Recent revisions to an anti-rave bill gives rave enthusiasts in California another reason to wave their glow sticks and dance until the sun comes up.
As if they needed one.
Assembly Bill 74, proposed by state assemblywoman Fiona Ma last December, originally was aimed to ban raves all together on publicly owned venues.
Deaths resulting from last year’s Electric Daisy Carnival, EDC, at the Los Angeles Coliseum and the Cow Palace in Daly City sparked legislation to combat this issue.  Raves taking place on privately owned property would require a license, according to a San Mateo Times article.
After public outcry from several organizations such as the Electronic Music Alliance and lawyers proposing a civil rights case against the bill, the Assembly Agriculture Committee passed revisions with a 9-0 vote last week.
Revisions to the bill require publicly owned venues hosting a rave to establish safety guidelines with a specific plan in place.  Any rave with more than 1,000 people will be required to ensure “appropriate law enforcement to control drug use and medical personnel,” according to the same article.
Minors would also be prohibited from attending, which is something that most college students  will be happy to know.
Months of collaboration between elected officials, promoters, law enforcement, medical responders and other groups helped to reshape the formerly titled “Anti Raves Act of 2011,” to “The Raves Safety Act,” according to an LA Weekly blog.
I strongly believe that every individual should be held accountable for it’s own actions and don’t fully agree with all of the pressure that has been put on companies who produce these large-scale music festivals.
Companies such as Insomniac Events who is relocating EDC to Las Vegas this year instead of the L.A. Coliseum, is disappointing for people like me who have attended the event the last three years.
And all because young adults aren’t responsible enough to monitor what they’re consuming and how much of it at these events.
The popularity of raves and electronic music is exploding into mainstream audiences, however, so action should be taken to ensure safety. Almost every pop star is jumping on the bandwagon and hiring DJ’s to produce their albums.
Britney Spears, Chris Brown, Enrique Iglesias and Usher are collaborating with once underground DJ’s including Afrojack, Diplo, Benny Benassi and David Guetta, clogging every popular radio station with electronic beats and enough auto tune to make T-Pain look like a rookie.
Never would I have ever imagined I’d hear Britney Spears and Dub step in the same sentence.  Or that tickets for this year’s EDC nearly sold out the same day they went on sale.  But that is the reality and making sure safety is a No. 1 priority is something that everyone can agree on.