Fall of an empire: Six things to expect in the wake of the SFX crash

Of the core pieces of SFX, it’s potentially Beatport being auctioned for sale that’s the most intriguing property made available after SFX’s bankruptcy. While no buyers have been identified, one can imagine what, say, Apple would look like buying Beatport and folding it into Apple Music. Beats 1 Radio already has programs with Diplo, Skrillex, A-Trak, Anna Lunoe and more. Being able to leverage Beatport’s music catalogue, production tools, news and social media teams and level of brand trust in the dance industry could be key in helping Apple Music compete with Spotify and also continue to expand Apple’s brand potential insofar as product offerings in the dance-specific space.

Atlanta’s Tomorrowworld was a fiasco over the past few years, with a festivalgoer found lost and wandering naked in the woods long after the 2014 event to the storm-ravaged affair in 2015 that lost the company $52 million.

On September 29, 2015, a day when SFX stock plunged to 90 per cent less than its highest point, Tomorrowworld’s organizers stated via Facebook that “[they couldn’t] turn back time and make it perfect.” If only, eh?!

Regarding the festival’s now cancelled 2016 edition, organizers stated via Facebook that "It's with a heavy heart that we inform you, Tomorrowworld will not take place in 2016. Unfortunately in the current environment, it is not possible to give you the best and unique experience you deserve." The “environment” of having a parent company in bankruptcy court and also likely not having the on-hand capital available to invest in any sort of festival comparable to other top-tier festivals in the American (and/or global) marketplace certainly leaves not just Tomorrowworld 2016, but the festival’s future in general, as a question mark.