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a SERIOUS question for the -=[ DJ's ]=-


loch

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DJ'ing requires serious work, both in terms of:

(1) time commitment

.....(a) practicing/mastering skills

.....(B) keeping up with current events (reading up your mixmag)

.....© shopping for vinyl

as well as...

(2) financial investment

.....(a) equipment & accessories

.....(B) buying vinyl

...and all this is required even for a bedroom/basement dj doing this as a hobby, let alone trying to actually make it into the clubs.

(YEAH, SO YOU'RE STATING THE OBVIOUS...WHAT'S THE DAMN QUESTION?) i'm glad you asked. now that i've established the basis for the question, here's the question(s):

  • how much do all of your combined equipment (total assets) cost?
  • on average, how much $ do you spend on vinyl per month?
  • on average, how many records do you buy per month?
  • on average, how much time (hours? days?) do you spend shopping for vinyl per month?
  • on average, how much time (hours? days?) do you spend practicing/building a set list/trying to see what tracks work with which, per week?
  • any other financial/time investment that has not been discussed?

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Originally posted by loch

  • how much do all of your combined equipment (total assets) cost?
  • on average, how much $ do you spend on vinyl per month?
  • on average, how many records do you buy per month?
  • on average, how much time (hours? days?) do you spend shopping for vinyl per month?
  • on average, how much time (hours? days?) do you spend practicing/building a set list/trying to see what tracks work with which, per week?
  • any other financial/time investment that has not been discussed?

1. Probably well over 8 grand now . .

2. Vinyl? . . Not much any more (maybe 50-60 bucks) but during the thick of it I was buying upwards of 200-250 bucks of vinyl a month

3. Now? . . only like maybe 4-5 , if that . .

4. Several several minute intervals during the day (if I'm shopping online) or about 3-4 hours if I go to the stores on a weekend day . . You'll spend more starting out cuz you're going to HAVE to go to the store and get used to rekkerd shopping . . With an untrained ear, I do NOT suggest shopping exclusively online . .

5. Practice can be anywhere from 2 hours to 6 hours a day . . . depends on your drive. . . Good sets can take months to formulate (and I'm talking REALLY good sets here) , average sets can take a week or two depending on how many times one changes the track listing and how many times one has to go through the set to get it recorded right (that alone can be upwards of 5 to 6 hours of deck time depending on how many times you fuck up. . I've done sets where its taken me 8 tries to get it right . . at an hour a pop . .thats a work day. . ) . . .

6. Other financial matters?? . . hmm. . . travel expense to get to rekkerd shops . . . Other than that, I can't really see anything else, except for needle replacement and mixer cleaning and failure (and mixers WILL fail . . lol . .) . . .

. . hope that helps . .

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Originally posted by loch

[*]how much do all of your combined equipment (total assets) cost?

[*]on average, how much $ do you spend on vinyl per month?

[*]on average, how many records do you buy per month?

[*]on average, how much time (hours? days?) do you spend shopping for vinyl per month?

[*]on average, how much time (hours? days?) do you spend practicing/building a set list/trying to see what tracks work with which, per week?

[*]any other financial/time investment that has not been discussed?

- well over 10g's

- used to pick up anywhere from 1-40 a month..based on likes and dislikes not necessarily due to financing.

- 4-5 hours a trip

- at one point..every spare moment...before the club..after the club..after work...before work...etc etc

- needles replacement, repairs...

its an addiction...

-z

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Originally posted by loch

  • how much do all of your combined equipment (total assets) cost?
  • on average, how much $ do you spend on vinyl per month?
  • on average, how many records do you buy per month?
  • on average, how much time (hours? days?) do you spend shopping for vinyl per month?
  • on average, how much time (hours? days?) do you spend practicing/building a set list/trying to see what tracks work with which, per week?
  • any other financial/time investment that has not been discussed?

1. not as much as some...only a few Gs...esp since I no longer do mobile DJing. 2 TT's, mixer, tons of PC software...it goes a long way these days!

2. used to spend $300 - $400 a month during my more employed days

3. I'd say 30-40 a month

4. probably about 3 hours a week thanks to some good web sites and a fast connection

5. sounds strange, but I've never pre-built a set in all the 13 years I've been spinning. Not for an hour set or a 7 hour set...a lot of people ask me why I carry so many records...well that's why. I like to bring everything I might want to play. I really only practice for a little while when I get some new vinyl. After so many years of beat matching it kind of comes natural...

6. other expenses? if you count the numerous non-paying gigs, and the fact that you're basically flushing your money down the toilet on records....no, no other expenses :D

but who would have it any other way? :laugh:

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Originally posted by loch

  • how much do all of your combined equipment (total assets) cost?
  • on average, how much $ do you spend on vinyl per month?
  • on average, how many records do you buy per month?
  • on average, how much time (hours? days?) do you spend shopping for vinyl per month?
  • on average, how much time (hours? days?) do you spend practicing/building a set list/trying to see what tracks work with which, per week?
  • any other financial/time investment that has not been discussed?

1. I only spent about 3,500 but thats 1200's, Some Gear, Mixer and accersories, and a phat computer

2. Used to go all out and spend whole checks, but now its like $150

3. Once Again, used to get tons now its about 20-25

4. Once you know where to look its only about 30 min a day (get the right emails ;)

5. I agree with Brooklynkid on this one, ive never "built a set", I actually think its a real bad idea..i carry 2 record bags and have options so you can go with whatever the crowd is digging. Mixing is tough is you dont play with your records every now and then though to get a feel for them. I spend a lot of time getting tracks together for demos and such though..those can take DAYS to get right.

6. Entry for clubs to whore yourself..NEEDLES kill me...all the usual clubbing expenses, though u get in free when you spin! I think i must say the benefits outweigh the expenses ;)

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great. just as i suspected. i'm trying to convince a "friend", who wants to get some gear so he can "spin" in his apartment as a hobby, just for kicks and to pass the time (he has absolutely NO aspirations of spinning in front of people or making a living out of it), that it's not worth the money or time, because he would undboutedly not have enough of either.

in other words, he'll probably get bored/discouraged/lack the time, and in the end, will have wasted thousands of dollars for equipment that will only collect dust. is it safe to say so? or can this be a casual and relatively inexpensive hobby?

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doesn't it require going through and LISTENING to the records to see what sounds good/what you like and vice-versa? wouldn't this then, require that you PHYSICALLY get your ass to a record store to go through them? how are you able to know what's good by buying them online?

(or do you mean you "window shop" at the stores, and then go online to buy them?)

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Originally posted by loch

doesn't it require going through and LISTENING to the records to see what sounds good/what you like and vice-versa? wouldn't this then, require that you PHYSICALLY get your ass to a record store to go through them? how are you able to know what's good by buying them online?

most good online stores allow you to listen to the track before you purchase it. I stopped going to NYC record shops because, if you haven't noticed everybody and their sister is a DJ and they all shop at Satellite :laugh:

I like having stuff shipped from overseas or other parts of the country. It's amazing what kind of white labels some of these sites get their hands on...

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1. when did you first start?

2. what was your first deck?

3. learned on your own? or through friends? or from the world- renowned "DJ'ing for Dummies" publication?

4. what motivated you in the first place? (part time hobby or full time passion? or just modern-day version of a kid growing up wanting instead of an electric guitar or drum set, decks and mixer?)

and to those who actually got gigs (and i use the term 'gig' loosely):

5. have you always wanted to perform? how much of it was starting out strictly as a hobby, but fortunately (or unfortunately for some of us that has to listen to crap...and none of this is directed at any of you :half: ) progressed into landing gigs?

6. can you realistically see yourself doing this for good and quit your day job (assuming you have a day job...and z, pimping yourself out is not consdiered a real job) ;) ?

(i think i should rename this thread to "question*S* for the dj's")

(edited to renumber list)

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Originally posted by loch

1. when did you first start?

2. what was your first deck?

3. learned on your own? or through friends? or from the world- renowned "DJ'ing for Dummies" publication?

4. what motivated you in the first place? (part time hobby or full time passion? or just modern-day version of a kid growing up wanting instead of an electric guitar or drum set, decks and mixer?)

and to those who actually got gigs (and i use the term 'gig' loosely):

4. have you always wanted to perform? how much of it was starting out strictly as a hobby, but fortunately (or unfortunately for some of us that has to listen to crap...and none of this is directed at any of you :half: ) progressed into landing gigs?

5. can you realistically see yourself doing this for good and quit your day job (assuming you have a day job...and z, pimping yourself out is not consdiered a real job) ;) ?

(i think i should rename this thread to "question*S* for the dj's")

1 '97

2 1200's of course

3. learned on my own in the beginning but using friends gear...they refused to help me at all..

4. been listeing to the music since 90 - never dawned on me to try and spin until i met a few other dj's.

5. the nature of electronic dance music is to dance....dancing by yourself is fun...making others dance stirs your soul...

6. for good?.. no......dont have the heart for the B.S. and politics involved.

-z

p.s. pimping aint easy....:D

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  • how much do all of your combined equipment (total assets) cost? About 4 grand

  • on average, how much $ do you spend on vinyl per month? $300-$400

  • on average, how many records do you buy per month? About 50

  • on average, how much time (hours? days?) do you spend shopping for vinyl per month? 20-25 hours/mo

  • on average, how much time (hours? days?) do you spend practicing/building a set list/trying to see what tracks work with which, per week? 15-20 hours

  • any other financial/time investment that has not been discussed? Time investemnt - networking. Takes a LOT of time.

First started - January of this year. Spun a little back in about '98, but never did anything more than house parties and I sold all my old records before I moved up here. Damn, I wish I had those back....

First equipment - Techs, Genimi Mixmaster (NEVER get one of those), Sennheiser

Learning - Mostly on my own, did a lot of watching other DJs I liked and stealing little tricks off of them

Motivation - Started as a hobby (and still is for the most part), but I really love the music. I was a musician for years before, and I kinda had a need to fill in making music. I always wanted to perform (I was in ska and jazz bands for years playing trombone), so once I felt confident enough to get out there, I've been getting out there. Took the summer off and it looks like gigs are starting to finally come back in again.

Full time? - Probably not. I'm not spending $150k in loans to not end up being a lawyer. If I could plausibly make enough DJing to pay off my loans, I'd quit law in a heartbeat, but I really doubt that will happen.

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Originally posted by loch

1. when did you first start?

2. what was your first deck?

3. learned on your own? or through friends? or from the world- renowned "DJ'ing for Dummies" publication?

4. what motivated you in the first place? (part time hobby or full time passion? or just modern-day version of a kid growing up wanting instead of an electric guitar or drum set, decks and mixer?)

and to those who actually got gigs (and i use the term 'gig' loosely):

5. have you always wanted to perform? how much of it was starting out strictly as a hobby, but fortunately (or unfortunately for some of us that has to listen to crap...and none of this is directed at any of you :half: ) progressed into landing gigs?

6. can you realistically see yourself doing this for good and quit your day job (assuming you have a day job...and z, pimping yourself out is not consdiered a real job) ;) ?

1. 1989...old school!

2. you don't wanna know...a mismatching pair...one a piece of shit radio shack thing and one a Technics (not a 1200) :laugh:

3. i started out learning from these dude who used to DJ my school dances when I was like 12 years old. Figured if girls didn't want to dance with me I might as well do something useful:(

Mostly everything else I picked up myself...

4. i had already taken drum lessons when i was a kid, but I was a computer geek so electronic music made sense. Then when saw my first 12" single I was blown away (so THIS is where they get LONNNG versions of songs!). I used to listen to and tape the "Saturday Night Dance Party" on HOT 103 here in NY and I worshipped DJ Glenn Friscia. He had the tightest mixing skills.

5. I totally wanted to perform. I was kind of a shy kid and this would be my outlet. I started getting gigs at several Long Island spots in the mid '90s. Unfortunately I made the decision to leave the scene for a few years to persue this "dotcom" career (which ultimately SHIT ON ME). So here I am now, throwing myself back into it with all the kids:D

6. I don't know if I'd quit my day job. Like Z said there is so much B.S. and politics involved, and ass kissing, and liars, and shady people to deal with. I mean, if someone was going to treat me like a DT or a Digweed then shit yeah, sign me up!

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