Study Shows Millenials' Opinion of Brands that Sponsor Music Festivals

via Your EDM

These days, it’s almost entirely impossible to attend a music festival without witnessing heavy signs of branding across the grounds. From banners on the walls to stage names to dedicated vendor booths, large-scale events have become innately bonded to companies like Red Bull, 7-Up, Bud Light, and T-Mobile. Even though the purist in me wants to say that I dislike any overly saturated corporate involvement in something that should be entirely catered toward enjoying the music, the reality of the situation remains. These brands play an integral and often enjoyable role in the cultivation of a complete and fulfilling music festival experience.

Their presence brings not only necessary funding required to create the sheer scale of such events, but also a newfound appreciation and feeling of brotherhood between themselves and those in attendance. As these brands host more and more events, their image and services become highly associated with the actual festival itself. A recent study made by live promoter group AEG and branding company Momentum Worldwide details exactly how warm the relationship is between them and the fans. Specifically, they targeted their research on the Millenial generation, the obvious leaders in current festival attendance.

According to their research, an overwhelming 93% of those surveyed stated that they liked the brands that sponsor live events. 80% said that they will purchase a product following a music festival experience, as opposed to 55% of those who were not in attendance. Finally, those who attended a music festival with brand sponsorship walked away with a 37% better perception of the company.

It isn’t easy, however, for a brand to output a consistently positive image at such events. It takes far more than a paycheck and few posters to foster a steady relationship with the fans, and is far more complicated than one might think. Glenn Minerley of Worldwide Momentum reacts to the study findings:

The research clearly shows people will welcome brands in their music experiences. The interesting challenge now is how to do so in a way that feels more memorable to consumers and valuable to brands than what our industry has delivered in the past. We all need to evolve.

The way these brands go about hosting their festivals has had a noticeable impact on my own experiences in the past. The main one that comes to mind for me is Red Bull. Whether I’m in Los Angeles or Chicago, it’s extremely rare not to see a dedicated Red Bull booth or two on the grounds, serving different flavors of their drinks behind a blue counter. Known for their involvement in everything “exciting and extreme”, I’ve found momentary comfort at many different events when I remember that a nicely sized, cold kick of energy is waiting for me right around the corner. Their commitment to hosting so many of the fantastic shows I’ve attended over the years has ingrained their image into my actual memories. The fondness I feel for these festivals is due in part to the brands that make the experience possible.

Another notable incorporation of brands into the music scene comes directly through artist relations. Between sponsored songs, accompanying commercials, and artists acting as spokesmen for heavily involved brands, like Martin Garrix and Tiësto with 7UP, the evolution of music becomes more apparent than ever and rather well received by fans who are far more likely to purchase products touted by their favorite musicians. Whether promoted subtly or with their face firmly planted on the products, there is no doubt that corporate involvement in our scene is at an all-time high. We can’t wait to see what comes next.

Watch the First Episode of 7UP and Tiesto's DJ Talent Show, Your Shot USA

via Dancing Astronaut

As one of 7UP’s freshest faces, Tiësto has been particularly active in helping the soft drink brand more effectively connect with millennials and electronic music. Last year, Tijs’ involvement came in the form of 7Up’s yearlong #7x7Up project – a series of seven experiences at festivals and other events featuring seven different artists. Today, the Dutch icon’s latest work with the brand and Your Shot USA – a 10-episode web series that follows 30 DJ hopefuls – launches on VEVO.

Your Shot, backed by 7Up, is an eight-week competition whose goal is to uncover the country’s next generation of talent. Of thousands who entered, only thirty applicants will be chosen to train at the Your Shot Academy in LA, where they will prepare to perform at a Los Angeles Showcase before a panel of industry professionals and Tiësto himself. The remaining six contestants will then travel to Las Vegas to be taken under his wing, with the winner taking the opening slot for Tijs at Hakkasan nightclub.

Each Monday, Your Shot will release a new episode zooming into the lives of each contestant, showcasing the trials and tribulations of becoming a household name.

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.

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

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.

Tiesto Wins First Grammy For Best Remixed Recording

via YourEDM

 

 The day has finally come and the Grammys are already off to a great start. With Deadmau5, Tiesto, Zhu, Aphex Twin and several others all up for a Grammy, the day promises to be filled with several victories for the electronic music scene. To kick it off, Tiesto has already won his first ever Grammy ever for his remix of John Legends ‘All Of Me‘.

Tiesto released his remix to ‘All Of Me‘ on his birthday as a gift to fans but now, that track has brought Tiesto a new career milestone as he joins the ranks of Grammy winning artists.

Having over 4 million plays on Youtube, All of Me (Tiësto’s Birthday Treatment Mix) is a well balanced vocal driven track that even got the tip-of-the-hat from John Legend himself. Tiesto is the first EDM artist to win an award at today’s Grammys but with several more nominations in the pipeline, you can expect to see several more winners.

Scooter Braun and Tiesto Invest in Splice, a Cloud-Based Music Creation Platform

via Billboard

Tiesto Performs On SiriusXM's 'Electric Aquarium' Series On Tiesto's Club Life Radio on June 16, 2014 in New York City.

Ilya S. Savenok

Splice, a cloud-based music creation and collaboration platform, announced yesterday that it has raised $4.5 million in a Series A round of funding led by True Ventures with participation from Scooter Braun, Tiësto, Steve Angello (ex-Swedish House Mafia), AM Only, WME, Plus Eight Equity Fund LP, as well as existing investors such as Union Square Ventures.

The fundraising adds to the $2.75 million in seed funding from Union Square Ventures and other investors raised back in October 2013, bringing the company's total to $7.25 million. The announcement also marks another move made by Braun's $120 million music venture fund, that was also first reported back in late 2013. Splice also announced it has moved from private to open beta.

As the barriers to access professional grade sound engineering equipment and software continue to decrease and more and more people experience music through uploading remixes and covers to Soundcloud, the necessity and potential value of a service like Splice increases. The only current competitor in the marketplace is Blend.io, but according to a report by Wired, there was a huge boom in demand for such services as far back as seven years ago.

Having DJs (Tiësto, Angello) as investors is important in ensuring Splice's alignment and importance to the community of artists who are already finding a lot of utility in the product.

"It represents a belief in the vision and it's a belief in the future we're trying to create," says Splice co-Founder Steve Martocci in an interview with Billboard. "[It represents] a true belief that the problems and struggles we're trying to address for artists on the creation side, on the collaboration side, on the distribution side, are valid."

Splice, founded by Martocci and Matt Aimonetti, offers DJs and music producers a much-desired system of version control for creating music. As is stands right now, working on a track with multiple people across long distances is very difficult. The sizes of project files are too big to be simply emailed, and even cloud-based storage solutions (like Dropbox) don't offer ways to track changes, leave notes, and revert to previous saved states.

Splice offers all of this and more in a lightweight downloadable client that acts as a bridge to a user's digital audio workstation (or DAW) and an expansive, interactive web interface that doubles as a social network. In yesterday's announcement, the interface receives a facelift with the introduction of a DNA player, which helps artists and collaborators visualize a song's structure and leave annotations on specific voices or instruments.

Features like the DNA player, or the way Splice works with artists like Alesia to release tracks through that platform, allows for creators and consumers alike to experience music in a truly unprecedented way because it places the actual project files into the hands of the consumer. Fans could have the potential to open their favorite artist's song and examine exactly how they created it, which plugins and techniques they used, and then incorporate those ideas directly into their own production (or better yet, use the file themselves). This idea of freeing one's music has placed Splice in the center of a constructive debate about the future of modern music consumption. 

Splice's DNA player is live today. Check out the track "Scream" by Henry Fongand J-Trick, two rising stars from Tiësto's label Musical Freedom, in the embed below.

Tiësto Curates Summer EDM Playlist for New Music Startup Bop.fm

Via HuffingtonPost

Summer is only (already?) half way done, and many of us have been busy with concerts, parties, cookouts and the like. If you're like me, your music collection is getting a bit stale, and you're looking for that awesome new song of the summer, right?

Well, there is plenty of fantastic, party-ready music out there just waiting for you, and if you don't know where to begin, I have the perfect place for you. Tiësto has made a playlist of EDM gems and remixes that are sure to whet any appetite, ranging from hard to soft, loud to calm and everything in between.

The internationally-respected DJ curated the list himself, so you know there is quite a bit of his own work featured (not that I'm saying that's a bad thing). Other than Tiësto singles and remixes, there are original tracks and reworkings of tracks from the likes of Bastille, Disclosure, Kiesza, and plenty of names you might not know yet.

The producer created the playlist for new music tech startup Bop.fm, which is the most recent name to join the music streaming game. When most people are looking to listen to a new song, they head for YouTube, Soundcloud, Spotify, or any of the dozen or so other options for listening to music online, but none of them are perfect.

Let's say you're in the US, and you have friends around the world. You may find a great new artist on YouTube you want to share, so you send them all links. Just as they go to listen, that incredibly frustrating message pops up: "This clip is not available in your country". Why!?

The same -- and so many other issues -- can happen with any of the other streaming services. Some cost money, some have annoying ads, and others have a really limited catalogue. If you were looking to find a go-to place for listening, Bop.fm is worth a try.

The site is unlike all the other options in that it doesn't house any music on its own, nor does it have any of those complicated licensing deals with labels and artists that have started causing friction in the industry. Instead, it is more of an aggregator of all of them, there only to find the track you're looking for wherever it may be online. Type in whatever you're looking for and Bop.fm does the work, finding which site -- YouTube, Soundcloud, Spotify, Beats, or Rdio -- you'll be able to listen to it on.

The site is completely free and doesn't have any ads of its own, and it has plenty of playlists (such as Tiësto's, which is below) to help you discover new music. If you're like me, always having to bounce between services and websites to play certain songs, this one is for you. Give it a try while you listen to some kick ass new dance tracks given to you by one of the greatest, Tiësto himself.