It’s been twenty years since Tiësto topped the list of the most popular DJs in the world. He tops another list: the number of performances abroad. With 121 performances, Tiësto was the Dutch artist who performed by far the most times on a foreign stage last year.
It is one of the results of the research that the cultural promotion foundation Buma Cultuur carries out annually on the yield of Dutch music abroad. The edition published on Monday shows that Dutch musicians earned 198.1 million euros abroad last year. That amount is higher than the 171.3 million in 2021, but not as high as the record of 216.5 million in 2018.
Dance performances by artists such as Tiësto account for the largest share of foreign income, with 125.6 million euros. Other performances grossed 26.7 million, with the rest of the export value coming from rights and recordings.
Every year, the research focuses on ‘popular music’, which in addition to pop also includes genres such as metal, opera and schlagers. Most jazz, classical music and film music are excluded. All in all, this involved 10,746 performances by 1,236 artists surveyed.
In fifth place among frequent performers, the highest band on the list, is punk band Antillectual from Nijmegen. They performed 88 times, but that certainly does not mean that they earned as much money as Tiësto, says Frank Helmink, director of Buma Cultuur. “There will be a difference of a few zeros. Last year, markets such as Saudi Arabia and China also reopened after the corona crisis, where they only want DJs from the global top twenty. They pay extremely well.”
Distinctiveness
When does music become successful abroad? Helmink: “The Netherlands has many good bands, but if you compare them with similar bands in Belgium or the United Kingdom, there is little difference in sound. It will only become big in Germany if they make different or better music than what they already have there.”
According to Helmink, the export value therefore gives an impression of the innovation that Dutch musicians bring abroad. “Dutch electronic music has always been at the forefront of this, but subgenres such as that of Caro Emerald have also come from the Netherlands.” She did not make dance, but retro pop.
“The distinctive character of Dutch music is many times greater than in the 1980s,” says Helmink. “Artists receive better guidance, their ambition is greater. They are more likely to go to Los Angeles for a year to make music.”
Inside out
Helmink saw the Dutch music world turn inward during the pandemic. “People listen to more Dutch music, venues book more Dutch acts, and those acts also sell out two to three nights in a row.”
Still, Helmink expects the 2018 record to be broken this year. Not only because of frequent performers like Tiësto, but also because of other musicians. “More and more Dutch composers are being asked to co-write by international artists. If that starts flying, then it will be fun.”
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