1. ELECTRONIC MUSIC, TECHNOLOGY & YOUTH CULTURE
APRIL 2015
AUDIENCE INSIGHTS GROUP

2. 2
R
emember the kid in high school that was there, but was never really
there? Everybody always thought he was a little different – wearing
tattered jeans, black-and-white checkered Vans and some obscure
t-shirt with a tongue on it? In terms of popularity, he probably would have
been at the bottom of the social pecking order, but here, everyone wanted
to be him and all the girls (and maybe even some of the guys too) wanted
to be with him. Why? Because he discovered this incredible music first, and
then inducted us into the world of Rock ‘n Roll. You can’t buy that kind of
social currency. This universal experience belies the relationship that every
generation has with music. But in recent years, there has been a tectonic
shift in how music is acquired, stored, listened to, talked about and enjoyed.
For proof of how the music world has changed, consider the evolution of
the mix tape; a far cry from what Nick Hornby wrote about in his 1995 pop
novel High Fidelity. Liner notes have been replaced by band tweets; mindfully
collecting records, cassettes or CDs has given way to binging on unlimited
access to compressed audio files that are just a click away. And all of this has
reframed how music shapes our identities – more specifically, how music has
shaped the millennial generation.
We at SFX have been diligently studying our audience to understand their
movements and behavior in the music space or what we’ve come to call the
‘Electronic Music Culture’. The study that emerged from that work provided
us with a wealth of new insights into what makes EDM the music of the
millennial generation. The insights lead, we believe, to some provocative
questions that marketers might want to consider as they strategize about
how to connect with this elusive audience. This group is constantly shifting,
realigning and contradicting itself. It’s a thing of unpredictable, chaotic
beauty. The uncertainty of where it’s going next, or how it’s going to get
there, is what makes it such a timely and relevant subject today.
EMC > EDM
I
n other words, electronic dance music (EDM) isn’t just about dance music
… it’s bigger than that; it’s about electronic music culture (EMC). That’s
the key finding from the Electronic Music, Technology and Youth Culture
Study which surveyed a total of 437 Beatport users in the US and asked them
to share their thoughts and feelings about EDM, technology, festivals and
brands. Administered by Latitude, a custom market research consultancy,
and commissioned by SFX’s Audience Insights Group, the study is the first
among many primary research studies that will look to define and quantify
the Electronic Music Culture.

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To start, we wanted to get a sense of what words our fans use themselves to
describe electronic dance music. Here’s what they had to say:
… clearly they like dancing and going to parties. All positive words associated
with EDM.
EDM is more than music; it encapsulates a movement that has very deep
roots. In contrast to virtually every other genre, it is a form of music that has
its very beginning in technology. This technological birth has maintained a
consistent theme throughout the growth in production and performance tools.
Technology is coded into the music’s DNA and the DNA of those
who embrace and seek this music as a mainstay of their daily
life. Although the financial barrier to entry has been removed
from making the music, the passion for technology continues
on with the recent wave of teenage producer phenoms. These
young and old producers not only have the tricks to make the
music, but they also thrive in their ability to share it through a
variety of live, social and digital channels. This technological
foundation helped build and sustain a culture that is now at its peak, where
the underground has become mainstream.
We then asked how our fans feel about EDM and almost 50% said that ‘it’s a
way of life!’ 95% agreed that ‘it has created a culture that’s bigger than music
itself and 93% agreed that ‘it’s a defining aspect of their generation.’
BUT EDM ISN’T A GENRE; IT’S A WAY OF LIFE
50% said that ‘it’s a way of life!’
95% agreed that ‘it has created
a culture that’s bigger than music
itself and 93% agreed that ‘it’s a
defining aspect of their generation.’

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I
n addition to the technical execution of how to reach so many is the
common thread of acceptance that exists in EDM culture. It is for the
“cool” kids, but even more importantly it is for the outcasts and those in
far left field. The statistics are available to support how these fans are
more intensely devoted to their music, which makes perfect sense
given the significance around finding a place (any place) where social
judgment and stigma is virtually nonexistent. But why travel across
the country or an ocean for a three-day festival? Simple, an unrivaled
audible experience with surrounding spectacles expertly curated for an
unforgettable experience.
T
he proverbial “crate” is always present in this space of music, making
sure that the connection to fans and how to keep them moving on a
floor, in a field or on a stage seems to outweigh all else. The Dutch
word gezellig has no direct English translation. Anyone native to Holland will
tell you that this is an “important” word that embodies many things about
Dutch culture. One resounding theme that seems to be present in the culture
around this word is creating a connection to people, places and things. There
is something very important about finding an inviting place, whether physical
or virtual, to go where the experience and music has been hand selected for
you and the community you love. Now is not just a pivotal time in EDM, it
is an iconic time in music across the globe. In the end, the true root cause,
external factors and social phenomenon for EDM can never be truly defined
by this white paper or any other. However, what is absolute is how crucial
this movement is for so many and how greatly they value the connection it
creates…gezellig.
One resounding theme that
seems to be present in the
culture around this word is
creating a connection to
people, places and things

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MUSIC STILL DRIVES THEIR EXPERIENCE
99% show up at festivals because they like the music. 99%
of fans also like the stages, lights and lasers at festivals,
followed by 96% liking the art installations throughout the
festivals.
99% show up at festivals because they like the music. 99% of fans also
like the stages, lights and lasers at festivals, followed by 96% liking the art
installations throughout the festivals.
WITHIN EDM, HOUSE MUSIC IS THE #1 GENRE
As there are many subgenres within EDM, we wanted to see which genre our
fans are listening to most. 66% are listening to House, 55% listen to Deep
House’ and 53% listen to Electro. Interesting to note how close in numbers the
subgenres are from one another.*
66% are listening to House, 55%
listen to Deep House’ and 53%
listen to Electro. Interesting to
note how close in numbers the
subgenres are from one another.
*The list is from the 2014 Tomorrowworld Survey created by Rvigork NetPanel.

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FESTIVALS + EVENTS
W
e wanted to get some insights around festivals – what
activities our fans are participating in? We noticed
that digital, referring to activities that require a device
to interact with is the common thread. What this means is that
our fans are using their smartphones to interact – take photos
or videos (79%), look up info about artists or songs (51%), use
Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat or other social media to post about
the festival while they are there (50%). Basically, the EDM festival
equals connected fandom.
W
e know that fans are showing up at festivals with
devices in their hand to listen to the music, here’s the
breakdown of how they share their fandom. With
Facebook at 72% used the most often, Instagram is next with
58%.
DIGITAL TOPS THE LIST OF ACTIVITIES AT FESTIVALS
SOCIAL MEDIA USED AT FESTIVALS
Take photos or videos (79%), look
up info about artists or songs
(51%), use Facebook, Twitter,
Snapchat or other social media
to post about the festival while
they are there (50%). Basically,
the EDM festival equals connected
fandom.
With Facebook at 72% used the
most often, Instagram is next with
58%.

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S
tudies have shown that Millennials don’t like brands that explicitly “sell”
to them, but who does? 72% feel that brands ‘don’t make an effort to
understand [their] generation.’ If they did, 83% would be talking about
them right now. Here’s what one fan had to say:
“In general, a brand should allow me the opportunity to use its product/
persona to construct my own person brands. If I don’t believe in what the
brand embodies, then I don’t want to be a part of it. One the contrary, if I feel
that branch hits home for me, I am likely to help spread the word and co-brand
myself to it.” – Female, 25 y/o
In other words, give them a real reason to brag about. Brands that sell by
providing new, robust, relevant information will have more success. 93% of
our fans ‘appreciate when brands help bring them great events’ and 87%
have a ‘more positive perception of a brand knowing that it’s associated with
electronic music’.
Brands offering content that enhances a product or service while tapping into
other Millennial interests gives more dimensions to the brand’s relevance. For
example, when a brand engages a cause its audience values or provides ways
to use a product to enhance an experience, that brand has added significant
value for the Millennial consumer.
The brands that adopt this strategy position themselves as an
asset to the Millennials’ needs or wants, allowing them to become
more than their products and services—they become the provider
of an experience that this generation wants. Brands that provide
more depth or substance to their offerings and give greater
explanations of why they are relevant give the Millennial more
reason to make them a part of their lives. And it gives them more
reason to share with others, helping the brand build an organic
and loyal following. Open, ongoing, relevant communication is the key to a
brand’s success with this generation.
However, the challenge for any brand is to determine what is relevant for
the Millennial audience - having a Facebook account, posting on Twitter, and
providing relevant, fresh content is critical, but there are many brands that
do this with limited success. If a brand’s offering does not satisfy Millennials’
needs, the judgment they pass can make or break its adoption and success.
However, creating a forum or a community for this group to communicate
and share their opinions with each other can create loyal followers and
increase sales. This is what’s next for us at SFX. We’re creating a proprietary
BRANDS AT FESTIVALS
72% feel that brands ‘don’t
make an effort to understand
[their] generation.’ If they did,
83% would be talking about
them right now.

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Sources:
BBC
Beacon Economics
Center of Gravity Festival
Economics of the Electronic Dance Music Festival
Fromm, Jeff, ‘Marketing to Millennials: Reach the Largest and Most
Influential Generation of Consumers Ever’.
Insomniac Events
Live Nation
Ultra Music Festival
TicketFly
online platform where we can interact directly with our fans through the
tools they use in everyday life. Whether it’s through emoticons, Snapchat
videos or Instagram posts, etc., we believe that we need to communicate
with them in their language in order to understand why they do what they
do. What drives their decision-making process? What do they want? What
do they need? What are they afraid of? What are they motivated by?