The organizers of Elements Music & Arts Festival have announced the final lineup of artists for its Labor Day Weekend celebration. After postponing its 2020 event to Memorial Day Weekend, the festival ultimately announced a move to its traditional Labor Day Weekend to ensure health and safety protocols are upheld and most of the headliners are able to attend.
Slated for September 3rd to 6th in Lakewood, Pennsylvania, the festival features an expansive lineup of artists, including GRiZ, Ganja White Night, Bob Moses, Claude VonStoke, Diplo, CloZee, Yotto, TOKiMONSTA, Rusko, Chris Lake, Bonobo, and Manic Focus.
Based on the original four elements of Water, Earth, Fire, and Air with corresponding stages, the festival incorporates the fifth element of “you” to bring the community aspect to the experience of the three-day event. Along with a genre-spanning lineup, attendees can expect a weekend full of curated health and wellness programming, including yoga, aromatherapy, dance, comedy, sound baths, and more.
All tickets purchased for the previous dates will automatically be rolled over to the new ones. Additionally, the festival plans to follow safety protocols as required by the CDC and state and have outlined their COVID-19 protocol for entry, requiring all attendees to provide proof of vaccine or take a two-part testing protocol. For more information, head over to the festival’s COVID-19 FAQ page.
You can check out the full lineup below and purchase tickets here.
Deadcrow has released a two-track EP, Fallout. The newest member of RL Grime’s Sable Valley Records, the producer properly debuts on the label with two boundary-pushing tracks, “Fallout” and “THERA.” Notably, the title track was featured on Grime’s “Halloween IX” mix in October of 2020.
Fallout characterizes the Dutch-based producer’s influences of cyberpunk aesthetics and classic street racing video games. Both “Fallout” and “THERA” sonically capture the subversive mix of dark and heavy bass with modern approaches to the acid and hybrid trap genres. Listen to Deadcrow’s Fallout EP below.
Featured image: Deadcrow/Facebook
Tags: acid, deadcrow, Fallout, future, Halloween IX, jersey club, Sable Valley, Trap
Shamir has covered Sharon Van Etten‘s ‘Dsharpg’ – listen to the new version below.
The tack will appear on ‘Epic Ten’, a special 10th anniversary edition of Van Etten’s second album ‘Epic’. The record has previously been previewed by cover of ‘A Crime’ by Big Red Machine (Bon Iver‘s Justin Vernon and The National‘s Aaron Dessner), Lucinda Williams’ take on ‘Save Yourself’ and IDLES’ version of ‘Peace Signs’.
Other artists set to reimagine tracks from ‘Epic’ for the new anniversary edition, out digitally on April 16. include Fiona Apple and Courtney Barnett.
Reflecting on the album, Van Etten said: “‘Epic’ represents a crossroads for me as an artist – going from intern to artist at Ba Da Bing, from solo folk singer to playing with a band for the first time and beginning to play shows on tour where people showed up.
“I am in awe of the artists who wanted to participate in celebrating my anniversary and reissue, from young inspiring musicians, to artists who took me under their wing, who I met on tour, and to artists I’ve looked up to since I was a teenager.
Sharon Van Etten’s last full-length album came in 2019 with ‘Remind Me Tomorrow’. A four-star NME review of the album read: “‘Remind Me Tomorrow’, serves not so much as a nudge, but a forceful and playful shove to remind listeners just how special Van Etten’s talent is on both a lyrical and musical level.
“Don’t call it a comeback, but it may well be her most intoxicating and impressive work to date.”
CalvinHarris is readying for his first-ever NFT drop and the hype is real.
In partnership with longtime friend and creative partner EmilNava, the Grammy award-winning, multi-platinum selling artist prepares to unleash five new pieces of music with accompanying nature-themed visuals.
Leading up to the NFT drop, Harris has uploaded a teaser of “TECHNOFISH,” featuring previously unheard original music and five vibrant displays of underwater artwork.
Working with decarbonization advisor Aerial, a portion of proceeds from the “TECHNOFISH” NFT sale will go toward “high-quality, forest conservation projects verified by American Carbon Registry and to emerging technologies such as Charm Industrial that capture carbon from biomass waste and permanently store it underground.”
NFTs have emerged as a new way of combining art, music, and technology to offer collectors exclusive, digital rarities — and often times, make a difference in the process. We expect more and more artists to continue pushing the concept forward.
The Calvin Harris x Emil Nava TECHNOFISH collection goes up for sale March 29th via Nifty Gatewayhere.
Industry insiders and electronic music fans, rejoice: Amsterdam Dance Event will officially take place in person this year as it celebrates its 25th anniversary edition. Organizers cite the ubiquitous vaccination campaign and rapid test capacity of the Netherlands as catalysts for the event, which is currently slated for October 13th to 17th, 2021.
Since its inception in 1996, ADE has grown famous for its unique combination of the club and the conference room. Dedicated to electronic music, its 2019 edition featured over 2,500 artists for its festival and 600 speakers for its conference across nearly 200 of the city’s venues. While much of ADE’s plans for 2021 are still under wraps, performances from Dave Clarke, Oliver Heldens, Avalon Emerson and Speedy J are confirmed for the fall.
The 2021 in-person edition of Amsterdam Dance Event has been confirmed after the conference went virtual in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition to its typical festivities, ADE is opening up its online business-to-business platform to music professionals for free. Starting in April, anyone can create an account to gain access to the ADE network, participate in interactive speaker sessions, and contribute their thoughts on a post-COVID-19 industry.
While tickets are not yet on sale, pre-registration for the conference-only Pro Pass is now open. Additionally, access to individual concerts is now available to purchase through their specific promoters, with a growing list available here.
Following numerous cancellations due to the pandemic, Tomorrowland Winter has returned with its dates for next year and will be celebrating in Alpe d’Huez, France from March 19 – 26, 2022. For those hoping to attend next year’s event, pre-registration has already begun.
In an email, Tomorrowland stated,
“The second edition of Tomorrowland Winter was canceled just before the start in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to organize a festival in Alpe d’Huez in 2021 either, but Tomorrowland is convinced that this will be possible again next winter. After a two-year break, the festival will return to Alpe d’Huez from March 19 – 26, 2022 to organize the ultimate musical winter sports holiday – gathering the world’s best DJs in the village and on the mountains at its dazzling stages, which Tomorrowland is renowned for all around the world.”
While a 2021 edition of the festival was not possible due to the pandemic, Tomorrowland Winter managed to put on a tribute concert in the Swiss Alps featuring Klingande, Ofenbach, and a back-to-back with Martin Solveig and Kungs.
Tomorrowland Winter held its inaugural festival back in 2019, the venue high up in the Swiss Alps at a French ski resort, Alpe d’Huez. Last year’s festival had been called off shortly before it could begin, and had been one of the first events to be canceled due to the pandemic. In October, organizers announced that the festival would not be returning in 2021.
Tomorrowland also shared the dates for its annual summer festival, which had to be canceled last year as well. While usually taking place in July, this year’s festival is expected to return on August 27 – 29 and September 3 – 5, “for 2021 only.”
While none of Tomorrowland’s festivals were able to occur last year due to the pandemic, organizers transitioned online, hosting the digital festivals United Through Music, Around the World, and Tomorrowland New Year’s Eve. The festivals hosted streams from the likes of Tchami, Martin Garrix, Tiësto, and more.
Featured image: Tomorrowland
Tags: covid-19, Klingande, kungs, martin solveig, Ofenbach, tomorrowland, Tomorrowland Winter
Swizz Beatz has revealed that Dr. Dre almost took part in a VERZUZ battle but pulled out at the eleventh hour.
VERZUZ is the popular entertainment series that pits producers, songwriters and artists against each other in a rap battle style format on Instagram Live and Triller.
Competitors take it in turns playing a song from a list of 20 from their discography, as fans, friends and fellow artists watch on. A winner is later decided by Timbaland and Swizz Beatz.
Kicking off in March last year after Timbaland and Swizz Beatz issued challenges to one another, artists that have taken part so far have included: T-Pain, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Brandy, Monica, Rick Ross, DMX, Snoop Dogg, D’Angelo and many more.
Speaking in a new interview, Swizz has revealed that one artist who almost took part in the battle series was Dr. Dre, before changing his mind after seeing the technical difficulties experienced by Babyface and Teddy Riley during their VERZUZ bout in April.
“When Dr. Dre wasn’t feeling the sound from Teddy Riley and Babyface, that hurt our heart,” Swizz told The Breakfast Club. “If you go back, Dre was at the Teddy Riley one, he came at the end. He was supposed to announce that he was going to do VERZUZ that night!”
“I don’t think he was going to announce who he was battling,” continued Swizz, after DJ Envy asked whether or not he was slated to battle Diddy. “He was going to announce ‘I’m ready, I’m coming.’ Then he got on the phone like, ‘Man, I can’t be a part of nothing that sound like that. My legacy is quality.’
Swizz added: “I was like, ‘We just lost Dre over the sound? That one felt pretty crazy. But since then, the energy has been pretty good.” You can watch the interview below.
Last Saturday (March 20), Wu-Tang Clan MCs Raekwon and Ghostface Killah went head to head in the first VERZUZ to be streamed through Triller following its recent deal with Timbaland and Swizz Beatz.
The series has announced a number of upcoming battles including longtime rhyme partners Method Man and Redman, who will face off on April 20 in a “4/20 Special”.
This story was co-authored with Amanda Montgomery and Hannah O.
Following the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the gaming economy exploded as people searched for new forms of entertainment. According to GamesIndustry.biz, the global gaming market reached a value of $174.9 billion in 2020, representing a 19.6% year-over-year increase.
JohnVitti, CEO of VersusGame, noticed that despite this growth, the prediction marketplace was still waiting to be fully tapped into. Seeing the next big opportunity in gaming, Vitti “wanted to create something everyone could be a part of and everyone could profit from,” he told EDM.com.
With that idea in mind, Vitti built VersusGame, a prediction-based mobile gaming app where users can earn money simply for being right. Players can use virtual currency to bet on the potential outcome of situations and are rewarded if they guess correctly. Since its launch in 2019, the app has collected over $6 million in investments from distinguished entrepreneurs such as ScooterBraun, JustinMateen, SeanRad, and SwayHouse, among others.
John Vitti, CEO of VersusGame.
The app has created such a unique virtual gaming marketplace and community that over 6 million users are actively using the platform as of January 2021. One of the linchpins of VersusGame’s user acquisition strategy has been their savvy use of music and culture marketing to attract a broader audience.
For example, during the 2021 Super Bowl, the company teamed up with Triller and Maxim for a $1 million cash prize giveaway to game participants, hosted by Platinum recording artist 24kGoldn and renowned music producer MurdaBeatz. The fun doesn’t stop there—VersusGame plans to continue hosting massive giveaways based on pop culture events such as the Oscars, the Golden Globes, and even Bachelor finales.
To discuss this new marketplace economy of prediction gaming, we chatted (virtually) with Vitti to break down the forces responsible for driving VersusGame’s impressive growth, what the platform’s $10 million seed funding means for its future, and how musicians across all genres can create lucrative and passionate gaming experiences for fans.
EDM.com: Before we get into VersusGame, can you walk us through the experiences that led you to building the app?
John Vitti: I’ve worked on several projects before VersusGame, and saw the next big opportunity to be in the gaming industry. No one has really tapped into the prediction marketplace before, and I wanted to create something everyone could be a part of and everyone could profit from.
I always saw the elites winning, whether it be in regards to betting, investing in stocks, or buying equity. The betting and investing industry has been run by a specific group. I was driven by the opportunity to level the playing field so absolutely anyone could profit off these industries. There are opportunities for our players to predict what will happen and make money in any sector. The power has really been put into the hands of the everyday player.
EDM.com: For our readers who may not be familiar, VersusGame has given away over $10.5 million in cash prizes since the inception of the app. Can you walk us through how users of your app earn cash prizes and engage with influencers and celebrities on the app?
John Vitti: At VersusGame, we’ve created a fair game based on microtransactions. With our app, you can battle anyone across the globe on any question your mind thinks of. Use your knowledge or research statistics to predict the right answer.
You can search for a game that you would like to play and then you’ll have the opportunity to battle against a stranger, your neighbor or favorite celebrity. When the game ends, you’ll get the results of who won and who lost. Buy coins to play games with and once you have a nice big stack of coins, cash them out for real money! It’s awesome.
VersusGame rewards users with virtual currency for predicting answers to questions about songs, celebrities, TV shows, brands, and more.
VersusGame
EDM.com: Let’s take it back to the early days of VersusGame. Can you share with our readers the process of building VersusGame and scaling the app so quickly?
John Vitti: I am honored to have a strong network of likeminded entrepreneurs who wanted in on the app during early stages. VersusGame is backed by an illuminati of investors, including Scooter Braun, Justin Mateen, Sean Rad, and Sway House (Michael Gruen, Josh Richards, Griffin Johnson, Bryce Hall, Noah Beck, Blake Gray) funding a total of $6 million since it’s launch in 2019. Together, we were able to hit the ground running and create a one-of-a-kind game.
EDM.com: In September, Versus announced the launch of its own gaming economy through a new exclusive feature that will give players the ability to host their own games. How has this new feature been adopted by your user base?
John Vitti: It’s created an incredible community. Hosts can either choose to keep the games exclusive to their inner circle or open them up for anyone in the world to play. People are able to interact with anyone around the world who have the same opinions and interests as them.
Not only has a strong community been created, but each of the players who create a question will earn a portion of the revenue generated from each game they create. It’s become a second stream of revenue for VersusGame players. It’s a unique opportunity to the masses, giving anyone and everyone the chance to earn money, grow their following and build their personal brand without the power of social media influence playing a role. We love to see the creativity our players bring to the table.
VersusGame now allows users to host their own games and earn a portion of the revenue generated from each session.
EDM.com: Gaming has seen hockey stick-like growth since the pandemic hit in March 2020. How have COVID-19 and this new quarantine culture impacted your company?
John Vitti: The online gaming boom due to the pandemic has helped our platform immensely. Players are looking for alternative ways to pass the time inside, and also most importantly, create another stream of revenue. With everyone being at home throughout Covid, people are glued to their phones and are using social media apps more than ever to keep up with pop culture trends, and the opportunities to engage with our users is at an all-time high. We have given away millions of dollars to our players this past year and can’t wait to give away more!
Many of the music, sports, entertainment and social media industries have flocked to VersusGame as an alternative stream of revenue while concerts, games and films continue to be halted. They also embrace the fact that they can gain more followers and experience interactive engagement with their fans.
EDM.com: VersusGame recently completed a $4 million Series Seed round of financing from Raised In Space and Plus Eight Equity Partners. Can you share a little background with us on what this new fundraising round will allow your company to do in the future?
John Vitti: This new fundraising will allow VersusGame to massively expand its user base through engaging more influencers in the entertainment, sports and social media spaces. We will be focusing on the next generation of content creators, allowing them to directly monetize their following and producing revenue through a marketplace no one has yet to monetize. It will allow us to become one of the first social media platforms to allow its users to directly monetize their brand.
EDM.com: Your total user base currently sits at 6 million as of January 2021. What are some of the challenges and opportunities you are seeing to expand your user base even wider in 2021?
John Vitti: The gaming industry is bridging the gap between social media and virtual gaming and VersusGame is leading the way by elevating consumer’s experience on both mediums. We do so by creating a successful way for users to monetize their social media presence. We hope to breed a new way of influencers and creators on our platform, boosting our user base within the next year.
We also feel very strongly about putting money back into our users pockets. It’s been a tough year and every chance to earn a little more cash is crucial. By gaining more users on our platform, more games are being created, and more users are playing. With pop culture always changing, we are constantly creating new games for our users to interact with. Tons of opportunities will arise for our users to earn additional streams of revenue in 2021.
The VersusGame app has 6 million active users as of March 2021.
EDM.com: VersusGame just completed their first ever $1 million giveaway the week of the Super Bowl. Can you share a little more about how this activation came about and the result?
John Vitti: 2020 was a rough year for everyone. And VersusGame wants to help everyone feel on top. We wanted to find a way to engage users on one of the most talked about game-day weekends, and grow some excitement around winning $1M from the comfort of your own home!
Jane Dushance, a mother of two with a third on the way, won $10,000 after participating in our big Super Bowl giveaway. The game was co-hosted by Grammy-nominated producer Murda Beatz and music sensation 24kGoldn. We had 540,000 participants competing to win and three contestants were in the ranks to win the $1,000,000 cash prize.
With a .0005% chance of winning, Duschance answered seven of the ten VersusGame questions correctly before the coin toss on Sunday’s kickoff and was declared the winner. She shared her plans for the cash prize winnings, including putting the money towards a brand new car for her children.
EDM.com: VersusGame just did a big giveaway for the Grammy Awards. What did this activation entail and what experience did your users have?
John Vitti: We have a super exciting lineup ready for our gamers. Music has been such an integral part of keeping people happy, calm, and relatively sane during this crazy past year. We are super excited to partner with some huge artists that are making a big splash in the music industry—specifically those that have really thrived this past year. They are excited to give their fans a big thank you for all their support, and hopefully make the next year a little better than the last.
EDM.com: What are some other features, events, or activations that users should look forward to in 2021?
John Vitti: VersusGame has a lot up our sleeves. We are creating major moments for our users surrounding some of the most anticipated moments in pop culture. The Super Bowl was just one of many. The Golden Globes, Oscars, Bachelor finale—you name it and we have a game for it.
You can find out more about VersusGame and download the app here.
HARD Events has announced its debut event in the United Kingdom and will have its first-ever HARD London visa stamped on August 21.
HARD London will be hosted at The Drumsheds, a new venue from the creators of the infamous Printworks. Its inaugural lineup heartily represents the brand’s distinctive electro and bass-forward style, with HARD veterans Tchami, Malaa, and Kayzo tapped for the one-day festival. Fans at HARD London will also see Dillon Francis and JAUZ on import from California, and Swedish icon Alesso smash out one of his signature progressive house sets.
Pre-sale tickets for the event will be available on March 31; sign up for access here. The first phase of the “summer party” can be found below. HARD plans to add more artists in the coming months.
Featured image: Rukes
Tags: alesso, Dillon Francis, hard events, hard london, Jauz, The Drumsheds
Kwettr. Their mission is to improve the artist/fan relationship resulting in a bigger reach and more revenue for artists. Today, Kwettr launches its new DIY music marketing platform for artists and record labels. Social media messaging, online marketing tools, and analytics all using artificial intelligence.
The music industry is struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a growing demand for new marketing technologies. Kwettr answers that question by launching a free-to-use DIY music marketing platform, enabling artists and record labels to grow their fanbase and revenue. Kwettr pivots from being a boutique marketing agency to an easy-to-use platform for artists.
“Our new platform enables artists and record labels to reward loyal fans with exclusive content, create smart messaging tools for social media and above all gain valuable insights in their marketing efforts.”Bas Kruijssen (co-founder ofKwettr) says. “We listened to the growing demand for affordable ways to market music. Instead of hiring expensive tech- and marketing companies to create tools, we made a platform that enables artists to make these tools themselves. Saving them time and money”
Kwettr started as part of the Dutch record company Black Hole Recordings. Over 20 years in the music industry and marketing experience lead to the creation of Kwettr, a set of tools for artists to promote their music in a new, innovative way. Using artificial intelligence and sophisticated data analysis tools.
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