
Tiësto says DJs are the new rock stars — and the electronic icon will try to prove it in a new web series, “In the Booth,” that launches on Thursday.
The 10-part video series will air on Tiësto’s YouTube channel, providing fans with an inside look at his life on the road and wild stage shows.
“It’s to give people an idea of what’s going on in the life of a DJ. Everyone knows about pop stars and artists and such, but not many people know about DJs. So I thought it’s nice to give my view of what’s going on backstage,” he told the New York Times.
Though dance music is fast becoming ubiquitous in the U.S. thanks to artists ranging from Lady Gaga to Skrillex, the 42-year-old DJ says its stock has soared especially high in the last year alone.
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“Even when I signed my first residency in Las Vegas a little more than a year ago it wasn’t that big yet. Suddenly out of nowhere everybody wants to hear dance music” including a new generation of college kids, he said.
His own audience has expanded, with his L.A. shows, for example, shifting from the 15,000-person Los Angeles Sports Memorial Arena to the 27,000-person Home Depot Center.
Noting that DJs have become “more accepted as real artists” in recent years, he says the future looks bright — and potentially crowded.
“What’s happening is it’s a lot easier to produce dance music now than it was five or 10 years ago with the new techniques,” he continued. “You can buy a program for $250 and you have a laptop and you’re good to go.”