It's finally upon us. While cities like Los Angeles and Miami may take summer for granted, others like the Big Apple, Chicago, and Seattle - among other secondary markets unfortunately situated in the northern half of the country - anxiously await this time of the year as it welcomes in warmer days, bright skies, but most importantly, killer music.
Studies have shown that the weather has serious effects on one's mood. Sunshine and bright skies tend to evoke feelings of happiness, while rainy and colder weather has the opposite effect.
The same goes for music. A recent study by the University of Missouri found that by listening to upbeat tunes, an individual’s mood can easily be boosted. Point in case; summer and music go hand in hand. It's the time of the year when artists tend to drop new tracks, in hopes of it becoming the quintessential "summer anthem."
While resident DJs at nightlife venues across the country flip through their catalogue of summer tracks, chances are this summer there will yet again be a heavy emphasis on dance music…and rightly so. There's no denying the commercial appeal that electronic dance music has had on the nightlife industry.
Those not familiar with the endless sub-genres of EDM, may think they're only limited to many of the fist-pumping sounds of the radio-friendly tracks commonly heard. Naturally, those owners and operators may think that EDM isn't a good fit for their venue, but this summer they may have to fold and lend an ear to these niche sounds that offer a different vibe for the crowd.
"I believe that the bigger metropolitan cities both in the U.S. as well as Europe will see the more minimal/underground/techno sound continue to grow in popularity," Emi Guerra, co-founder of Space Miami and Guerra Marketing said.
While dance music has already conquered major cities across the country, this summer he sees it further creeping into secondary markets.
"It really depends on what part of the country you're in," Guerra said. "If you live in a city that experiences the full four seasons, summer becomes a time where you really relax. Once people have that summertime vibe, everything is automatically better, including the music."
While EDM continues to be the flavor of the times when it comes to music trends, operators shouldn't get too distracted by the music, and keep their eyes on what they can package around the sound in terms of unique events at their establishment.
For John Perez, owner of Brooklyn's popular Verboten Nightclub, it's all about providing unique activities that his venue's patrons enjoy, and combining it with the different EDM sub-genres.
"We offer a sober, early morning dance party called foodies, we've started doing a DJ brunch on Sunday's that is really popular…great food and house music in our sunny, skylight lounge," Perez said.
By tapping into the various EDM sounds and matching them up with out-of-the-box type of events, not only does it entice your audience, but it can also have a positive effect on your bottom line.
"[We're] giving our patrons new and interesting ways of hearing the beats they love, but we're also increasing our profitable business hours past the weekend," Perez said.