Electronic music has seen astronomical growth in recent years, reshaping the landscape of the music industry. In 2023, electronic music surpassed rock music in following on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. The surge also extends to live events, with electronic hubs like Ibiza raking in nearly $150 million—an impressive 14% increase from the previous year and a staggering 76% jump since 2019. World famous electronic festival Tomorrowland welcomed 400,000 attendees in 2024 compared to 120,000 in 2010.
What was once an eclectic, niche, underground phenomenon is now a worldwide renaissance. Electronic music’s newfound popularity is undeniable, but is it sustainable? What does the future of electronic music look like as it breaks through from the underground?
What Can We Expect From Electronic Festivals?
Electronic music has long been a staple of festival culture, but in recent years, DJs have increasingly dominated headlining slots. As mainstream festivals—once known for their diverse lineups—continue to evolve, they are increasingly drawing and catering to a blossoming electronic audience.
Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival has used this tactic for years. Knowing the dedication of electronic fans, the festival has traditionally booked prominent electronic names to attract the EDM crowd while continuing to appeal to the masses with rap, hip-hop, rock, and folk undercards and headlining performances. We can expect more electronic acts on the lineups with potentially grander billing spots from festivals catered to broad audiences.
Money talks and electronic music is making money. With its revenue surging, we can anticipate a new wave of electronic festivals emerging each summer. While some newcomers will offer authentic value and demonstrate a clear commitment to community engagement, others will likely be mere cash grabs, capitalizing on the genre’s profitability without genuine intent.
Contemporary, fresh electronic festivals are something to be excited about and celebrated. To safeguard the future of the electronic scene and prevent market oversaturation, it’s essential to hold these festivals to current industry standards. As patrons, funding festivals with a strong ethos and backed by successful organizations can help hold up-and-coming festivals accountable.
What Can We Expect From Fans?
John Summit, Skrillex, Fred again, and Marshmello have increasingly become household names. Blasting behind-the-scenes footage of Ibiza nightclubs and glamorizing music festivals for promotion, Alix Earl has been a catalyst for bringing electronic music smack dab in the middle of mainstream media. The rise of electronic music combined with more easily accessible electronic festivals has brought a larger mainstream crowd to the world of EDM.
Maybe without even knowing it, those of us who have been going to electronic events for eons have cultivated a rich foundation of Peace, Love, Unity, Respect, and Responsibility within the festival realm. Electronic music has embraced us, providing a judgment-free sanctuary for self-expression, a refuge from reality, and a space to grow connections with people we might never have met otherwise.
This delicate balance of safety and comfort can easily be jeopardized by those who fail to appreciate the community and those who have tirelessly worked to maintain it. More crucially, the audience at electronic events feels infiltrated by destructive frat bros partying way beyond their means. Instagram influencers focus more on their photos than the music right before them.
Although frustrating, a new demographic in electronic music presents a valuable opportunity for revitalization and growth. Welcoming newcomers into the scene will call for patience and grace when introducing the principles of PLURR. Saying “excuse me,” learning to navigate crowds rather than push through, trading kandi for the first time, remembering to stay hydrated, and looking out for strangers as if they were our own are all things we can show newbies by leading by example.
As electronic music continues its meteoric rise, becoming a staggering $11.8 billion industry, its artists can create more, sustain livelihoods through their art, and command the same stadium tours that powerhouse popstars are monopolizing. Welcoming a more mainstream audience might initially feel like a culture shock, but the benefits will undoubtedly be worthwhile.
What Can We Expect From Creators?
An impressive number of DJs are making their rise in electronic music from instant fame acquired on TikTok. We can expect a fair number of average Joes trying their hand at electronic music. Artists like ALLEYCVT, Levity, and Zingara have gained virality from the app and launched wildly successful careers.
As new DJs emerge daily and promote snippets of music on TikTok, content creation has become an essential part of the modern music producer’s role. Laszewo has shared that there’s a certain amount of pressure when making music because, with social media, there’s an instant response to the work put out, and if the reaction is adverse, it can be unpleasant. Artists like ODESZA, LSDREAM, and GRiZ have even gone so far as to hire dedicated teams to capture footage specifically for the app, ensuring their presence aligns with trending sounds and viral moments.
More eyes on electronic music means a well-deserved spotlight for BIPOC creators. The IMS Business Report 2023 highlights Afro House’s remarkable leap from 18th to 9th place in Beatport sales over the past year.
Women, contrarily, have witnessed less success as electronic music continues to boom. A study of industry members reports women creators were more likely than men to be interrupted, excluded, questioned, and judged unfairly. Women in the industry, additionally, undervalue the contributions and, therefore, find themselves being paid less than their peers in similar roles.
A 2023 study investigating Glastonbury Festival reported only 18% of headliners at the UK’s top festivals as female and less than 3% as nonbinary. In response to these revelatory statistics, producer and Peak Music UK founder Eve Horne says, ‘Women are too much of a risk. It’s about money at the end of the day, and we still have old white men gatekeeping the industry”.
With Taylor Swift’s 2023 tour racking up $1.04 billion in ticket sales and Chappell Roan drawing crowds of almost 100,000 during her Lollapalooza set, we’re left wondering — where’s the risk? Now is the time to demand equal opportunities for minority performers as fresh eyes and open minds enter dance music spaces.
Overview
In conclusion, electronic music is poised to become even more pervasive across various platforms. Its influence is set to rise on the radio, in movie soundtracks, and in music festival lineups, solidifying its place in the mainstream.
Electronic music talents will continue to gain visibility in increasingly diverse music events, with the possibility of dominating larger music venues. As the genre continues to expand, it’s more important than ever for the community to push organizers to ensure equal representation in the music industry.
As with any rapidly growing phenomenon, it’s paramount to maintain the fragile but cherished community built around electronic music as the masses test its strength. Educating future generations of fans about the principles of PLURR and guiding them as they immerse themselves in the world of electronic music will be vital in safeguarding the future of EDM. Upholding these core values and holding accountable those who fail to respect the community will be crucial as we navigate this era of mainstream recognition for electronic music.
Featured image courtesy of Wynn Las Vegas.
