{"id":435,"date":"2024-04-19T15:20:16","date_gmt":"2024-04-19T15:20:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/orangefiles.me\/?p=435"},"modified":"2024-05-23T11:32:38","modified_gmt":"2024-05-23T11:32:38","slug":"future-proofing-festivals-caa-vet-alex-becket-on-why-edm-is-the-sound-of-success-for-coachella-and-more-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/orangefiles.me\/index.php\/2024\/04\/19\/future-proofing-festivals-caa-vet-alex-becket-on-why-edm-is-the-sound-of-success-for-coachella-and-more-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Future-Proofing Festivals: CAA Vet Alex Becket on Why EDM is the Sound of Success for Coachella and More"},"content":{"rendered":"
Imagine it’s 2013. Skrillex’s brostep is decimating crowds, Avicii is triggering spiritual dancefloor awakenings, a 17-year-old Martin Garrix drops “Animals” and the retina-searing lasers of Ultra are changing eyeballs forever.<\/p>\n
While that EDM serotonin rush still remains, the industry looks different over a decade later, when its consumers often prioritize the intimate, walk-on-air euphoria of a dark warehouse rave over the regurgitated frills of a major festival. From a cultural standpoint, the chasm between those two formats keeps growing\u2014but for its artists, the road between the two is paved with uncertainty and hardship.<\/p>\n
So where exactly do DJs fit into this industry in flux? And what challenges do they face?<\/p>\n
Without the peace of mind that comes with blitzkrieg marketing offensives and veteran negotiators like CAA’s Alex Becket, most must navigate choppy waters solo as inflationary pressures hike the rising costs of touring<\/a> to unsustainable levels. For those artists, it’s a lonely masterclass in DIY hustle.<\/p>\n Becket is the powerhouse agent behind\u2014among many others\u2014R\u00dcF\u00dcS DU SOL, Bedouin, Monolink and G Jones, the lattermost of whom was recently named by EDM.com<\/em> as one of the world’s best electronic music producers<\/a>. He has been with CAA for nearly two decades and became the firm’s first electronic music agent in 2012 before nabbing a spot in Billboard<\/em>\u2019s venerable “Dance Power Players” list in 2019.<\/p>\n It’s no secret that leading agencies like CAA wield industry tentacles to curate prime festival real estate as a means to nurture the eggs of their mainstream golden geese. In other words, the stages of major festivals are the ultimate slingshots for new albums<\/a>. Meanwhile, their electronic artists\u2014as well as those repped by independent bookers across the nation\u2014are left tasting the dust of their hip-hop and pop contemporaries.<\/p>\n But if there’s any silver lining, blue-chip agencies and festivals today are acutely focused on unearthing and booking EDM talent, according to Becket, who tells us he expects to see more dance acts on big stages in the near future.<\/p>\n