EDM’s Canary In The Coal Mine: SFX Entertainment

As EDM’s hype and excitement continues to spiral out of control, one cannot help but wonder, when does it end? EDM music is rapidly becoming not only a fad, but a way of life that defines who we are. Some who call themselves “EDM Experts” (whatever that means) postulate that the EDM scene is in the teenage years of its overall life span and that soon, it will pass into adulthood, then to its eventually decline. With the high wages of EDM celebrities, the invasion of EDM into nightclubs, and the genre’s cultural popularity, its hard to picture a world without EDM being in some way significantly integrated into society.

But, like all aspects of culture, we will adapt and evolve into new phenomenons that will define a different generation. Just like rock n’ roll was to our parents, EDM will also be shelved into its time period of history. With the decline eventual, how do we tell when it is upon us?

Besides cultural indicators, the longevity of the EDM movement can be determined through economical trends associated with EDM enterprises. One of these enterprises, SFX Entertainment, is at the top of the list and will serve as the best economic indicator to the well being of the EDM community. As much as we hate to admit big business is behind electronic music, these business’s are driving bigger, better, and more expensive festivals/events. With SFX having a stake in almost everything EDM and continuing to acquire more, the fate of the company will be a good indicator to the monetary pulse that powers the EDM space.

This past month, SFX released their first earnings report which divulged information about the inner workings of EDM’s biggest company. Sadly, the numbers weren’t as good as we were hoping for. But, just as EDM is in it’s “teenage years”, the correlating companies are as well. The past year has been a heavy acquisition period for SFX as it works to plant a foothold in the EDM space and although the numbers aren’t spectacular yet, they show great potential to blossom into a thriving business.

So with both business and culture quickly growing, what is there to worry about? Won’t we have a reliable scene for decades to come? Unfortunately, probably not.

Although the joy for the music will never die, the mainstream and popular train EDM is currently conducting is in danger of reaching its peak within the next 5 years. No, this does not mean that EDM won’t be “cool” in 5 years, it means that in 5 years time economical and cultural signs will be emerging in regards to its peaking point. The exciting EDM scene is showing tremendous growth, but at some point, it must reach a point in which it levels out and slows in growth. The decline of EDM will not come for years to come, but in order for the scene to survive, it needs to prove that it is not a shooting star that fades out, but instead a steady and reliable market that can sustain itself once it reaches it’s resting point.

One of the ways we prove that EDM is here to stay even after its done growing is by building a strong economical value that can support the vast market EDM is quickly becoming. As of right now, confidence is not high as SFX suffered a dismal IPO and their stock continues to hover below $10 a share. Investors and critics say that the EDM space is volatile, dangerous, and un reliable in its longevity. Many of these speculations and concerns follow the recent Molly deaths that have been spiking world wide and are unanimously being tied to EDM. Others argue it’s just a fad amongst kids, and they will out grow their interest soon enough which, quite frankly indicates that EDM isn’t being taken seriously in the marketplace. In order to prove our validity to the general markets of the world, EDM will need to break out of the stereotypes reinforced by mainstream media so it may prove it is here to stay.

EDM’s tremendous growth is both exciting and noteworthy. While we enjoy the quick rise of our favorite scene, we must also be preparing for the future in which we must sustain our scene both culturally and economically so we can prosper for decades to come. Keep your eye on SFX entertainment because when we reach our resting point, they will be a good indicator as to economical stability of the scene.

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