It seems like the IMS Engage conference was the place to be; you had fistfights, inspiration, and a manager (who's probably made a lot of money off of American EDM fans given how successful the Swedish House Mafia were received) feeling that America could be killing dance music.
Let's back up; Amy Thomson, who is known for telling it like it is, didn't hold back when she spoke at the conference. Her comments were definitely aimed more at the dollars being thrown at EDM over the last few years, and when she was asked to elaborate, she had the following to say:
“I feel the investment buzzards are circling. I worry about the big valuations flying around that could lead to disappointment. What you don’t want is some big fucking massive city sale and everyone’s fucking cheering, and then in three years time you’re declared bankrupt and you’re a stigma for 20 years when you’ve just finally been accepted and legitamised.
“The buzzards circling worries me. The saturation worries me. But who backs down? Which promoter stops? There’s a huge demand, it’s being supplied currently, but at what point do kids get sick of it, and whose fault will that be? I’m as guilty as anyone else.”
That's not far off from what a lot of people have said in regards to the influx of corporate interest being heaped onto dance music. We're living in the EDM boom period right now, where everyone from Dick Clark Productions to 20th Century Fox trying to figure out an angle in. This is what people talk about when they throw shade at terms like EDM; it's been about nothing but the way outsiders are monetizing on the scene.
Now that tons of cash are being invested in dance music havens like Las Vegas and Beatport, we're pretty much at the beginning of this insane journey. Will you hang on for the ride?
(inthemix)
