The state of live entertainment has been torn between two worlds throughout 2021. Nations around the world took on the difficult challenge of restoring some semblance of normalcy while maintaining the public health and safety of their people.
As the pandemic continued, many began to wonder if the demand for live music would even exist in the same way on the other side. However, in the new 1001Tracklists report, A State Of Dance Music, the numbers suggest demand for electronic music shows may be stronger than ever.
The top-line numbers say it all: A record 6.8 million people used 1001Tracklists to discover new music. Content contributions to the platform also saw a significant year-over-year increase of 31%, with 69,000 unique tracklists uploaded in 2021. Even more compelling is that those 6.8 million users kept coming back to fix their live set fix what 62.5 million visits in total.
What exactly was on the minds of listeners in 2021? The report digs beneath the surface and highlights some clear winners.
Tech House is certainly having its day in the sun. As the report reveals, many of the year's biggest tracks are reaching mainstream consciousness with the help of the DJs and trendsetters who support them. Almost a quarter of the total supported songs (22%) were tech house tracks, followed by dance (18%) and house (15%).
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Going one level deeper into granularity, it's not surprising that ACRAZE's sensational "Do It To It" was the most supported track of the year, followed by GUZ's "Set U Free" and Vintage Culture and Kiko Franco's remix of the timeless "Love tonight."
The report leaves no stone unturned and even examines the countries with the most successfully identified traces. Unsurprisingly, Germany knows its dance music and takes home top honors in this particular category.
Looking at the full body of data, it's hard not to be optimistic about the future of the dance music ecosystem, even in the current uncertain times. Perhaps, as David Guetta recently hinted, the best times in dance music history are just on the horizon.
