers year after year, as well as exclusive, fresh, new sets from some of the biggest names in dance music.”
UMF Radio is also a weekly show on SiriusXM’s Diplo’s Revolution channel. The two-hour weekly show features a mix of the genre’s most prominent and up-and-coming artists. UMF Radio airs Saturdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET.
