Insomniac (formerly Insomniac Events) is an American
electronic music
Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...
event promoter and music distributor. Founded by Pasquale Rotella, it is the organizer of various
music festivals, including its flagship
electronic music festival Electric Daisy Carnival
Electric Daisy Carnival, commonly known as EDC, is an electronic dance music festival organized by promoter and distributor Insomniac. The annual flagship event, EDC Las Vegas, is held in May at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and is currently t ...
(EDC) in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
.
Alongside EDC, Insomniac runs the electronic music events
Beyond Wonderland and
Nocturnal Wonderland, as well as
drum and bass
Drum and bass (also written as drum & bass or drum'n'bass and commonly abbreviated as D&B, DnB, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by fast breakbeats (typically 165–185 beats per minute) with heavy bass and sub-ba ...
and
dubstep-oriented events under the brand Bassrush,
hardstyle events under the brand Basscon, and
trance
Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the dir ...
events under the brand Dreamstate. The company also owns a stake in the
Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival
The Okeechobee Music and Arts Festival (commonly referred to as Okeechobee) is an annual four-day music and arts festival. It is held at the 600-acre Sunshine Grove property in Okeechobee, Florida.
History
The first Okeechobee Music and Arts Fest ...
.
Insomniac is also involved in the operation of three
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
nightclubs—
Create (in partnership with
SBE, built on the site of the former
Vanguard Hollywood
SBE (''SamyBoy Entertainment'') is a privately held lifestyle hospitality company. SBE owns and operates over 20 hotels, 70 restaurants, and 42 lounges, and shares its headquarters between Los Angeles, New York City, and Miami.
History
SBE ...
), Exchange L.A.,
and the underground warehouse Factory 93, located at 1756 Naud Street.
It then acquired Miami's Club Space in 2019.
In 2014, Insomniac introduced a co-branded EDM
record label
A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...
known as Insomniac Records, initially in partnership with
Interscope Geffen A&M
Interscope Geffen A&M Records (IGA), is an American umbrella label owned by Universal Music Group, consisting of record labels Interscope Records, Geffen Records, and A&M Records.
History
Interscope Geffen A&M Records was established in 1999, ...
. In 2018, Insomniac took its
A&R and distribution operations in-house as Insomniac Music Group .
Overview and partnerships
Insomniac has been described as placing a larger emphasis on fan experiences over profits and ticket sales,
with Rotella having argued that music festivals did not require "big acts who sell out arenas" (going as far as to praising
Burning Man
Burning Man is an event focused on community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance held annually in the western United States. The name of the event comes from its culminating ceremony: the symbolic burning of a large wooden effigy, referred ...
for being an "event by the people for the people" where "the organizers just provide an open space" and "people go all out").
In June 2013, Insomniac announced a number of partnerships, including one with
Dick Clark Productions
Dick Clark Productions (DCP, stylized in lowercase as dick clark productions or dcp) is an American multinational television production company founded by radio and TV host Dick Clark.
The studio primarily produces award shows and other music en ...
to produce a dance music awards show, and a "creative partnership" with
Live Nation
Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. is an American global entertainment company and monopoly that was founded in 2010 following the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster. The company promotes, operates, and manages ticket sales for live entertainme ...
that would give Insomniac access to Live Nation's resources, while leaving them creative control over their events. While specifics of the deal were not revealed, Rotella emphasized the deal was not an acquisition.
In August 2015, Rotella announced his new radio show, ''Night Owl Radio'', on
SiriusXM's ''
Electric Area
''Diplo's Revolution'' is a global-centric electronic dance music satellite channel operated by Sirius XM Radio, broadcasting on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 52, XM Satellite Radio channel 52 and Dish Network channel 6052.
The channel was for ...
.'' ''Electric Area'' was later replaced by ''Diplo's Revolution'' in 2018. In the summer of 2018, ''Insomniac Radio'' launched on SiriusXM. In May 2019, Insomniac partnered with
Dash Radio
Dash Radio is a digital radio broadcasting platform with over 80 radio stations. These stations are curated by DJs, radio personalities, musicians, etc. The platform includes partner stations curated by Snoop Dogg, Kylie Jenner, Lil Wayne, Tech N9 ...
as its flagship station. In June 2019, Insomniac acquired a controlling stake in Soundslinger, LLC, the organizer of the
Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival
The Okeechobee Music and Arts Festival (commonly referred to as Okeechobee) is an annual four-day music and arts festival. It is held at the 600-acre Sunshine Grove property in Okeechobee, Florida.
History
The first Okeechobee Music and Arts Fest ...
. The event returned from a one-year hiatus in 2020 with a revamped production, carrying artistic aspects of other Insomniac festivals. In July 2019, Insomniac acquired a majority stake in Miami's Club Space nightclub.
In response to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
(which resulted in the postponement of all of its in-person festivals), Insomniac began to stream a rotation of sets from previous editions of its festivals on its
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
and
Twitch channels under the "Insomniac Rewind" banner, and live "virtual" festivals. In late-2020, Insomniac began a residency of drive-in "Park 'N Rave" concerts at the NOS Events Center in
San Bernardino, and announced a "drive-through audiovisual experience" event known as the "Electric Mile" at
Santa Anita Park—featuring installations separated into "worlds" inspired by its main festival brands.
In February 2021, Insomniac announced a number of new brands, including Lost in Dreams—a record label and upcoming festival that will focus upon
future bass
Future bass is a style of electronic dance music which developed in the 2010s that mixes elements of dubstep and trap with warmer, less abrasive rhythms. The genre was pioneered by producers such as Rustie, Hudson Mohawke, Lido, San Holo and Ca ...
and
melodic dubstep, and a
bass music event at The Vanguard known as Abduction.
In March 2022, Insomniac announced a partnership with
Unity Technologies to develop a
"persistent" online world for
virtual concerts.
Insomniac Music Group
In May 2014, Insomniac announced the formation of Insomniac Records, an EDM
record label
A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...
created in partnership with
Interscope Geffen A&M
Interscope Geffen A&M Records (IGA), is an American umbrella label owned by Universal Music Group, consisting of record labels Interscope Records, Geffen Records, and A&M Records.
History
Interscope Geffen A&M Records was established in 1999, ...
. The label aimed to attract both "undiscovered" and "established" producers.
Arty was announced as the first artist to be signed to the label. Other artists such as
Bingo Players
Bingo Players is a Dutch dance and electro house musical project fronted by DJ and record producer Maarten Hoogstraten (). Bingo Players was originally a duo, which included Paul Bäumer, who died from cancer in 2013. After the death of Bäumer, H ...
,
Chris Lake and Dr. Fresch were also signed.
In December 2018, Insomniac announced the formation of Insomniac Music Group, which provides
A&R and distribution services for its in-house imprints (which includes brand extensions of some of its festivals) and other
electronic music
Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...
labels. Alongside Insomniac Records, its imprints include Basscon Records, Bassrush Records, Discovery Project, Dreamstate Records, Gud Vibrations, HARD Recordings, In / Rotation, Lost in Dreams, and What To Do.
Events
*
Audiotistic Music Festival
Audiotistic Music Festival is a music festival that occurs annually in Northern California at the Shoreline Amphitheatre. Audiotistic is known for sporting a diverse assortment of genres, ranging from rap and hip hop to electronic genres drum & b ...
* Bassrush Massive
* Bay Nites
*
Beyond Wonderland
* Countdown
* Crush (Southern California, San Francisco, Phoenix, Dallas)
* Dreamstate
*
Electric Daisy Carnival
Electric Daisy Carnival, commonly known as EDC, is an electronic dance music festival organized by promoter and distributor Insomniac. The annual flagship event, EDC Las Vegas, is held in May at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and is currently t ...
(Las Vegas, Mexico, Orlando, and Portugal. UK, India, Puerto Rico, and Brazil discontinued)
*
Electric Forest
Electric Forest is a multi-genre music festival produced by Madison House Presents and Insomniac Events with a focus on electronic music and jam band genres. Original named Rothbury Festival in 2008, it is held in Rothbury, Michigan at the ...
*
Escape: Psycho Circus (formerly Escape From Wonderland)
* Forbidden Kingdom
*
Hard
Hard may refer to:
* Hardness, resistance of physical materials to deformation or fracture
* Hard water, water with high mineral content
Arts and entertainment
* ''Hard'' (TV series), a French TV series
* Hard (band), a Hungarian hard rock super ...
* Holy Ship!
* Middlelands
*
Nocturnal Wonderland
*
Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival
The Okeechobee Music and Arts Festival (commonly referred to as Okeechobee) is an annual four-day music and arts festival. It is held at the 600-acre Sunshine Grove property in Okeechobee, Florida.
History
The first Okeechobee Music and Arts Fest ...
* Project Z
* We Are NRG
Inactive
*
Together as One
*
White Wonderland
White Wonderland is an electronic music festival co-organized by Insomniac Events and fellow club promoter Giant. The event was first held for New Year's Eve in 2011, following the announcement that Insomniac had pulled out of co-organizing the N ...
Related media
* ''