It seems like anyone who’s remotely involved within the EDM sphere has a strong opinion about DJ Mag’s not-so-popular Top 100 list. DJs are pissed, fans are annoyed, and no one is keeping their frustrations a secret. But in the midst of the condemned release, 3LAU has tried to shed some light on the situation.
The producer, who didn’t even place within the top 100, made a Facebook post explaining why the seemingly arbitrary list still matters. Asia, he said, looks to the list when booking artists for events.
“When a DJ gets booked in most Asian countries to play a club, their fee is heavily dependent on their DJ mag ranking,” he wrote.
This differs greatly from here in America or in Canada, where bookings and fees are often based on someone’s followers on social media, their position in the charts, their play counts, and their previous ticket sales.
This booking process stems from the only recent beginning of club culture in Asia, as well as censored Internet usage, 3LAU said.
“Government internet censorship blocks fans from experiencing the same music discovery process we enjoy … So, when the business men & club owners in Asia look to book DJs … they rely on the DJ Mag chart to assess relative popularity.”
He also explained the reason for paying thousands of dollars for a top DJ Mag spot is worth it some for the possibility of getting paid more for future bookings.
You can read the full post below.
But, before you go at 3LAU guns blazing, he did post the following disclaimer in a comment:
Sometimes we all need to remember that music isn’t about popularity, like 3LAU said. “[Music] is art meant for us to enjoy, however we want to enjoy it.”
