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the oligopoly of electroinc's top artists

So I was looking at the lineup for UMF
http://www.ultramusicfestival.com/

and most of those artists have been the top dogs since I can remember. I was listening to and going to shows for these guys since high school. If I compare that to other popular music genres, the top artists seem to change a lot more often for the other genres. So where are the next big artists for electronic? Can it be said that the current top electronic artists have an oligopoly that prevents any new talent from making it as far as they have?

I think if you look at things as far as the world scene there have been a lot of other top EDM performers that have come and gone...those headlining Ultra though seem to be the most popular in the US, and have been for years.

As with other genres...lesser known artists just need to work their way up but it is indeed hard where the top artists dominate in terms of show attendance and record sales. If you know where to look for good music though, it's usually the underdog artists working their way up that are making it, not the top artists...I'd still like to see Tiesto and PvD spin but I can't say they make tunes like they used to, I'm more interested in the up and coming trance artists to see if they can offer new sounds.

I agree with you in respect to UMF, but its not just that. These guys have been around for a while and are still the major players when it comes to most things electronic. You bring up a good point in that the talk about trance and such things loosing its luster, could that be blamed on this oligopoly of the same artists controlling most of the roads in this genre? In other words, are 'new sounds' in electronica harder to come by because the keys are held by a number of artists that don't want the next big thing to steal their thunder?

You made this thread so you could use the word oligopoly, didn't you?

heheh...i'm not sure that the word oligopoly(nice word from economy) is the right word here. i think that we make them the TOP artist, and we do it by voting to them again and again (one way to make top artist) and thats way those artist are in the TOP of the TOP. because they are in the TOP, they have money, and because they have money they continue to be in the TOP, its the circle of life. i'm not saying that because they are in the TOP they are the best artist/dj's. lots of unknown artist/dj's that i hear on the net are much better then the top ones!!!

This is an interesting comment, and I have to agree.

From my own experience, I would say its partly my fault. When I first go into EDM, I was so excited a whole wealth of new music for me to listen to. I instantly gravitated towards the big guys, Oakey, Sasha, Digweed, and made sure I voted for them.

After a few years, I realised that they have pretty much the same sound and I wanted to branch out. The 'problem' is that there are a lot of people getting into EDM all the time, so they go for the big guys too. So, there is a never ending line of people willing to vote for and go see the Tiesto's, PVD's, Armin's.

Now that I am more experienced, I really could care less about voting, but care more about finding good music. With the industry becoming so competitive, the big guys have the most money to throw behind them selves in terms of promotion. So who do you see everywhere? The big guys.

The EDM scene is a little different from the Pop scene, because most artists/DJs do not have the backing of massive record labels, like Sony, to push their songs/albums to the top of the radio play lists. They must finance their own agendas.

I really do want to branch out, but I am honestly finding it hard to do so. It feels like it takes more time than it used to find a new artist/DJ that I really like, somebody that I have not heard before, with a sound I have not heard before.

quote:

Originally posted by Orko The EDM scene is a little different from the Pop scene, because most artists/DJs do not have the backing of massive record labels, like Sony, to push their songs/albums to the top of the radio play lists. They must finance their own agendas. I really do want to branch out, but I am honestly finding it hard to do so. It feels like it takes more time than it used to find a new artist/DJ that I really like, somebody that I have not heard before, with a sound I have not heard before.

Yes I tend to agree, especially in this regard. It would seem as if the basic makeup and inner workings of ELECTRONIC (not just EDM which is a specific subgenre of the whole) has become its own undoing. Makes sense if you think about it because a lot of the top dogs of the genre were becoming the top dogs as the genre was also growing. So in other words the big names have helped create and shape the industry and perhaps that influence helped to shape it around their own interests ie keeping themselves on top.

The good thing about all this is that its nothing new. This sort of things happens often not just in music. I think eventually some hip new artist will explode into the scene with a new way of doing things that changes all the rules. The problem is because of what we've been discussing it is taking longer than it should.

quote:

Originally posted by josh4 The problem is because of what we've been discussing it is taking longer than it should.

I do not think we can say that. Music is organic, and should be organic, to say something is late or too early cannot be correct. If the change takes a long time, then fine that was the course it was ment to take; we will live in a stagnant period, as is the case now.

holy god look at that fucking lineup!

quote:

Originally posted by r5a holy god look at that fucking lineup!

seriously

Re: the oligopoly of electroinc's top artists

quote:

Originally posted by josh4 and most of those artists have been the top dogs since I can remember. I was listening to and going to shows for these guys since high school. If I compare that to other popular music genres, the top artists seem to change a lot more often for the other genres. So where are the next big artists for electronic? Can it be said that the current top electronic artists have an oligopoly that prevents any new talent from making it as far as they have?

Yes.

In the english club scene in the late 90s, power was very much concentrated in a few hands, and they controlled all avenues of everything: music, magazines, record labels, clubs, studios, etc....and they propped each other up like sheeves of corn ie: "I'll play at your club if you do an interview for my magazine and we'll both remix each other's latest record"...increasing their exposure and cementing their powerbase within the club world. To get into this cartel, you basically had to be endorsed by them, much like getting into the popular crowd in highschool--Oakenfold's endorsing of Dave Clarke worked in this manner.

In the early 2000s, english clubland fell out of favour with the public and the massive megaclub scene moved to the Netherlands and its rising (literally) sound of Dutch Trance, where again it was controlled by yet another cartel of elite DJs artists and music moguls who have refused to let go, stifling creativity, innovation and freedom in the process.

Re: Re: the oligopoly of electroinc's top artists

quote:

Originally posted by Ishkur Yes. In the english club scene in the late 90s, power was very much concentrated in a few hands, and they controlled all avenues of everything: music, magazines, record labels, clubs, studios, etc....and they propped each other up like sheeves of corn ie: "I'll play at your club if you do an interview for my magazine and we'll both remix each other's latest record"...increasing their exposure and cementing their powerbase within the club world. To get into this cartel, you basically had to be endorsed by them, much like getting into the popular crowd in highschool--Oakenfold's endorsing of Dave Clarke worked in this manner. In the early 2000s, english clubland fell out of favour with the public and the massive megaclub scene moved to the Netherlands and its rising (literally) sound of Dutch Trance, where again it was controlled by yet another cartel of elite DJs artists and music moguls who have refused to let go, stifling creativity, innovation and freedom in the process.

LOL

man... either I'm really stoned or this thread is just hilarious.

First, we've got Ishkur replying with his usual trance historian persona, and that never gets old... lol, it's like he just chimes in to correct everyone like those guys on the history channel

Then, we've got, what's this?

Oligopoly?!

LOL... great stuff, nice nice.

peace

Re: Re: the oligopoly of electroinc's top artists

quote:

Originally posted by Ishkur In the english club scene in the late 90s, power was very much concentrated in a few hands, and they controlled all avenues of everything: music, magazines, record labels, clubs, studios, etc....and they propped each other up like sheeves of corn ie: "I'll play at your club if you do an interview for my magazine and we'll both remix each other's latest record"...increasing their exposure and cementing their powerbase within the club world. To get into this cartel, you basically had to be endorsed by them, much like getting into the popular crowd in highschool--Oakenfold's endorsing of Dave Clarke worked in this manner.

Who were those individuals in the late 90's?

Just you wait till we start mobilising the Indians to vote.. and the Chinese... THEN you'll have a whole bunch of new superstar DJs with equally new unpronouncable names to worship...

But yes, the author's right... There's always new blood being brought onto the dancefloors, who aren't jaded with the EDM scene and willing to spend. Their lack of awareness encourages them to dish out top $ for Big Name Superstar DJ, which in turn encourages promoters to book aforementioned BNSDJs.

It's time other DJ talent started to look at promoting their own nights... maybe time for TA to lend its name to doing ground events... charge low entry fees, and book quality DJs who're just as interested in promoting a fresh sound, as they are in earning a decent living from DJ-ing.

It's working (on a small scale) for the natives in India... so why not for the rest of the world.......??

quote:

Originally posted by nikhil chinapa It's time other DJ talent started to look at promoting their own nights... maybe time for TA to lend its name to doing ground events... charge low entry fees, and book quality DJs who're just as interested in promoting a fresh sound, as they are in earning a decent living from DJ-ing.

Since the creator of TA is from Toronto, that does happen here in the city. You do see TA showing up on flayers because they allowed it to.

If you look on the bright side, someday PVD, Armin, Tiesto, Sharam, Dubfire, Ferry, Sasha, and Digweed will all die.

By which time technology will have advanced enough to allow them to virtual dj from the grave.. holographic images and all...

@ Orko... TA's reach is global. I think identifying areas where they're most popular (easy now with Google Analytics) and organising events with TA member-voted DJs in those areas isn't such an improbable idea...

This problem is pretty much all directly related to the rise of the Jesus pose. You guys know that, right?

Paul Van Dyk - 50 Years of Music*

remember all the greatest hits from the octogenarian, that you raved at in your youth

*including the epic 2008, 2017 and 2024 remakes of For An Angel

UMF is a business, they will whores those names for the $$$$ and the numbers that those names will bring in..

quote:

Originally posted by nikhil chinapa By which time technology will have advanced enough to allow them to virtual dj from the grave.. holographic images and all...

I could totally see his head in one of those Futurama head tanks, DJing to a crowd covering the moon, with robotic arms to the side doing the Jesus pose.

quote:

Originally posted by noikeee Paul Van Dyk - 50 Years of Music* remember all the greatest hits from the octogenarian, that you raved at in your youth *including the epic 2008, 2017 and 2024 remakes of For An Angel

classic

Re: Re: Re: the oligopoly of electroinc's top artists

quote:

Originally posted by DJ Shibby LOL man... either I'm really stoned or this thread is just hilarious.

OR..ORRR...you're a moron. No...that can't be it. You must be really stoned.

It's because most of them are DJs, and a DJ can stay relevant simply by buying new records. By contrast, a genre like rock comprises of artists and bands, who need to keep recording new sounds to stay relevant. Just look at Sasha and Diggers. How many times have they changed their sound? Sasha was originally about vocal house, then he became a proponent of prog and epic house, then trance and now he's changed again to fit what's relevant. There's not a rock band in the past twenty years that has changed their sound so frequently and so far.

quote:

Originally posted by SYSTEM-J It's because most of them are DJs, and a DJ can stay relevant simply by buying new records. By contrast, a genre like rock comprises of artists and bands, who need to keep recording new sounds to stay relevant. Just look at Sasha and Diggers. How many times have they changed their sound? Sasha was originally about vocal house, then he became a proponent of prog and epic house, then trance and now he's changed again to fit what's relevant. There's not a rock band in the past twenty years that has changed their sound so frequently and so far.

I agree with you on these points but lets not give the DJs too much credit for staying "relevant" through the use of other people's new sounds. And regardless of how often one DJ switches it up, its still that DJ doing the switching so the change can only go so far. Sasha may have changed from vocal house to prog and epic house but its all going to sound like its coming from Sasha.

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