DJs React to Twitter Removing Blue Check Verification

Twitter anarchy has reached the EDM community: Electronic musicians react to the removal (and occasional reappearance) of the Twitter Blue verified check.

Even if you’re not an avid Twitter user, you’ve surely heard the news by now: This past weekend in Elon Musk’s Wild Wild West version of the Twittersphere, the blue verified check mark has bitten the dust–or has it? Like everything with Twitter 2.0, the launch of Twitter Blue (a subscription service in which one pays $8 a month to have a verified check mark next to one’s username) has been rocky, to say the least, and according to some, a downright failure.

April 20th was allegedly the official end of the legacy check marks and over the weekend, all verified Twitter users (including celebrities, musicians, reporters, universities, and corporations) saw that very verification taken away–unless they agreed to subscribe to Twitter Blue and verify their phone number. 

This newest update took the entire Twittersphere by storm, including within the EDM community, with DJs tweeting some pretty hilarious things in response to their new lack of a blue check. @KayzoMusic posted a photo of a phallic-looking guitar with the caption, “Lost my blue check mark but got this so it’s all good.” Fans immediately responded with one user commenting, “Wow, this unverified Hayden be WILDIN!” while another wrote, “So far out of pocket, it’s the only way we know it’s really you now.” 

Kayzo wasn’t the only producer to get involved in the Twitter Blue debacle. On April 20 A-Trak tweeted, “Yesss my blue check is gone,” following up with, “Hanging out in GA.” Meanwhile, Ray Volpe did not appear as indifferent as A-Trak, writing, “I HAVE LOST MY BLUE CHECK…DON’T CALL. DON’T TEXT.” A user responded to Volpe saying, “Welcome to being a twitter pleb like the rest of us.”

However, the Wild Wild Twittersphere is always changing, and already this week has brought tumbleweeds in the form of Twitter Blue updates rolling through town. Musk has stated that he is personally paying for the verification status of some high-profile users, albeit without their consent. While at first Musk tweeted that he is solely sponsoring Stephen King, LeBron James, and William Shatner, the past days have seen the return of the blue check mark to many users with over 1 million followers. The catch? The majority of these users have vehemently denied paying for Twitter Blue.

Currently, electronic giants like Marshmello, Diplo, Tiësto, deadmau5, Skrillex, Martin Garrix, and Alesso all have verified checks on their accounts. What’s harder to say is whether or not these artists paid for Twitter Blue–or if it’s part of Musk’s decision to restore checks to high-profile users. Skrillex, for one, was confirmed to have his check taken away on April 20, although it’s currently back on his profile.

Meanwhile, other DJs including Porter Robinson, Seven Lions, Subtronics, Zeds Dead, and Liquid Stranger are still checkless–and whether they’ll remain so, remains a mystery.