Company type | Private |
---|---|
Industry | Event promoter, electronic music |
Founded | 1993 |
Headquarters | , |
Key people | Pasquale Rotella (founder) |
Divisions | Insomniac Records, Insomniac Radio, [1] Bassrush, Basscon, [2] Dreamstate, Hard (music festival), Audiotistic Music Festival, Factory 93 [3] |
Website | Insomniac.com |
Insomniac (formerly Insomniac Events) is an American electronic music event promoter and music distributor. Founded by Pasquale Rotella, it is the organizer of various music festivals, including its flagship electronic music festival Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) in Las Vegas.
Alongside EDC, Insomniac runs the electronic music events Beyond Wonderland and Nocturnal Wonderland, as well as drum and bass and dubstep-oriented events under the brand Bassrush, hardstyle events under the brand Basscon, and trance events under the brand Dreamstate. The company also owns a stake in the Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival.
Insomniac is also involved in the operation of three Los Angeles nightclubs—Create (in partnership with SBE, built on the site of the former Vanguard Hollywood), Exchange L.A., [4] [5] and the underground warehouse Factory 93, located at 1756 Naud Street. [6] [7] It then acquired Miami's Club Space in 2019.
In 2014, Insomniac introduced a co-branded EDM record label known as Insomniac Records, initially in partnership with Interscope Geffen A&M. In 2018, Insomniac took its A&R and distribution operations in-house as Insomniac Music Group .
Insomniac has been described as placing a larger emphasis on fan experiences over profits and ticket sales, [8] [9] with Rotella having argued that music festivals did not require "big acts who sell out arenas" (going as far as to praising Burning Man for being an "event by the people for the people" where "the organizers just provide an open space" and "people go all out"). [10]
In June 2013, Insomniac announced a number of partnerships, including one with Dick Clark Productions to produce a dance music awards show, and a "creative partnership" with Live Nation that would give Insomniac access to Live Nation's resources, while leaving them creative control over their events. While specifics of the deal were not revealed, Rotella emphasized the deal was not an acquisition. [6] [11]
In August 2015, Rotella announced his new radio show, Night Owl Radio, on SiriusXM's Electric Area. [12] Electric Area was later replaced by Diplo's Revolution in 2018. [13] In the summer of 2018, Insomniac Radio launched on SiriusXM. [14] In May 2019, Insomniac partnered with Dash Radio as its flagship station. [15] In June 2019, Insomniac acquired a controlling stake in Soundslinger, LLC, the organizer of the Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival. The event returned from a one-year hiatus in 2020 with a revamped production, carrying artistic aspects of other Insomniac festivals. [16] [17] In July 2019, Insomniac acquired a majority stake in Miami's Club Space nightclub. [18]
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic (which resulted in the postponement of all of its in-person festivals), Insomniac began to stream a rotation of sets from previous editions of its festivals on its YouTube and Twitch channels under the "Insomniac Rewind" banner, and live "virtual" festivals. [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] In late-2020, Insomniac began a residency of drive-in "Park 'N Rave" concerts at the NOS Events Center in San Bernardino, [25] and announced a "drive-through audiovisual experience" event known as the "Electric Mile" at Santa Anita Park—featuring installations separated into "worlds" inspired by its main festival brands. [26]
In February 2021, Insomniac announced a number of new brands, including Lost in Dreams—a record label and upcoming festival that will focus upon future bass and melodic dubstep, and a bass music event at The Vanguard known as Abduction. [27]
In March 2022, Insomniac announced a partnership with Unity Technologies to develop a "persistent" online world for virtual concerts. [28] [29]
Insomniac Records | |
---|---|
Founded | 2014 |
Founder | Pasquale Rotella |
Status | Active |
Genre | Electronic dance music |
Country of origin | United States |
Official website | insomniacrecords |
In May 2014, Insomniac announced the formation of Insomniac Records, an EDM record label created in partnership with Interscope Geffen A&M. The label aimed to attract both "undiscovered" and "established" producers. Arty was announced as the first artist to be signed to the label. Other artists such as Bingo Players and Chris Lake were also signed. [30]
In December 2018, Insomniac announced the formation of Insomniac Music Group, which provides A&R and distribution services for its in-house imprints (which includes brand extensions of some of its festivals) and other electronic music labels. Alongside Insomniac Records, its imprints include:
Electronic dance music (EDM), also referred to as club music, is a broad range of percussive electronic music genres originally made for nightclubs, raves, and festivals. It is generally produced for playback by DJs who create seamless selections of tracks, called a DJ mix, by segueing from one recording to another. EDM producers also perform their music live in a concert or festival setting in what is sometimes called a live PA. Since its inception EDM has expanded to include a wide range of subgenres.
Electric Daisy Carnival, commonly known as EDC, is an electronic dance music festival organized by promoter and distributor Insomniac. The annual flagship event, EDC Las Vegas, is held in May at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and is the largest electronic dance music festival in North America as of 2024.
Tritonal is an American DJ and music production duo from Austin, Texas consisting of producers and DJs Chad Cisneros and David Reed. They are also known for hosting the Tritonia radio show, broadcasting from Sirius XM BPM channel 51.
Beyond Wonderland is an electronic dance festival organized by Insomniac Events. The event has been held in various locations across the west coast including Seattle, San Bernardino, and Mountain View spanning either one or two days. As the festival continued to grow from its earlier roots, it has branched into two festivals: Beyond Socal and Beyond Norcal/Bay Area, catering to the growing audience. However, this expansion of the Beyond series lasted for only four years before founder Pasquale Rotella announced that he would no longer continue having both Beyond Socal and Norcal to pursue expansion and creation of other festivals of the Insomniac brand.
Audiotistic Music Festival is a music festival that occurs annually in Northern California at the Shoreline Amphitheatre. Audiotistic is known for sporting a diverse assortment of genres, ranging from rap and hip hop to electronic genres drum & bass and dubstep. Previously, it was held in Southern California, US, from 1997 to 2003 and from 2009 to 2011, in various venues such as the National Orange Show Events Center in San Bernardino, the L.A. Sports Arena, and the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center. However, on July 15, 2017, the festival returned but this time to the Bay Area with two main stages. The festival would continue to expanding by adding an additional day in 2018.
Gary Richards, known by his stage name Destructo, is an American music executive, concert promoter, and DJ. As of September 1, 2017, he is the President of LiveStyle, North America. Prior to joining LiveStyle, he was the founder and CEO of HARD Events, a brand which has put on popular music festivals since 2007 and was subsequently purchased by Live Nation Entertainment in 2012. He has performed professionally as a DJ under the name Destructo for over 20 years, touring across the world. He is credited with being a leader in the electronic music genre in North America, helping to bring artists like Deadmau5 and Justice into the mainstream. Richards is included on Rolling Stone's "50 Most Important People in EDM" list, Billboard's "EDM Power Players" lists from 2014–2017, and inthemix's list of the "50 Most Powerful People in EDM". As Destructo, he has released four EP's titled Technology, Higher, West Coast, and RENEGADE respectively.
Jeff Montalvo, known professionally as Seven Lions, is an American DJ, record producer, instrumentalist and remixer from Santa Barbara, California. Active musically since 2010, his music combines styles as diverse as trance, melodic dubstep, drum and bass, glitch hop, and electro house. He has released eight EPs, multiple singles, and official remixes for record labels such as Casablanca Records, Owsla, Viper Recordings, Anjunabeats, Republic Records and Monstercat.
White Wonderland is an electronic music festival co-organized by club promoters Insomniac Events and Giant.
Nicole Moudaber is a Lebanese/British event promoter, record label founder, radio personality, and DJ/producer. She is the head of her own imprint MOOD Records and runs an award-winning weekly radio show, In The MOOD.
Steve Blakley, also known by his alias Fury is an American DJ, rave promoter, and former professional snowboarder based in Denver, Colorado. In the 1980s and 1990s he was sponsored by Barfoot and Division 23 as an athlete, traveling to international snowboarding expos and competing in contests such as the U.S. Snowboarding Open. He began DJing as DJ Fury in 1992, adopting the styles of hardcore techno, drum and bass, breakbeat, and jungle. In 2000 the publication Denver Westword called him "Denver's premier jungle DJ." He tours frequently to festivals such as Electric Daisy Carnival, Paradiso, and Electric Forest Festival, often in collaboration with MC Dino, and as of 2014 is a resident DJ for Reload Productions, Beta Nightclub & Bassrush.
Radiate is a mobile app that connects people going to the same events as one another.
Nervo are an Australian DJ duo comprising twin sisters Olivia and Miriam Nervo. After signing with Sony/ATV Music Publishing at 18 years of age, the sisters pursued careers as songwriting partners. In 2008, they signed with Fredrik Olsson and his Swedish music publishing company Razor Boy Music Publishing, which led to co-writing the Grammy Award-winning single, "When Love Takes Over", performed by David Guetta and Kelly Rowland.
Disco Donnie Presents (DDP) is an electronic dance music event production company, founded by James "Disco" Donnie Estopinal. Since the company's inception in 1994, DDP has sold over 16 million tickets producing over 16,000 live events, arena shows, and outdoor festivals in over 100 markets around the world including the U.S., Mexico, Canada, and Latin America. Annually, DDP is responsible for organizing and promoting nearly 1,000 club events across the U.S. ranging from Portland, Philadelphia, Houston, Tampa, New Orleans, Dallas, and St. Louis to name only a few; plus major festivals such as Ubbi Dubbi, Sunset Music Festival, Freaky Deaky, Sun City Music Festival, The Day After, and Ultimate Music Experience.
The Electronic Music Awards& Foundation was an awards and charity event announced on January 28, 2016 by Paul Oakenfold and TV4 Entertainment, which is headed by executive producer Paul Duddridge and CEO Jon Cody. Russell Thomas served as the director of the program. The EMAF has no affiliation with The Electronic Music Awards and is not an extension of EMAF.
Escape Halloween is an electronic dance music festival organized by promoter and distributor Insomniac. The annual event, which debuted in 2011, is held at the National Orange Show Event Center in San Bernardino, California on the weekend preceding Halloween, and is centered around Halloween and traditional horror themes. There are themed stages, Halloween walk-through mazes, art galleries, and costumed performers. Music genres include EDM, house, dance, electro house, drum and bass, techno, dance-punk, hardstyle, dubstep, trance, and more.
Russell Faibisch is an American music festival producer and concert promoter. He is the co-founder of the Ultra Music Festival, an outdoor electronic music festival in Miami, and creator of the Ultra Worldwide brand. He is CEO, President, and Executive producer of the Ultra organization, and is also the chairman of the board, upon which and Adam Russakoff serve. Currently, Faibisch presides over an international chain of branded music festivals, concerts, and events, which include editions spanning across Europe, Australia, Asia, Africa, South, and North America, plus globally syndicated radio broadcasts, an online YouTube channel, music films, and premieres. In April 2016, Ultra Music Festival won the DJ Mag award for “World’s Number 1 Festival,” which was voted on by over 500,000 fans worldwide. In 2008, Ultra was also given the DJ Award for “International Dance Music Festival"." In 2014, Faibisch was ranked #6 on Rolling Stone’s “Most Important People in EDM List." Later that year, Billboard named Faibisch and business partner Adam Russakoff on the “EDM Power Players - Executives List. In 2016 and 2017, both Faibisch and Russakoff were again named on Billboard’s annual “Power List of DJs and Executives." In 2017, Magnetic Magazine named Faibisch the "Industry Person of the Year."
Herman Olwik, also known as Olwik, is a Swedish electronic dance musician and DJ.
"Saving Light" is a song by English trance producers Gareth Emery and Standerwick, featuring vocals from Haliene. Roxanne Emery, Haliene, Matthew Steeper, and Karra wrote the song. It premiered in June 2016, during the Electric Daisy Carnival music festival and was digitally released on 30 January 2017. "Saving Light" is an uplifting trance song with lyrics about standing up to bullying and supporting victims by being their "saving light". Monstercat released the song as part of an initiative called "Make Trance No. 1 Again". Their goal was to encourage fans to purchase "Saving Light" on Beatport to support Ditch the Label and get the song to the top of the Beatport charts; this was achieved on 16 February 2017.
Richard Cook Mears IV, better known as NITTI is a Miami based record producer, DJ and vocalist. His collaboration with Party Favor as Sidepiece, a music duo group, was nominated for a Grammy in 2021 under Best Dance Recording segment for their 2019 single "On My Mind" featuring Diplo. NITTI is known for collaborating and working with Enrique Iglesias, Pitbull, DJ Snake, Shaquille O'Neal, Tiesto, Diplo, Ookay, Jimmy Levy, Shndō, etc. In 2019, NITTI's single "200 MPH" with Diplo won a Latin Grammy, which was on Bad Bunny's album X 100PRE.
Stay Vibrant is an EP by Dutch musician San Holo. The EP was released on his independent record label, Bitbird, in Spring of 2020 with weekly releases. The EP consists of seven singles: “(if only i could) hold you”, “don’t forget to breathe today”, “in the end i just want you to be happy”, “idk anything (demo)”, “in case i never see you again…”, “we’re all just on our way home”, and “staring at the sea without you next to me”. The EP features artists such as Analogue Dear, I Live Here, and Luwten.