1st Essay Proposal with Bibliography

When rock n’ roll first came into focus, parents considered it the devil’s music. This was mostly because the parents of that generation found the music loud, abrasive, and unlikeable. To them the loud guitar riffs and ear deafening bass sounded like some sort of new evil noise. The same might be said for electronic music today, where the synths and progression of the tracks sound weird and the bass is overwhelming, even by rock standards. Electronic music is attracting young people in hoards, and music festivals centered solely on “EDM” or electronic dance music is on the rise in America. This trend is delayed in many people’s opinion, as EDM has been huge in Europe since the early 90’s.

 It’s literally finding its way into every nook and cranny in the USA right now, with artists touring venues in nearly every state, in small towns that have never seen this type of music live before. Ultra Music Festival, in Miami Florida, sold out last year with an attendance of 100,000. These days it’s common to hear about huge events monthly in every major city, along with smaller dj’s putting on shows in Berea Kentucky of all places. The government has taken notice and a proposed bill is popping up in many states, usually under the name “the anti-rave act”. This bill is trying to put a lid on music events that plays “pre-recorded” music after certain periods of time. This is unfairly trying to attack dj’s, who even though most do play pre-recorded songs, do their entire sets on the fly adding effects and new depths to each song that play and mix together.

What the government is failing to realize is that these events aren’t even raves anymore, and most “ravers” these days avoid the word. To them this is just like any other concert and the attendance records reflect that. These events rival the production and stage design of any band or pop star’s concert along with any fancy award show performance you’ve seen on the television. These events aren’t held in illegal warehouses like in the early 90’s, which is what most parents imagine from the media coverage during that time. The government and parents are going about this in a very naive way and this is very reminiscent of the rock n’ roll times, when this type of music, and it’s growth was just so unheard of in our country.

Bibliography: 

"Anti-Rave Legislation Creates a Stir in the Electronic Dance Community | Ear Bud." Oakland, Berkeley & East Bay Events, Restaurants, Music, Arts & News. 23 Dec. 2010. Web. 20 Sept. 2011. <http://www.eastbayexpress.com/EarBud/archives/2010/12/23/anti-rave-legislation-creates-a-stir-in-the-electronic-dance-community>.

Byrd, Jordy. "More Than a Party." Inlander. 16 Feb. 2011. Web. 20 Sept. 2011. <http://www.inlander.com/spokane/article-16214-more-than-a-party.html>.

Johnny. "Anti-Raves Act Of 2011 Introduced in California State Assembly." Johnny California. 22 Dec. 2010. Web. 20 Sept. 2011. <http://johnnycalifornia.com/2010/12/22/anti-raves-act-of-2011-introduced-in-california-state-assembly/>.

Port, Ian S. "Petition To Stop Rave Ban Questions Meaning of 'Prerecorded' Music - San Francisco Music - All Shook Down." The SF Weekly Blogs. 27 Dec. 2010. Web. 20 Sept. 2011. <http://blogs.sfweekly.com/shookdown/2010/12/petition_to_stop_rave_ban_ques.php>.

Rotella, Pasquale. "Electric Daisy Carnival Has Been Unfairly Singled out - Los Angeles Times." Featured Articles From The Los Angeles Times. LA Times, 22 Aug. 2011. Web. 20 Sept. 2011. <http://articles.latimes.com/2011/aug/22/opinion/la-oe-pasquale-electricdaisy-20110822>.

Wiley, Judy. "One Dead, One Critical After Electric Daisy Carnival in Dallas | Billboard.com." Music News, Reviews, Articles, Information, News Online & Free Music | Billboard.com. Billboard, 20 June 2011. Web. 20 Sept. 2011. <http://www.billboard.com/news/one-dead-one-critical-after-electric-daisy-1005242012.story>.