Electronic Dance Music’s (EDM) presence has spread around the world like wildfire in recent years. Some EDM enthusiasts question the eventual decline of EDM’s popularity. We’re here to tell you not to worry because the future of EDM is looking brighter than ever. Here are five signs 2017 will be the biggest year for EDM yet.
1. Major US EDM Festivals Expand Globally
A good indication of EDM’s increasing vitality is the local and global expansion of major EDM festivals. Fueled by popular demand, it is becoming increasingly common for an EDM festival to add an extra day to its schedule. One festival, in particular, made a drastic change to its calendar by extending the event for a second consecutive weekend.
Years of success and a growing fan base have allowed Electric Forest to double its duration from four days to eight. This extension is made possible by a rapidly growing community of EDM lovers who continue to show their immense support to organizations like Insomniac Events that work extremely hard to ensure the survival of EDM.
In addition to adding dates to existing festivals, Insomniac is also working on creating entirely new experiences for its fans. The announcement of Middlelands sent a wave of excitement through the entire community.
Another response to EDM’s rising influence was made this year by ID&T, an organization responsible for many of the nation’s top festivals such as TomorrowWorld, Mysteryland, and Electric Zoo. ID&T recently revealed to the world that Electric Zoo is expanding to new locations outside of the United States. South America will be getting a heavy dose of EDM in 2017, the inaugural year for Electric Zoo Brazil.
2. EDM Dominates Best-Selling Music Charts
As far as sales go, 2016 was a record-breaking year for the EDM industry. Not only did The Chainsmokers conquer the Billboard’s Hot 100 Chart with their hit “Closer,” but their track also managed to outperform all previous two-person acts for the longest-leading Hot 100 No.1 song ever.
Prior to The Chainsmokers, this record was proudly kept by the world-renowned hip-hop duo Outkast. By claiming the longest-leading No.1 spot on the Billboard’s Hot 100 in 2016, The Chainsmokers proved to the world that EDM is way ahead of the game as far as genres go.
The Chainsmokers also made history for the most weeks at No.01 Billboard’s “Dance/Mix Show Airplay Chart”. This achievement previously belonged to Swedish House Mafia for their hit “Don’t You Worry Child” that featured John Martin in its easily recognizable hook.
The “Dance/Mix Show Airplay Chart” ranks songs for having the most airplay on mixes and stations that are predominately run by EDM. If The Chainsmokers were able to take the title of the longest-leading track at No.1 away from Swedish House Mafia, then it means that dance music is not only ahead of the entire game, but also a more popular genre than it’s ever been before.
3. EDM Driven Companies Force Economic Growth
Hundreds of businesses have taken hold of the EDM market and they are impacting the economy in a big way. Just recently, GloFX received the honor of being recognized as one of Florida’s Top 50 Companies to Watch by the GrowFL Organization and Florida Governor Rick Scott. This award is only given to companies demonstrating the capacity to significantly impact a region’s economy and improve the quality of life through community-driven initiatives.
Having shipped orders to over 100 countries in 2016, it has become clear that EDM culture has sparked a global movement that’s expanding faster than ever. GloFX, among many others, has shown that there is no sign of EDM slowing down any time soon.
4. EDM Industry Worth $7 Billion in 2016
At some point in every raver’s life, the question of how much they’ve spent on music festivals comes to mind. It can be a scary thought to have, especially if you’re a frequent attendee.
Now, try to imagine the total amount of money festivals have earned from the entire population of people who go to them.
Nobody would have ever thought EDM would accumulate over $7 billion dollars in yearly revenue by 2016 when it first emerged as a genre so many years ago. As its popularity increased, so did the flow of income coming from fans who were eager to join the movement.
There are many people who speculate that EDM’s rise to a seven billion dollar industry is reaching a plateau, but some economic sources disagree. One Forbes contributor notes that while sales have slowed down in recent years compared to previous annual comparisons, the EDM scene is just starting to take off in other parts of the world.
Still in early stages of development in countries such as Cuba, Brazil, Vietnam, The Philippines, and China, EDM is expected to yield a massive influx of growth that will result from a snowball effect from the western world. According to a fact posted by Forbes, nearly half of the new entries added to DJ Mag’s Top 100 Clubs in 2016 are clubs located in Asia.
The emergence of new clubs across the globe can be attributed to EDM’s ability to transcend the geographical barriers formed by the multitude of languages spoken throughout many different countries around the world. The instrumental quality that dominates EDM makes it possible for it to exist anywhere and be listened to by anyone. Music may be the universal language, but Electronic Dance Music is the universal dialect.
5. EDM Commonly Featured on National TV
If you watch cable at home and pay attention to what is playing, then you might have heard an EDM song being played during a commercial for major corporations and media franchises. Many companies are taking advantage of EDM’s appealing instrumentation by featuring the works of some of the biggest artists that are defining the genre with their iconic sounds.
Some earlier examples include DJ Snake’s legendary remix of the Star Wars theme song that aired during an HP commercial.
The sounds of DJ Snake & Dillon Francis also appeared in a Taco Bell commercial featuring the famous “Get Low” anthem that was most likely heard at every club in the country at one point in time.
Taco Bell even took it a step further by giving Dillon Francis a cameo role in a comic strip called “The Spicy Adventure,” a story about the inseparable bond between a boy and his taco. The full project can be watched at Taco Bell’s Tumblr page.
In more recent examples, Mars Incorporated recruited the production skills of Zedd who premiered a remix of a classic hit in a commercial celebrating the 75th anniversary of M&M’s chocolate candy. With the help of Aloe Blacc’s uplifting vocals, Zedd put a daring twist on Sammy Davis Jr.’s renowned song “The Candy Man” which received nothing but positive feedback from the community for their grandiose interpretation of the record.
Bassnectar is another artist in the EDM industry who was able to get a song featured on television in 2016, this time in the context of a trailer for one of the most talked-about upcoming films “The Fate of the Furious,” the 8th installment in the popular series that began with the 2001 film “The Fast and the Furious.”
Bassheads can revel in the fact that one of the singles off his 2015 album “Into the Sun” can be heard playing halfway into the trailer, inducing hype within the masses with its banger-like qualities.
With events like these happening for EDM, it has become clear that we will not be seeing an end to its reign anytime soon. There is still much more room for growth in the industry now that it’s beginning to take off in other areas of the world.
We can only wonder how this will affect how EDM is perceived once it becomes infused with more cultures bringing their sounds and influences into the mix. Keep reading “The Rage” to stay informed on the state of club music as we continue to move deeper into 2017.
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