Is EDM the new rock?
That hurt to type. Let me apologize in advance before you read the rest of this entry. We’re sorry. It may not quite be “The New Rock,” But you be the judge of that. Okay, moving on.
Electronic Dance music is quickly becoming the new rock in terms of a subculture. Remember how Lorde’s hit “Royals” won best rock song at the VMAs? It was easily the best song in it’s nomination category, but even the youngest music fan would agree that it is not a rock song. Where is rock? Is it hiding? Under a rock perhaps? It’s not hiding. It is now something completely different.
1. Club promoters hire drug dealers to get a cut of the profits.
To rake in on some of the enormous profits that Molly dealers are making off fans at Electronic shows, venues are hiring dealers. The argument is that “everyone wins.”
EDM is an acronym of Electronic Dance Music. The upbeat rhythms and pumping bass make this genre the ideal party soundtrack, or something to keep your heart bumping during a tough workout. In the 1990s, EDM was designated only to Rave culture, yet it is now ubiquitous to the lives of many young people in the United States. At first it seemed like a harmless party. As the body count continues to grow as fans continue to drop dead during shows, we need to closely examine what is happening to this phenomenon as it slowly destroys itself. This form of music has existed for many years, but has soared in popularity as of late and is drastically changing the world in many bizarre ways. The following evidence suggests this may be the worst genre of music to happen to us as a culture.
“Sometime around 2009, dubstep became the catalyst that blew EDM into the stratosphere. Around this time,I became a “sub-promoter” at events in Eugene, Ore., San Francisco, and Atlanta (and to a lesser extent, Brooklyn, N.Y.). Rather than work as a promoter, the promoters and I would enter into an agreement: I’d put my friends in their venues to sell Molly, and they would get a percentage of the profits in exchange for laundering my money. It was a perfect situation, because promoters have a unique capability to make drug money disappear. Several hundred, sometimes several thousand, people can come through the door of any given EDM event, and most of them pay cash. After the event, it’s easy to cook the books and boost your attendance with the cash received from drug money. In this case, everyone wins.
The agents win because their shows have artificially inflated attendance numbers, due to the false attendance reporting. This allows them to command higher guarantees.
The promoters win because they collect at the door, and a percentage of the Molly sold in the venue. The extra money they get allows them to buy better talent in the future and boost their profit margins.
The security wins because any “non-promoter-approved” Molly dealer is thrown out and/or arrested, so they keep appearances with local law enforcement.
The drug dealers win because their product is sold in a monopolized environment, free of competition, where they are free to set the price.
The venue wins because they can avoid the rave laws and feign ignorance.
The artists win because they’re playing to packed houses full of young people losing their minds and dancing on drugs.”
Source: brojackson
“Everyone wins” with the exception of the kids that overdose on all of the bad drugs that are being streamlined into the event.
2. Attendees at Electric Zoo are now forced to watch a PSA about the dangers of Molly
Who wants to watch an antidrug video at a concert? Clearly the Electric Zoo had to have some kind of response to the tragedy that happened in the previous year, but is this really the solution? When in the history of concerts and drug users have promotional videos ever taught us anything? Isn’t it too late when they’re already at the show and dipping their fingers into insidious ziplock bags already?
3. Historic venues are banning EDM shows
Venues are beginning to fear the danger of these shows and have taken immediate action. If no one will book your event, you can no longer DJ.
DJS have begun speaking out against using drugs at their show vocalizing concern that concert goers are more fans of drugs than the artists. The influx of new drug users at these specified events is forcing us to ask a much larger question: Are they fans of drugs, or are they fans of the music? The overwhelming new data and consciousness of the djs suggests the latter.
4. EDM is ruining what was left of Punk Rock
The Warped Tour was created in 1994 by a man inspired by skate videos. At the time, it was popular to record skateboarders with punk rock playing in the background. (Any skater will tell you now that Jack Johnson ruined that.) The show was sponsored by the most popular skateboard shoe manufacturer, Vans, and had a set list that included legendary punk, pop punk, and hardcore bands such as Bad Religion, NOFX, Blink 182, and CKY. Today, “NO MOSHING” banners are displayed overhead and guess what music is played? ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC.
"I’m in a parking lot in New Jersey at the Vans Warped Tour, watching a rapper ask a crowd of teenagers to put their middle fingers in the air if they don’t give a fuck. He’s standing under a sign that says “no moshing.” The kids toss black balls around. At one point, a DJ stops playing EDM to blast Jay Z’s “Dirt Off Your Shoulders.” Then the EDM comes back on."
Source: VICE
5. Everyone thinks they’re a dj now because it is as easy as counting to four.
Deadmau5, (pronounced dead mouse, if you’ve been living under a rock,) admits that being a dj is as easy as counting to four. This explains why half of your friends now think that they are djs. If it is so easy that anyone can do it, are these great artists really so great?
"When heiress and reality star Paris Hilton made her DJing debut at a music festival in São Paulo in June, many observers wondered – just how difficult is it to DJ, really? Not at all, according to outspoken dance music producer Deadmau5, real name Joel Zimmerman: “It takes two days to learn, as long as you can count to four”
Source: Forbes
