Since March, at least seven young people attending dance events around the U.S. have died after exhibiting symptoms consistent with overdoses from MDMA and other so-called party drugs, often called ecstasy or molly, reports the New York Times. This month, the Electric Zoo festival on New York City’s Randalls Island was shut down at the request of city officials after two patrons died, apparently from MDMA overdoses.
The string of drug-related deaths has highlighted the risks both to fans and to businesses looking to profit from the electronic dance music business craze, which has grown to an estimated worth of $4.5 billion, a number luring both Wall Street investors and mainstream corporate sponsors. Executives say the deaths have the potential to scare off investors and the corporate sponsors that are eager to reach the genre's young, affluent and technologically connected fans.