Trap Nation

Trap Nation is an American music-promotion brand best known for distributing and promoting electronic music through its YouTube channel and associated digital platforms. It emerged in September 2012, when Andre Willem Benz and Kevin Field founded the channel while they were both teenagers. Rather than beginning as a conventional record label or artist-led act, Trap Nation developed around curation: the channel selected electronic and trap-oriented tracks, presented them to a rapidly growing online audience, and helped connect independent producers with listeners. The brand's principal operating model has been based on digital discovery and audience aggregation. Music releases are promoted through branded video uploads and related online channels, giving artists a route to visibility outside traditional radio and label systems. Trap Nation became part of a wider network known as The Nations, which encompasses other genre- and mood-oriented channels and the Lowly Palace label. Andre Willem Benz expanded this network by launching Chill Nation in February 2014, while other channels were subsequently managed by additional curators and operators. By April 2020, Benz was still directly involved in running Trap Nation alongside curator Jean. The channel's growth accelerated during the mid-2010s, when YouTube became a major discovery and distribution platform for electronic music. Tubefilter included Trap Nation among the ten fastest-growing YouTube channels in 2016 and reported an average of approximately 70 million new plays per week. In 2017, the channel was reported to have more than five billion total views and to rank among YouTube's most-subscribed channels. YouTube also included Trap Nation among its top ten preferred Google/YouTube music partners in 2015, while Billboard identified it as a leading dance-music curator on the platform. Trap Nation broadened beyond online video through events and label activity. Its first live-event appearance took place in Danbury, Connecticut, in 2016, with performances by Botnet and Lukas. The brand later participated in SXSW in March 2017, presenting artists including Illenium, San Holo, and Whethan. In June 2017, it hosted an art-car event at Electric Daisy Carnival that drew more than 4,000 attendees and featured performers such as Alan Walker, TroyBoi, Boombox Cartel, and Autograf. In September 2016, the wider organization established Lowly Palace as an independent record label. This extended The Nations' role from promotional channel to music-release and artist-development network. By 2021, Trap Nation was reported to have more than 30 million subscribers and to gain roughly 560,000 subscribers per month, illustrating the scale of its audience at that time. The ownership structure changed in April 2022, when The Nations sold a majority stake to Create Music Group for an undisclosed amount. Trap Nation therefore became part of a larger music-services and digital-media platform while retaining its identity as a prominent electronic-music curator. Its core proposition remains the discovery, promotion, and distribution of electronic music through branded digital channels, with related activity in record releases, artist exposure, and live events.

Trap Nation began in September 2012 as a YouTube channel founded by Andre Willem Benz and Kevin Field, who were both 15 years old at the time. Its initial identity was that of a music-promotion channel rather than a traditional artist project. The brand selected and published electronic and trap-oriented music, using YouTube's recommendation and subscription systems to reach listeners and provide exposure for producers. The channel became the foundation for a broader network of branded music channels. Benz launched Chill Nation in February 2014, and the channels were later managed by additional curators within The Nations, the organization that came to encompass the Nation-branded channels and Lowly Palace. As of April 2020, Benz continued to run Trap Nation with another curator identified as Jean. Trap Nation's major expansion occurred during the rapid growth of online electronic-music communities. Tubefilter listed it among YouTube's ten fastest-growing channels in 2016 and reported approximately 70 million new plays per week. The brand also began developing activities outside video publishing. In September 2016, the wider organization founded Lowly Palace as an independent record label, creating a formal outlet for releases associated with its electronic-music network. In the same year, Trap Nation made its first reported live-event appearance in Danbury, Connecticut, with Botnet and Lukas. The brand continued to connect digital promotion with live music in 2017. It took part in SXSW in March, with artists including Illenium, San Holo, and Whethan. In June, it staged an art-car event at Electric Daisy Carnival. The event reportedly drew more than 4,000 people and featured Alan Walker, TroyBoi, Boombox Cartel, Autograf, and other performers. These activities demonstrated that Trap Nation's role extended beyond uploading tracks: it functioned as a curator, event programmer, and promotional community for dance music. Trap Nation also achieved significant platform scale. In 2015, YouTube included it among its top ten preferred Google/YouTube music partners. By June 2017, it had reportedly accumulated more than five billion views and ranked 44th among YouTube's most-subscribed channels. Billboard placed Trap Nation among the leading dance curators on YouTube. By 2021, the channel was reported to have more than 30 million subscribers and to add approximately 560,000 subscribers per month. A significant corporate development occurred in April 2022, when The Nations sold a majority stake to Create Music Group for an undisclosed amount. The transaction placed Trap Nation within Create Music Group's broader music and digital-media structure. Publicly available reference material does not establish a separate headquarters, current executive roster, or detailed post-transaction operating structure. Trap Nation is therefore best understood as an active digital music-promotion brand whose principal public identity remains its YouTube channel and related electronic-music ecosystem.

1. 2022Create Music Group acquires a majority stake

   The Nations sells a majority stake in its ownership to Create Music Group in a transaction whose value was not disclosed.

   Source
2. 2017SXSW and EDC activations

   The brand participates in SXSW and stages an art-car event at Electric Daisy Carnival.

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3. 2016Lowly Palace is founded

   The wider Nations organization establishes Lowly Palace as an independent record label.

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4. 2016First reported live event

   Trap Nation makes its live-event debut in Danbury, Connecticut.

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5. 2015Recognized as a preferred YouTube music partner

   Trap Nation is included among YouTube's ten preferred Google/YouTube music partners.

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6. 2014Chill Nation is launched

   Andre Willem Benz expands the channel network by founding Chill Nation.

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7. 2012Trap Nation is founded

   Andre Willem Benz and Kevin Field establish Trap Nation as an electronic- and trap-music promotion channel on YouTube.

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A high-reach digital curator and promotional platform for electronic, trap, and adjacent dance music, positioned between a media channel, discovery service, and music-marketing network.

• Trap Nation YouTube channelDigital music channel2012

  Trap Nation's core public offering is its YouTube channel, which publishes and promotes electronic, trap, and related dance music. The channel operates as a discovery and audience-building platform for producers and releases rather than as a conventional artist discography. Its scale has made it a significant promotional outlet within online electronic music culture.

• The Nations channel networkDigital media network

  The Nations is the wider network associated with Trap Nation and other branded music channels, including Chill Nation. The network organizes multiple curatorial identities around electronic music and adjacent listening contexts, allowing different channels to serve distinct audiences while sharing an overarching operating structure.

• Lowly PalaceIndependent record label2016

  Founded in September 2016, Lowly Palace is the independent-label component of the wider Nations organization. It broadened the group's role from promoting music on video platforms to supporting formal music releases and giving artists an additional route into the electronic-music ecosystem.

• Trap Nation live eventsLive music programming2016

  Trap Nation has used live events to translate its online curation into physical experiences. Reported activities include a 2016 debut event in Danbury, participation at SXSW in 2017, and an art-car presentation at Electric Daisy Carnival featuring established electronic and dance acts.

• 2017SXSW participation

  United States

  Trap Nation participated in SXSW with a lineup that included Illenium, San Holo, Whethan, and other electronic artists.

  Outcome. The activation increased the brand's presence within a major music and technology festival environment.

  Source
• 2017EDC art-car event

  United States

  Trap Nation presented an art-car event at Electric Daisy Carnival with performances by Alan Walker, TroyBoi, Boombox Cartel, Autograf, and other acts.

  Outcome. The event reportedly attracted more than 4,000 attendees and was described as the largest art-car event at EDC at the time.

  Source
• 2016Trap Nation live-event debut

  United States

  Trap Nation made its first reported live-event appearance in Danbury, Connecticut, bringing its online music-curation identity into an in-person performance setting.

  Outcome. The event established a live component for the brand; performers included Botnet and Lukas.

  Source

• 2022Sale of a majority stake to Create Music GroupM&A

  The Nations operated Trap Nation and other related channels within a broader digital music network.

  What changed. The Nations sold a majority ownership stake to Create Music Group in April 2022.

  Aftermath. Trap Nation became part of Create Music Group's wider music and digital-media portfolio. The transaction value and detailed operating changes were not publicly specified in the supplied reference material.

  Transaction value. (April 2022)

  Source
• 2016Establishment of Lowly PalaceStrategy

  The Nations had developed a substantial audience through music-promotion channels and expanded into a broader music organization.

  What changed. The organization founded Lowly Palace as an independent record label in September 2016.

  Aftermath. The move added label operations to the group's existing channel-curation and promotional activities.

  Source

• 2022The Nations sells majority stake to Create Music Group

  The Nations, the parent organization associated with Trap Nation and related channels, sold a majority ownership stake to Create Music Group. The transaction value was not disclosed.

  M&A
  Source
• 2017Trap Nation participates in SXSW

  The brand participated in SXSW with a program that included electronic artists such as Illenium, San Holo, and Whethan.

  Campaign
  Source
• 2017Trap Nation presents a large EDC art-car event

  Trap Nation held an art-car event at Electric Daisy Carnival that attracted a reported crowd of more than 4,000 people and included Alan Walker, TroyBoi, Boombox Cartel, and Autograf.

  Campaign
  Source
• 2017Trap Nation ranks among YouTube's largest channels

  The channel was reported as the 44th-most-subscribed YouTube channel and had accumulated more than five billion views.

  Other
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• 2016Trap Nation launches Lowly Palace

  The Nations established Lowly Palace as an independent record label, extending the group's activities beyond channel-based promotion.

  Product launch
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• 2016Trap Nation makes its live-event debut

  Trap Nation held its first reported live event in Danbury, Connecticut, featuring performances by Botnet and Lukas.

  Campaign
  Source
• 2015Trap Nation included among YouTube's preferred music partners

  YouTube placed Trap Nation among its ten preferred Google/YouTube music partners, reflecting the channel's importance within the platform's music ecosystem.

  Other
  Source

1. Trap Nation
2. Nations official website