DA’s Best of 2012 (so far), #1: Telling it like it is
Now that we’ve reached the halfway point of 2012, we thought it would be fun to highlight some of the best and worst moments of the year so far. This week we’re bringing you five of the highlights, while next week we’ll be bringing you some of the lowlights.
Telling the truth is difficult in any situation but particularly in those dictated by public relations and political correctness. The music industry is one of the more complicated ones. Saying the wrong thing about the wrong person — no matter the accuracy of the statement — has the potential for detrimental, career-altering effects. Dance music, however, is beginning to shed these weights in favor of honesty and constructive criticism. We couldn’t be more proud to be helping lead this trend.
The emergence of new and sometimes uneducated fans has made it easier for artists to pawn their gimmicks and pseudo-images off on unsuspecting consumers. Now that people are beginning to voice their opinions and concerns it demands accountability from artists and the industry in general.
In late June, our own Jacob Schulman wrote an editorial about the mainstream-ification of “EDM,” and issued a call to arms for not only DJs, but the fans themselves. We’ve gotten amazing feedback by giving constructive criticism, most notably with cases like Steve Aoki and Duran Duran, and Made Event’s improvements to Governors Island. Thanks to Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr, artists themselves have a direct channel to disseminate not just their music, but their feelings and opinions too. Deadmau5 has never been one to shy away from controversy and his post about push play DJ’s generated important insights.
We at Dancing Astronaut believe that music is a medium that deserves attention and respect in the same way as politics, crime, and other things you see on the news these days. There’s no shortage of opinions out there in the world, and we’re committed to bringing you well-defended, cohesive arguments with that ting of edginess that keeps people on their toes.
For these reasons, we’re in favor of the evolution and hope that others begin to speak up — especially those with a platform to do so.
Categories: News