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Is Trance really making a comeback in 2026?

M

MMVRBfan9

Generally speaking the 'Golden Age' of trance music was from the late 90s to early 2000s ending around 2005 or so before its popularity waned. For example, with news that Tiesto's longtime syndicated radio program ClubIife morphing into Prismatic playing trance tunes from the previous EDM 'club' music heard from Clublife and Tiesto 'returning to trance' after having 'abandoned' it back in the early 2010s, do you think that with this 'sign' that the trance genre is currently having a second come around back into the mainstream?

From my perspective, going around Youtube finding popular classic trance tracks ['classic' now, oh no] and looking at the comment sections gives me an impression that with the Gen-Z/Gen-Alpha set and millennials/millennials (now with children and expressing the nostalgia effect) who grew up with the first age when they were in their teens, that Trance appears to be having an uptick in mainstream popularity—or least as 'popular' as it'll get here in the states as compared to Europe, of course. Tiktok videos with late 90s and early 00s trance music as their subject matter is definitely having an uptick. Whether its just the 'power of the algorithm' or a genuine trend is up for debate.

Also, has anyone on the radio side heard any of the trance tracks from that period since maybe the early to mid 2000s? I'm thinking like Lasgo, Ian Van Dahl, Sylver, iio, Dee Dee, 4 strings, etc. that were more 'commercially' popular. I'm sure there's plenty more, but that's from the top of my head at the moment. Would this kind of music still be played on (other than dance-formatted stations of course, but they're pretty rare still) maybe Rhythmic AC? Has this kind of electronic dance music been played on a Classic Hits formatted station now that the 90s and 2000s are widely considered 'the new oldies' time period?

Lastly, do you think any new trance tracks be able to break into the charts more easily and crossover into say CHR territory in this environment where it seems like today's CHR's are having a downslide?
 
I can answer all of those questions with one word:

NO.

EDM and all of its offshoots have never proven to be a viable radio format. The reason is simple: People go to the clubs to hear it, not listen to the radio for it.

The history of the business reveals that there has never been a hugely successful EDM station. Most past entries were gone within two years of starting. And that is because it does not attract advertiser dollars.

As I keep reminding people: Radio is not in the entertainment business. It is in the advertising business.
 
K.M. Richards said:
I can answer all of those questions with one word:

NO.

EDM and all of its offshoots have never proven to be a viable radio format. The reason is simple: People go to the clubs to hear it, not listen to the radio for it.

The history of the business reveals that there has never been a hugely successful EDM station. Most past entries were gone within two years of starting. And that is because it does not attract advertiser dollars.

As I keep reminding people: Radio is not in the entertainment business. It is in the advertising business.
Click to expand...
Has any commercial station tried?
 
K.M. Richards said:
As I keep reminding people: Radio is not in the entertainment business. It is in the advertising business.
Click to expand...
In Canada, a radio business in a market is only allowed to own a maximum of 3FM and one AM, or (if desired) 3AM and 1 FM
The point there is, with a max of 3 FM ownership, it is important to make each station count as best as it can.
HOWEVER
ON the American side of things, with the freedom to own up to 60% of a market, If I could own so many stations, and at least 95-99% of the stations are making good (enough) money, I would deliberately toss on an EDM knowing that it's a format that is not a threat to sister stations. It won't make money, but it doesn't have to, as long as everything else does. A tax write off is a wonderful thing...especially if it is on a crappy frequency to begin with.
 
Yeziknoradio said:
ON the American side of things, with the freedom to own up to 60% of a market, If I could own so many stations, and at least 95-99% of the stations are making good (enough) money, I would deliberately toss on an EDM knowing that it's a format that is not a threat to sister stations. It won't make money, but it doesn't have to, as long as everything else does. A tax write off is a wonderful thing...especially if it is on a crappy frequency to begin with.
Click to expand...
Huh? I’m not sure why anyone would deliberately program a loser format like EDM just to generate a “tax write off.” The objective is to make money. Paying taxes is generally a “good” problem.
 
Yeziknoradio said:
ON the American side of things, with the freedom to own up to 60% of a market, If I could own so many stations, and at least 95-99% of the stations are making good (enough) money, I would deliberately toss on an EDM knowing that it's a format that is not a threat to sister stations. It won't make money, but it doesn't have to, as long as everything else does. A tax write off is a wonderful thing...especially if it is on a crappy frequency to begin with.
Click to expand...
The objective of forming a cluster is to present multiple combinations of station to advertisers each station must contribute a useful and sable demographic and must also fit in the total composition of the cluster. EDM is not a format that has any proven success commercially in the United States ever since disco died around 1980.

While some stations over the years have been able to mix some EDM cuts into a rhythmic format, a total EDM format has not been sustainable. As several other posters have mentioned, EDM is not a viable format in mornings and even midday, two of the three most sable day parts in radio.

Were your theory to be correct, I think you would have found multiple cases of EDM being used on less than full signals in markets where all the more viable formats were taken. We have not seen any success in this area.

While I am not fully knowledgeable of the situation, there appears to be a pseudo EDM station on a variety of secondary signals in the Miami and South East Florida market. If there is any place where such a format might work, it is Miami. However, the visible results there are not encouraging. If it does not work in Miami, it is certainly not going to work in Fargo or Colorado Springs.

There is no business advantage in having an unprofitable division or operation. What you call a “tax loss“ is simply a station that takes away from the profitability of all the others and reduces the total profit of the cluster.
 
davideduardo said:
The objective of forming a cluster is to present multiple combinations of station to advertisers each station must contribute a useful and sable demographic and must also fit in the total composition of the cluster. EDM is not a format that has any proven success commercially in the United States ever since disco died around 1980.
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It is not succesful in the USA and probably won't ever be, but there are many successful EDM stations in Europe.

There is also one successful station in Mexico City. Key word: MEXICO CITY. You probably couldn't replicate this in Guadalajara or Monterrey.
 
NYC had a top-rated dance station. When WKTU came (back) on the air in 1996 it shot to the top of the ratings with a dance format. Unfortunately their playlist was way too small.

Within months of WKTU appearing on the scene, WHTZ transitioned from grunge back to CHR and WKTU sank accordingly. I have always wondered if WKTU had a larger playlist if they would have remained on top.
 
davideduardo said:
The objective of forming a cluster is to present multiple combinations of station to advertisers each station must contribute a useful and sable demographic and must also fit in the total composition of the cluster.
Click to expand...

Case in point: iHeart has programmed its FMs in Los Angeles to target different age demos in women. They have overlapping audiences and share P1s in many cases, but they are sold in combination to the agencies as the "wall of women".

Yeziknoradio said:
ON the American side of things, with the freedom to own up to 60% of a market, If I could own so many stations, and at least 95-99% of the stations are making good (enough) money, I would deliberately toss on an EDM knowing that it's a format that is not a threat to sister stations. It won't make money, but it doesn't have to, as long as everything else does. A tax write off is a wonderful thing...especially if it is on a crappy frequency to begin with.
Click to expand...

Explain to me the logic -- use my example, if you like -- why a cluster would take one of their stations, programmed strategically for combo sales, out of the combo to target an entirely different demo.

Your logic as stated is faulty.
 
radiofan2023 said:
It’s not specifically a trance station, but speaking of Canada, a station there just started reemphasizing dance music, according to RadioInsight:
radioinsight.com

Z103.5 Toronto Moves To Dance

Evanov Communications revamped CHR "Z103.5" CIDC-FM Orangeville/Toronto last week reemphasizing Dance music in its playlist. Changing its positioning from "All
radioinsight.com radioinsight.com
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Personally, this is great news and a relief IMHO. Worth noting that CIDC has been playing Dance for years and managed to thrive successfully despite the competition and failed attempts to move into Toronto legally.
 
only1moore said:
Personally, this is great news and a relief IMHO. Worth noting that CIDC has been playing Dance for years and managed to thrive successfully despite the competition and failed attempts to move into Toronto legally.
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Do we know that it is "thriving" or just "surviving"? Many owner-operator stations world-wide make enough for the owner to feel comfortable while not accumulating a fortune.
 
K.M. Richards said:
Or he hasn't lost enough money yet. Sometimes that is how station owners learn from their mistakes.
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Evanov radio group has been around too long to be making a mistake.
I highly doubt they are doing something now that will cause them to lose money.
If they play their cards right, they have the soccer mom listener that will love the wayback playbacks
and her kids that will like the newer stuff. Both happy with the one station.
I believe the Toronto ratings will be good to them. (Even though it's not really a Toronto station legally)
Z 103five Orangeville Ontario.
 
Soccer moms will gravitate to a Dance format?

For someone whose handle translates to "yes, I know radio" I have my doubts about your knowledge.

And no radio group is immune to making mistakes.
 
K.M. Richards said:
Soccer moms will gravitate to a Dance format?

For someone whose handle translates to "yes, I know radio" I have my doubts.
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The ones who listened to Z back in the day. Yes. Z103 has always had respectable numbers over the years, even with the changes that be here and there.
 
(looks around)

I half-expect Rod Serling to turn up. This is so contrary to everything we know about Dance as a format.
 
K.M. Richards said:
(looks around)

I half-expect Rod Serling to turn up. This is so contrary to everything we know about Dance as a format.
Click to expand...
Are you okay with Jordan Peele?
In all seriousness, things do change from market to market.
Once something is in place, it becomes something that x amount of people want.
They buy the products advertised because they bit the music bait.
ANY struggling station can go back to their roots and play music from a time when that station did better...AS LONG as no one else is doing it.
Somehow I don't really believe Z 103 was struggling as a hit music station, but oh well...good for them for being a variety dance station now.
 


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