By Dash Two Staff
The Rise of EDM: From Underground to Mainstream
Not so long ago, rave music — or Electronic Dance Music — was still the underground type of music with its own die-hard fans and secret warehouse parties. There was a unique culture within the dance music community (referred to as ‘PLUR’ – Peace Love Unity Respect) that stood separately from mainstream music fans and was preferably kept that way.
Starting between 2006 and 2009, popular songs such as “Lose Control” by Missy Elliott and “When Love Takes Over” by David Guetta began bringing mainstream attention to the genre, sparking a new EDM revolution. Mashup songs featuring pop and hip hop artists flooded the charts, and mainstream music — actively seeking something fresh — embraced it. The result was an explosion of massive festivals: Electric Daisy Carnival, Electric Forest, TomorrowWorld, Beyond Wonderland, and more.
Among those, EDC is perceived as one of the largest dance music festivals in North America — and its evolution between 1997 and 2014 mirrored the broader changes in the electronic music scene over those 17 years.
EDC Las Vegas 2014: The Biggest Installment Yet
2014 witnessed the greatest-to-date installment of Insomniac’s Electric Daisy Carnival — a three-day festival held in Las Vegas, recognized as part of the official EDC week of the city. From a small one-day event in 1997 in Los Angeles to accommodating 400,000 fans across eight visually stunning stages, Insomniac founder Pasquale Rotella had come a long way.
With more than 200 DJs spinning across stages featuring custom-ordered artwork, massive fireworks, and elaborate special effects, EDC set out to become the so-called ‘Disneyland’ for ravers. Roughly 4,600 staff members were on duty each day, alongside thousands of police officers keeping attendees safe.
Commercialization, Sponsorship, and the EDM Business Boom
EDC 2014 featured 11 new food trucks, 5 new restaurants, wedding ceremony packages, and festival rides. More significantly, Live Nation’s acquisition of half of Insomniac brought new commercial dimensions to the event — including sponsored stages like the 7-Up stage.
This was part of a broader trend. Heineken had already incorporated Dutch producers Armin Van Buuren and Tiesto into their marketing campaigns. As Avicii’s manager Ash Pournouri noted, EDM was generating an estimated $4.5 billion annually — a figure that attracted significant corporate interest.
Rather than diluting the music, the merging of EDM and mainstream culture opened new creative territory — encouraging cross-genre collaborations and reshaping the music industry in ways that continue to play out today.
Technology, Social Media, and Insomniac’s Marketing Edge
At EDC 2014, Insomniac introduced SnapChat Wifi — encouraging participants to share their EDC story in real time. While the execution had room to grow, it represented a forward-thinking approach to using mobile technology to enhance the live festival experience.
Insomniac’s willingness to adopt new technology has been central to its success. Pasquale Rotella maintained a regularly updated Facebook presence, serving as a direct bridge between the brand and its fans — a smart strategy for preserving the intimate, community feel of EDM even as the festivals scaled to massive proportions.
The use of memes, short videos, and real-time social content kept fans engaged year-round — not just during festival season. It’s a content marketing playbook that mainstream music and brand marketers alike can still learn from today.