Over the past few days two editorials on the deplorable state of EDM have popped up, receiving much fan-fare and cries of “Hear hear!.” Has electronic music really gone so downhill? Over the course of my bachelor’s degree, EDM (I’m just gonna call it “electro” from here on out) has gone from a handful of artists with a relatively small, specific audience to quite literally thousands upon thousands of artists appealing to an absolutely massive audience. So what exactly is it that’s wrong? I’m going to look at a few points brought up in these two articles and tell you what I think is wrong with them.
“At one time art and passion for the music was overwhelmingly the motive of DJs and producers… but now we see more and more that money, fame, and less than admirable intentions are what drive a lot of people to our EDM world. The balance is shifting and the art of the music and the dance floor are suffering as a result.“
Ah, the old ‘They’re only in it for the money’ claim. In any field, whether it’s finance, fashion, television, cooking, or even fucking geology you’re going to have a subset of people that are only in it for the money and “old electro” was no more free of these people than “new electro” is. And since when did it become wrong to be talented and expect to be paid handsomely? The beauty of capitalism is that the market decides everything. If I jump into production to make a few bucks and I don’t have the skills or the creativity, I’m not going to do well. Yes, I’ll be around for a few months “shifting” the balance in the art of the music, but at the end of the day I’m going to fizzle out and try something new. All that this growth and extra cash in the electro scene has done is allow more people earn a living doing something that they’re passionate about.
“While I applaud these guys for their production skills and developing an accessible sound that attracts lots of people, this does not mean they have the right to charge massive amounts of money to see them press play while they jump around…. Producers either need to put on a live show like Orbital, Daft Punk, Chuck Love, etc., or develop actual DJ skills before they step on stage.“
This is probably the only point that I agree with to a certain extent. Yes, nobody wants to pay $30 to see DJ Push Play, but much like the ‘only in it for the money’ guys this represents a very small subset of producers out there. Brittany Spears has been known to lip-sync from time to time and maybe David Guetta plays a pre-mixed set every now and then too. By and large this has no impact on the scene (eg. Dillon Francis isn’t going to start playing pre-recorded sets just because another big-name does). If anything, artist are more and more accountable for the quality of their sets as it’s easier than ever to catch people without their CDJs plugged in and let a few million people know about it. There’s one other point completely ignored by the author: “New school” DJs spend countless hours composing, clearing samples, and mastering the tracks needed to put together a full 1-2 hour set of their own material. When you pay a “massive” amount to see them it’s to compensate all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into producing the tracks, as well as paying the wages of production crews, promoters, ticket distributors, graphic designers, managers, security, bartenders, bussers, janitors, etc. “Old school” DJs typically (and I say this expecting some flames in the comments) didn’t play arena shows or spin sets entirely made up of their own material. Lots of “new” DJs like Diplo or A-Track won’t play all-original sets, but the cost of your ticket still fuels their ability to keep producing regularly none the less. And to be honest, I’d be much more frustrated with paying money to see a well-mixed set composed of terribly-produced tracks than I would the opposite.
“DJ X FACTOR“
Nobody cares about that show. Nobody will book the winner because nobody will pay to see him. Why are you bringing it up? It doesn’t affect anyone. Watch this video instead (skip ahead to 1:26):
“Paris Hilton“
Again, nobody cares, and who are we to tell someone what they can and cannot do in their own free time? People don’t hate on singers-turned-actors, why should bitches-turned-DJs be any different? If she ends up being good then my hat will come off to her, and if she sucks (as she most likely will) nobody is going to pay to see her 2nd show. The disturbance in the force will be corrected.
“For all you music consumers out there, I appreciate you, I really do. I just want you to be an educated consumer. Know what it is your hard earned dollars are supporting. Be patrons of art, not ATMs for the money hungry.“
Great music is great because it follows laws of math and science that allow our brains to perceive it as such. There’s no need to be “educated.” This isn’t a fast-food hamburger and a naive child we’re talking about here. If music is good, we’re hard-wired to appreciate it and if we appreciate it we’ll pay for it. The next time you call people going to see Skrillex “ATMs for the money hungry,” take a closer look at why people gladly pay $60 to go to his shows and avoid your free Monday night weekly like last-night’s beef tartar.
“During the 90s, the DJ was more of a GOD. You never saw him, yet everywhere you went he touched you with his music, the better the DJ the more you dance.The music was about the people, the dance floor about the people, the light show about the people.”
A) How big was the scene back then? Remind me… how diverse was the music? Clubs in the 90s were primarily known for being pretentious places that only the rich or drug-addicted went to. Now we even have 18+ clubs where people are comfortable and girls don’t have to be worry (as much) about being drugged. How is that not for the people?
B) If I’m paying $10, $15, $20, $30 to go see a DJ I’d damn well better see him and I’d damn well better be entertained.
The rest of The Clowns In Our EDM Scene
The crux of this author’s argument is that performances should be about the music and not the spectacle. That’s all well and good, but again, if I’m paying money I expect to be entertained in ways that push the boundaries of what I thought possible. I’m not going to pay a premium to see (or not see, as the author suggests) someone stand solemnly behind the decks. Masks are funny, but they’re stupid and everybody knows that. The EDM scene now is focused around all aspects of the experience. When MSH Sessions brought Justice to Vancouver and people saw their visuals, 6000 people collectively shit their pants and raged the fuck out. Don’t believe me? Watch the video below and tell me if you’d have preferred it without the… pizazz.
In Conclusion:
Don’t be a hater. I can find a pro to every con that you bring up, just like someone out there can find a con for every pro that I bring up. Instead of criticizing others, come up with ways to set yourself apart and let the market decide.
You left out some key elements of my quotes and transposed some concepts into my ideas that don’t belong so let me help clarify.
1) There is no hate. I’m not hating on anyone, just reporting actions and calling certain practices and behaviors out to the public. No hate necessary. Some frustration, absolutely, but after 20 years of first hand experience in several areas of the music industry I’ve gained an intimate knowledge and perspective of how things are now. I’ve also watched other ‘scenes’ go through the same cycle we are in now and it saddens me that we are most likely going to burst our own bubble, and that it is preventable. I myself am doing great, I am happy with my successes and failures in the industry, I have had a hell of a ride and it’s not close to being over. I’ve headlined for over 300k people, been on a major radio network, topped charts with my originals, blah blah blah. There is no bitterness or hate, just a passion for music the desire to educate.
2) It isn’t the same ol’ money is at the root of all evil argument. In fact I clearly stated that money isn’t inherently bad, it isn’t that the system is flooded with money that is the problem it is how that money gets used. To say the market will decide isn’t a complete concept. Throw enough money out there and you can drown out competition, not giving the market a fair shot at making an unbiased decision. Did you know that there is a disturbing trend of DJ’s PAYING large sums to play in order to get on a good bill? Did you know there are six companies that control the majority of music and how that music is distributed, you don’t think they are doing whatever they can to make money back on their investment? There is nothing wrong with making money or fame from your passion, I encourage it, my point is that when passion for money leads you to music and fame, art tends to suffer and the people’s freedoms are limited. In a perfect world the market would be able to decide, but the market doesn’t get a fair sampling.
Repetition plays a big part in what people like and consume musically. This is why record companies have spent millions of dollars dominating the air waves and paying (yes paying) ridiculous sums to make sure what hits the top 40. Not to mention just good old fashion exposure. Advertising is a billion dollar industry because it works. Does the market have a fair shot at deciding between someone who has no money for marketing compared to someone backed by millions?
What I was calling out in terms of money was that people weren’t getting what they paid for. If you bought a Mercedes-Benz, but it had a Ford engine, wouldn’t you want to know? Sure, if you never knew, you might be super happy believing that you had a Mercedes, but that’s not what you paid for. Yes, if people are happy they are happy, that’s great. But I’m still going to push the truth, people should know what they are paying for so they CAN decide how the market goes instead of driving a Mercedes with Ford engine.
Again, I’m all for the show when the intent is the creation of art and not a ploy to cover up lack of talent or laziness. We all liked to be entertained, but again what is our hard earned money paying for exactly?
3) I never mentioned Skrillex or referred to any artist specifically as doing it for the money. I actually think Skrillex is an accomplished artist and is incredibly hard working, it is pretty clear to me that passion for music drives him more than anything. I mentioned the recent news of David Guetta and the Swedish House Mafia being caught playing prerecorded sets. This is just fact. I used this as an example to ask what it is that people are really paying for? That is a legitimate question. So please don’t skew my words by adding opinions that aren’t mine.
4) People absolutely care what Simon Cowell and Paris Hilton do, that’s why they make millions from media consumers. It also contributes to the saturation of the market that I was talking about before. This skews and floods perceptions and dominates markets, drowning out others who aren’t fortunate enough to be able to shell out the same funds in return.
5) There are so many more factors involved in whether one likes music or not. If it was just a matter of pure math, artists would be irrelevant and bypassed by the media companies as they would be an unnecessary cost. They would have their computers generating the formulas and that would be that. There also wouldn’t be music theory classes, music history classes, music appreciation classes. Record companies wouldn’t spend billions on making sure repetition occurred. If it was pure math, there never would have been a punk scene or jazz. I bet you can think of at least one song you didn’t like the first few times you heard it, then one day after the hundredth time, you put it on your iPod.
6) I didn’t write that 90′s DJ God comment, it would be nice if you separated it out from my points. Though I will say as someone who was in the 90′s scene, the 00′s scene and the 10′s scene, your comments are wrong.
So to sum up, making money from your passion isn’t inherently bad, I value art in music above convenience, I am not bitter nor do I hate anyone, I am calling out behaviors and practices to inform the public so they can make educated decisions, people are free to like whatever they want to like.
Sean Ray
Not Your Jukebox
It’s not so much your article that I’m opposed to; criticism of any industry is necessary. I was more against people using it as an excuse to throw even more exaggerated claims at the industry, and when you look at the number of views a post criticising EDM vs admiring it gets it’s clear that people would much rather hate than praise. The reason I wrote this is so that people can view both sides of the argument and then make their own, more moderate assumptions. If I can use a similar analogy, you wouldn’t say that the food scene in north america is shit simply because of fast food chains and oligopolies over meat production. Some of it is total shit, but the market and increased access to information help the good points out-weigh the bad. Anyway, I’m not gonna go back-and-forth with you because neither one of us is going to change his stance, haha. Yeah, some shit’s fucked up, but when you look at the larger picture I think EDM it’s okay.
PS. I do appreciate you taking the time to write a well-worded rebuttal to my rebuttal.
I would go as far as to say that EDM is even better than it was back in “the day”. The author claims to have been around in the 90′s to present. Really? I’ve been a DJ since ’93 and from where im standing, the world of electronic music gets better every day.
We used to have to go into a record shop and have a selection of maybe 20-100 new records to choose from (maybe 30% of them being “good”, something that you would actually buy) which you would have to play on your super expensive 1200s and mixer, and whatever other gear youd have to bring out. These days, with the advent of Serato and other digital mixing platforms, not only do we have access to thousands of tunes at our fingertips, literally ANYthing we could want to play, but also, we dont have to pay 8-12$ for a two track import vinyl or break our shoulders carrying a 60 Lb. record bag on our backs all around town.
All that aside, I recall so many DJs in the 90′s wishing that EDM (we just called it techno back then) was more popular in the states, and that they could get paid more and get more exposure as artists. Now that they have their wish, I only hear them complain about how mainstream it is, and bitching about skrillex and paris hilton. This is progress believe it or not, and frankly i couldnt care less who does it. As long as electronic music becomes more popular in the mainstream, i get more shows, respect, and somewhat more importantly….more money to feed myself (and pay this crazy ass internet bill every month).
Be careful what you wish for.
That being said, my opinion of the music itself is equally positive. At no other time in history have we been given such free and easy access to new music and new sources of music, if we use but a tiny amount of energy looking online for it, or utilizing our vast new social networking frameworks to engage in conversation with other artists. This was not even remotely as easy even two decades ago
and access to new music and information about new music was much more limited. For every Paris Hilton, and Skrillex, you can find ten brand new artists in anycity, USA making brilliant new tunes for us to consume. All you have to do is open your eyes and ears. (and have an internet connection).
To summarize, This might be the best time in our lives to be a DJ, years ago, regular college joe would come up and request some terrible radio garbage for me to play. These days they come up to request (perhaps terrible) radio electronic music and i just have to smile, because they are asking me to play a REMIX of whatever song is popular. This is a far cry from how it was years ago, and honestly im enjoying it. And instead of college type douchebags asking for random stuff that isnt even EDM, at least now theyre asking me to play something somewhat tolerable, and dancing to it!
I gotta tell you man, if youre not enjoying the present, with all of the opportunities new technology and media formats have given us…………You’re doing it wrong.
EDM is flourishing, but like many other scenes before it, so did they before they did themselves in. More than anything I am just glad that my article stirred up conversation and has people talking about something I am very passionate about. I want to help keep the scene flourishing and growing, calling out detrimental behaviors and encouraging people to demand more from themselves can only help.
Keep the conversation alive.
‘Over the course of my bachelor’s degree, EDM (I’m just gonna call it “electro” from here on out) has gone from a handful of artists with a relatively small, specific audience to…’
‘Lots of “new” DJs like Diplo or A-Track…’
I am not one of the people who agrees with this ‘old is the best school’ argument, I believe the times have changed.
However, with comments like yours above, I don’t think you know much about ‘EDM’.
Totally agree with you !
you’re usless, just like this article.
cool, thanks.
lol….. Electro has always been crap though… shitty trance and bad D&B and all that crap was around in the 90s just like shitty electro house and brostep is around now.. its all about marketing and branding…. SHM is a prime example… whatever if you complaining thats dumb cuz i no u wont like it when blueprint books boddika or moodyman!