Politics in DJing

[Guest saintjohn]

Life is unfair.

Some people will never be able to live out their romantic superstar DJ fantasies, so they come here and blame Miami's nightclub owners, local dance music enthusiasts, club culture, MP3 technology, the music industry, the economy, et cetera, for somehow conspiring to prevent them from becoming the next Tiesto.

[Guest pod]

A lot of people think there's some sort of 'club mafia' down here keeping them down. If that's the case, why did some of my friends score hot residencies recently? They went out and worked it. Not just Miami, either...I'd dare to say in NYC, LA, Vegas, and Chicago, you gotta work it to get work as a DJ. Talent will only get you so far, you gotta go out and promote yourself. In nightlife, it's all about the hustle.

[Guest Adam Singer]

everyone and their mom dj's

only few can do it right, IMO

and even less can make unique music...ive said it before, nowadays if you want to make it you have to produce too, no one is going to make it on dj'ing skills alone, i can think of ONE new dj who has made it on his skills on the decks alone, and that is james zabiela...

[Guest swirlundergrounder]

i can think of ONE new dj who has made it on his skills on the decks alone, and that is james zabiela...

Donald Glaude also...James has produced more than Glaude has...

[Guest DJ Oslo]

A lot of people think there's some sort of 'club mafia' down here keeping them down. If that's the case, why did some of my friends score hot residencies recently? They went out and worked it. Not just Miami, either...I'd dare to say in NYC, LA, Vegas, and Chicago, you gotta work it to get work as a DJ. Talent will only get you so far, you gotta go out and promote yourself. In nightlife, it's all about the hustle.

[Guest DJ Oslo]

A lot of people think there's some sort of 'club mafia' down here keeping them down. If that's the case, why did some of my friends score hot residencies recently? They went out and worked it. Not just Miami, either...I'd dare to say in NYC, LA, Vegas, and Chicago, you gotta work it to get work as a DJ. Talent will only get you so far, you gotta go out and promote yourself. In nightlife, it's all about the hustle.

I agree. You can be the best DJ but you will never see the inside of a club if you don't go out and hustle. Meet the people who are responsible for the runnings of a club. Let them know who you are. Have some CD mixes in case they ask for them. Kissing ass and hustling the people in the industry is nothing that is out of the ordinary, but in the end, they will be wanting a DJ who has talent in rocking a club. If a DJ has the talent for this, then the hustle is just a means to the end.

There seems to be two types, the ones complaining that they are not getting the gigs, but claim to be great, and the ones with the gigs, who just keep silent and keep doing what they do.

[Guest Sela V]

And there's a third type - who don't claim to be great, but keep silent and do their thing....

[Guest EddieAlexander]

i agree with everyone when you say: Produce your own stuff, hustle.. Im not here to bitch, but i do believe what i have mentioned has affected everyone.

In the year 1999 i used to charge $350 per night at every venue i worked as a resident.

Its the year 2005 and if you make $200 a night your lucky.

People! GAS is at $3.00 a gallon it costs money just to get to the gig. LOL ;D

Due to the fact that now you can go to Best Buy and buy yourself a 300 cd case, a pack of 100 cd-r's,a sharpie, a pair of headphones, get lime wire in your mom's comp, call your boy who is a promoter, and your done.

Congratulations! Your a DJ! ;D

Then go to your local venue say hey i DJ, and i charge $50 or even free per night , and all I want is free drinks. ;D

You cant say this has not affected every DJ in the world.

Radio DJs in Tampa charge $500 a gig and Radio Djs in Miami are begging for work. In the words of the late Rodney Dangerfield:"I get no respect, no respect at all...."

Im not saying there is a conspiracy against djs in Miami, but, all of the Cons i mentioned in my previous post are elements to what is going on in Miami.

Its true HUSTLE and NETWORKING is key and right now theres is no other way around it. There is no doubt i encourage all djs and prod. to get out there. But, dont go out there saying you'll work for less just to undercut the guy thats there already. At the venue i work at it happens on a nightly basis. The owner at the end of the night comes up to me with like 10 business cards and like 2 demo cds a night telling me they all say: Im better, Im cheaper, im this, im that...what kind of an approach is that? im very thankful i have a gig and i have an owner who knows value.

[Guest swirlundergrounder]

i agree with everyone when you say: Produce your own stuff, hustle.. Im not here to bitch, but i do believe what i have mentioned has affected everyone.

In the year 1999 i used to charge $350 per night at every venue i worked as a resident.

Its the year 2005 and if you make $200 a night your lucky.

People! GAS is at $3.00 a gallon it costs money just to get to the gig. LOL ;D

Due to the fact that now you can go to Best Buy and buy yourself a 300 cd case, a pack of 100 cd-r's,a sharpie, a pair of headphones, get lime wire in your mom's comp, call your boy who is a promoter, and your done.

Congratulations! Your a DJ! ;D

Then go to your local venue say hey i DJ, and i charge $50 or even free per night , and all I want is free drinks. ;D

You cant say this has not affected every DJ in the world.

Radio DJs in Tampa charge $500 a gig and Radio Djs in Miami are begging for work. In the words of the late Rodney Dangerfield:"I get no respect, no respect at all...."

Im not saying there is a conspiracy against djs in Miami, but, all of the Cons i mentioned in my previous post are elements to what is going on in Miami.

Its true HUSTLE and NETWORKING is key and right now theres is no other way around it. There is no doubt i encourage all djs and prod. to get out there. But, dont go out there saying you'll work for less just to undercut the guy thats there already. At the venue i work at it happens on a nightly basis. The owner at the end of the night comes up to me with like 10 business cards and like 2 demo cds a night telling me they all say: Im better, Im cheaper, im this, im that...what kind of an approach is that? im very thankful i have a gig and i have an owner who knows value.

Yep. If you're a new DJ never play for free. You're not only an artist but you're also a business. The sheer number of DJ's that are willing to play for free alone out there is driving down the price/wages of DJ's. There are instances where you can get lucky and play for free and have that turn into a regular gig but that's really rare. I guess you have to feel out the situation. There's only so much networking you can do. You can network, network, network...But the bottom line is there are only so many clubs/ venues out there, let alone a limited number of nights per week people really go out and so many new DJ's entering the market wanting gigs that it's become seriously saturated...

Yeah you're lucky that you have a residency at a place where the owner knows the value of good music and has the paitence to allow you to build on that. That's very rare these days...

[Guest DJ Oslo]

Due to the fact that now you can go to Best Buy and buy yourself a 300 cd case, a pack of 100 cd-r's,a sharpie, a pair of headphones, get lime wire in your mom's comp, call your boy who is a promoter, and your done.

Congratulations! Your a DJ! ;D

Thanks for posting EddieAlexander. I am really amazed if this actually happens in the clubs in Miami. Because access to music is easier, but you still need to be able to read a crowd, program the music right, and mix those songs smoothly. If you can't do that, then won't you see a lot of people in the clubs complaining that the "DJ" is a poor DJ?

I have seem some impressive looking clubs in Miami. In one club, I was shocked to be listening to the DJ mixing Hip-Hop. He wasn't beat-mixing Hip-Hop. He was slam-mixing song after song. That would surely wreak the flow on the dancefloor, but nobody seemed to complain. However, I was surprised that such a reputable club in South Beach would even hire such a DJ.

[Guest swirlundergrounder]

Due to the fact that now you can go to Best Buy and buy yourself a 300 cd case, a pack of 100 cd-r's,a sharpie, a pair of headphones, get lime wire in your mom's comp, call your boy who is a promoter, and your done.

Congratulations! Your a DJ! ;D

In one club, I was shocked to be listening to the DJ mixing Hip-Hop. He wasn't beat-mixing Hip-Hop. He was slam-mixing song after song. That would surely wreak the flow on the dancefloor, but nobody seemed to complain. However, I was surprised that such a reputable club in South Beach would even hire such a DJ.

That's becuz 85% of the peeps who go out don't give a shit about music and how it flows, programming etc....

It's really sad. Peeps in a lot of clubs doon't seem to care 'how a song is played' rather than 'What is being played'....

Sucks huh? This DJ who was slam mixing was probably someones good friend who works for the club and got the gig even though he doesn't know shit about beat matching. This is what pisses me off about going out now a days. As a music lover when I go out I want to hear good music along with a good performance. Because music is a focal point in my life I'm damm picky about what and how music is being played when I go out. And I must say that the quality of music and especially the quality of DJ's has gone down drastically over the course of the last several years...

[Guest mursa]

Dj's are overrated ...............get a real job, it'll save you guys the worrying .

[Guest DJ Oslo]

Dj's are overrated ...............get a real job, it'll save you guys the worrying .

You have a point. That may explain what some people are saying on this thread regarding the quality of DJ's performance. DJ's that approach DJing with no business perspective probably are not serious in perfecting their technical skills, programming, crowd response, etc.

There are a few DJs that treat this profession with respect. They are usually very good at what they do.

[Guest Pablo F]

Oslo, I love your use of the word. RESPECT!!!!!

Most of the people in this business have forgetten the meaning of that word. Because of this club promoters and owners have done the same. I have had people tell me "why am I gonna pay you more when I can get someone else for less or even free? Most of these owners promoters are not fans of the music so they could really care less.

Look, we who live this. We who have made this our lives know the difference. Lets make the difference amongst each other. No one else will cause no one understands this every day struggle. From my part i dont plan on playing for free and I dont plan on cutting any ones throat just to get a gig. In the long run I would only be doing it to myself.

P.S. Eddie Get back to work Mastering that track.. We need to get it out...LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dj for life! (make it or not)

[Guest Adam Singer]

ill add something else to this...

you can work to make it as a local artist

or you can work to make it as an international artist

it is very hard to do both...you should probably concentrate your efforts on one...that all depends what you want out of this

[Guest deepwish]

Look what happened to Sean Bauzey, He was the first Cooljunkie comp winner.He is an awsome Prog and breaks DJ and now? As for DJFX this guy has massive skills, but he still has not played in any big Clubs in Miami after doing the loft inside LEVEL. I mean look what happened to djrc, this cat rocked space but has any one heard of him spinning

"anywhere"? Well I will hope that more clubs open up to allow

more local talet show off there skills or the ones we have now have a "locals only";dj's living in the greater Miami area, night.

[Guest pod]

Felipe holds down a very successful residency at The Womb online radio station, and plays alongside Monk and others of that nature quite frequently. He's not in Miami a lot since that sound doesn't go over well here at the moment.

[Guest deepwish]

My point excatly. Great DJ but still no love. I know FX and Sean personaly, both great guys very laid back.

[Guest MsPartyPromo]

WOW...

I have to agree w/ Eddie a whole lot. He makes a real point. I don't see someone who is bitching or complaining I see someone who really sees things how they are. As with any business networking is what works, but what happens when you do that & have the talent? Then comes mr I'm a DJ I charge close to nothing or free drinks... I have seen it a million times over. the value of a good DJ has gone to shits because of this. I have been to the big venues, hear the worst mixing & no one cares. This as w/ any profession boils down to RESPECT. I think it has been lost by most DJ's, club owners & managers.

PS DJing is not overrated...

[Guest coach]

Unfortunately, your point does not hold up because there are plenty of DJs in Miami who make decent money at it. While having people who will play for free may cheapen the value of a DJ, some people still make a living at it. So that cannot be the reason that unsuccessful DJs are not getting gigs.

[Guest MsPartyPromo]

Unfortunately, your point does not hold up because there are plenty of DJs in Miami who make decent money at it. While having people who will play for free may cheapen the value of a DJ, some people still make a living at it. So that cannot be the reason that unsuccessful DJs are not getting gigs.

It is the main reason some DJ's are not getting gigs... The value has dropped along w/ the respect & value...

[Guest Adam Singer]

it boils down to being in the right circles, thats the bottom line, you guys can argue the 'value of a dj' all night...

in the end, the producers should be paid more, but they aren't...

its like in education, teachers are paid shite but they give people the skills to make a fortune and gain respect/fame/success...dj's arent anything without people making their tunes to play

now those who can dj and produce (well on both ends)...respect (very few excel at both imo)

[Guest MsPartyPromo]

it boils down to being in the right circles, thats the bottom line, you guys can argue the 'value of a dj' all night...

in the end, the producers should be paid more, but they aren't...

its like in education, teachers are paid shite but they give people the skills to make a fortune and gain respect/fame/success...dj's arent anything without people making their tunes to play

now those who can dj and produce (well on both ends)...respect (very few excel at both imo)

Agreed

[Guest james stratus]

it boils down to being in the right circles, thats the bottom line, you guys can argue the 'value of a dj' all night...

in the end, the producers should be paid more, but they aren't...

its like in education, teachers are paid shite but they give people the skills to make a fortune and gain respect/fame/success...dj's arent anything without people making their tunes to play

now those who can dj and produce (well on both ends)...respect (very few excel at both imo)

Agreed

Producing is the key to real success in DJing, but you still have to know the right people and get your track heard by them for it an you to go far. There are thousands more producers of EDM music these days with more and more records being released day to day. Once the year 2000 hit you would think there was some conspiracy to put out a million crappy records and only 1000 good records and have those good records purposely burried in the overwhelming crappy pile. So even in that aspect it is harder than it used to be. This is not 1993 when the biggest Djs that are out now started really getting their productions seriously noticed on an international level. Those are the guys that make the real money. Just pick a name, any name!

[Guest colione98]

If you would allow the kid to add in a few words....

As I see it, only being here for a year, the reason that this convo is being brought up is because the current jocks that are playing here are not living the lavish life that one thinks especially for MIAMI. On the contrary to popular belief, there are a lot of current working djs on the beach that are struggling to make a buck because all they have is this weekend thing....

Therefore, the ones that have the drive to become successful djs begin to question those that are current- because they feel at their level- because down south has that affect on people- we all feel close to the djs as we know them personally.. Hell half of them are on this board. Good thing and bad thing- Bad because now we have the under rated cats becoming to close to the situation creating competitive vibes. Good thing because its great for the non-djs to get to know their favorite jocks....

But the question is, how does one improve without some type of residency..... with the limited venues we have, having rotated djs would do nothing for ones career....

Here is political but also a circle of friends..... Everybody knows everybody and why so often you have the same djs that have been here for ten years still here..... the word is COMPLACENT- happy in there own little world and not willing to travel which in turn leaves no room for new comers.....

Remember, just cause you worked hard to get Amika doesn't mean to drop your packs and become complacent...... Work just as hard to get at least interstate or international recognition..... Not just the same south beach/hard rock gigs...

On another note, whatever happended to the days of damn- one day I will be playing @ crobar. Here, if you know the right cat, you can do a guest spot on a thursday.... But in NYC, get out of here, you better have some dirt under your belt.... Who the hell are you tryin to creep up on crobar, go and apply at blue or some trash like that........ But luckily for south florida, things are not as restrictive.......

Not to mention that every club or lounge down here is on point so that also adds to the confusion at a competitive rate

.....

It comes down to 5 things- not in any order

1- Respect your fore figure djs-(those that came before)

2-having the drive to self promote

3-having a descent personality that make people want to be around you.......

4- patience.........

5- last but not least- make friends with the djs- here in SF is not that hard......... cause most all have day jobs not musically related and are down to earth just like me and you.....