The Rise and Fall of EDM
Meteoric does not begin to describe the phenomenon that is Electronic Dance Music. For a generation that loves to party EDM is a natural choice, and its here to stay. Or is it? Can the DJ really pull an ailing industry out of troubled water? Or will EDM fall prey to the tentacles of time?
It is no secret that the last decade has been a period of great transition for the music industry. Terminal decline in CD sales, an ever growing threat of piracy especially in emerging markets, and general consumption of content through unmonetized channels like online radio, collectively form Mission Impossible for the music industry. However recent market data indicates that the light at the end of the tunnel may be near; after 14 years of steady decline, global sales increased by 0.3% this year largely due to digital platforms. Is a celebration premature? More importantly, what has been the DJ’s role in this seeming resurgence?
Though EDM has only recently stepped onto the world stage, the genre is hardly young. Is the transformation of the music industry, and simultaneous coming of age of EDM simply coincidental; hardly. However that does not imply that these events are in anyway directly related; there is a simple explanation, both phenomenon share the same trigger – technology! Distribution of musical content has moved towards online services like Itunes and more recently subscription-based offerings like Spotify and Rhapsody, products of changing technology trends. Likewise, EDM has embraced the internet harnessing its potential like no other genre has been able to. DJ’s typically adopt free to play music models to proliferate new content to their legions of fans, while relying on live appearances for income streams. The image of the DJ as the knight in shining armour for the music industry is an illusion; they are simply riding the same wave of change, the digital wave. The new business model that the music industry has adopted could work just as well for country, rock, jazz, pop, rap, or any other genre.
In stark contrast to the belief that EDM is here to stay, industry veterans are already questioning the sustainability of this new found success. Deadmau5 recently commented that EDM is already falling prey to inevitable ‘safe bet’ mentalities of producers and artists. More and more, musical arrangements are recycled and innovation in the field seems to be stagnating. Another factor is growing overhead cost on tours; crowds are no longer happy with simply an audio experience. Providing unique visual experiences that tie in to the music is becoming increasingly important.
On a slightly more generic note, it is an absurd notion that a genre of music can consistently and single-handedly sustain the music business. This is fundamentally true of all pop culture; trends wax and wane, ebb and flow. Music culture evolves in accordance with its surroundings; in our case, that defining factor is technology. Decades ago, the civil rights and feminist movements influenced soul music in the same manner that technology has affected EDM. Similarly, the hippie movement and popularization of recreational drugs engendered progressive and psychedelic rock. Going even further back, blending of multiple immigrant cultures and their own distinct musical styles contributed to the birth of jazz. All of these genres had their time in the sun, but the business of music moves relentlessly forward. However, no musical style ever really ‘dies’, they live on adding another tile to the rich mosaic that is pop culture.
It is no secret that the last decade has been a period of great transition for the music industry. Terminal decline in CD sales, an ever growing threat of piracy especially in emerging markets, and general consumption of content through unmonetized channels like online radio, collectively form Mission Impossible for the music industry. However recent market data indicates that the light at the end of the tunnel may be near; after 14 years of steady decline, global sales increased by 0.3% this year largely due to digital platforms. Is a celebration premature? More importantly, what has been the DJ’s role in this seeming resurgence?
Though EDM has only recently stepped onto the world stage, the genre is hardly young. Is the transformation of the music industry, and simultaneous coming of age of EDM simply coincidental; hardly. However that does not imply that these events are in anyway directly related; there is a simple explanation, both phenomenon share the same trigger – technology! Distribution of musical content has moved towards online services like Itunes and more recently subscription-based offerings like Spotify and Rhapsody, products of changing technology trends. Likewise, EDM has embraced the internet harnessing its potential like no other genre has been able to. DJ’s typically adopt free to play music models to proliferate new content to their legions of fans, while relying on live appearances for income streams. The image of the DJ as the knight in shining armour for the music industry is an illusion; they are simply riding the same wave of change, the digital wave. The new business model that the music industry has adopted could work just as well for country, rock, jazz, pop, rap, or any other genre.
In stark contrast to the belief that EDM is here to stay, industry veterans are already questioning the sustainability of this new found success. Deadmau5 recently commented that EDM is already falling prey to inevitable ‘safe bet’ mentalities of producers and artists. More and more, musical arrangements are recycled and innovation in the field seems to be stagnating. Another factor is growing overhead cost on tours; crowds are no longer happy with simply an audio experience. Providing unique visual experiences that tie in to the music is becoming increasingly important.
On a slightly more generic note, it is an absurd notion that a genre of music can consistently and single-handedly sustain the music business. This is fundamentally true of all pop culture; trends wax and wane, ebb and flow. Music culture evolves in accordance with its surroundings; in our case, that defining factor is technology. Decades ago, the civil rights and feminist movements influenced soul music in the same manner that technology has affected EDM. Similarly, the hippie movement and popularization of recreational drugs engendered progressive and psychedelic rock. Going even further back, blending of multiple immigrant cultures and their own distinct musical styles contributed to the birth of jazz. All of these genres had their time in the sun, but the business of music moves relentlessly forward. However, no musical style ever really ‘dies’, they live on adding another tile to the rich mosaic that is pop culture.
