Mention the letters “EDM” and you might get one of three reactions. Some folks ask “what?”, others roll their eyes and sigh, and the rest perk up at the mention of their favorite genre.

“EDM” -or Electronic Dance Music- is suddenly seeing a lot of attention from large business interests. Many claim this is taking a once-great underground music scene and mainstreaming it in, much the same way disco exploded in popularity thanks to John Travolta.

At the same time, there are a lot of people finding worldwide success, and a lot of DJs are making a name for themselves. Jumping on a bandwagon might not be the height of artistry, but it’s often great music promotion.

So why the fuss?

1 – Clubs are getting huge. (Again.)

The same sorts of investors who like to build casinos and theme parks are getting heavily into the club scene, especially in sensory meccas like Las Vegas. Those huge clubs in turn attract huge advertisers, which means more money for club owners and investors.

2 – Light shows.

Say what you will about pop EDM, but you just won’t find another light show like those at the high end clubs. For DJs and other musicians with a strong visual focus, popular clubs offer unique opportunities for audio-visual synthesis.

Once upon a time, Pink Floyd had to hire NASA to coordinate a light show.  Today light shows are common place in the mega-clubs of today.

3 – Personalities

DJ culture melds personality, presentation, philosophy, and fashion in ways that few other musical forms can support. Artists with particularly strong senses of self can thrive here, with personality itself becoming a key part of their music promotion.

4 – Dancing

Everything else aside, people love to dance to driving beats. They always have and they certainly always will. At the end of the day, there’s rarely anything wrong with giving the people what they want, especially when it’s something so primal and universal.

Sometimes good music promotion relies on knowing when to jump on a bandwagon, and when to hop back off. When any genre booms, it’s worth thinking about whether it could enhance your own music.