It was once a scene built on talent, authenticity, and a deep love for the music.
The scene’s founding ethos is under threat—and big money, backed by the mainstream dance music media, is a significant part of the problem.
The mainstream media powerhouses of dance music—DJ Mag, Mixmag, and Resident Advisor (RA)—have become complicit in the slow erosion of dance music’s values. These institutions, once revered for championing underground culture, have increasingly become part of a machinery that rewards money, connections, and social media clout over genuine talent. By promoting artists who fit a certain look or social profile, rather than those who excel musically, these publications are helping to manufacture DJs who are more akin to social media influencers than artists.
These media outlets have positioned themselves as gatekeepers of the scene, and their influence is impossible to ignore. Instead of focusing on the talent that lies at the heart of dance music, they have shifted their priorities. Covers and features are no longer earned by a history of quality releases or by redefining genres, but often by who can pay the most. The once-sacred cover story—a statement of an artist’s influence and talent—has become a commodity, sold to the highest bidder. This ringfencing of access to the biggest DJs, often reducing coverage to those with financial backing, has all but extinguished any semblance of meritocracy.
This practice has led to the rise of a new breed of DJs—manufactured stars with a focus on branding, image, and social media. Many of these artists seemingly come out of nowhere, boosted by their affiliations with major media outlets rather than any meaningful body of work. They are the product of a system designed to prioritize metrics over music—Instagram followers over crate-digging knowledge, photo shoots over sound selection, and branding over authenticity. These new stars are more like models than musicians, riding a wave of social media fame into headline slots and festival stages. They do photoshoots for their Instagram profiles, cultivate influencer partnerships, and have little in the way of actual DJ skills or understand much of the culture they represent.
Meanwhile, heritage artists—those who have laid the foundations of dance music—are being pushed further to the margins. Artists who have spent decades shaping the sound of electronic music, developing the art of DJing, and dedicating their lives to the underground, are increasingly being ignored. Their contributions are dismissed by a media machine that values fresh faces, social media engagement, and the allure of celebrity over the roots and essence of the scene. These pioneers, who built the very culture that these magazines profit from, are being left behind in favour of more marketable alternatives.
The dance music press has been complicit in not only promoting these manufactured stars but also in destroying competition within their own ranks. The smaller, independent blogs and media outlets that once played a crucial role in shining a light on deserving talent are struggling to survive. DJ Mag, Mixmag, and RA have the financial resources to dominate the conversation, and their ability to “sell” their coverage and control the narrative has stifled opportunities for smaller publications to thrive. This lack of competition has further concentrated power in the hands of a few, making it nearly impossible for genuinely talented underground artists to break through without paying the toll to these gatekeepers.
And what does this mean for dance music as a whole? It means that the scene is rapidly losing its heart and soul. The clubs, festivals, and events that were once places of true discovery, where anyone with enough talent could earn a shot, are now dominated by acts whose primary talent lies in self-promotion. The inequality between the big players and the rest of the scene has never been greater, with big media outlets fuelling the disparity by prioritizing profit over artistic integrity. The underground—a space that was supposed to be free from the pressures and expectations of mainstream culture—is now increasingly becoming a battleground for those who can afford to play.
The result is a dance music scene that has become homogenised, sanitized, and bereft of the diversity and creativity that once made it so powerful. Festivals are filled with the same faces, clubs book the same influencers, and the voices that once called for change are now muted under the weight of big money and big media. The fight for meritocracy in dance music is one that is being lost, not just because of the rise of social media fame but because of the complicity of those who were supposed to protect it.
If dance music is to reclaim its identity, there needs to be a shift in how we consume and value media. We must support those who champion real talent, those who give a platform to the artists who truly deserve it, and those who resist the allure of big paychecks in favour of artistic integrity. The underground can survive, but it will need the collective will of artists, fans, and independent media to ensure that it is not erased entirely by the march of celebrity culture and big money.
