Why EDM is thriving while other genres aren't
DJs are the new rock stars? Maybe. (Although chefs are already the new rock stars.) Still, the big name DJs do seem to be living pretty large, what with the constant travel to exotic locations, goofily-clad fans, eager women, drugs and parties. Just swap MacBooks for guitars and it doesn't look so different from the way Zeppelin rolled in 1973. 
Aaron Thackeray Slide show: The People of Skylab 2012
What's missing, however, are album sales. Despite the genre's re-emergence in recent years to gargantuan crowds, you won't find most electronic artists on the mainstream charts, at least outside of the marquee names like Skrillex, Deadmau5, and Swedish House Mafia. Albums and singles are rarely certified at the gold and platinum levels. (Skrillex's "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites," which introduced a whole generation to dubstep, just recently passed a million in sales -- more than two years after its release!) And while streaming services like Spotify and Rdio are earning artists a few dimes here and there, much electronic music is given away for free online.
See also:
- The ten best EDM shows of 2012
- The ten best EDM songs of 2012
- The ten worst EDM songs of 2012
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