TB004: Brooklyn's High-Energy Rave Scene
It's no secret that New York is a highly competitive market for event organizers. Producing an event can be a complex, highly expensive and risky endeavor that requires a detail-oriented approach, a great deal of collaboration and an "all hands on deck" mentality to execute properly. Even when all the stars do align, there are intangible elements categorized as "unknowns" when planning events. What other parties are going on? What is the competition doing? Event organizers are constantly competing but not collaborating. This unhealthy level of competition has a cause and effect that leads to a short lifespan for most promotional groups and music venues.
Every industry has its competition, though - and that can be a healthy thing! While the competition can seem like an uphill battle for event organizers and producers it consequently pushes the boundaries of the industry to enhance the quality of the end product. The "scene" (the house and techno scene) is riddled with businesses seeking to monopolize every niche and corner, rid the industry of competitors both established and emerging and monetize the process along the way. As a party-goer, it's really up to you to determine if the parties that you are attending are perpetuating a positive or negative cycle. All the event promoter can do is their job - to promote their event.
Is the industry at a crossroads or are we just in another cyclical phase that requires change in order to move forward healthily? As the cost of hosting events increases and the average consumer's expenditure on non-essentials, such as parties, decreases... Well, you do the math! What many industry professionals fail to realize is that the rave scene is about having a truly authentic experience which does not necessarily require the flashiest venue with LED screens on every square inch of wall space - these things are optional. What is not optional is that it does require authenticity and originality, an emphasis on community-based values and a welcoming, music-centric atmosphere for people to lose themselves within.
One productive way that event organizers can work together is simply by doing the obvious - working together. A common theme in the rave scene is a lack of inclusion and a non-tolerance to new and emerging brands, groups, companies or individuals who are seeking to display their creative vision. By collaborating, communicating and lending a helping hand to your peers within the space you're doing a service for the scene by displaying to others that barriers can be, should be and will be broken. Naturally, the competition and business side of the industry tend to take control - that is normal, it is business. Next time your so-called competitors reach out to collaborate ask yourself why you're in this industry in the first place - perhaps you'll find your answer.
