Name: James Williams

Email: location: San Francisco Bay Area, California USA

Message: Why isn't there more exposure of Trance music in the USA? I'll tell you why, it's because of the control big corporations and the RIAA (here after referred to collectively as the "music industry") have. The Trance music genere is very big in europe/germany/holland etc, it has also been growing steadily here in the USA even with the mass of negative press linking the Trance genere to Raves and Branding it as drug music. I believe that the major players in the music industry have been attempting to stop the growth of this genere in the USA. I don't have hard proof but I can provide some very compelling reasons why I believe this is the case, if you stop to think about the way the music industry operates and how it's focus is not on the music at all but rather for maximizing it's own profits, you can see how the expansion of a new genere in the US market; a genere that is not controlled by the music industry it something they will spare no expense to stop.

Greetings! Thank you for reading my most recent thoughts about the extent of control the music industry really has here in the USA, I am a music Producer/DJ here on the west coast of the united states and have been focused primarily on the Trance genere for many years now. I run a major portal site http://www.HotTrance.COM serving over 12,000 trance enthusiasts around the world as well as Global Soundwave Productions http://www.GlobalSoundwave.COM

Try looking for Ike Bart, he is an indie and is in the process of spreading his music solely on p2ps...

To me, the industry is focussing more on the "look" than the music. It's all about the clothes, the hair, the posing.

Someone like David Bowie (who I really like), has been able to stay relevant, because he understands that, and has always "re-invented" himself , and has experimented, trying to find what works NOW, as opposed to then.

http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/72/space_girl.html

Artist: Space Girl
Download "Without You..."

Awesome Trance.

www.1031kdl.com is an awesome rave station in Los Angeles!

I can honestly say it's because Trance music is boring and repititious.

very creative answer, creative tim. the same petty arguement could be used against whatever you like.

i always thought diversification of a product is a good marketing tool. i guess the "major" labels have their heads too far up their "moneymakers" to realize that.

I think we're getting just a bit paranoid. In Australia Trance is not that huge either but it's there. In the not too distant past there was none on the radio but slowly some dedicated stations are popping up, even here in Adelaide, a place I consider a Trance blackhole.

And smallmindedtim, you have no clue.

TheSherminator: that song was boring and repetitive - not sure it was even Trance; more like Techno or House.

I was introduced to trance music by reading an article about a guy at MP3.Com several years ago, (when they didn't suck) that had just been signed to an indie lael deal based on his number of plays and popularity on mp3.com. The artists name is 303Infinity...I just checked current plays over there and he has 6,422,727 Total Plays. Not bad...I heard his recording deal went south when the label he signe with went bankrupt..People who are into the music seem to know the music. I attended a rave about 3 years ago, at the invite of a DJ who I had turned on to 303Infinity and when he played it, people knew who it was...He hadn't heard of them before I gave him the links...In Europe there are a lot more dance clubs than n the US. In my area there are exactly none..at least disco has been replaced with something that you can listen to...

"I believe that the major players in the music industry have been attempting to stop the growth of this genere in the USA."

This is total paranoia. Here is how allmusic.com defines trance and it explains why it is popular with clubgoers on drugs/alcohol and not the average consumer of popular culture that likes a 3 minute song with a hook:

"Trance emphasized brief synthesizer lines repeated endlessly throughout tracks, with only the addition of minimal rhythmic changes and occasional synthesizer atmospherics to distinguish them - in effect putting listeners into a trance that approached those of religious origin."

James is probably too young to remember that the major labels already tried to push electronic music to the masses as alternative rock was fading in the mid 90's. The next big thing was supposed to be "electronica" and it failed miserably. Prodigy had a hit with "Firestarter" but that was about it.

" Here is how allmusic.com defines trance and it explains why it is popular with clubgoers on drugs/alcohol and not the average consumer of popular culture that likes a 3 minute song with a hook:

"Trance emphasized brief synthesizer lines repeated endlessly throughout tracks, with only the addition of minimal rhythmic changes and occasional synthesizer atmospherics to distinguish them - in effect putting listeners into a trance that approached those of religious origin." "

That doesn't explain anything. That definition is a bit narrow, and a stereo typical cop out. If you know anything about electronic music you know there are many different forms. I am a Trance addict, but I despise Techno with a passion.

The theory that's been going around as to why there's been a slump in electronic music sales is because most of the big names have gone progressive, a genre that does not sit too well with newcomers, and I agree. But it's all speculation in the end anyway.

Trust me, you don't know what you're missing if you've never explored electronic music. It's my main source of intensely satisfying new favourite songs by far.

And we don't all take drugs for crying out loud!

I was first introduced to Trance through Napster I downloaded several hundred songs but didn't like most of it because it wasn't done well. Some of it is good though. Trance is not big here in the US because in the mid nineties the RIAA got on board with rap and hip hop, and they've been riding it to hell and haven't jumped ship and gotten onto the next boat. Prodigy had a hit, Firestarted, like mroop said, and then there was "Blue" by Eiffel 65, but there just isn't the image of badass guys with hot scantily clad women. Rap and Hip-Hop promote that, trance doesn't. Right now thats selling, in a few years maybe trance will hit the limelight.

Moreover, Prodigy isn't really trance, thats really more industrial/techno.

Techno and Trance and SynthPop and Industrial and electronica are not all the same. I recently discovered Wolfsheim I dunno how to classify 'em but I like 'em.

I personally listen to various European (especially German) electronic music, but don't think for a moment that I can stop by my local Sam Goody or Tower to get it. I have to either order it straight from Europe, or go out of my way to a small shop in Philly right off of South Street.
I mean, this shop is pretty awesome, as far as undergound music (including lots of metal too) is concerned; it is practially the antipode of Tower Records. But this one remote shop isn't exposing nearly enough people to the type of music it stocks.

I didn't say you all took drugs and I know that Prodigy isn't trance. I was just explaining that the majors labels tried a lot to push electronic music and failed because masses of people didn't want to buy it. Personally, I liked Block Rockin' Beats by the Chemical Brothers. That kicked ass. There were also bands like The Dust Brothers and Crystal Method that got big pushes by the major labels. The soundtrack to Spawn paired rock artists with electronic artists and got a lot of radio play.

The major labels don't try to kill genres of music, they look around to see what is popular at the independent level and then buy up everything with their money. This is what you have seen with "Emo" in the past few years.

Breaks is better anyhow. Get into the UK group Hybrid and see why. Classical strings, swooping synths, kickass beats, haunting vocals. Beatifull.

Search for 'Hybrid - True to Form' and 'Finished Symphony' for a taster.

Firstnut - Wolfsheim is pretty cool.

Definitely not trance though.
Go easy on creativetim. It's perfectly understandable that someone would find trance boring and repetative.

I don't like most trance. Good stuff I love though. The reason I don't like most of it is because it is, in fact, boring and repetative. But that's part of the art of making good Trance.

Did you all go to mp3.com, search for space girl, and download "Without You..."?

Why not?

When I went over to England for about 2 months, I never heard more trance in my life then I did there, now I listen to it more then ever. heh.

I agree with mroop. If the industry thought there was money in it, they'd be pushing it. Maybe in another decade, it'll happen, and we'll all be bitching about the major label cookie-cutter trance and how the underground is full of better-but-underexposed artists. At least, without a major label domination of this market, artists have a better chance of being heard, because the fans have to go looking for new music instead of conveniently accepting what is being spoon-fed to them by the industry.

So is the fact that country and Western music isn't well marketed in ,I dunno, Romania a corporate conspiracy too?
Geez, trance just isn't very popular here, there's lots of reasons for that fact.

It is true that most electronic music is hard to market, trance in particular because it has very little human content such as vocals or live instrumentation.

Personally, I think it's to our credit that we don't go for it more, given its repetition, minimalism and sterility, as well as the fact that it is so niche oriented.

You might as well argue that Balinese monkey chants aren't popular here because the RIAA is repressing them.

Jazz, rock, blues, and hip hop all thrived in spite of record industry repression.

Trance is unpopular because most people don't respect music that can be made by a relatively untrained person who twiddles with a sequencer for a few minutes until he likes what he hears and poof, the dance floor is packed.

Not that I'm totally down on electronic music, some of it is brilliant, but trance is a music made for one purpose, dancing, it is mostly made by guys who can't read music or competently play a musical instrument.

The shocker for me is not why we don't like it but why Europeans DO like it.

Also, for all of you electronic music lovers out there, especially DJ's who bemoan the lack of distribution of European techno in North America...

Where would your collection of hard won, imported German vinyl be if you could go pick it up at the local Wal-Mart or HMV?

It would be in the garbage, of course, no self respecting DJ would play it.

Scarcity increases value, that's why the RIAA is trying to shut down file sharing, because it de-values their product

Magiluke - I'm a new Philly resident, what's the shop name/cross street?

Most of the music in my collection is trance.

The writer of the article is correct. It isn't popular because it's not as marketable to American people as most pop music is.

It takes a hell of a lot more than 'twiddling with a sequencer' to be a successful trance DJ, and hell yes, you have to know about music to do it.

It takes a lot more talent to produce and perform trance than it does to do the same with the pop shit you hear on the radio 24/7. Trance artists can't be as easily cast into their roles and manufactured the way artists in other genres.

Avril Lavigne, Brittney Spears, Christina Aguillera, etc can be cast into their roles and be popular just because of their images(ie. the clothes they wear) despite having very little musical talent.

DJ Tiesto, Ferry Corsten, Armin Van Buuren, etc can't be cast into roles and manufactured and be successful because of their images, so they have to have some degree of musical talent to be successful.

House music started trance, triphop, ambient, acid house, hip-house, industrial, and the like. The RIAA could never touch house or trance music because they do not understand it. They would never know how to market it. It was always meant to be underground. I have been listening to house/acid house since the mid 80s, and then trance really came along in the late 80s early 90s. When you have groups like T99, LFO or KLF, the RIAA can't touch them because they are underground. Of course there were house songs that went to top 40, like Black Box's "Strike it Up," and KLF's "3AM Eternal." Quoting a classic house song, "Not everyone understands house music. It's a spiritual thing, a soul thing, a body thing..." And trance music will live forever...

Trance music suck because it rhymes with France LOL

viscix, i think he means Dancing Ferret. they're online as well, you can look up the address there.

Wolfsheim reportedly is called "synthpop" (not that i care about pigeonholes). For electronic/techno-industrial music, check out http://www.adifferentdrum.com or http://www.industrial-music.com, if you don't feel like paying $30 per shipment from Germany. They got great stuff, and they are indies.

viscix, norimir: Don't forget about 611 records on 4th and South. Oh, those 611 folks... They move mostly records, but you'll find new popular compact discs there as well. You could also check Cue Records a little further down 4th.

Right now I'm only exposed to music through mp3 downloads. I don't watch MTV and I don't listen to radio. I've discovered a large number of great bands I never heard of before from mp3s. It's just not trance. There is great music of all genres that is not being promoted. Many times when I try to buy a CD of something it's no longer in print. Sometimes I get lucky and find it used.

The competition for the listeners' ears is extreme and there's is no way to shutdown the internet. Bands who don't give away free mp3s for promotion will eventually find out they aren't being heard.

Well..hmmm was going to go check out some trance music, but as I got reading the posts it seems the whole way down the list people are in disagreement as to what trance is.

From what I understand so far is that trance is some type of techno/electronic synthesizer music. Kinda like an updated 2000's version of disco mixed with techno....without the lyrics.

It's bad enough these days there are so many cookie cutter performers out there (most of them without any talent)who look good and lip sync. With the rap scene...lol...they go and scout out some rapper (any ole one)..put the same clothes on him that they just put on the last one and record a cd and give him some money to go tour. The pop scene is the same. They have figured out that it really doesn't take much talent to produce something that people will run right out there and buy..even if its junk!

People are such sheep.Teenagers for instance, coming into a whole different outlook on life they take ahold of everything and are in many ways are so impressionable. Just getting somewhat out from under their parents thumbs they get out there and everything to them is "whoa..cool!" The corporate world has a field day hypnotizing them. Its very simple to do. You don't need to convince all of them at the same time..all that has to happen is a few popular kids in school start liking something and it's not long after that the other kids jump right on board. They become embassadors for the corportions...such as the RIAA. It spreads like a disease. Unfortunately they are the biggest audience of music listeners..thats why they target them. They target them first..get them on board..then us who are a little older and in our quest to try to stay young..get on board too. It filters right up the line. They wouldn't dare target us non-teenagers as the first line of attack because it would be much too difficult. What I find kind of interesting tho..is that its gonna be our age group that brings them to their knees. I love that!

Anyways..didn't mean to get off topic. With that in mind, what I am trying to say is that this "trance music"...if they can make billions by producing acts with hardly any musical experience..can you imagine what would happen with trance music? Even simplier to produce..you wouldn't even have to sing! All a fella would have to do is fire up an application like "Fruity Loops" and make some trance music right there in about 10 minutes! The cookie cutting would be in full swing ladies and gentlemen. Yes you need "some" understanding of music to to produce it (kinda like, "yeah music makes sound")..but again..you only need "some" to produce the garbage thats ruining music today as well. With techo and electronic music no matter what you want to call it...it makes it even more effortless to do what pop, hip hop and rap music is accomplishing right now, and that is ..feeding us repetitive press of a button made beats. We do not need anymore of this stuff...we do not need things to get any worse nor do we it to be any easier for record labels to make it worse.

I'm sorry but I hope trance music stays right where it is. Like pop, hip hop and rap...its just sheep grass. And besides, trance music lovers...why would you want it to get popular..usually when a form of music you love gets popular...it gets ruined and isn't personal anymore.

Not all teens are incredibly impressionable, I'm 15

No exposure? In nearly any CD store or CD section I go into the 'Dance' 'Techno' or 'Electronic' section is synonimous with trance.

Why doesn't Synth/EBM or old-school house have more exposure in the USA? Trance is boring (my own personal opinion of course - most of my friends like it, for some reason.)

I don't really listen to Trance, although the majority of what I listen to is electronic music. Personally, I think Trance has great potential, but most people can only write it well enough to make it sound good, but it ends up being repetative.

I think that people who listen to electronic music are more discerning than people who listen to pop music. As stated before, pop music is about image: what you wear (or neglect to wear), what you do, what you drink, who you date, etc. Brittany Spears isn't popular because she can sing, oh no. There are two big reasons she is popular (and I'll leave it at that).

As for it being easier to produce than vocal music... I would have to disagree. I have quite a bit of experience writing and producing electronic music (about 5 years). Music with vocals is considerably less complicated to write. The vocal generally takes the melody while the guitars and such take chords and arpeggios. It's not difficult. And any old bum who can sing can plug a microphone into their computer and record it in. A measly $300 bucks can get you an ASIO sound card, a mixer, a mic, and a decent set of headphones. You also must take into consideration that most "pop sensations" don't write their own material. Electronic musicians generally do.

You want some good Trance? Take a listen to Juno Reactor's albums "Transmissions" or "Beyond the Infinite". Juno Reactor is on Metropolis, a non-RIAA affiliate, so it's ok to buy. Also, if you are interested, I write electronic music: http://www.soundclick.com/introspectivejourneys

Trance & techno music is definately not limited to raves and "drug music." In fact, you'd find some of the most unlikely people listening to this european electronic music. I'm a computer engineer at the University of Illinois, and I along with many other engineers & programmers here listen to primarily this type of music.

And people want to call this music repetitive? Including other posters here? If you listen to the same song over & over again, yeah it'll be repetative; that's why we have bigger music collections spanning many artists & dj's. Talk about repetativeness, how about all the Creed sound-alikes today? Or in yesteryear all the Beatles & Beach Boy sound-alikes? And I still swear Brittney Spear's "Hit Me Baby One More Time" & "Opps I did it again" are the exact same beat, just different words.

And don't get me started on how I can't tell the difference between country music and pop music anymore...


But my fascination with trance / techno music is simple there's a lot more power and energy into the music; which I don't find in other genres of music. To me pop music is "blah blah blah, yadda yadda, songs now over..." with nothing that draws me into the song. I also like guitar solos like in classic rock, instead of non-stop chords in today's music; and I like lyrics you can understand instead of the mushed together mess of so many songs today. Trance / techno just fits in so nicely.

And I truely wish there was atleast one radio station around me (Chicago area, big enough) that played this style of music. We used to have one Dance station, which was alright, but last winter was replaced for a spanish station. =(

"But my fascination with trance / techno music is simple there's a lot more power and energy into the music; which I don't find in other genres of music."

Exactly. It resonates in my heart, mind, and soul. I do not like trance, but house, some techno and breaks kick ass. Better than all the pop crap out there. I'm glad it's kept underground. Like someone said above, if electronic albums were in Wal-Mart, no respectable djs would spin the crap.

Also there are several genre-defying bands incorporating indie rock and electronic music. Anything from Morr Music is friggin incredible.