Pete Tong advises DJs not to ‘sell out dance music,’ we concurPete Tong

Pete Tong advises DJs not to ‘sell out dance music,’ we concur

In one of the most honest articles written about the current state of electronic dance music, Pete Tong laments on how the industry is changing and how these changes might negatively affect the future of the genre. Given Tong’s long-standing presence and influence in the space, his words ring truer than any Forbes article ever could. When money becomes a catalyst for artistic evolution, quality is often sacrificed and this seems to be one of his major talking points throughout the article. He says, “…numerous extremely wealthy individuals, big business and VC funds are eager to buy into the EDM action. If allowed to run riot with their corporate machinery, these same people will destroy the scene.”

We here at DA are well aware that EDM is finally gaining the notoriety it deserves, but we’re also cautious of its explosive growth and don’t want it to lose its special place in the world. Personally, the energy and sense of community I once felt at dance music shows has slowly become a way for teenagers to declare that they are members of a hip, exponentially growing “in” crowd.

Mainstream success is now in reach for many producers and this is generally the ultimate goal of any artist. Why shouldn’t it be? We get it, but the results aren’t always worth the sacrifices made to get there. Pete issues a poignant warning that if we had to sum up in once sentence if would be this: success makes sense, it just doesn’t always make good music.

Via: InTheMix
Full Article via Music Week Awards (Warning: PDF)

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