Kyle Walker Says Social Media is up to 60% of Music Industry Success

There is an understated authenticity to Kyle Walker’s Instagram profile. Amidst snaps of noodle slurping and Crunchwrap Supremes, the Los Angeles native chronicles his whirlwind life as a successful DJ and producer.

Although he currently plays the biggest dance music stages in the United States and releases on some of the biggest labels (Repopulate Mars and Bite this!, among others) he still manages to keep his street cred as an “underground” artist. It’s an asset that is not lost on Walker, and one he attributes to his social media persona.

Back in the early 2010s, the term “EDM” took on a derogatory connotation. While it simply stands for "electronic dance music," those engrained in the culture would tell you it refers to euphoric pop-house drivel churned out for radio stations and ecstasy-addled kids. Those looking to become “real” makers of house music often avoid getting bagged with the label of EDM.

“There's nothing wrong with it; there's a bunch of great EDM,” Walker says. “But for some reason, I just feel like I never got branded with that label of ‘EDM act.’ And I think part of that is because of social media. The way you portray yourself on social media can have a huge influence on how people perceive your music.”

While Walker admits he struggles with social media at times, he can’t deny it's a “necessary evil.” He admits that his cheekily low-key social media profiles contributed to his successful releases with labels like Glasgow Underground and Toolroom.

“It's like 60/40 of social media to music,” he says. “If you have a great social media but the music's not totally there, you can still have a very successful career in a way that kind of helps you not have that stigma attached to you.”