Daft Punk Entry

Out of all electronic music, the only band I can truly say that I enjoy is Daft Punk. They seem to have enough skill as musicians and put on a wonderful live show to keep me entertained. While it is still a bit mindless and repetitive, they are headed in the right direction with their music.
I think that Daft Punk has had an influence on electronic music by demanding more out of other artists. Their music proves that electronic music can appeal to smart musicians and not to just club goers. Also they are pushing the boundaries of just what an electronic artist can achieve. They recently scored the entire soundtrack for the newest Tron movie and this was a big thing for a band of that nature. As well they continually collaborate with other artists and bridge gaps in genres. I feel this influence is directly shaping pop music approach. Many pop artists are starting to have an electronic approach to their music seeing the success these crossovers are having.
One large thing that sets Daft Punk apart from other bands is a very visual approach to videos and to live performances. Electronic artists often are not as entertaining as traditional musicians because they must stay stationary and the nature of the instruments they play are difficult to play entertainingly. Daft Punk chose to visually make the show more interesting to battle this issue.
As a listener I enjoy Daft Punk and feel like this is the direction that music must head to stay relevant. It must incorporate other genres and stay catchy enough to appeal to more than just electronic lovers. As an industry professional I like the quality of the tracks I hear from them but find it hard to respect the process because I know how easy it is to use software and whatnot to make these sounds nowadays. The level of knowledge required to use them and do what they do is growing smaller and smaller by the day.