Insomniac Suing USC Events

Seattle concert promoter USC Events has been known to have a history of nonpayment issues, but they’ve come to a head this past week. Industry giant Insomniac - who has previously partnered with USC Events’ parent company to put on the festival Paradiso - is now serving a lawsuit for misuse of funding, and terminating the contract that previously allowed both companies to work together. The lawsuit claims that USC Events has “failed to adequately explain what happened to the advance payments” (John Cameron, EDM.com). In order to make up for this rift, however, Insomniac will be trying to put on an independent festival at the same venue that Paradiso is held.

Read more here.

A Phoenix Rising from the Ashes

It’s no secret that streaming giant SoundCloud has been struggling to meet its financial goals for a few years now, despite its enormous popularity with aspiring artists and A&Rs. SoundCloud Go, the platform’s paid option, hasn’t been purchased to the same extent as comparable memberships such as Spotify Premium, making the operating costs almost insurmountable. It’s possible that these lower conversion rates from free to paid memberships are due to the demographic to which SoundCloud caters: namely young people, and up-and-coming rappers and DJs who perhaps are attracted to the platform simply because of its low user cost. Regardless, whispers in the music community about SoundCloud’s woes and potential impending dissolution are nothing new. However, last week, SoundCloud reported that for the first time, it had surpassed $200m in gross annual revenue. This is a huge step and impressive milestone for a company that seems to be turning itself around and adapting quickly to a rapidly transforming music business landscape. Although SoundCloud has proven more difficult to monetize than other streaming options, the increased adspace and promotion of the Go membership have helped to reduce overhead in the past two years. Whether it’s due to the friendliness of the interface, the highly interactionary nature of the community, or the organic grassroots algorithms that help small town performers like Lil Xan grow to fandoms of millions, it seems that SoundCloud is here for the long haul.

Read the report here: Music Business Worldwide

A year in "revue"

It’s finally 2020, and the year is already off to a blazing start. From the memes to the dad jokes, it’s clear media lovers are wasting no time in moving away from 2019 as quickly as possible. But here at We Dream Worlds, we’re a bit more sentimental, especially when it comes to those year-end raves we all know and love. As we look back fondly on 2019, it’s the most recent festivals that best define 2019’s EDM trends and culture. Let’s review a few favorites.

AUDIOTISTIC SO-CAL

Following its NorCal predecessor, this one-day event at the NOS Event Center didn’t disappoint. Although lacking the same rap and hip hop influences that usually frequent the Shoreline Amphitheater incarnation, Audiotistic SoCal more than compensated by featuring two stages: Frequency 1.1 for more dubstep and bass, and Frequency 2.2 geared towards deep house. At 1.1, highlights of the night were Flosstradamus, NGHTMRE, and closers Tchami & Malaa. At 2.2, Anna Lunoe played pregnant (!) with Wax Motif for an iconic B2B, followed by an unforgettable set by AC Slater (whose Night Bass record label sponsored the stage). The variety of sound and all together good vibes made it an unforgettable event.

SNOWGLOBE

One of those festivals which is known both in and out of EDM circles, SnowGlobe debuted a stellar lineup this year that left fans raving. The most hotly anticipated performances were by GRiZ, Fisher, and Skrillex (the NYE headliner), though smaller acts really shone: notably Kasbo’s soft feelsy synths, Elohim’s melodic interludes, and the edgy bass of Kaivon and GG Magree.

COUNTDOWN NYE

This Insomniac mainstay had a stacked lineup this year with four massive stages. The NOS Events Center looked otherworldly with colored orbs dangling from trees and ground crew suited up as aliens, giving attendees an “out of this world” experience. At the Mothership stage, fan favorites The Chainsmokers and Galantis played the crowed, in addition to superstars Alesso and Oliver Heldens. At the Nebula stage, Atliens threw down hard core, and Griffin, Jai Wolf, and Porter Robinson played unforgettable DJ sets. The Area 51 stage featured dub acts like Borgore and Svdden Death, in addition to popular Florida native Blunts & Blondes. Lastly, the Twilight Zone stage hosted by Insomniac Records featured more deep house vibes such as Dombresky, Chris Lorenzo, and Dr. Fresch. All in all, an incredible compilation of talented artists and a diverse roster made Countdown the event to beat.

DECADENCE NYE

Often quoted as “America’s biggest new year’s celebration,” this show is like no other. Although we at WDW didn’t get the chance to go ourselves this year, the sheer list of performer names is enough to give us chills: from Bassnectar to Don Diablo to Rezz to San Holo to Slander. And the videos (the few that are in existence) look epic. If you went to Decadence, leave your thoughts in the comments below; we’d love to hear from you.

LOOIKING FORWARD… COACHELLA 2020

It’s no secret that the upcoming Coachella lineup was recently announced, and people have LOTS of opinions. We’re assuming you’ve got thoughts, too: we certainly do. Let us know! DM us who you’re most excited to see in the upcoming festival season, in addition to which festivals from 2019 were your favorites. And stay tuned for more reviews yet to come!

Flume's Hidden Meaning

Flume has recently admitted to being nervous before releasing his latest mixtape Hi, This is Flume, and it’s easy to see why. After all the success that Skin received, it can be daunting to follow up such an iconic album. But Harley said that during this period of hesitant production, he would “sit in this room for hours doing all of these lines for radio stations, like, ‘Hi this is Flume and you’re listening to blah blah blah’ and [hated] it” (GQ). This insight gives new meaning to the mixtape title: it came from a time when Flume felt that his actions weren’t living up to what he wanted to be doing. As a result, he decided to ironically name the mixtape after the very phrase that brought him so much annoyance, effectively breaking out of that phase that was holding hi back. He eventually chose to release HTIF as a mixtape because it made him feel less pressured and “less serious” (GQ), two emotions which can often stunt artistic creativity. Harley admitted to being “freaked out about putting out something that might not grow” (GQ) after Skin’s exponential popularity surge.

Read more at GQ Australia.

Green Tours

Despite dropping their latest album “Everyday Life,” Coldplay has announced that they won’t be touring for it. Why? To protect the environment. Lead singer Chris Martin told BBC that they’ll be taking a year or two to find a way to make the tour carbon neutral and sustainable. They even have ambitions to eradicate single-use-plastic at their shows, and use solar power for energy.

This brings up a relevant topic, which is the environmental impact of concerts and festivals. With hundreds to thousands of attendees per event, and hundreds to thousands of event per year, it’s safe to say that the impact on the earth of disposable goods is taking its toll. Coldplay’s move hopefully signifies a shift in a more green direction for the future.