Recently appraised at a staggering $6.2 billion, the EDM industry is controlled by only a few handful, and funnily enough, only some of them are DJ’s. These powerful bigwigs, be it DJs, producers or record label highrollers, may not only be spinning at nightclubs and festivals, they’re also dominating this multi billion dollar industry we can only dream about.
Here are four producers who hold a controlling stake in our dance music world-
Producer: Skrillex; Label Founder: OWSLA
One of the strongest pillars of dance music, Skrillex deserves a ton of credit, simply for bringing electronic music into the mainstream world. Taking dance music out of its few zones, Skrillex has gone ahead and helped the world gain a small insight into our world. His record label OWSLA, has signed some of the most popular artists, including Zedd and Porter Robinson. Gaining steady recognition for inspiring originals and remixes, Skrillex’s performances are rarely discredited, and winning six Grammy awards reiterates his musical prowess.
Producer: Diplo; Label founder: Mad Decent
An astonishing fact first, Diplo played 210 shows only in 2013! That’s right, Diplo’s creation, the Mad Decent Block Party has transformed itself into one of the largest touring festivals in the States, having compiled 22 events in 2014. Diplo’s Midas touch reigns over all, his collaborations with famous pop artists or his underground wizardry at combining genres, Diplo is one of the most innovative producers out there, and each track bears justice to his creativity.
Producer: Armin van Buuren; Label owner: Armada
Amongst the largest record labels in dance music, Armin Van Buuren’s Armada Records includes twenty-five sub labels. Not only this, the world’s famous trance artist is highly ranked every year in DJ Mag’s Top 100 ratings. In addition to these laurels, Armin has been hosting the largest and oldest dance music podcast: A State Of Trance. Fast approaching its 700th episode, ASOT gives a weekly insight to the best of dance music. As for his ASOT tours, that’s for another article altogether.
Producer: Pete Tong, BBC Radio 1; Founding Partner: William Morris Electronic
Probably the one voice most recognizable by any dance music enthusiast, Pete Tong has been hosting a plethora of events on BBC Radio for as long as we can remember. His Essential Mix show has gained multiple folds of popularity over time, featuring hours and hours of beautiful dance music from the world’s finest. What you may not know however, is that Pete Tong is also a founding partner in William Morris Electronic. Featuring dozens of budding talent, Pete Tong and Joel Zimmerman (Deadmau5) hone and develop young artists in the making. A true pioneer and the Pied Piper of our world.
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