From Marshmello to Guetta: Why DJ Culture Is the Playbook for Surviving Infinite Content
If Open Gardens is about anything, it’s about learning to spot the bridges between old and new — between legacy media and the creator-driven world we live in now.
One place I keep coming back to for clues is the music industry. In so many ways, music has been miles ahead of film and TV in how it’s adapted, reinvented itself, and survived wave after wave of technological disruption.
Our Resident Gardener, Mitch Camarda, comes from that world. Recently, he had a lightbulb moment about DJs — and how DJ culture holds a surprisingly practical roadmap for anyone trying to navigate the chaos of today’s creator economy.
In this piece, he unpacks three big lessons from the dance floor that can help both legacy players and new creators see around the next corner. It’s worth your time.
- Ben
I've lived through a media revolution before. But I didn't recognize it at first.
In 2010 at Pacha NYC, Dirty South and Axwell’s remix of 'Sweet Disposition' hit me so hard it rewired my brain. DJs, once background noise, now headline Madison Square Garden. That explosive shift taught me how quickly democratized creativity can reshape entire industries—exactly what's happening today with creators.
That late night experience led me to help build Vibe Magazine's dance music coverage and eventually book hundreds of shows as a programmer and talent buyer.
More importantly, it taught me to recognize the patterns of creative disruption before they become obvious to everyone else.
DJ culture offers us a unique lens for seeing around corners—showing us not what might happen, but what's already in motion.
Remix Culture Shows Where Creative Value Really Lives
What DJs did: DJs proved that the most valuable creativity often happens between existing works — not in isolation. Daft Punk didn’t kill disco; they revived it for a new generation. Avicii didn’t replace folk music; he blended it with EDM and reached audiences who’d never have found it otherwise.
Remix wasn’t reduction — it was multiplication.
How it transformed their business: This mindset cracked open new markets. One hit song didn’t mean one version: a popular track might inspire a dozen remixes, each drawing in different fan communities and extending the song’s shelf life. Labels that embraced this saw bigger back catalogs and longer revenue tails.
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
DJs didn’t just make new songs — they made old songs valuable again.
How we can use it now: The current tension between AI creators and legacy IP holders mirrors the sampling battles of the '90s and 2000s. Disney and Universal's recent lawsuit against Midjourney echoes the same anxieties that drove Grand Upright Music v. Warner Bros. and Campbell v. Acuff-Rose.
Companies want control; creators want freedom to transform. DJ culture shows the winning path isn’t to police remixing but to channel it.
Imagine if, instead of fighting AI reimaginings of The Godfather, studios licensed multiple reinterpretations — one retold in modern Lagos, one as a sci-fi epic, one from Diane Keaton’s POV. One of these could unlock new audiences and fresh revenue streams for decades.
The lesson: companies that build remix-friendly ecosystems will unlock compounding value. Epic Games nailed this with Fortnite — every user-generated map or skin feeds the core IP. Music labels who embraced multiple remixes per song saw more streams, not cannibalization.
What this means for legacy media: Don’t build walls around your best ideas — build infrastructure for others to play with them. The next growth engine isn’t just new originals; it’s letting your stories evolve through reinterpretation, collaboration, and cultural cross-pollination.
DJ culture proves this doesn’t dilute value — it multiplies it.
Live Experiences Create Unreproducible Value
What DJs did: DJs knew that recorded music alone wouldn’t build real loyalty — unforgettable live shows would. Eric Prydz’s HOLO shows aren’t just concerts; they are immersive light-and-sound worlds you can’t stream later. Spain’s Elrow parties transform venues into wild, themed playgrounds where strangers became a pop-up community for one night only.
How it transformed their business: This insight flipped the economics of dance music. The live circuit — festivals, residencies, and tours — became the true profit engine. DJs went from side acts to headliners commanding stadium money. Fans didn’t just remember songs — they told stories about nights that couldn’t be pirated.
How we can use it now: Today’s digital-first creators are catching on. Danny Gonzalez turns YouTube sketches into sold-out live comedy tours. Ludwig sells out venues worldwide after building fame on Twitch. Gaming expos have evolved from industry booths to fan-powered culture festivals.
As content gets cheaper and more abundant, experience becomes the premium layer: live, local, and impossible to duplicate.
The emerging model: ‘Experiential Content’
Imagine Robert Rodriguez announcing his next film won’t just hit theaters — it’s launching as a multi-city cultural tour, each location offering something impossible to replicate:
Austin: The premiere happens at Creator Camp — fans watch, but also join live Q&As, shoot bonus scenes, and test Rodriguez’s own gear in pop-up filmmaking workshops.
Brooklyn: A warehouse turns into the film’s set, built out in full detail. Before and after the screening, the audience explores the story’s world and sees new installations by local street artists inspired by the film’s themes.
Nashville: Local musicians perform a live soundtrack during key scenes, blurring the line between movie and concert.
Denver: An overnight outdoor screening where fans camp under the stars, then spend the next day in hands-on workshops learning Rodriguez’s DIY techniques — proving the film’s core idea that anyone can make something great.
Every city adds exclusive scenes, local merch, and a community moment that can’t be streamed the next day. Fans don’t just consume the film — they co-create the cultural footprint around it.
What this means for legacy media: When content is infinite, people pay for connection. DJ culture shows that experiences bind audiences tighter than passive consumption ever could. Creators and companies that build experiential layers will win deeper loyalty and new revenue.
In the next wave, the most valuable releases won’t just play in theaters — they’ll happen in the real world, and the story will keep growing after the credits roll.
Mastery Wins When Tools Are Ubiquitous
What DJs did: During the EDM boom, everyone got access to the same tools. Ableton, Logic, free sample packs, endless YouTube tutorials — the bedroom producer was born. But not everyone with a laptop became a global DJ.
The market got crowded fast. Loud drops and flashy effects became commodities overnight. The DJs who endured didn’t just push buttons — they evolved into complete musicians: Calvin Harris wrote pop hooks that worked on radio and the festival main stage. Avicii fused folk melodies with dance beats and told stories through sound that hit deeper than a simple club banger.
Mastery — not access — separated the noise from the artists.
How it transformed their business: This skill leap let the best DJs break out of the dance niche and dominate pop culture. They scored top radio hits, lucrative residencies, brand deals — and their songs outlasted trend cycles that buried lesser imitators.
Being good at the tool was table stakes. Being great at the craft made careers.
What it means for creators and legacy media: Raw access to AI will keep raising the floor — but it won’t raise the ceiling. The creators who master character, narrative, and emotional resonance will stand out while the clones fade away.
And here’s the chance for legacy players to stop gatekeeping and start developing. Help emerging creators evolve from short clips to compelling series, from catchy edits to lasting IP. The best labels didn’t fear bedroom producers — they found the real talent and helped them grow beyond loops and drops.
The lesson: DJ culture proves it: democratized tools create a wave of output, but true mastery builds a lasting career. AI will flood the market with passable content. But craft, voice, and story are the new moat.
The future belongs to those who treat AI as an instrument — not the whole band.
Looking Around Corners
DJ culture gives us a cheat sheet for what comes next. The patterns are clear:
Remix culture will thrive — but the real value will go to those who build ecosystems where reinterpretation expands the pie.
Experiences will be the premium layer — moments no algorithm or AI can replicate.
Democratized tools like AI will flood the market with content — but mastery and storytelling will separate timeless work from disposable trends.
The smartest creators already know this: they use new tools but don’t chase novelty for novelty’s sake.
They double down on craft — memorable characters, emotional arcs, worlds worth revisiting — because that’s what endures long after the remix goes viral and the hype fades.
For legacy media, the edge isn’t owning the newest tool. It’s owning the oldest truth: great storytelling always wins.
Partner with the next wave of creators, help them master narrative craft, and build experiences fans can’t just scroll past.
DJ culture didn’t replace musicianship — it reminded us that new tech changes how we make things, but craft decides what lasts.
Amid all the AI breakthroughs, viral stunts, and algorithm tweaks, keep your eye on the fundamentals. The next era won’t belong to whoever tries the most tools. It’ll belong to whoever tells the best story.