But in today’s crowded and competitive music market, getting your music heard by the public can be difficult. With thousands of songs making their way onto streaming platforms daily, standing out from the crowd requires expertise and effort. To succeed and remain relevant even in today’s competitive space, you need to have the right support team backing you. That’s where Ascend Music comes in.

Ascend Music is the music marketing subdivision of Ascend Agency, a Public Relations firm that focuses on building brands and telling their stories. With a focus on playlist marketing for streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and SoundCloud, Ascend Music helps artists extend their reach and fan bases. By getting their music to the right ears at the right time, artists can ensure they get as much exposure as possible.

One of Ascend Music’s services is helping artists get themselves on curated and editorial playlists on Apple Music, Spotify, and Soundcloud. Being included on these playlists sees artists garner more streams, increase their exposure, and help them connect with new fans.

Playlist marketing is not all Ascend Music offers its clients. In addition, they provide support through their distribution services by helping artists release their music. This means artists can rely on Ascend Music to handle all aspects of the promotion of their music, from releasing their songs on major streaming platforms to landing on curated playlists.

In two years, Ascend Music has established itself as a go-to PR and marketing agency in the music industry. In their first year, they generated $2.5 million in revenue, which tripled in their second year, reaching $7.5 million. The CEO of Ascend Agency Jonathan Jadali projects Ascend Music branch to generate over 2 million revenue in 2023 alone. “This growth is a testament to Ascend Music’s effectiveness in helping artists get their music heard by more people than ever before and expanding their reach.” says Brauch Owens, Head of Music at Ascend.

With its focus on playlist marketing and distribution services, Ascend Music is a one-stop shop for artists looking to take their careers to the next level. Their track record and marketing and PR expertise help artists tap into established support systems and provide their music careers with the growth they’ve wanted.

Ascend Music works with both established artists looking for community and aspiring musicians looking to increase their exposure and connect with new fans, providing their services to independent artists at all points in their careers and ensuring they can take them to the next level.

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‘Nightlight’ is ILLENIUM’s first solo release since his third studio album, Ascend, dropped last August. It is also his first track out with 12Tone Music, the independent label he is newly signed with. ‘Nightlight’ signals Miller’s next chapter after the Ashes, Awake, and Ascend albums trilogy. Yet this taste of what will be his fourth studio album ensures he isn’t abandoning the sound that gave him a meteoric rise to fame.

Co-written by Miller and singer Annika Wells, ‘Nightlight’ opens with her soft, angelic voice. The topline builds with a blend of emotion and base that embodies ILLENIUM at his best. It induces chills on first listen, so imagine its uplifting potential in a show setting. In a Reddit AMA on Friday afternoon before dropping the track, Miller said that the moment he heard Wells’ demo, “it let me escape immediately.” 

Musical Direction

Wells wrote the topline and “it’s one of my favorite progressions,” ILLENIUM told Dancing Astronaut. When he started building the track, it turned into a rocky sound reminiscent of Ascend. Meanwhile, the lead harkened back to his debut studio album, Ashes. “It was like a total mixture of both,” Miller said.

“That’s kind of the direction I’m going in, where I’m picking my favorite sounds from over the past four or five years and trying to make the best songs out of those.”

ILLENIUM produced ‘Nightlight’—and everything he has in the pipeline—during the coronavirus pandemic. With lyrics like, “and when I fall apart, promise in the dark, you’ll be my nightlight,” the track is “perfect for the climate right now,” he said on Reddit. 

“The lyrics definitely give hope/light at the end of the tunnel.”

ILLENIUM admitted it feels “weird” to put out a song no one has heard live and go on Reddit, rather than see snippers of fan feedback. But the cool thing, he said, is that people had no idea what to expect. Miller thought people would jump on listening to the tune right when it dropped late Friday. That’s exactly what happened, and it’s given him the feels.

Listen to ‘Nightlight’ on YouTube below.

The post ILLENIUM Enters Next Chapter With ‘Nightlight’ appeared first on EDMTunes.

Here are 10 takeaways from the AMA with Nick Miller, known on stage as ILLENIUM:

1. ‘Nightlight’ is meant to lift us through these times

When a fan asked ILLENIUM what the inspiration was for ‘Nightlight,’ which he wrote with vocalist Annika Wells, and the meaning was behind the words, he replied, “I think lyrically it’s perfect for the climate right now.”

The global coronavirus pandemic is certainly unprecedented in recent history. Miller wrote that the moment he heard Wells’ demo, “it let me escape immediately.” 

“It feels super angelic and the lyrics definitely give hope/light at the end of the tunnel,” he said.

Indeed, that is what ‘Nightlight’ does. 

2. No timeline on a new album

A new single of course begs the question of when a new album is coming. When asked when fans can expect his fourth studio album, Miller said, “Not sure yet!”

He added: “Working hard on new music though!”

3. He’s still not planning on doing a virtual set

Many have noticed that ILLENIUM is one of the few big-name DJs who has not done a livestream set during quarantine. That is ironic, as a fan pointed out, because Miller was one of the only DJs who was set up pre-Covid-19 for streaming, including his gaming sessions. Miller responded as he did recently—his stance on the matter hasn’t changed. 

“I’ve been streaming production streams and gaming pretty frequently, but coming from the Ascend Tour and the amazing success/mindblowingness of that show, it just doesn’t feel right for me to stand in front of a camera and DJ,” he said. 

“I get most of my energy from you guys when playing a set and my music I think is better heard in an ascend show type atmosphere.”

4. Focused on making new music

With the above in mind, Miller added, “I chose to take a little breather cuz i was exhausted from touring.” 

“Im spending most of my time making new music now,” he said with a smiley face. 

Miller conveyed more than once that new music is where his mind is at.

Asked whether he planned to do a Twitch stream like the one he did breaking down ‘Lonely,’ Miller said he would try but, “Its tough cuz those take a bunch of time and ive been trying to crank on new music atm,” ending with another smiley face.

5. No shows scheduled yet

A question on many Illenials’ minds is what events Miller might play next year when things hopefully begin to get back to normal. Unfortunately, the future remains too uncertain for ILLENIUM to promise any shows. 

“Its too hard to tell atm,” he said. “Just crossing my fingers that stuff starts coming back.”

6. Trilogy shows ‘might not happen’

Previously, ILLENIUM expressed a desire to do a three-day throwback event, with a night dedicated to each of his three studio albums, Ashes, Awake, and Ascend. A couple fans asked about the prospects of that happening in 2021. Miller told fans that he is “not sure” if that will materialize because a year of touring was lost to Covid-19. And he brought up new music, again.

“If we get shows next year i want to play new music, which f***s the trilogy idea up,” Miller explained.

7. Collabs

Illenials of course asked Miller about a bunch of collaborations they hope or envision him doing. 

Porter Robinson? Odesza? “Negative. Not in the works!” ILLENIUM said. 

Another fan asked about Porter. “I love Porter! no collabs in the works tho!” Miller said. 

Bastille? “Loveeeeeee bastille but not sure about that one,” he replied. 

Asked straight up who he was likely to team up with in the future, he said, “Im working on some really fun ones at the moment but not ready to share yet!”

We’ll just have to wait and see.

8. He’s ‘mixing it up’ but sticking to his sound

‘Nightlight’ undoubtedly has the signature ILLENIUM sound, but given the AMA was done hours before the track dropped, fans unsurprisingly asked about the direction Miller is going in musically. Asked if producing dubstep or future bass is more satisfying, Miller said he really needs both, and that making one thing nonstop “would be boring and draining af.”

“I like mixing it up and keeping u guys on ur toessss,” he said. 

Regarding whether he is going to put out more melodic dubstep songs, Miller said, “honestly dont even know what genre im making anymore but i feel like its kind of melodic dubstep ish.”

Miller said he likes to dabble in various genres at the same time and loves seeing all the forms a song can take. But Illenials need not worry—he said, “Ill always make moving, emotional music.”

9. Vinyl represses are not possible

Diehard ILLENIUM fans asked what the chances are of getting his first three studio albums repressed in vinyl, noting the high prices the originals are going for. Miller said he tried to do a vinyl of the trilogy, but was unable to because they were on different labels. Punctuated with a sad face. 

10. He’s ‘on to the next’ 

The symbolism of the trilogy is no secret—all three albums start with an “A” and have two syllables. Asked to explain, Miller said, “it just felt right,” and likened it to the “first life cycle of the phoenix so it worked to mesh it together like that.”

But the time has come for a regeneration. 

“The ‘A’ thing ended with ascend tho,” ILLENIUM said. “On to the next.”

The post 10 Things We Learned From ILLENIUM’s Reddit AMA appeared first on EDMTunes.

While the album features numerous fan favorites, such as the ‘Good Things Fall Apart”s Slander remix and the ‘Hold On’ Midnight Kids remix, there are tons of other standouts included. Illenium even included Tiësto‘s big room remix of ‘Good Things Fall Apart’. A couple of my personal favorites that I wasn’t expecting are the Tisoki remix of ‘Hold On’, as well as the Drezo remix of ‘Blood‘. If you’re into psytrance, you won’t want to miss the Blastoyz & Ranji remix of ‘Take You Down’ either – it’s nuts.

If you’re into Illenium, dope remixes, or just into hearing new takes on older songs, then you won’t want to miss the ILLENIUM – ASCEND (Remixes) album. It’s out now on  Astralwerks, and can be streamed below, enjoy!

The post ILLENIUM Drops Highly Anticipated ASCEND Remix Album appeared first on EDMTunes.

SLANDER’s rework is out Friday as part of Illenium’s Ascend remixes album. The duo comprised of Derek Andersen and Scott Land premiered their version at Electric Daisy Carnival Orlando last November. Fireworks went off, fans felt it, and SLANDER shared videos of it this week to tease the release. 

The original by Nicholas Miller, known as Illenium, and Jon Bellion, is already very emotional and begins with guitar riffs. SLANDER replaces the guitar with piano and elevates the vocals. At the first drop, the duo builds on Illenium’s signature vibe with their own trademark trap sound. SLANDER slows the tempo way down on the second verse, which has the effect of only intensifying the song. They fade the song out at the first line of the chorus: “Tell me what you hate about me…”

On Illenium’s Instagram post earlier this week about his Ascend remixes album, SLANDER expresses just how much they appreciate being able to put out their take on the track.

“Thanks again for the opportunity to remix Good Things Fall Apart!” the duo commented. “Fell in love with the original on the first listen.”

SLANDER hyped up the release on Thursday night by tweeting, “IN 2 HOURS WE GOING CRYING.”

‘Good Things Fall Apart’ was Illenium’s fourth single off his third studio album, Ascend. It has also been remixed by Travis Barker of Blink-182.

Despite the compatibility of their styles, Illenium and SLANDER have not collaborated on a new track. SLANDER has had some amazing collaborations with Seven Lions (‘First Time’), Gryffin (‘All You Need To Know’), and Said The Sky (‘Potions’).

Other Remixes

The Ascend remixes album tracklist wasn’t unveiled before Friday. However, some artists revealed their involvement. William Black, who partnered with SLANDER on ‘Back To U,’ also remixed ‘Good Things Fall Apart.’ Meanwhile, Blunts & Blondes remixed ‘That’s Why’ with more bass. CloudNone announced he remixed ‘Sad Songs,’ which Illenium tweeted was “one of my favs!!”

Listen to ‘Good Things Fall Apart’ (SLANDER remix) on YouTube below. 

The post ‘Good Things Fall Apart’ SLANDER Rework Released With Illenium ‘Ascend’ Remixes Album appeared first on EDMTunes.

Jason Ross is coming through with another single from his upcoming 1000 Faces album titled ‘One That Got Away‘. The track shapes up as a rigid collaboration alongside Dabin and Dylan Matthew following ‘When The Night Falls‘ with Fiora on Seven Lions‘ Ophelia Records.

This track eloquently combines Jason and Dabin’s sound with Dylan’s vocals. The track immediately presents itself resembling a pop ballad theme with a forky guitar. Progressing, it delivers on what we expect showing off Jason’s lead harmonizing with dreamy bright pads. Following this sound and pattern, it’s easy to tell that while Jason’s work is inspired, it retains a very unique essence which can’t be replicated.

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‘One That Got Away’ is out now! @dabinmusic @itsdylanmatthew

A post shared by Jason Ross (@jasonrossofficial) on Nov 1, 2019 at 9:31am PDT

Jason Ross already announced his upcoming tour in support of the 1000 Faces album, and you can find tickets here. On the collaborator’s end, Dabin recently released a track with Said The Sky and Olivver The Kid titled ‘Hero‘. To catch him on tour, you can find his schedule here while accompanying ILLENIUM on some ASCEND dates. Finally, to reach Dylan Matthew, visit his personal website in the link here.

Check out this epic track down below and let us know what you think!

Jason Ross & Dabin – One That Got Away (with Dylan Matthew)

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Said The Sky and Dabin team up yet again grouping in Olivver The Kid to deliver us ‘Hero‘. You might have heard it when both producers played it out at Red Rocks or when it debuted at Madison Square Garden. Said The Sky posted a video from the show while adding some insight into how the song came to be.

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Every once in a while you come across another musician that seems to do no wrong. Someone you can jam with any day and love absolutely everything they do. Both @dabinmusic and @olivverthekid are those musicians for me. This song came together so effortlessly. I love how it turned out and am so happy it’s finally out. Link to listen to Hero is in my bio now:) // vid @nainoalanger

A post shared by Said The Sky (@saidthesky) on Oct 16, 2019 at 1:12pm PDT

‘Hero’ gives us what we’ve come to expect with the names shaping Dab The Sky. Having Olivver The Kid on vocals, the track is a pop ballad with driving guitars and synths filling the chorus. In much of its essence, Said The Sky and Dabin’s music focuses around aesthetics. With this collaboration, they only focus and build upon that force leading much of their projects.

To keep up with Said The Sky or find his touring locations, you can go to his website here. Moreover, Dabin still has shows lined up on Illenium‘s ASCEND Tour and you can find those dates here. Finally, you can reach Olivver The Kid through here.

Listen to Said The Sky, Dabin & Olivver The Kid’s ‘Hero’ below!

The post Said The Sky, Dabin & Olivver The Kid – Hero appeared first on EDMTunes.

Throughout the years, ILLENIUM has released countless songs that have captivated millions around the world. When you listen his music, you can feel the passion and emotion that was put into producing each track. Although Denver may be his hometown, one other city that has supported him in major way as he was on his come up was New York City. It all started in the summer of 2015, when ILLENIUM played his first gig in the Big Apple at Webster Hall with another artist named Sound Remedy. Webster Hall has created a platform as a stepping stone for many of the world’s biggest artists as they rose to super stardom. Following that show, ILLENIUM would return to NYC the following year to perform at his first ever Electric Zoo as a supporting act in 2016. In addition to Ezoo, he would also play at the renowned PlayStation Theater in Times Square in December of 2016. Over these few shows, ILLENIUM began growing a dedicated fan see in NYC and this really reflected when 2017 came around. For the first time, ILLENIUM would play the main stage of Electric Zoo and would follow that up with his first big show at Terminal 5 in December of 2017.

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3 Epic nights at @terminal5nyc ❤️❤️❤️ That was so much fun. Thank you NYC for an amazing weekend. See you soon Chicago🤘🎉🤘🎉 📷: @nainoalanger

A post shared by ILLENIUM (@illeniummusic) on Dec 16, 2018 at 9:38am PST

By the time 2018 came around, the DJ out of Denver already knew what to expect from his fans in New York. Alongside his good friends Dabin and Said the Sky, the three would sell out 3 back-to-back nights at Terminal 5 followed by an after party at Marquee New York. Selling out 2 nights at Terminal 5 was already impressive but to sell out 3 was simply an impossible task. During his shows at Terminal 5 in 2018, he would announce that he would be returning to New York City in 2019 to take on the biggest stage in the world at Madison Square Garden. Only a few EDM artists have had the honor of such a stage. Some of these include Hardwell, Swedish House Mafia, and Jack U.

After releasing a stellar album this summer in ‘Ascend’, the time has finally come as ILLENIUM is set to play the world’s most famous arena at Madison Square Garden this Saturday, September 21st in New York City. This is the stage that all artists of all genres dream of performing one day and this weekend, ILLENIUM will accomplish this dream. Don’t miss this once in a lifetime opportunity to see ILLENIUM put on the biggest show of his career so click here to purchase tickets now.

While you can buy tickets, we have also teamed up with ILLENIUM to give away a pair of tickets to this monumental show. If you would like to see ILLENIUM perform at Madison Square Garden this Saturday, September 21st, head on over to our Instagram, to see how you can win. Transportation will not be provided so make sure you’ll able to arrive to the show on your own.

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ILLENIUM will be performing his biggest show ever this weekend on 9/21 at Madison Square Garden in New York City! We’ve teamed up with ILLENIUM to give you the chance to win 2 tickets to see him perform at the show! Here’s how to enter: 1. Follow @illeniummusic 2. Follow @edmtunes 3. Comment your favorite song on ILLENIUM’s new Ascend Album 4. Tag a friend who you’d like to bring with you to the event Please be sure to have followed all the above steps for your chance to win. We will be selecting a winner at random this Thursday 9/19. Entrants must be able to arrive at the venue this Saturday by themselves or your entry will be disqualified.

A post shared by EDMTunes (@edmtunes) on Sep 16, 2019 at 1:15pm PDT

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Said The Sky will be playing piano in the live band on each tour stop, and will also have a handful of solo sets along the tour.

To clarify, I will be at every show playing keyboard and drums for Illenium’s sets. I will only be playing Said the sky sets at the the dates marked with an ‘S’ 💙

— Said The Sky (@SaidTheSky) September 4, 2019

Other supporting acts include Adventure Club, Dabin, William Black, Ekali and Blanke. It’s surely a lineup you don’t want to miss out on!

Check out the supporting acts down below, and use the key to determine which ones you will be seeing in your city.

The Ascend Tour kicks off in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on September 18th and concludes in San Francisco, California on December 14th. With over 30 stops, perhaps the most highly-anticipated are his sold-out three-night Red Rocks Amphitheater performances, as well as his debut at Madison Square Garden.

There’s still time to snag those tickets before they’re gone! You can purchase tickets and find more information here.

The post ILLENIUM Announces Supporting Acts for Ascend Tour appeared first on EDMTunes.

It’s interesting to think that after the release of Nick’s first two albums, Ashes and Awake, people were asking where does his music go from here? Is his music going to adapt or evolve? Leading up to Ascend, the same questions have been floating around social media. After listening to Ascend, I can boldly say that ILLENIUM has shattered all expectations and will continue to do so. His love for his music is easily felt through the emotional connection that he creates with his listeners. When an artist like ILLENIUM devotes so much of his passion into his craft and fans, that’s when their music will organically evolve while staying true to its roots. Without further ado, we see Ascend pave out this transformation.

Ascend is a multi-facet story told by a total of 17 tracks. The album showcases a variety of flavors and different genres that will please the listening palettes of plenty. While most people will say to start off with ‘I Care‘, the honest truth is that it doesn’t matter. Perhaps that’s why ILLENIUM is referred to as a visionary producer. His music and songwriting go way deeper than what’s seen at the surface. The album is open up to interpretation however the listener may see fit. It’s safe to say that a flourish of feels and emotions will be brewing.

Starting off the album, we have ‘Hold On‘ with Georgia Ku, ‘Good Things Fall Apart‘ with Jon Bellion, and ‘That’s Why‘ with GOLDN. The tracks start off on a sad note with the more melancholy vocals. Then when the drops kick in, ILLENIUM brings out powerful emotions from the lyrics through his dynamic melodies and synths.

One of the more unique tracks of Ascend would have to be ‘Blood‘. Leading off with a mellow guitar melody, the raw masculine vocals of Foy Vance scream out a convincing message, ‘We’re all together. We cope by having a community. We’re blood’. The heavy dubstep dissonance of ‘Blood’ will please any headbanger.

We then have ‘Take You Down‘ which hits rather deep with ILLENIUM. The song is dedicated to those that are struggling from addiction and need that boost up. Like how a phoenix rises from the ashes, the soaring melodies on this one brings listeners out from the dark.

Perhaps one of the biggest tracks of the summer, ‘Takeaway‘ is the high profile collaboration with The Chainsmokers. Featuring vibrant melodies and the breathy vocals of Lennon Stella, this has been killing it on the radio waves.

‘Sad Songs‘ with Said The Sky and Annika Wells is definitely another sign that ILLENIUM is a sadboi. He’s been pretty vocal on social media that his theme of sadness is just how he portrays his feelings in the studio. This one is definitely a lot softer than what we’re used to getting. As with many of his other songs, the lyrics express the feelings of pain and heartbreak. As the track builds, he expresses his goal of being able to grow and move on.

To close out the album, we have ‘Gorgeous‘ with Blanke and Bipolar Sunshine, ‘Angel‘, and ‘Lonely‘ with Chandler Leighton. These should be listened to in succession for the best emotional effect. ‘Gorgeous’ is downright glorious and sends chills down your spine. Bipolar Sunshine’s vocals are brimming with emotion that’s waiting to burst up until the chorus. The whole ambiance of the track is further exemplified through the ominous intro leading up to the guitar riffs and thunderous bass. Finally, we have Chandler’s beautiful yet haunting vocals to finish off ‘Lonely’. Listen to the soft, trickling outro as it simmers off from the climax in a joyous and satisfying way.

While I didn’t breakdown all of the songs, I think any Illenial will be moved from listening to Ascend. it showcases ILLENIUM’s evolution as a producer while still holding true to the hard-hitting, emotional sound that he has mastered. Listen to the full album below and prepare for ascension.

Illenium – Ascend – Tracklist:
I Care (Intro)
Hold On (feat. Georgia Ku)
Good Things Fall Apart (with Jon Bellion)
That’s Why (feat. GOLDN)
Blood (feat. Foy Vance)
Take You Down
All Together (feat. Oekiin)
Crashing (feat. Bahari)
Broken Ones (feat. Anna Clendening)
Every Piece of Me (feat. Echos)
Takeaway (feat. Lennon Stella with The Chainsmokers)
Sad Songs (feat. Annika Wells with Said The Sky)
Pray (feat. Kameron Alexander)
In Your Arms with X Ambassadors
Gorgeous (feat. Bipolar Sunshine with Blanke)
Angel (Lonely Prelude)
Lonely (feat. Chandler Leighton)

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