When dance-music promoter Hard Events revealed the lineup for its annual Hard Summer music festival on April 22, the tastemaking event was unusually light on DJs, giving crossover acts like Electric Daisy Carnival New York Announces 2015 Lineup: Tiësto, Kaskade, Martin Garrix & More
And in fact, the gap between the two festivals may be closing: For EDC New York this Memorial Day weekend, Insomniac booked usual suspects like TiestoAfrojack but also hip-hop act Flosstradamus and experimental deep house producer Ten Walls. “Judging by what Insomniac is booking this year,” says one agent, “they’re shooting for more diverse lineups, less rave-y. As an agent, you have to choose.”
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There’s a limit to how much competition is good for business, says Estopinal. “These rivalries have been going on for decades,” he says. “But the level it’s at in EDM right now, we’re all wondering how long before it begins to hurt the scene.”
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This story originally appeared in the May 9 issue of Billboard.