Electronic Dance Music And The Millennial Generation

Counterpoint
Photo via The Polish Ambassador

The sixties heard the whine of the electric guitar and saw the masses gather in Bethel Woods, New York for one of the most transformational gatherings in the history of music. 2014 saw tens of thousands of music lovers return to Bethel Woods, but this time the genre was much different. Mysteryland USA was the first domestic version of the long established electronic dance music (EDM) festival that has been a staple in the Netherlands for nearly 20 years.

With more and more producers emerging on a daily basis thanks to media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and SoundCloud, electronic dance music is becoming more readily available and serving as the soundtrack of the millennial generation.

According to the Pew Research Center, Millennials generally refer to people born between 1981 and 2000.

What is EDM?

According to the electronic dance music website thatDROP.com the definition of EDM is as follows:

Simply stated, electronic dance music is any music that is generated primarily through electronics such as computers and synthesizers.

EDM, or Electronic Dance Music, is a concoction of various computer generated sounds such as bass lines, drums and percussion, echos, and manipulated vocal samples that are combined using synthesizers and other various equipment to create a full length sample. Generally created for the nightclub and music festival scene, EDM has been generating an increasingly large mainstream following, particularly throughout the last decade.

With state-of-the-art lighting and video production, mind-twisting live-art installations and the continual emergence of genre pushing musical innovations, EDM festivals are providing a multi-sensory experience that is drawing in millennials by the thousands.

Not only is this generation consuming music, festivals, and merchandise at an ever-increasing rate, but top-tier events such as the world famous Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas bring contribute upwards of $278 million dollars in to the local economy over a single weekend and major brands are starting to take notice.

According to Edge Collective:

There’s been a significant rise of brands going beyond the traditional role of sponsors and becoming partners with brands, record labels, and more to reach new customers and establish itself as a dominant brand in a busy market place.

Large companies such as 7UP are actively working to continue to gain access to this demographic. Activations at large scale events such as Ultra Music Festival in Miami, Florida and Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas have seen large stage productions exclusively featuring the brand.

thatDROP.com
thatDROP.com

It is no secret that EDM fans are not your typical fans. A recent study conducted by Eventbrite illustrates that EDM-goers attend events with 5 or more friends, 61% plan to attend more events in the coming year, and 67% of EDM fans hear about new events through social media as opposed to 40% of other music fans.

Overall, EDM fans and millennials are much more social and willing to spend the extra dollar to travel across the country for big events while interacting on social media.

With so much new music and more and more fans hopping on the bandwagon every day, the power of the millennial generation to shift economic trends is unprecedented.

For more information on everything EDM check out our partners at thatDROP.com.

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