Megan Vineberg – Editor-in-Chief
The unfortunate passing of Swedish DJ and producer Tim Bergling, known professionally as Avicii in April 2018, still weighs heavily on the minds of dance music fans everywhere.
A museum has opened up to celebrate his life and work, brought to us by leading dance music label Spinnin’ Records. One of his more popular songs, “Wake Me Up,” may be familiar to listeners as it was played in non-stop rotation upon its initial release.
The record-breaking producer obviously suffered at the height of his fame and fortune, only 28 at the time of his passing.
The Grammy-nominated artist was featured by Forbes as being a top-earning artist in the music industry, having secured brand deals with Volvo and Ralph Lauren. Avicii found that he was not primarily motivated by money, instead opting to give to those in need.
In an interview in 2013, Avicii went on to say, “I discovered when I started making money that I didn’t really need it.” Instead, he turned towards charitable donations, embarking on a tour called “House for Hunger” with which he donated all incoming proceeds to Feeding America that aims to combat hunger. He later added $1 million, along with an additional one million euros to a Swedish “hunger aid” charity. He went on to say, “When you have such an excess of money you don’t need, the most sensible, most human and completely obvious thing is to give to people in need.”
The Avicii Experience is a tribute exhibition that will open in Avicii’s hometown, and home to Spotify HQ in Stockholm, Sweden. According to weraveyou.com, the museum grand opening is set for Spring 2022 with tickets now on sale as of Nov 30th, 2021.
Avicii’s father reflected on his son’s memory:
“We are extremely proud of what Tim did and his music and we also know that his person is important to many fans. We have got so many mails and letters etc. so I think that the Avicii Experience will be an important place for many fans and people who’d like to know him more. Tim the music producer and artist is one thing, his person is something else.”
Much like Amanotes of Ho Mingh City in Vietnam, the Avicii Experience will bridge the gap between music and gaming. Fans will get an in-depth look at unreleased content, including a demo version of Avicii’s song “Levels,” that put him on the map in the EDM space. Museum goers will also get the experience of other artists’ interactions with Avicii and untold stories.
Most notably, a portion of proceeds will go towards the Tim Bergling Foundation, which “advocates for the recognition of suicide as a global health emergency,” as described on the official website.
vinemd@mail.broward.edu