New Study Finds Out How Much EDM Is Really Worth

via Your EDM

There is no doubt that the world of electronic dance music is on fire right now, with different topics trending on a seemingly daily basis. That being said, numbers don’t lie. So, let’s take a look at some:

EDM grew 37% in valuation from 2012/13 to 2013/14, an unprecedented growth seldom seen in the music industry that raised valuation from $4.5 to $6.2 billion. The official estimates from the International Music Summit: Ibiza are now in for 2013/14 – 2014/15 and measure an additional 12% growth, raising the international value of the electronic dance music industry to a whopping $6.9 billion.

This accompanies a $2 billion valuation for the whole of EDM in North America and $1 billion in the Asia-Pacific region.

In addition to the expected infographics, Kevin Watson – the man behind the IMS report, threw in some fun factoids courtesy of Eventbrite. For example a quarter of all nightlife tickets sold in the US are for electronic music events, and an average night out costs around $80.

Check out the full IMS Ibiza report here for accurate information about the state of the EDM industry and current trends.

Now You Can Drink Martin Garrix

via Your EDM

It seems like every major producer/DJ in EDM is pairing up with huge brands nowadays. Just yesterday we announced Zedd and Lionel Messi‘s new marketing campaign with Gatorade Football and preceded that with news of Avicii‘s joining with Volvo and Major Lazer‘s partnership with FXX; and though Martin Garrix & Tiesto have been known to be working with7UP for quite some time, we simply didn’t expect to be seeing a special edition Martin Garrix branded tropical 7UP drink.

“The cans are a part of a sweepstakes where fans will have the chance to win an all-expenses paid VIP trip to meet one of the two iconic DJs and watch them play live.”

And yet, here it is – as posted by the young EDM superstar just minutes ago via Facebook, it appears that 7UP, which has invested more into EDM marketing than most any other brand, is indeed bringing a Martin Garrix edition of their signature drink to stores near you. This flavor will be joined by a Tiesto version as well, which appears to be Cherry themed. Check it out, and stay tuned for more information on how to get your hands on one of these new beverages.

 

Martin Garrix & Tiesto Unveil Their Long Awaited Collaboration

via Your EDM

The long awaited collaborative effort from the Dutch, dance music superstars Martin Garrixand Tiesto has arrived in full, with official music video in tow. As part of a partnership with 7UP, this release, which is out now on Spinnin Records, promises to make a resounding impact on the world of dance music.

As one of the most well received releases from Garrix, “The Only Way Is Up” is an anthem of epic proportions which follows an oddly unintelligible yet catchy vocal line. As it progresses, the accompanying music video depicts Garrix and Tiesto performing together, working in the studio, and travelling while seemingly having the time of their lives. All-in-all this is one of our favorites from both producers.

Watch the official music video hear

Pick it up on Beatport today and check it out for stream below.

Quincy Jones On EDM: "If They Handle It Right, It Won't Be A Fad"

via Forbes

Quincy Jones isn’t exactly the first person who comes to mind during a conversation about electronic dance music. The legendary superproducer is best known for working with artists like Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson, not the likes of Avicii or Afrojack.

Some of Jones’ most celebrated work has contained electronic elements, though, and it certainly makes people dance—one need look no further than Thriller. Still, it came as something of a surprise to see him in a one-on-one panel with electronic music pioneer Pete Tong at the EDM-focused International Music Summitin Los Angeles last week.

Before Jones took the stage, he gave me a few minutes of his time as he walked from his car to the elevator that carried us to the room where he’d be speaking, and seemed just as surprised as everyone else to find himself at an EDM summit. When asked how the panel came about, he said simply: “I don’t know.”

But Jones was quick to weigh in on his thoughts about the state of electronic music, and he didn’t mince words.

“It is a fad right now, but if they handle it right it wouldn’t be a fad,”  he said. “Learn what the f–k they’re dong with the science of music, man. There’s only 12 notes out there.”

During our brief chat, Jones spoke broadly about the fundamental nature of music (“You can’t see it, you can’t touch it, you can’t smell it, but Lord knows you can feel it”) and his personal philosophy (“Just do something you love, it gives you goosebumps”).

Though he didn’t reveal his feelings on particular DJs when pressed, he described their work as being not too different from his own, deep down: “If you know what you’re doing, the machine works for you.”

Jones didn’t have strong feelings on whether or not the current popularity of electronic music would lead consumers to eventually seek a change of pace and turn back to more live instrumentation, a trend that may have already begun even within the most pop-oriented corners of EDM with songs like “Wake Me Up!”

But when the topic turned to Michael Jackson, his eyes lit up, as did mine: I had tried numerous times to contact Jones for an interview while writing my book,Michael Jackson, Inc.

I couldn’t help but ask Jones what he felt Jackson would think about the rise of EDM.

“Are you kidding?” he said. “He’d love it.”

Tiesto Partners With 7UP to Give Aspiring Artists a "Shot" at Stardom

via Your EDM

esto has partnered with 7up to give new artists a chance in the limelight. The only catch? You don’t actually have to be a DJ.

The Australian DJ competition, Your Shot, is making an expansion to the United States and over the next year will follow 30 artists as they train, practice and compete for the chance to play at next year’s Ultra Music Festival.

When announcing the event exclusively through Billboard, Tiesto explained the concept of the show:

“It takes the idea of the DJ competition and turns it on its head. This contest really provides aspiring DJs with an opportunity to realize their dreams. Many times people don’t know how or where to get started with DJ’ing, but the great thing about Your Shot is that, win or lose, they get a platform to learn, grow and achieve great things as long as they are focused and dedicated.” -Tiesto

While in theory the show seems like a great platform, the fact that no previous experience is required makes the concept hard to swallow. Instead of focusing on already working artists, the show will take an American Idol approach and risks being more about personalities, not musical skills.

Only time will tell if this show will have a real impact on an artist’s career. You can check out the trailer here: Your Shot USA

Twitch to Live Broadcast Ultra Music Festival With Stream Powered by 7UP

via Business Wire

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Twitch, the world’s leading social video platform and community for gamers, continues its foray into music as an official broadcasting partner of Ultra Music Festival, the world’s premier electronic music festival. This year’s live stream will be powered by 7UP^®, the exclusive sponsor of the stream for the 2015 music festival. Scheduled for March 27-29 during Miami Music Week, the entire festival will be broadcast live on Twitch at twitch.tv/ultra.

 The talent set to perform during the seventeenth annual edition of the Ultra Music Festival features more than a hundred of the electronic music scene’s biggest acts. Some of the DJ sets and live performances at the festival include:

ADAM BEYER			DIXON			NETSKY (LIVE)
AFROJACK			ERIC PRYDZ			NICKY ROMERO
ALESSO			GORGON CITY (LIVE)			ODESZA (LIVE)
ARMIN VAN BUUREN			HARDWELL			PORTER ROBINSON (LIVE)
AVICII			JAMIE JONES			RAC (LIVE)
AXWELL^INGROSSO			KIESZA (LIVE)			RÖYKSOPP
BASSNECTAR (LIVE)			KNIFE PARTY			SKRILLEX
CARL COX			KREWELLA (LIVE)			STEVE ANGELLO
CEDRIC GERVAIS			KYGO (LIVE)			STEVE AOKI
CLEAN BANDIT (LIVE)			LOCO DICE			TALE OF US
DAVID GUETTA			MACEO PLEX			TIËSTO
DEEPDISH			MARCO CAROLA
DIE ANTWOORD (LIVE)			MARTIN GARRIX

To view the full line-up, visit: www.ultramusicfestival.com/lineup

“We are always pushing the envelope, working with the most innovative companies to stay ahead of the curve and offer our fans as much value as possible,” said Adam Russakoff, Executive Producer/Director of Business Affairs/Talent Buyer, Ultra Music Festival and Ultra Worldwide. “We don't tolerate mediocrity and our switch to Twitch is yet another step in the continuum.”

Twitch recently introduced the Twitch Music Library, a resource for game broadcasters that provides rights-cleared music for use in live video and VODs. As part of this venture into music, Twitch launched Music as a beta broadcast category. This has quickly attracted some of the biggest names in the electronic music scene and paved the way for the Ultra Music Festival to choose Twitch as its exclusive broadcasting partner.

“Our community has illustrated a strong affinity for live music, making Twitch a compelling new way for artists to connect with their fans,” said Colin Carrier, CSO and Head of Music, Twitch. “Being able to host the Ultra Music Festival on our platform with sponsorship from a brand like 7UP is a testament to the power of live social video.”

“We are thrilled to be collaborating with great partners like Twitch and Ultra Music Festival to bring fans across the globe closer to some of their favorite artists,” said Dave Falk, vice president of marketing, 7UP. “Not only are we providing a unique experience at the festival through our Stage 7 activation, but we are able to provide unique access for music fans who can’t attend the festival through this incredible live stream approach.”

Visit this link to view the Ultra Music Festival announcement video featuring DJ/producer Martin Garrix, and sign up here to receive Ultra Music Festival news. For all further information on Ultra Music Festival, please visit ultramusicfestival.com.

For daily updates on Twitch, visit the Twitch blog, Twitter feed and Facebook page, and follow TwitchFM for music news.

About Twitch

Twitch is the world’s leading social video platform and community for gamers. Each month, more than 100 million community members gather to watch and talk about video games with more than 1.5 million broadcasters. Twitch’s video platform is the backbone of both live and on-demand distribution for the entire video game ecosystem. This includes game developers, publishers, media outlets, events, user generated content, and the entire esports scene. For more information visit the Twitch website and the blog.

About ULTRA Worldwide™

ULTRA WORLDWIDE is the global edition of the World’s Premier Electronic Music event, ULTRA MUSIC FESTIVAL. The ULTRA brand was founded in 1997 by Executive Producer, President, & CEO Russell Faibisch, and began producing electronic music events in South Florida, which led to the inaugural Ultra Music Festival in 1999 on the sands of Miami Beach. The internationally renowned festival, which has taken place every March since its inception, celebrated its 16th anniversary from March 28-30, 2014 by bringing over 165,000 music enthusiasts to the sold out waterfront event in the heart of the City of Miami. Ultra Music Festival returns to Bayfront Park for its 17th annual edition, March 27-29, 2015. Over the past 17 years, literally thousands of the world’s most iconic DJs, producers and live acts have mesmerized audiences with awe-inspiring sets at ULTRA festivals in ARGENTINA, BRAZIL, CHILE, CROATIA, IBIZA, JAPAN, KOREA, SOUTH AFRICA and of course MIAMI, as well as ROAD TO ULTRA events in CHILE, COLOMBIA, PARAGUAY, SEOUL, TAIWAN, THAILAND, TOKYO, the USA, and now forthcoming events in MACAU and BALI. Each and every new global edition is founded on the same successful recipe that has been perfected over 17 years in Miami, combining the most diverse electronic talent with the most technologically advanced, large-scale festival productions in the world.

Ultra Artist Profile: Tiësto Continues To Rise

via Crave Online

Tiësto is mentoring a new era of EDM superstars while building new frontiers of dance music.

 

45-year-old Tijs Michiel Verwest, better known as Tiësto, stands at the precipice of a complete cultural takeover by the EDM world, one of the most prominent names in the unstoppable dance music revival of the 21st century. A two-decade scene veteran, Tiësto straddles the bridge between dance music’s underground history and a new era of EDM superstars like Avicii, Calvin Harris, Martin Garrix and beyond. He was a major influence in the rise of the latter, mentoring the young spinner and others like him, including Hardwell, as he offered them opening slots on tours and aided their navigation through the industry’s notoriously treacherous waters. 

On his latest album, A Town Called Paradise, Tiësto hybridized trance euphoria with infectious pop structures to massive success. For a deep lather of icing on the year, he won his first ever Grammylast month for a remix of John Legend’s “All of Me,” further concreting his status as an industry mainstay and top figure in the genre. As for social media? He’s killing there too, with over 3.4 million Twitter followers and 20 million Facebook fans.

The social accolades don’t pay bills, however, but low production costs and a staggering quarter-million average set fee keep Verwest in luxury. With lucrative brand partnerships, sponsor deals and over 100 shows in the past year, he tied with Avicii for #3 on Forbes’ World’s Highest Paid DJs list at $28 million. And this year, thanks to the expansion of his own AudioFly/ClubLife products and a $30 million deal with soft-drink giant 7-Up, he may very well reach #1.  

A Billboard interview revealing Tiësto’s perspective on his fame and the future of music was a telling testament to the man’s dedication to raising the status of the entire scene. In discussing his landmark sponsorship deal with 7-Up, Tiësto explained the pivotal role 7-Up’s support played in the exposure of new artists he’s been working with.

“Last year, for example, I signed seven new DJs — seven guys who, in one year, became a lot bigger because of [7UP’s] support,” he explained. “I think that’s where brands have a real potential to build something lasting. When I think about the Club Life brand, that’s how I think about it. It’s more than a label, it represents a lifestyle, my lifestyle on the club circuit.”

As for the future of dance music? Tiësto isn’t studying tea leaves, but he’d like the rest of us to stop the hand-wringing over terminology.

“It’s hard to predict, and I try not to bother. What can you do?” he asks. “What do those genres even mean? EDM used to be a term for all of electronic dance music, but now it just means all the music that you’re not supposed to play. It became the new trance. It got popular, so now we’re all into deep house. And soon we’ll be over that. You can’t win. I wish we could have just stuck with EDM, honestly, because we finally had a term that captured everything in one big family, like jazz. But, no. We had to be hip.”

Genre-labeling issues nonwithstanding, Tiësto is an undeniable force in the music world. Catch his set this month at the Ultra Music Festival in Miami.

Your EDM’s 30 Under 30 - Martin Garrix

via Your EDM

Martijn Garritsen / Martin Garrix

Age: 18

It’s easy to get lost in the numbers behind Martin Garrix’s meteoric rise. At 18 years old, the Dutch superstar has already set precedents and scored landmarks at every corner of the music industry. Picked up by Spinnin’ Records and subsequently backed by Scooter Braun, Martin has become one of electronic dance music’s youngest superstars, amassing a chart-topping, high-streaming musical legacy along the way. Leaping 36 places to #4 of the DJ Mag Top 100 charts in 2014, garnering both the attention of Billboard’s prestigious ’21 under 21’ as well as Forbes’ “30 under 30” list and dropping his first BBC Essential Mix, Martin Garrix’s story is only just beginning.

Behind his humble attitude and encouraging smile is an artist wise beyond his years, setting a precedent for young and aspiring musicians across the globe. Martin has come a long way since DJing his parents’ parties, wandering music festivals as a fan and unofficially remixing Christina Aguilera. The young savant shows through hard work and talent, up and coming artists can realize their dream of topping global charts, scoring multi-platinum sales and headlining festival main stages across the globe.

By the time 2013 came knocking, the bar had been set notably high, but the whirlwind success of Martin’s breakout year was just around the corner. Hitting number one in the UK charts and reaching international platinum status, “Animals” has to-date garnered more than 100 million streams on Spotify and 400 million views on Youtube. Having subsequently linked up with such heavyweights as Afrojack, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Dillon Francis, Sander Van Doorn and DVBBS, this who’s who of collaborators set a spotlight on Martin’s avant-garde studio prowess. Playing soundtrack to such prestigious events as Ultra Music Festival, Tomorrowland, Amsterdam Music Festival and more, Martin Garrix’s sound become ubiquitous around the world.

Entering the New Year with more high-profile shows and festivals on the calendar than ever before and a brand new residency at Las Vegas super club Omnia, Martin’s ambitions are ramping up for 2015. New material alongside David Guetta, Tiesto, Hardwell, Headhunterz and a landmark first dance record featuring Ed Sheeran demonstrate that Martin has every intention of innovating his sound and looking to the future. You’ll find Martin Garrix at every festival worth attending this next year; just as cheerful and exuberant as you’d expect a 18 year old whiz kid looking forward to a blossoming career.

Calvin Harris is a big inspiration for me, I love his tunes. He would be a great mentor to me I think. His tracks are cross over to pop/mainstream, but he will always be a respected DJ/Producer in the dance industry. It ’s something I really aim for as an artist. It’s very impressive what he has done with Dance music and he opened a lot of doors with his music for upcoming EDM artists too!