Dance music is a culture first, but it is also an industry, and the numbers explain a lot about why clubs open, close and change. Dance Music by the Numbers pulls together the figures the industry itself publishes, from the International Music Summit, IFPI, the RIAA, the BPI, KOCCA and the festivals, with every number linked to where it came from.
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How to Read These Numbers
These are published figures, shown as each source reported them. Reports revise earlier years, festivals count attendance in different ways, and some figures come from press coverage of a report rather than the report itself, so each chart carries its sources and any disagreement between them. Nothing here is a forecast, and none of it is financial advice. For the story behind the booking side, read how superstar DJ fees got so big, and for the festivals themselves, the Festival Atlas.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big is the electronic music industry?
The International Music Summit put the global electronic music industry at 15.1 billion US dollars in 2025, covering recordings, publishing, festivals, clubs, creator tools and more.
How much did the pandemic hurt dance music?
IMS figures show the industry falling from 7.3 billion dollars in 2019 to 3.4 billion in 2020, with clubs and festivals dropping from 4.4 billion to about 1 billion.
How much of recorded music is dance music?
IMS estimated dance music at about 4 percent of recorded music revenue at its 2016 peak, 3.6 percent in 2019 and 3.2 percent in 2020.
How big is the Korean music market?
IFPI ranked South Korea the seventh largest recorded music market in 2025. KOCCA reported 12.63 trillion won in Korean music industry sales in 2023.
Is vinyl still growing?
Yes. The RIAA reported US vinyl revenue above 1 billion dollars in 2025, and IFPI reported global vinyl revenue up 13.7 percent, its nineteenth straight year of growth.
Written from Seoul, by someone who has been in the booth for more than 25 years. More on the site, or book a DJ.