EDM Going Corperate

“There’s a wave of interest in attending concerts that have less to do with the specific music and more to do with the experience attached to the music,” he said, referring to the immersive appeal of many large-scale dance events. “Our thought is that the experience of attending an individual event can be perpetuated and made better by connecting the people, not just when they’re consuming the entertainment but when they’re away from it.” Robert F. X. Sillerman, New York Times.

This is the idea of Live Nation founder, Robert F. X. Sillerman. Sillerman was the man that corperatized the music world by combining promotion companies for large scale production. Claiming electronic dance music as his newest project, Sillerman is looking to buy up the independent promoters that run the electronic music events that are growing ever more popular. This new company, SFX Entertainment, will include up to 50 rising promotion companies in the genre. The plan for the company is to use the internet to connect fans outside of the concert setting. This is exactly what I intend to do with my future Advertising Degree, so I am very happy to know that someone is taking the proper (-ly funded) steps to build the industry. He was inspired particularly by Electric Daisy Carnival, shown below, which is an interactive LED festival that takes place in Las Vegas. Many electronic music fans view this event as the ultimate experience.




Electronic dance music is unique for the exact reason quoted above, fans desire more than just a playback of their favorite songs. They want innovation and an experience that was worth the ticket price. My passion for the genre comes from this quality, and a desire to witness something that is unable to be recreated. The crowds are united, the passion is astounding, and the artists are able to re-invent themselves each time they step on stage. Other genres have fallen in the entertainment of their shows, replacing quality sound with distracting dance routines, when in reality they need to be improvising more and interacting with their audience. This is where the internet comes in; it has the potential to link audiences with their favorite artists to generate content that is entirely unique. The possiblities are great and I am eager to innovate this industry. The interactiveness of the concert experience has been growing, especially in Europe where electronic music originally gained the most popularity.



Festivals like Tomorrowland create an entire world where people can lose themselves in the music.

However, much of the love for electronic music comes from the fact that it has not been commercialized. Tickets are affordable, and artists are committed to providing a memorable experience that is untainted by greedy corperate values. I fear that the commercialization of the genre will lead to it's destruction, but on the opposite end, the proper funding can multiply the immersive quality tenfold. Sets, lights, and concert extras will be more opulant than would be able under the common low budget. It is going to be interesting and important to see how this works out.