With weekend one of Coachella in the books, there has been one predominant story to emerge thus far, and that is the EDM takeover. With many stories coming out claiming that some of the most popular bands including the highly anticipated Outkast reunion were less than eventful and played to a sparse crowd. So why exactly did one of the most popular hip-hop acts to ever exist not do so well? Three words, Electronic Dance Music.

To those who like it, love it or hate it, EDM is slowly but surely becoming the most popular music genre on the planet. In a 2012 study of over a million people by EMI, they estimated there were 73 million EDM fans in America alone. Now it might not be the music of choice for everyone but the bottom line is, when it comes to live events, you simply can’t match the energy and production value of an EDM show. And that is not me saying that just because I love EDM. Truth be told I grew up on hip-hop and I will forever be a big fan of it, but when it comes to Coachella, numbers don’t lie. Many rock bands performed for low-attendance crowds and the EDM shows were beyond capacity.

In addition to EDM becoming the preferred music of choice at these festivals, the festival-goers motives have completely changed. People are going more for the entire experience rather than individual music acts. This explains why festivals, more in particular EDM festivals will sell out prior to the line-up even being announced. So is EDM becoming so popular for the love of the music or because it makes for a great party? I hope it is more for the love of the music and the total experience of it, but from where I sit it seems like EDM is not showing any signs of stopping.

For more in depth articles on how EDM stole the show in weekend one check out the links below. Oh and check out Leo dancing in the Yahoo article.

All She Wants to Do is Dance: Is Rock Losing the War to EDM at Coachella?

Why It’s EDM’s Fault Outkast Flopped