Dance

Electronic dance music may have been born in America, emerging from the disco dancefloors of 1970s New York, the house hotbed of ’80s Chicago, and the techno frontier of ’80s Detroit, but it initially found a more receptive audience abroad. While the U.S. largely relegated it to the underground, Europe and Latin America embraced it wholesale, building ecosystems of clubs, festivals and media that treated dance as a cultural fixture.
Billboard launched its first “Disco Action” dance charts in the ‘70s and built a legacy of covering dance music well before the digital era, thanks to talented journalists like Larry Flick, Michael Paoletta and Brian Chin. When I joined Billboard in 2014, the genre lived in a column called CODE, with sharp contributing voices like Kerri Mason and Zel McCarthy keeping the beat alive.

Dance music was exploding in popularity in America, but the legacy media hadn’t entirely caught up. While Rolling Stone and SPIN gave deadmau5 and Skrillex cover stories during the early EDM boom of 2011–2012 and Billboard dedicated three cover stories to the genre’s explosion throughout 2012, most top-tier U.S. music publications weren’t offering dedicated coverage of the genre. Meanwhile, in Europe, outlets like Mixmag, Resident Advisor and DJ Mag were deeply embedded in the scene, offering both depth and consistency that was largely absent in the American press.

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As a result, the scene relied on a network of scrappy music blogs with their ear to the ground and finger on the pulse. Social media was reshaping the ecosystem. Artists were breaking online before they ever hit radio, and the direct line to fans was turning DJs into stars. At the same time, the democratization of digital tools gave rise to a new generation of bedroom producers, making tracks on laptops that could suddenly reach millions.

I was living in Berlin when Kerri gave me the opportunity to start freelancing for Billboard in 2014. My first feature was on a then-unknown kid named Kygo, before he’d ever played outside his native Norway. Soon after, I was covering European festivals like Tomorrowland and Sónar, and the doors that opened for Billboard made it clear we had a rare window to build something meaningful.

Feeling the winds of destiny at my back, I moved back to New York and delivered a 10-page proposal for a Billboard Dance vertical. Looking back, I probably could have been more concise. Nothing happens overnight at a legacy media brand, and this was no exception. I’ll always be grateful to Tye Comer and Mike Bruno for championing my vision and helping win over the higher-ups to get it approved.

When we announced Billboard Dance’s launch in 2015, the industry welcomed it as a much-needed step forward in the scene’s stateside maturation. One piece of feedback I often heard was that my hiring felt like the passing of a generational torch. I was seen as part of the blog-era generation, close in age to many of the artists we were covering and trusted by the community that had championed them early on. As a DJ and producer myself, I could speak their language and recognize the difference between innovative production and recycled presets when deciding which artists to spotlight.

With full-time focus, dedicated resources and standalone social channels, Billboard Dance’s coverage could expand beyond the charts and into the culture. These additions were buoyed by the launch of the Hot Dance/Electronic chart in 2013, with the team recognizing and responding to the genre’s explosion. The additions of passionate contributors like Dave Rishty and Kat Bein helped our lean team punch above its weight class and go toe-to-toe with much larger outlets.

We built a reputation for curation, spotlighting artists like Martin Garrix, Alison Wonderland and Black Coffee long before they became headliners. As a new wave of artists climbed the Billboard Hot 100, we put faces to the movement — The Chainsmokers and Marshmello as crossover juggernauts, Diplo and DJ Snake as global tastemakers, REZZ and TOKiMONSTA as rising voices from the underground — and gave them the covers they deserved.

It’s been really heartening to see Billboard Dance continue to thrive under Katie Bain’s leadership since she took over in June of 2019. She’s brought thoughtful editorial vision and a clear sense of where the scene is headed, helping the brand remain relevant for a new generation of dance music fans.  The Launch   Launching it as “Billboard Dance” was a victory in itself. At the time, there were some who pushed for “Billboard EDM,” but we held the line. History has smiled on that decision, as the term “EDM” has become synonymous with a very specific (and often reviled) subset of the genre, while “Dance” gave us the latitude to reflect the full spectrum of global, cross-genre electronic music. I remember getting coffee with Dutch house and techno DJ/producer Joris Voorn during one Amsterdam Dance Event, and he thanked me for using the term “dance,” saying it showed the broader scene was finally being taken seriously by American media. “With all due respect,” he quipped. “We wouldn’t be sitting here right now if you were Billboard EDM.”

It illustrated the rift that existed between mainstream dance music and the underground at the time, a divide I addressed in an early op-ed. We made a concerted effort to bridge that gap, spotlighting house and techno artists like Jamie Jones, Guy Gerber and Damian Lazarus with their first Billboard features through our “The Dance World According to“ series.

Shortly after we launched Billboard Dance, dance music entered a generational run of pop chart crossovers. In 2015, Major Lazer and DJ Snake’s “Lean On” debuted at No. 4 on the Hot 100, while Skrillex and Diplo’s “Where Are Ü Now” peaked at No. 8 and helped resurrect Justin Bieber’s career. The following year ushered in an unprecedented streak for The Chainsmokers, who landed five top-ten hits with “Roses” (No. 6), “Don’t Let Me Down” (No. 3), “Closer” (No. 1), “Paris” (No. 6) and “Something Just Like This” (No. 3). Some of the old rock heads at the publication still didn’t respect dance music, but they could no longer deny its relevance.

The cover stories always felt especially meaningful because dance music has long carried a bit of an underdog complex. The Marshmello cover in March 2018 was a standout. It was the masked artist’s first-ever interview and a testament to the trust we’d built by covering his rise from the start. Scarcely three years earlier, we’d published the first-ever photo of him wearing his now-iconic helmet — a true full-circle moment. In that short span, he had gone from a total unknown to a global hitmaker, and just a few months later, he would release his biggest hit to date, “Happier” (No. 2).

April 20, 2018, is a day I’ll never forget. Billboard broke the news of Avicii’s passing, sending shockwaves of grief and disbelief through the music world. I remember having to compose myself before stepping into a whirlwind of media appearances — Good Morning America, CBS, Reuters, The New York Times‘Popcast and more. It felt surreal, and honestly uncomfortable, to speak publicly so soon after his death. But in the days that followed, several people close to Tim reached out to express appreciation for how his story was told.

Looking back, I do think his loss changed the trajectory of dance music. As I wrote in his Billboard obituary five days later, Avicii’s loss marked the end of innocence for the scene. It forced the industry to confront the toll of nonstop touring and the elephant in the room: mental health. Conversations that had long been avoided were suddenly impossible to ignore.

Launching the Billboard Dance 100 in 2018 was a milestone. We became the first publication to secure full touring data from every major booking agency, going beyond hard ticket sales to deliver the most accurate snapshot of the global dance/electronic touring landscape and inform the rankings. But the most powerful statistic, in my view, was the 180,000 fan votes from 174 countries. That overwhelming response opened eyes both inside and outside the publication to the truly global reach of dance music’s fanbase.

Taking Billboard Dance from URL to IRL with the Dance 100 events at 1 Hotel South Beach during Miami Music Week marked a defining moment for the brand. In an industry built on live music and real-world connection, these events made it real. Everyone from Armin van Buuren and Nicky Romero to Marshmello’s manager, Moe Shalizi, and Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon came through to celebrate. Having Afrojack and Arty on the decks didn’t hurt either. 

Afrojack

World Red Eye/Courtesy of Matt Medved 

Dance Music’s Continued Evolution

One encouraging shift over the years is that the music industry has finally accepted that dance music is here to stay. I remember having to answer the same question ad nauseum in our early Billboard meetings: “When will the EDM bubble burst?”

A decade later, the numbers speak for themselves. According to the 2025 IMS Business Report, the global electronic music industry has reached a record value of $12.9 billion, marking a staggering 87% increase since Billboard Dance’s 2015 birth. That growth hasn’t come in a straight line. The industry was rocked by COVID, losing more than half its value in 2020 as festivals were canceled, clubs shuttered and touring ground to a halt. But the rebound has been swift and striking: a 34% surge in 2022, followed by another 17% climb in 2023.

When we launched Billboard Dance, TikTok didn’t exist. Soundcloud was still the first stop for discovery, and Spotify was just beginning to shift listening habits. Virality hinged on Hype Machine chart-toppers, not sped-up remix snippets blowing up overnight.

Today, discovery in dance music is a different beast. Spotify playlists are kingmakers, with premier placements critical to breaking a track. Social media has become the frontline where most listeners first encounter a song. A 20-second drop can ignite a worldwide trend. Keinemusik’s “Move” went parabolic even before its official release, buoyed by a wave of Instagram reels and TikTok edits that turned a live set highlight into a global hit. Viral Boiler Room sets have been career-making moments for artists like Fred again.. and Yousuke Yukimatsu. Tracks are breaking as much through content as they are through clubs.

Sonically, dance music has evolved significantly. The formulaic big-room drops that dominated the EDM era have given way to a broader, more dynamic spectrum. House and techno have taken over festival stages with a new generation of headliners like John Summit, Dom Dolla and Sara Landry. Of course, the real innovation remains on the side stages: in the rise of amapiano and Afro-house, the resurgence of jungle and drum and bass, and the creative cross-pollination of global sounds.

The Future

A decade after founding Billboard Dance, I believe we’re witnessing a new renaissance in dance music. Five years removed from a pandemic that shuttered the touring industry, we’re experiencing a boom driven by pent-up demand. From vinyl to CD-Js to digital, technology has always driven dance music forward, and today’s tools are accelerating that evolution.

One trend to watch is the rise of immersive audiovisual experiences. Just as modern dance music empowered producers to step out from behind the scenes and into the spotlight, we’re now seeing digital artists and audiovisual creators begin to take center stage. At Now Media, we’ve been covering the rise of Anyma long before his shows at the Sphere captured the world’s attention. Look at what Eric Prydz has done with HOLO, what Dixon is building through Transmoderna or how Max Cooper is merging sound with interactive installation art.

This movement is poised to go mainstream in a major way. Daft Punk’s pyramid set off an arms race in stage production, and I think Anyma’s Sphere shows will similarly be remembered as the spark for a new paradigm in dance music visuals.

Matt Medved 

Courtesy of Matt Medved 

The rise of AI-generated music is the biggest shift that not enough people are paying attention to. Tools like Suno and Udio can now turn a simple text prompt into a fully formed track within seconds. While we’re not quite at a Midjourney-for-music moment, the quality is improving at a remarkable pace. This is a seismic shift that’s going to impact everything from how music is made to how it’s valued. Dance music, with its reliance on repetition and structure rather than narrative or lyricism, is especially exposed. It’s a genre where AI can already mimic form convincingly, and that makes the stakes even higher for originality.

There’s disruptive creative potential here, especially for artists without access to traditional resources. Just as drum machines and DAWs once lowered the barrier to entry, AI tools are unlocking new creative workflows for electronic musicians to bring ideas to life. In my own productions, it’s been a game-changer — what used to take me weeks in the studio now takes hours. Producers can generate custom loops, build tailored sample packs on demand, create instant demos with AI vocalists, and use the tools as a dynamic sounding board to refine ideas in real time. The real value isn’t in simply pressing generate, but in how you select and shape those raw outputs into a sound that’s distinctly your own. As AI visual artist Claire Silver likes to say, “Taste is the new skill.”

But taste alone won’t be enough. Platforms are already flooded with AI-generated tracks, a relentless tide of indistinguishable output. As that volume becomes overwhelming in the years to come, the challenge shifts from production to curation. In a world where anyone can generate music instantly, listeners will gravitate toward what feels real. The artists who thrive in this new landscape will be those who can harness technology to create something meaningful and unmistakably human.  Matt Medved is the co-founder, CEO and editor-in-chief of Now Media. He previously served as the founding editor of Billboard Dance, editor-in-chief of SPIN and senior vp of content at Modern Luxury.