1001Tracklists are hoping to make steps towards changing the electronic music industry with the ‘Future of Dance.’ Released alongside their annual Top 101 Producers rankings, the platform has also published a list of the 101 Female and POC artists that have played a huge part in the dance music scene over the past year.
Having earned global recognition for their online platform and Top 101 Producers list, the people behind 1001Tracklists became increasingly concerned with the lack of representation in the rankings. The Top 101 Producers was created to show which producers received the most support in mixes, clubs, festivals, radio, and live streams, purely based on the DJ support data that the website collects, and cannot be influenced or manipulated in any way. Unfortunately, year after year, they continued to see a significantly small amount of female and POC artists featured on the list – indicative of the lack of support and empowerment from labels, radio, and agencies in dance music. As a result, 1001Tracklists have become determined to influence greater change by publishing their own list of Female and POC artists that have shaped the electronic music scene over the course of the last twelve months.
First conceived last year as a selection of 60 artists, for its second year, 1001Tracklists has ensured that the list is given equal weight as their Top 101 Producers by matching the amount of featured artists, as well as publishing both at exactly the same time.
“The Top 101 Producers were created to showcase the artists whose productions have been supported the most by DJs around the world. It’s a 100% data-driven ranking, and something that is very unique in the music industry. In many cases, the artists in the Top 101 Producers receive recognition beyond what they can get from other rankings or beyond their current perceived standing as an artist, and we take great pride in providing exposure for these artists. Unfortunately, these rankings have also illuminated an issue that persists across the music industry – there is a lack of support for women and people of color in music. This is true in terms of booking opportunities, fees, label opportunities and also in terms of the support that they receive from other DJs, and thus reflected in the Top 101 Producers. To shed light on this issue, foster discussion, and spotlight talented artists, we created the Future Of Dance concept last year. Through the Future Of Dance, we’re showcasing 101 women and POC artists who have also been important in defining the sounds of electronic music over the past year and will pave the road ahead.”– Jacob Merlin – CMO of 1001Tracklists
1001Tracklists and Corite are also teaming up to start ‘The Future of Dance Fund,’ a charitable collaboration project which will support and showcase 12 artists from November 2022 to October 2023. The fund will deliver financing, marketing, and other support to underrepresented dance music artists each month.
The Future of Dance Fund will come from the charity raffle for the Top 101 Producers & Future of Dance NFT trophies held at www.corite.com/1001. Individual funds raised from each NFT raffle will go directly into an aggregate pool, which will be split evenly between the 12 monthly selections receiving support over the upcoming year.
