Electronic dance music DJs and producers have become superstars due to the rise of social media. They are able to connect directly with fans and share details of their personal lives online. This close relationship has helped electronic music sales grow exponentially, surpassing rock and roll. Artists like Avicii, Deadmau5, Skrillex, and Swedish House Mafia have millions of social media followers and are able to sell out shows through online promotions alone. Their online presence has given them tremendous influence and made electronic dance music a mainstream genre.

1. image: Nanagyei flickr
DJs - iCelebrity Superstars
By: Nina Winwood

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It used to be that only through gossip
rags, interviews and celebrity
television programs could we be invited
into the lives of the rich and famous

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“The explosive growth is directly related to the rise
of social media and the internet according to dance
music lovers and DJs themselves”
- Jessica Gelt, LA Times

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Radio Disc Jockey in 1947
image: The Library of Virginia flickr

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Avicii in 2012

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Electronic music sales
are actually projected to
be 4x that of Rock N’ Roll

7. image: Nina Winwood
Social Media has taken away the tastemaking
power from record labels

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“Personal computers have democratized the
process for creating electronic music”
- Jessica Gelt, LA Times

9. image: Nina Winwood
Joel Zimmerman aka Deadmau5

10. image: Adam Zunder
Deadmau5 asked his fans to design his next mau5 head...
The contest on Talenthouse.com reached
20,985,642 people

11. image: Nina WInwood
“Social media is super important, well it is to me. I wouldn’t
say everybody should have a voice of their own - maybe I
shouldn’t” - Joel Zimmerman

12. The
official
recap
video
has over
3 Million
YouTube
views
*He wore the Talenthouse.com contest winner’s mau5 head for the performance

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Sonny Moore aka Skrillex

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Over 900 thousand people follow
Skrillex’s every word on Twitter
He plays about 300 shows a year

15. Skrillex has over 325 million video views on Youtube
*

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“He’s really active, he dives into the show, waits outside the tour bus, and he’s the
same way on Twitter. He connects with fans. He responds to tweets.”
- Lee Anderson, Skrillex’s Agent

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Sebastian Ingrosso, Axwell, and Steve Angello
aka Swedish House Mafia

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iTunes Festival

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“We put a nightclub in Madison Square Gardens”
- Steve Angello
Due to advertising the pre-sale on Facebook the concert
SOLD OUT all 20,000 tickets in NINE minutes

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“It’s hard not to fall in love with
Swedish House Mafia’s
globe-trotting, champagne
swilling lifestyle”
-Lauren Lipsay, Rolling Stone
2012’s Masquerade Motel for Miami Music Week sold out in 20 minutes after
being announced on Facebook and Twitter only 48 hours before the sale

21. image: GabrielaP93 flickr
Electronic dance artists are very well connected to their
fans via social networks and this strong bond is what
has made the genre explode into the mainstream

22. “Getting retweeted is like the new autograph” - Justin Klienfeld

23. image: Nina Winwood
Nina Winwood
http://about.me/ninawinwood
@addictedtomedia