The Science of Spin
One thing that is absolutely certain, the art of being a DJ has been diluted over the past decade. The term is used loosely to describe what a bunch of people do with music, and it’s gotten to the point now where I would almost rather call myself a “mixshow artist” instead of a DJ. Lately, I was tagged in a facebook post by a 1yr DJ who wanted to bring attention to some things he has learned since starting, which inspired me to write this post.
Things that EVERY DJ Should Do to Strengthen the Game:
1. Do your Passion…
Do what you love and love what you do. If you love doing mixshows, make sure you’re doing it more than just when you’re gigging. Practice it at home, or in the office. Record mixshows and put them on SoundCloud, Podomatic, or build your own website. If you’re ambition is to be a “Producer DJ,” buy a Maschine, buy a copy or Ableton, Reason, and/or Pro-Tools. Take some music comp classes if needed.
Also, don’t take gigs doing what you AREN’T passionate about just to be doing it. If you’re a Mixshow DJ, don’t start doing karaoke just to work, if you don’t love it. If you’re a producer type, don’t take gigs out of the DJ type’s mouth if you don’t care about becoming good at doing mixshows. We all gotta eat, but if you are mediocre at something, and getting booked to be mediocre at a set, it HURTS the game, because the general audience will learn to expect that mediocrity as normal, or worse, possibly even interpret your lacklusterness as “good.”
2. Know your Role…
This goes for bar/club owners, concert promoters, DJ’s, patrons and the like. It is important that we ALL take a moment to understand what our role is, and do what it is we are supposed to do. As a DJ, if nobody knows who you are, or if you’re known for being the “DJ at that bar,” you are working in the customer service industry. While it’s ok to have ambitions of expanding beyond that, in this scenario, your job is to serve customers. That means taking appropriate requests, promoting bar sales, reading the audience, playing appropriate music. The only time this is NOT the case, is if your name is on a marquee outside, and people are coming to this place SOLELY because you are there.
Owners/Promoters, it is important that YOU understand and respect that the DJ is an artist, and performs better when they don’t have to respond quibbles about stuff. It can be really tempting to harass the DJ mid-set about whatever song they are playing, or sound levels, or anything of that nature, but there is an appropriate time, (within reason). Set an expectation for the DJ BEFORE they begin the show. Say “hey, this is what I want…” and tell them. then DO NOT provide any additional feedback until AFTER the show has ended. A lot of guys, including myself, will actually perform worse, if being micro-managed during their show. Make a couple notes if you have to, to remember any questions or criticisms, and discuss those at the end of the night. I mean the DJ isn’t leaving without their payout anyway, so you have the opportunity to discuss post-set. The only time it’s really ok to bother the DJ mid-set is if they are causing potential risk or loss. Driving the sound system so hard that speakers are likely to become damaged; or obliviously playing music that could be considered offensive to your audience, (I was actually at a family bowling event in support of M.A.D.D., and the DJ was playing “Caribou Lou” by Tech N9ne. I would have fired him IMMEDIATELY.)
Patrons and bar owners, please respect the DJ as a business too, and that they had to invest in their passion to do what they do. My equipment cost me around $5,000, and then I have ongoing costs each month for record pools and other sources of new music. Also, I can easily spend 4-8 hours a week listening to what the record pool sends me, downloading new tracks to my library, and keeping the music library organized. There is a lot of time and money invested in being good at what we do, so the last thing we want is for you to spill your drink on our equipment, or to pester us about some obscure and unknown artist you think we should be “hip” to. There is a time and place, but this ain’t it.
Also, show the DJ some love. If you’re a patron, and the DJ is dope, a follow on Twitter, Facebook, instagram, vine, or whatever can go just as far as a buck in the tip jar. Same goes for if you have requests. Also, see this video:
3. Take your business seriously…
If you invest a bunch of money in DJ equipment, there’s this little term called “R.O.I.” used in the business world, which stands for “Return on Investment.” The time you spend each week managing music, or practicing skills, or recording mixsets also play into this factor. That being said DON’T UNDERCUT other DJ’s because you are playing YOURSELF when you do so. DJ Zimmy explains it best with this story:
True story: Once upon a time in Portland there were 2 DJs who split a Wednesday at a club for $150. 2 hours each, $75 each. DJ A tells the owner, “Why don’t you fire DJ B and I’ll do the whole night for $100?”. (They’re supposed to be friends.) Club fires DJ B. DJ A doesn’t realize that not only is his dumb ass working for $25/hr instead of $37.50/hr but he’s also lowered the club’s budget. Now if someone takes over Wednesday, the bidding starts at $100 instead of $150. I think DJ A also caught an ass whooping.
Also, when you offer to do gigs REALLY low, (I once heard about a guy offering to do a show for $35 and a bar tab.) you get a negative return on investment, in the fact that you are barely covering your transportation costs to and from the gig. WHAT are you going to do if one of your pieces of equipment breaks? Can you afford to fix, replace, or repair it on the small piece of money you sold out for? I guess you’ll just be waiting until you get your NEXT tax return, or maybe Christmas, huh? If you don’t take yourself seriously enough to make it a self-sustainable enterprise beyond the initial investment, DON’T DO IT!