Dancing Dutch Bring In $760M

The Dutch DJ and dance music scene now contributes an annual euro 587 million ($776 million) to the country’s economy, according to a survey by EVAR Advisory Services.

The figures were revealed at Amsterdam Dance Event by Hein van der Ree, chief exec of Buma-Stemra, the royalty collection agency that funds the annual bash.

 
Van der Ree presented a first copy of the AVAR report to DJ Armin van Buuren, recently voted the world’s No. 1 DJ by readers of DJ Mag.
 
The market research, which was commissioned by pioneering electronic music company ID&T, Buma-Stemra and ADE, showed the main economic boom for dance has come at festivals and large events with capacities of 3,000-plus, which contributed about euro 137 million ($179 million) – almost two-thirds more than it produced a decade ago.
 
The earnings of DJs and music producers amounted to euro 254 million ($331 million).
 
Further demonstrating that The Netherlands is the centre of European dance music is the fact that foreign visitors to Dutch festivals and events such as ADE and Rotterdam Beats spent around euro 10 million ($13.1 million).
 
ADE says a cautious estimate shows that the worldwide market for dance-related events represents a value of approximately euro 2.7 billion ($3.5 billion).
 
The 17th annual ADE, which ran Oct. 17-21, appears to have been one of the best on record, attracting more than 3,800 music professionals from 65 countries and 200,000 festival visitors.
 
Apart from van Buuren, the talent on show included David Guetta, Fatboy Slim, Richie Hawtin, Paul van Dyk, Paul Oakenfold, Junkie XL, Chase & Status, Carl Craig, Laidback Luke, and Afrojack.
 
The day program, which has sold out for the fifth time in succession, had conference sessions focusing on music and technology. 
The topics included “Doing It Yourself,” offering expert advice for emerging acts, and “The United States Of EDM,” an analysis of the upswing in electronic dance music in the U.S. and the money being made from it.