We caught up with Mike French, co-founder of ElectroStub at the Motorola Music Lounge presented by Sol Republic and hosted by Sirius-XM in Miami to speak with him about hustling between Miami and SXSW, his electronic ticketing service and why Kaskade’s set was his favorite thus far.
Billboard.biz: You went to SXSW before Miami Music Week this year. What do you think of EDM’s larger presence at SXSW?
Mike French: EDM is definitely more prevalent, but for the most part it’s definitely more of the indie, underground guys. I wouldn’t say underground, but the indie – like, Dim Mak did a bunch of showcases down there, of course Deadmau5, Oakenfold, some of the bigger guys were down there, but it’s more like drum ‘n bass and dubstep.
Do you think labels and DJ’s/producers are going to SXSW for exposure, or to cement their fanbase?
I think the big guys are getting big checks to play there, and you know everyone else — there are a lot of showcases, a lot of people are othere for the exposure and to stay relevant, it’s pretty cool out there.
How do you think EDM — specifically companies like yours, and brands like Resident Advisor — how do you think that part of the industry has evolved as EDM has grown?
The big thing for us is that nightclubs for the longest time ran their door with velvet rope and maybe charged a cover and really made all of their money on alcohol and bottle sales. And now, with all of these major investments they’re making with DJs, whether it’s $5,000 dollars a night or $10,000 dollars a night, they need to keep that money on the front end. But, it’s really changing the way the venue actually runs.
Do you see DJs wanting to own the tickets to their tours as well and kind of align with venues that way or do you see the DJs going with larger companies like Ticketmaster – for super large bands, like Swedish House Mafia, for example?
For the most part, the guys who can are starting to take advantage of their artist allotment. Morgan Page right here, he’s an artist of ours and he does some of his shows – he’ll sell all of his shows on his website. So I definitely thinking that people are leaning towards a more artist branded experience for their tickets.
What’s the best event you’ve been to at this year’s Miami Music Week and why?
That’s a tough question, probably Kaskade at Story, just because I haven’t been there before and love Kaskade.