Simon Dunmore, the influential founder of Defected Records, has opened up about the cookie-cutter nature of today’s electronic music festival lineups.
Many would argue that dance music’s cutting edge has gone dull, blunted by years of recycled festival rosters. Dunmore, who in July 2022 sold his label to its former CEO Wez Saunders, took to Threads to discuss this phenomenon and the urgency for new artists to “challenge the monopoly of the established hierarchy.”
“Festival line ups have been stagnating 4 yrs, w the same 50 acts on rinse & repeat,” Dunmore wrote. “New talent needs 2 break through 2 challenge the monopoly of the established hierarchy?”
He then lauded Keinemusik and ANOTR, a pair of red-hot house music acts, as trailblazers uprooting the trend.
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Whether or not the festival scene is in need of a shake-up is subjective, but the conversation has only continued to swell in recent years. Booking the same artists ad nauseam ensures a reliable draw and satisfies longtime fans who look forward to seeing their favorites, but the approach often leads to a homogenized experience that strips away the essence of what made electronic music festivals special in the first place: discovery and innovation.
This shortsighted approach has sparked debate within the dance music industry concerning its vitality, and the ripple effects are far-reaching. Promising artists are starved of crucial exposure while dyed-in-the-wool headliners grow complacent, perpetuating a vicious cycle and stifling progress within the genre.
While relying on proven headliners may seem financially safe in the short-term, questions arise about long-term sustainability and the cultivation of future headline-caliber acts. By failing to elevate new talent and niche subgenres, it’s fair to wonder if festival organizers are alienating the next generation of ravers and producers—and inadvertently laying the groundwork for their own irrelevance.
The economic implications of this booking trend are, of course, complex. As lineups continue to evolve, finding a balance between established crowd-pleasers and fresh talent remains a key challenge for festival organizers.
Defected Records, EDM.com’s best label of 2022, is revered for its mastery of that balancing act. The brand organizes its own festivals in Malta, Croatia and Ibiza, among others, and recently announced an unprecedented New Year’s celebration spanning all six inhabited continents.
Reflecting on his sale of the business this week, Dunmore praised Saunders for continuing to spotlight promising artists and break new ground.
“Defected 2.0 is now very much Wez’s vision,” Dunmore said in an Instagram post. “For any business to succeed the direction has to be consistent and come from the top down and, as with me, it has has taken a moment for him to adjust. It is great to hear that Defected is marauding in new waters, discovering new musical treasures.”
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