INDUSTRY
Community of Remixers: How Audius’ Platform Is Driving Remix Culture In Dance Music
This feature was co-authored by Lev Kotia, Nakul Sharma and Bayleigh Bogan. As the streaming landscape competition continues to get more competitive between the likes of Spotify, Apple, Amazon and others, finding competitive advantages to drive paid subscribers has never been more complex. Despite a crowded landscape, some platforms have carved out a unique place for themselves in the world of music streaming that creates a focused and unique value proposition for creators and fans. One such platform is Audius, which uses blockchain technology to offer clarity and transparency for artists. Through Audius’ disruptive platform, artists can upload their music and have an immutable record of owning that content. If the content is misused, musicians can easily prove ownership of the intell...
Beatport 2021 Review: Tech House Remains the Top Performer
Viberate, a music research and analytics platform co-founded by techno veteran UMEK, have just published their annual “State of Music” address. A large chunk of it covers Beatport, examining massive amounts of data to complement the platform’s chart positions with insights into the popularity of artists, tracks, labels and genres. The data shows that Tech House remains the most popular genre on Beatport for the third year in a row. It represented 44% of the top 100 Beatport tracks in 2021 and four out of five top tracks on Beatport in 2021. The winning track was “Set U Free (Extended Mix)” by Guz. c/o Viberate Melodic House & Techno, House, Techno (Peak Time / Driving) and Drum & Bass are also among the top five most popular genres. As far as best-performing artists go, the r...
1001Tracklists’ “A State Of Dance Music” Report Suggests Demand for Live Sets—And Tech House—Is Greater Than Ever
The state of live entertainment was torn between two worlds throughout 2021. Nations across the globe tackled the difficult challenge of bringing back some semblance of normalcy while preserving public health and safety of their people. As the pandemic continued, many began to wonder if the demand for live music would even exist in the same capacity on the other side of it. In the new “A State Of Dance Music” report from 1001Tracklists, however, the numbers suggest that demand for electronic music shows is perhaps stronger than ever. The top line numbers say it all: a record 6.8 million people used 1001Tracklists to discover new music. Content contributions to the platform also saw a substantial year-over-year increase of 31%, with 69,000 unique track lists upl...
21 Stories That Defined EDM In 2021
2021 was yet another year that tested the strength of the electronic dance music community. Event organizers and ravers had to settle into a new norm this year, adapting to mercurial COVID-19 health guidelines in the name of public safety. And even though it was marginally better than the dystopian lockdowns of 2020, it wasn’t easy. But after all was said and done, it became more clear than ever that the virus can try to take the rave out of the person, but it cannot take the person out of the rave. Even in a vexing year for the electronic music scene, it remained as captivating as ever. Here are 21 stories that defined EDM in 2021. Return of Swedish House Mafia After a nine-year hiatus and countless cryptic teases, legendary dance music trio Swedish Ho...
EDM.com’s Best of 2021: Songs
EDM.com proudly publishes four installments of annual year-end coverage: Industry Leaders, Performances, Music Producers, and Songs. With so much new music offered by EDM’s artist community, it would be unfair to its diverse range of creators to publish a nebulous blanket list of the year’s top songs. So to highlight the best songs of the year, we’ve chosen 10 popular sub-genres of dance music and recognized five tracks, each chosen by members of EDM.com‘s staff. Check out a playlist below, followed by a breakdown of each individual song from each genre. House Qrion – Your Love Nostalgic and wistful, Qrion’s “Your Love” leaves listeners yearning for nights in the big city. Delicate but moving, the track’s soundscapes leave listene...
EDM.com’s Best of 2021: Music Producers
EDM.com proudly publishes four installments of annual year-end coverage: Industry Leaders, Performances, Music Producers, and Songs. DJing and music production are different. But the difference between the two is like a wallflower—it hides in plain sight, and it is vastly misunderstood. To publish a “Top DJ” list would be to undermine the originality, ingenuity, and dauntless imagination of the artists who dedicate their lives to music creation. To honor their fearless creativity and profound dedication to their craft, we’ve recognized 10 of the best electronic music producers of 2021. Laxcity From the feel-good future bass of his Disconnect EP to the textured synths on “melodies from heaven,” Laxcity took over 2021 with his wistfully dreamy takes on the electro...
EDM.com’s Best of 2021: Performances & DJ Sets
EDM.com proudly publishes four installments of annual year-end coverage: Industry Leaders, Performances, Music Producers, and Songs. To honor their creativity and seminal influences on the live music industry, we’ve recognized 10 of the year’s best performances and DJ sets from around the electronic dance music sphere. Swardy Secret Sky Back in April, of the scene’s most under-appreciated artists was given a chance to showcase his inimitable performance capabilities to a massive audience in a prime-time slot on Porter Robinson’s virtual festival, Secret Sky. Swardy’s performance at the fest was one of sheer originality and imagination. He blew the lid off of what fans could expect from virtual performances with nearly 35 minutes of virtuosic l...
EDM.com’s Best of 2021: Industry Leaders
EDM.com proudly publishes four installments of annual year-end coverage: Industry Leaders, Performances, Music Producers, and Songs. Oftentimes, end-of-year coverage offered by the music industry’s vast pool of publications is limited to its artists and performers. In order to honor the extraordinary work of the music community’s unsung people and brands, we’ve recognized 10 industry leaders whose contributions helped shape the future of dance music in 2021. EVENT ORGANIZER Zouk Group Zouk Nightclub. Zouk Group Las Vegas Las Vegas, one of EDM’s most competitive markets, saw a newcomer in Resorts World, who landed on the iconic Strip to the tune of $4.3 billion. The ambitious project was easily the biggest development on the block in over a decade. Handling the...
Four Tet Gets Green Light From U.K. Judge to Proceed With Lawsuit Against Domino
Domino Recordings probably didn’t expect such a domino effect. Pat Treacy, Deputy Judge at the U.K. Intellectual Property Enterprise Court, has reportedly ruled that Four Tet‘s breach of contract suit against Domino will be able to proceed. The full trial is set to take place towards the beginning of 2022. Earlier this summer Four Tet sued Domino for a breach of contract, alleging the label had not paid out their agreed-upon streaming royalty rate of 50%. The label fired back and pointed to a separate clause in their contract, which was signed in 2001, that states they’re only obliged to pay 75% of their standard 18%: “In respect of records sold in new technology formats other than vinyl, Compact Discs and analogue tape cassettes the royalty rate...
Roland’s New Retail Experience Lets You Control the Lighting, Audio and Video In-Store
While the in-person shopping experience has suffered greatly since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, Roland is looking to change the way shoppers experience their products. The key to the legendary electronic music instrument manufacturer’s experience is their aptly-named Audience Specific Experience (ASX), which allows the stores to be tuned to customers’ liking the press of a button. The audio, video, and lighting are adapted to fit customers’ needs, allowing them to further immerse themselves throughout their visit. In addition to the ambiance upgrades, Roland has product experts on-site to assist with questions, hands-on demonstrations, and more. Check out some images from a handful of Roland stores below. <phx-gallery-image d...
Overwhelming Majority of Fans First Began Their EDM Journey Before Age 20: Poll
Electronic music listeners tend to become enamored with the genre at an early age, according to the results of a recent EDM.com reader poll. The fact that the blissfully care-free lifestyle promoted by electronic dance music culture appeals vastly to youthful demographics isn’t necessarily a surprising discovery, but the weighting by percentage skews more youthful than perhaps one would expect. Precisely half of respondents reported first beginning their EDM journey between the ages of 0-15. This would suggest that listeners at the high end of this segment were born around 2007, a time when dance music was just on the cusp of booming in the U.S. during the late 2000s and early 2010s. Our latest EDM.com poll found 85% of dance music fans began listening before th...
EDM Artists Strike Gold With Spotify’s 2021 Artist Wrapped
Memories fade, but listening history lasts forever. No one knows this better than Spotify, who has rolled out their annual Wrapped campaign. Once per year, this ubiquitous feature comes out of the woodwork to give us a glimpse into the inner workings of our musical minds: Were we happy this year? Were we sad? Who did we turn to? Now in its fifth year, not only does Spotify Wrapped provide a platform for listener self-reflection, but it also gives artists a unique opportunity to see—and share—just how much they accomplished. And in 2021, EDM emerged victorious, with artists taking over social media to thank their fans for their dedication. From the millions of plays they achieved on their tracks to the hundreds of countries their music was streamed from, there’s a lot...
