New York hosted its first festival dedicated to electronic music on the weekend of September 5th and 6th, entitled 'Electric Zoo', where many of the world's DJs came together to put on a critically acclaimed show. What really astonished me was the fact that this is the first electronic music festival in one of the biggest cities in the world and leaves me pondering over why the US of A hasn't caught on to a thriving dance music scene like us Europeans have?
A recent article on the Reuters website had me thinking and Googling away. That article can be found by clicking right here.
I've personally clubbed my feet away on a few patches of European territory and found it accommodating to the liks of me, a 'foreign' visitor - it was easy to feel part of an inclusive, hedonistic vibe. The small difference would be communication barriers as English was in some parts non-existant or more strongly accented than here. Well, unless you find yourself in Liverpool... or Newcastle for that matter.. I guess Scotland too. Come to think of it, there are fewer differences than I originally thought.
Now, it isn't all Dollywood, rock and R&B in the States - the most prolific celebration of dance music in any dance fanatic's diary is the annual Winter Music Conference in Miami. This is where not only hundreds of DJ's gather to put on unforgettable performances but industry professionals, record labels, statutories and more find breeding ground for innovation within production and networking. It is your very own microcosm of a summer in Ibiza. Miami is the perfect location for such an event, with great venues, beautiful weather and plenty of dollars to invest in state of the art equipment, yet in no way does this event reflect the tastes of the wider American population.
As in the article posted above, electronic music only accounts for 1% of all music sales in the US, whereas here in the UK it accounts for 8%. This in comparison is approximately $49.8 million against $99.9 million, respectively. Bear in mind that revenue created from all genres and media of music sales as a whole in the US is more than triple that of the UK - $4.9 billion and $1.2 billion, respectively. The figures show just how much us Brits like those to boogie on down to those electronic beats, spending just under double that our stateside competitors.
Some American 'experts' argue that the American population can't relate to a lyric-less track. So, enter David Guetta. He is taking the US by storm and it is down to his collaborations with prolific urban stars such as Akon and Kelly Rowland. His current smash 'When Love Takes Over' has taken the world over, achieving a number one chart slot in 10 countries, including the US Billboard dance chart. The lyrics commercialise a solid piece of house music, even if it has sampled Coldplay's 'Clocks', who’s piano riff is infectious and the trance-like synths add a reflective, beach worn feel to it.
Guetta has the right idea by maximising his audience, spreading his cheesey work to the US. He isn't doing anything differently to what he was before except for landing some high end collaborations, which is making America listen. Maybe he'll be the one who turns electronic music in the US into a mass market and if that happens prepare for a global dance session.
Here's the Parisian dropping the tune in New York, to a nice, echoed reception.
**
Web
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_industry#Recorded_music_retail_sales
http://www.ifpi.org/content/library/Recorded-Music-Sales-2008.pdf
A recent article on the Reuters website had me thinking and Googling away. That article can be found by clicking right here.
I've personally clubbed my feet away on a few patches of European territory and found it accommodating to the liks of me, a 'foreign' visitor - it was easy to feel part of an inclusive, hedonistic vibe. The small difference would be communication barriers as English was in some parts non-existant or more strongly accented than here. Well, unless you find yourself in Liverpool... or Newcastle for that matter.. I guess Scotland too. Come to think of it, there are fewer differences than I originally thought.
Now, it isn't all Dollywood, rock and R&B in the States - the most prolific celebration of dance music in any dance fanatic's diary is the annual Winter Music Conference in Miami. This is where not only hundreds of DJ's gather to put on unforgettable performances but industry professionals, record labels, statutories and more find breeding ground for innovation within production and networking. It is your very own microcosm of a summer in Ibiza. Miami is the perfect location for such an event, with great venues, beautiful weather and plenty of dollars to invest in state of the art equipment, yet in no way does this event reflect the tastes of the wider American population.
As in the article posted above, electronic music only accounts for 1% of all music sales in the US, whereas here in the UK it accounts for 8%. This in comparison is approximately $49.8 million against $99.9 million, respectively. Bear in mind that revenue created from all genres and media of music sales as a whole in the US is more than triple that of the UK - $4.9 billion and $1.2 billion, respectively. The figures show just how much us Brits like those to boogie on down to those electronic beats, spending just under double that our stateside competitors.
Some American 'experts' argue that the American population can't relate to a lyric-less track. So, enter David Guetta. He is taking the US by storm and it is down to his collaborations with prolific urban stars such as Akon and Kelly Rowland. His current smash 'When Love Takes Over' has taken the world over, achieving a number one chart slot in 10 countries, including the US Billboard dance chart. The lyrics commercialise a solid piece of house music, even if it has sampled Coldplay's 'Clocks', who’s piano riff is infectious and the trance-like synths add a reflective, beach worn feel to it.
Guetta has the right idea by maximising his audience, spreading his cheesey work to the US. He isn't doing anything differently to what he was before except for landing some high end collaborations, which is making America listen. Maybe he'll be the one who turns electronic music in the US into a mass market and if that happens prepare for a global dance session.
Here's the Parisian dropping the tune in New York, to a nice, echoed reception.
**
Web
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_industry#Recorded_music_retail_sales
http://www.ifpi.org/content/library/Recorded-Music-Sales-2008.pdf
I didn't realise it sampled Coldplay's 'Clocks' good spot. I hate it even more now..Ha
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