Disco Donnie: 30 years in EDM

In this masterclass, our Co-Founder Lisa Simpson spoke with a legend of the EDM scene , James Estopinal, better known as Disco Donnie. His events company of the same name is an EDM institution worldwide, responsible for selling millions of tickets across tens of thousands of experiences, including major festivals like Ubbi Dubbi and Texas Eclipse. Donnie has played a pivotal role in the spread of electronic music culture in North America, taking it from its rough and ready rave era of the 90’s to the multi-billion dollar industry it is today. 

There have been ups and some clear downs along the way, but throughout his incredible career Donnie has always kept his passion and empathy at the forefront of everything he does. A natural storyteller, this session was a blast to record.  

Included in this masterclass: 

• Early days promoting raves in New Orleans 

• Scaling Electric Daisy Carnival into a global EDM phenomenon

• Regaining his independence as a promoter and buying his business back

• Building out distinct brands for his many different festivals and club shows