text: Worldwide famous electronic dance music superstar DJ Tiesto has increased his success greatly in the EDM Industry by taking leverage of many brand and business opportunities. Partnering with companies like 7up, and Audiofly, Just to name a few, Tiesto has shown that being the worlds Top DJ has many lucrative advertising opportunities that come with being known as one of electronic dance music’s best DJs.
  Tiesto sat down at CES (Consumer Electronics Show) with Billboard in Las Vegas to help promote his latest partnership with Audiofly, A new Australian headphone company that is taking on other industry heavyweight headphone manufactures like Bose and Beats. While in Vegas, Billboard asked Tiesto in an interview about his corporate expansions and his personal brand.
  Billboard: It feels like every big brand has their eye on EDM. When you get approached for deals, what makes you say yes or no?
  I have to connect with the brand, and I have to stand by it. I have to be proud to be associated with it. I also like to work with people who are very passionate about what they do, because I am. I don’t really go out looking for a big brand, like Budweiser or something, some big deal, it’s not really about that. I like to work with things I use myself, you know, daily. Headphones made sense.
  You also work with 7up. Is it because they’re connected to youth culture, which is a lot of your audience?
  That, and I just like it. I grew up on it, and it was always a cool brand, it was plugged in. Plus, my deal with them is more creative than just getting a check. Last year, for example, I signed seven new DJs — seven guys who, in one year, became a lot bigger because of this support. I think that’s where brands have a real potential to build something lasting. When I think about the Club Life brand, that’s how I think about it. It’s more than a label, it represents a lifestyle, my lifestyle on the club circuit.
  Yes, to expand it, you could say. We have the headphones, to start, and I’m working on tracks for a new Club Life mix compilation, and probably a few other projects that I can’t talk about yet but that will fit that mold.
  Not really. I’m still a nomad so I’m not really based anywhere. But it’s true that I’m here a lot because I play more than 30 shows a year here. And now that I’m re-signing with Hakkasan, that will be another two years, which is exciting for me because that was always my dream. To be a presence here.
  As one of EDM’s pioneers, do you feel a responsibility to push the genre into new territories? Or, more specifically, to steer it in a direction that you respect?
  Absolutely, but I tackle that slowly because I don’t think you can walk up there and say, ‘okay, now I’m going to educate everybody.’ People don’t respond to that. They come to these shows to have a good time. They want to hear new stuff and they want to hear old stuff, so it’s a balance. Of course I like to play experimental, deep stuff, you know? And sometimes that goes down really well, and sometimes it doesn’t and I’ll have to pull back. These are still clubs, we’re entertainers, so you have to be able to read your environment.
  I always, always look to the younger generation. They’re eager to check out new music and have fresh ideas. And, you know, for whatever reason it seems like some older generation artists can be jaded, or just not as open minded. It’s very satisfying to be there at the start of a young artist’s career and get to ride together a little bit. I’ve been working with Oliver Heldens, this guy MOTi, and I just signed a new track with Lucky Charmes that will be big. Every time I play it at a festival, DJs ask me what it is and how I found it. It’s hard to describe because I think it’s going to be one of those songs that sparks it’s own new subgenre. It’s different.
  It’s hard to predict, and I try not to bother. What can you do? What do those genres even mean? EDM used to be a term for all of electronic dance music, but now it just means all the music that you’re not supposed to play. It became the new trance. It got popular, so now we’re all into deep house. And soon we’ll be over that. You can’t win. I wish we could have just stuck with EDM, honestly, because we finally had a term that captured everything in one big family, like jazz. But, no. We had to be hip.