The US obsession with the poppier end of dance music continues as an internet entrepreneur attempts to cash in.
Whilst the music industry is perpetually portrayed as being in crisis, the USA’s so-called EDM juggernaut is singlehandedly bucking the trend, gathering pace at an almost exponential rate through burgeoning festival attendances, music videos and radio plays. Perhaps then the announcement of DJZ, a forthcoming online aggregator of news, music and video for mainstream dance music fans, is of little surprise.
“DJs ARE the new rockstars,” proclaims the DJZ website, “so we are stoked to bring you a site dedicated to their world and everything that is electronic dance music.” The brainchild of internet entrepreneur Seth Goldstein (co-founder of virtual DJ platform http://turntable.fm), backed by multiple venture capitalists (including Google Ventures) and with Paul Oakenfold and DJ Shadow amongst its advisors, DJZ intends to make itself the online epicentre of EDM, filling what they see as a gaping gap in the market.
Interviewed in the New York Times, DJZ backer Troy Carter explained, “Electronic music is fragmented in a way that other genres of music aren’t fragmented. Within three clicks, you can find out everything you need to know about pop. But electronic music is not well curated. To find out about events or get recommendations, it’s not easy.”
It’s true that electronic music lacks a monolithic hub in the way that rock music has Rolling Stone or pop has MTV, but surely that’s due to Carter’s astute observation about its inherent fragmentation. Such are the intricacies and nuances of the myriad sub-genres, is it possible – or desirable – to shoehorn these into a one-size-fits-all offering without dumbing down? Goldstein thinks so: “I just think it’s a mess out there… and there’s a way to make it easier and more enjoyable.”
Is DJZ the online hub electronic music has been waiting for or is it caught in the no man’s land between the underground and the mainstream?
11.57 AM
A profound misunderstanding of the nature of the beast, I’d say, and one doomed to fail.
03.36 PM
Pop, definately pop – if this was underground club music it would be more wholesome.
12.15 PM
Look forward to seeing it flop. What the fuck are those cartoon characters about. Cringe!
06.09 PM
The fragmentation is part of a wonderful organic process that has been taking place for decades: why would we want to homogenize such diversity?
02.53 PM
out of touch. boring. too bad.