Like most entrepreneurs, though, Skrillex found that, long term, the latter leads to the former.
Note: An earlier version of this story said that Skrillex headlined Coachella last year.
Skrillex says scoring games and movies could become a bigger part of his career--as long as the conditions are right.
Skrillex, or 25-year-old Sonny Moore, was also not available to accept the award because he was on the red carpet.
FORBES: DJs Calvin Harris And Skrillex Claim Early Wins At 55th Annual Grammys
Your casually hip setting: patrons sit on simple wooden benches and sip cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon while listening to Skrillex.
No longer happy as part of a group, Skrillex left the surefire payday in 2007 to focus on his own, electronic, music.
He in turn quickly signed Skrillex to Mau5trap, his Atlantic-backed label.
While Skrillex and his peers have gained popularity by producing their own music, they generally release it free, rendering piracy, the bane of traditional artists, irrelevant.
"You know what, I thought I'd get used to it, but I tripped over every word when I was up there, " Skrillex said of his acceptance speeches.
Skrillex is not nominated for any more awards tonight.
FORBES: D��j�� Vu: Skrillex Wins Three Grammys Before Broadcast Even Starts, Again
In October 2010 Skrillex released an EP called Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites, the rare hit for an electronic artist, peaking at No. 49 on the Billboard charts and selling over 1 million copies.
Jay-Z and Kanye West had three wins sharing one award with Ocean along with Skrillex, and a slew of nominees had two wins apiece, including former best new artist winner Esperanza Spalding.
This year, for instance, an obscure DJ from Lichtenstein, Al Walser, is nominated for best dance recording next to heavyweights such as Avicii and Skrillex, after he made lobbying efforts on a private website for Academy members.
With his own cross-promotional opportunities providing additional motivation, Jay-Z assembled a diverse, multigenerational list of musical acts from genres including hip-hop (Odd Future, Drake, Run-DMC) to electronic (Afrojack, Calvin Harris, Skrillex) to rock (Pearl Jam, X, The Hives).
FORBES: Jay-Z's Made in America Festival: A Cross-Promotional Bonanza
Over the last year Skrillex has performed in front of at least 250, 000 people, playing his own tunes in over 150 live shows across 19 countries--a formula that means millions for him and for his DJ peers who follow a similar schedule.
The genres represented span music mixes by electronic dance music heavyweights such as Swedish House Mafia, Tiesto, Skrillex to Indie rock curated by artists like Cobra Starship, Pete Wentz, RAC, Dragonette to notables like Open-Format and hip hop celebrity DJs such as Oprah and Barack Obama's DJ Cassidy.
应用推荐