Rave culture is one of the rare countercultures that has produced a thriving counter-industry and has not yet been assimilated and therefore reduced to a Tom Hanks movie. Ecstasy consumers say that E is an appreciation of the mind, the body and the stimulations of nature. It is also about speed and psychic journeys, consumed usually in the presence of techno music that is often fast-paced and repetitive. Its growth has allowed the next generation to put their own stamp on it and integrate their own beats. While such mainstream musicians as Madonna and Cher have adopted electronic beats into their songs, large companies find it difficult to market DJs who are so integral to rave culture.
Electronic music is, for the most part, faceless.
It can be made by anyone with a home computer and can be distributed for cheap or free over the Internet. Innovations such as Nullsoft Winamp's Shoutcast software, a free product that enables anyone with a home computer to broadcast their own Internet radio station, are creating valid cause for the current generation of musicians to evaluate whether there is even a need for record companies. While today's average techno musician isn't bringing in paycheques the size of Madonna's or Cher's, they have the ability to be fully self-sustaining, to do their own promotion and distribution beyond the fringe of mainstream media. Some globally successful DJs, who earn thousands of dollars for a one-night gig, are now today's biggest stars among youth. Yet, this popularity has been virtually ignored critically by most mainstream music writers, the equivalent of sports journalists deciding not to cover baseball.