Despite reports made earlier this year that the global market for electronic music has experienced a slight decline, HARD Summer has shown the world that EDM is continuing to grow. Saturday’s attendance peaked at 81,500 attendees, and Sunday dropped down to 74,600 festival goers. This attendance number shows an increase from last year’s estimate of a bit over 78,000 attendees. While the prospects for EDM seemed grim on paper earlier this year, they’re certainly looking up for major festivals.
HARD’s recent transition after Megan DesChenes’ appointment as the brand’s manager seems to be paying off. DesChenes has worked under the HARD brand since its inception, and is now working to push it in a new direction.
This year she worked to have a more gender-inclusive lineup with six female DJs appearing on the list. Though the lineup still strongly skews in favor of male DJs, the move is a step in a right direction. One major task remaining for the HARD brand to tackle is refining their harm reduction services in the wake of a death at the festival this year.
Though record sales may be declining globally, festivals like HARD and streaming services are continually displaying growth. These numbers continue to confirm that the industry’s model is certainly shifting towards live and individualized music experiences – and things are looking up.
How has your favorite festival grown in recent years? Let us know!
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