Disco Donnie Presents

Disco Donnie Presents is an American entertainment company founded by James "Disco Donnie" Estopinal Jr. which focuses primarily on electronic music events.[1] Since their inception in 1994, the company has amassed over 7,000 live events, arena shows and outdoor festivals in over 100 markets around the world, including the North and South America.[1]

History

Disco Donnie Presents’ founder and CEO James "Disco Donnie" Estopinal, Jr. first began hosting dance music parties in New Orleans in 1994 after graduating from Louisiana State University.[2] Donnie threw parties under many different company aliases such as Moon Patrol and Freebass Society before eventually settling on Disco Productions, the precursor to Disco Donnie Presents.[2]

Disco Productions and Freebass Society 1995-2007

Disco Donnie organized many parties under different company monikers including Disco Productions, Moon Patrol, and Freebass Society before eventually landing on Disco Donnie Presents.[3]

Crack House Statute 1998

In September 1998 the DEA accused James "Disco Donnie" Estopinal Jr. of running drug parties and being in cahoots with drug dealers.[4] They then offered to match Donnie's annual income if he would become an informant for them but he refused.[4] He and the owner of the State Palace were subsequently charged under the federal "crack house statute".[4]

Passed in 1986 by Congress as a way to combat the spread of crack cocaine, the "crack house statute" made it a felony to "knowingly open, lease, rent, use, or maintain any place for the purpose of manufacturing, distributing, or using any controlled substance."[4] This law allowed the Justice Department to prosecute property owners of venues where "rave parties" were thrown, and the promoters who threw them.[4]

The State Palace Theatre was eventually fined $100,000 in 2001 and allowed to stay open as long as they banned drug paraphernalia like glowsticks and pacifiers.[4]

Insomniac Events 2008-2012

Donnie partnered with Pasquale Rotella, CEO of Insomniac Events, setting their sights on strategically developing the Insomniac brand throughout the US.[3] The pair ushered the EDC brand to core Disco markets such as Orlando, Dallas and even Donnie's current home island of Puerto Rico.[3] The partnership produced hundreds of club shows annually in nearly 100 markets throughout the US, helping make Insomniac a household name.[3]

Disco Donnie Presents 2012-Current

In 2012, DDP shifted its focus to the genesis and development of SFX Entertainment with founder Robert F. X. Sillerman, a media entrepreneur with a vision to invest nearly a billion dollars in electronic dance music in order to bring the world's leading promoters under one roof.[3] Disco Donnie Presents was one of the first companies to be purchased by SFX. The current SFX portfolio includes Disco Donnie Presents, Life in Color, ID&T (Tomorrowland, Sensation, TomorrowWorld), Beatport.com, Electric Zoo, Stereosonic, and more.[3]

Regional promotion partners

The regional partners that Disco Donnie Presents works with on a regular basis include NightCulture,[5] Sugar Society,[6] Sunset Events,[7] Full Access,[8] Steve LeVine Entertainment & Public Relations,[9] Red Cube,[10] SMG Events,[11] Heavier Than Gravity,[12] Global Groove Events,[13] Ampersand Events,[14] Ultimo,[15] B&W Productions,[16] Tru Events,[17] Amplified Access,[18] Eventvibe,[19] Stellar Spark Events,[20] Committee Entertainment,[21] Cult Entertainment Group,[22] My Best Friends Party,[23] and The New Daisy.[24][25]

Eventbrite

In July 2012, DDP and online self-service ticket retailer, Eventbrite announced a partnership to help bring electronic music to as many people as possible while maintaining low ticketing fees.[26]

Festivals and notable events

Upon its launch in 1994, Disco Donnie Presents has thrown 7,000 live events, arena shows and outdoor festivals in over 100 markets around the globe.[1] Noteworthy events include Something Wicked in Houston, Texas, Sunset Music Festival in Tampa, Florida, Sun City Music Festival in El Paso, Texas, Alive Music Festival in Mexico, the Ultimate Music Experience on South Padre Island, Texas, Sound Wave Music Festival in Arizona, and the Zoolu party in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The Day After Festival

Day After Festival is a carnival-themed experience in Panamà City, Panamà that takes place on the second weekend of January. The festival debuted in 2013 with regional partner ShowPro. A partnership with and ShowPro was announced later that year and the event expanded to three days for the 2014 edition. Located at Figali Plaza Convention Center, the event has hosted names like Hardwell, NERVO, Afrojack, and David Guetta.[27]

Something Wicked Festival

Something Wicked is Houston's first Halloween EDM massive. Disco Donnie Presents and NightCulture debuted the event in 2012 at Sam Houston Race Park, where the event continues to be held. The first Something Wicked had an estimated total of 12,000 attendees.[28]

Sun City Music Festival

Sun City Music Festival was the first EDM massive to be hosted in El Paso, Texas. Falling on Labor Day Weekend each year, Cohen Stadium hosted the first Sun City and Ascarate Park has hosted the event ever since.[29]

Sunset Music Festival

Tampa's Sunset Music Festival launched in 2012 marking it the first EDM massive for the city. The event occurs every Memorial Day Weekend. In early 2014, Disco Donnie Presents and regional partner Sunset Events announced that the event would expand to two days.[30]

Ultimate Music Experience

Ultimate Music Experience is America's largest spring break EDM festival which generally takes place the second week of March at Schlitterbahn Water Park on South Padre Island, Texas. Disco Donnie Presents, Global Groove and Sugar Society launched the event in 2011 as a two-day event but it has since grown to become a three-day event as well as an opening party.[31]

Zoolu

Zoolu is a three-day experience and the longest running party for Disco Donnie Presents. Taking place every Mardi Gras weekend at the State Palace Theater from 1995–2006, in 2007, the event was forced to relocate due to severe interior damage caused by Hurricane Katrina.[32]

Through the growth of ticket sales, Disco Donnie Presents has been able to donate to many local charities and organizations.

Bob Moog Foundation

The partnership with Disco Donnie Presents and the Bob Moog Foundation seeks to educate and inspire elementary school students through the integration of science and music in their curriculum.[33]

Dr. Bob's Sonic Workshop

With a portion of the ticket sales from Houston's Something Wicked 2013, The Bob Moog Foundation, DDP, NightCulture and Stereo Live were able to present the Dr. Bob's Sonic Workshop to the entire student body at Cornelius Elementary School in December 2013.[33] The workshop consisted of two parts: An interactive sonic experience and a 45-minute presentation of the science of sound.[33] The workshop inspires creativity in students by education students by providing an introduction into the physics and science of electronic music.[33]

Charitable contributions

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Disco Donnie Presents". Disco Donnie Presents.
  2. 1 2 "Disco Donnie and the Days of Rave". Gambit.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "SFX Entertainment - Companies - Disco Donnie Presents".
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "The Rave King Rides Again | Thump". Thump. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
  5. ↑ "NightCulture". Disco Donnie Presents.
  6. ↑ "Sugar Society". Disco Donnie Presents.
  7. ↑ "Sunset Events". Disco Donnie Presents.
  8. ↑ "Full Access". Disco Donnie Presents.
  9. ↑ "Steve LeVine Entertainment & Public Relations". Disco Donnie Presents.
  10. ↑ "Red Cube". Disco Donnie Presents.
  11. ↑ https://www.discodonniepresents.com/promoter/smg-events. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  12. ↑ "HTG Events". Disco Donnie Presents.
  13. ↑ "Global Groove Events". Disco Donnie Presents.
  14. ↑ "Ampersand Events". Disco Donnie Presents.
  15. ↑ "Ultimo". Disco Donnie Presents.
  16. ↑ "B&W Productions". Disco Donnie Presents.
  17. ↑ "Tru Events". Disco Donnie Presents.
  18. ↑ https://www.discodonniepresents.com/promoter/amplified-access. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  19. ↑ "Eventvibe". Disco Donnie Presents.
  20. ↑ "Stellar Spark Events". Disco Donnie Presents.
  21. ↑ "Committee Entertainment". Disco Donnie Presents.
  22. ↑ "Cult Entertainment". cultentertainmentgroup.com. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
  23. ↑ "My Best Friends Party Tickets and Schedule". Disco Donnie Presents. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
  24. ↑ "Disco Donnie Partners with New Daisy, The Palace". Memphis Flyer. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
  25. ↑ "Promoters - Disco Donnie Presents". Disco Donnie Presents.
  26. ↑ "Eventbrite Press Releases: Eventbrite Partners with Disco Donnie Presents, one of the Largest EDM Event Producers in the World".
  27. ↑ "The Day After Festival 2016 Day 3 at Figali Plaza". Disco Donnie Presents.
  28. ↑ "Something Wicked Festival 2015 Day 2 at Sam Houston Race Park". Disco Donnie Presents.
  29. ↑ "Sun City Music Festival 2015 Day 2 at Ascarate Park". Disco Donnie Presents.
  30. ↑ "Sunset Music Festival 2016 Day 2 at Raymond James Stadium (North Lot)". Disco Donnie Presents.
  31. ↑ "Ultimate Music Experience 2016 Day 3 at Schlitterbahn Beach Waterpark". Disco Donnie Presents.
  32. ↑ "Excision, Protohype, Getter at Joy Theater". Disco Donnie Presents.
  33. 1 2 3 4 "Dr. Bob's Sonic Workshop Presented by Something Wicked". Disco Donnie Presents.
  34. ↑ "Tampa's R.I.C.H. House Program receives $10,000 donation from Sunset Music Festival". Disco Donnie Presents.
  35. ↑ "Meltdown Music Festival pledges donations to benefit fertilizer plant explosion victims". Disco Donnie Presents.
  36. ↑ "Disco Donnie Presents, NightCulture, and Something Wicked Music Festival Donate $10,000 in Support of Houston's The 100 Club". Disco Donnie Presents.
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