Am I Totally out of my mind thinking this is total garbage

**tokenasianguy** · 06-08-2012, 02:35 PM

Originally Posted by sobi

To spell this out, he is a MOBILE DJ, which is a world away from what a CLUB DJ does.

If the "club DJ" spins at a top 40's club, I'd say they're more similar to wedding DJ's than anyone thinks. They both get asked to play requests, although I know a lot of top 40's club DJ's that get irritated with this and just flat out say "no"...But back in the days of spinning vinyl where all you had were two tech 12's and a 2-channel mixer with a 3-band EQ on both sides, whether you were a wedding DJ or a club DJ, all you could do was "mix" or tweak the EQ"s. A lot of the club DJ's in my city also do weddings to support their DJ'ing lifestyle.

It's true that people at weddings don't want you going nuts on the effects and don't want to hear a song played primarily from triggering samples and one-shots, but the same could be said about top 40's clubs.

I throw in some beatmashing and hotcues at weddings but I try to follow the less is more philosophy.

If you're not talking about top 40's club DJ's then I guess this is all a moot point.

Back when I was primarily a house DJ at a local after hours club, that was probably the furthest thing from DJ'ing at a wedding, because I didn't take requests, and people preferred to hear the freshest, most underground beats. The more obscure the better. Now I tell 12 year old's that I can't play Justin Bieber for them because it'll make me look like I have absolutely no taste.

**MWagner** · 06-08-2012, 02:38 PM

Originally Posted by tokenasianguy

It's quite puzzling how club DJ's are the ones that usually have the real skill, but they tend to get paid less (at least in Toronto), than the wedding DJ's who often tend to be the biggest hacks. I recently heard of a wedding DJ that charged $1200 and showed up with his Macbook which he plugged directly into the sound system and proceeded to play full-length tracks from iTunes out of his headphone output.

Well, it goes both ways. Mobile DJs get paid more for their average job, but the ceiling is much higher for club DJs. Much like how a piano player in an upscale restaurant/martini bar makes more than a struggling rock band, but the band has the potential to make a lot more if they hit it big.

**tokenasianguy** · 06-08-2012, 02:45 PM

Originally Posted by MWagner

Well, it goes both ways. Mobile DJs get paid more for their average job, but the ceiling is much higher for club DJs. Much like how a piano player in an upscale restaurant/martini bar makes more than a struggling rock band, but the band has the potential to make a lot more if they hit it big.

True. But what are the highest paid club DJ's in Detroit getting?

I'm pretty far removed from the local club scene these days, but I remember hearing years ago that one of the resident DJ's in the biggest club in toronto was getting about $1500/night.

I guess it's also a toss-up between getting consistent income every week as a club DJ, vs. hustling for clients as a wedding DJ.

The club I used to work in often brought in talent like Nick Warren for around $5,000, but that was 7 years ago.

**Louie_V** · 06-08-2012, 03:17 PM

Originally Posted by Ed Paris

and what exactly is it that pisses you off?
1. he´s still a dj even if he doesn´t beat match. dj - disc jokey not beatchmatcher
2. he´s making a living out of it, so for some reason he´s doing a good job
3. he stated one point that is the most important when beeing a dj: SONG SELECTION this is where a big part of the magic happens
4. he also said, that he´ll try and teach himself some beatch matching skills, so big up to him for realising, that this is also a part of the job
5. if your doing 700 gigs in one year and it pays your bills and it´s what you love then don´t cares about haters and keep on doing a good job
6. also i think it makes a big difference if you are a dance-club-dj or a wedding dj

just my 2 cents

edit:

oh and one more thing:
you should better use that energy you just wasted on being pissed off and opening this thread for something creative and constructive. hate doesn´t get you far my friend

Originally Posted by Gapout

the reason why i am hating, is because its people like this that will eventually destroy the DJing industry.

How long do you think it will take for all the local clubs to realize hey why the hell should i pay someone good money to "DJ" when i can just get virtual DJ line up 300 songs and just use the auto mix?

not gonna bother going through the multiple pages here, but will reply to whats quoted above.

If your worried about a club owner loading up a playlist on virtual dj. hitting automix, and taking your job then there is something wrong with you as a dj. I don't care how advanced a software is, if there is a software that can create a song selection (playlist) that takes its audience on an emotional journey with ups and downs, and throw in some surprises as well, and does it all better then you (or me) then we're in the wrong industry. Hell, there are probly more then a million copy machines at any given time that can replicate the mona lisa, but for some reason theres still only one "Mona Lisa", and none of those copy machines can do half the job that the original artist did.

While there are what i call bottom feeders in my area, im not worried about them, hell, i used to be one of them, at one time we all were. I'm not hating on them and don't waste time doing such because they aren't my competition. I'm not losing money from them taking my gigs, and while the chicago market is oversaturated, the value in what i provide over the next guy hasn't gone down.

**MWagner** · 06-08-2012, 03:40 PM

Originally Posted by tokenasianguy

True. But what are the highest paid club DJ's in Detroit getting?

I don't know what they get paid to play IN detroit these days, but they do pretty well when they go to Europe and Japan.

I stopped working as a promoter about 6 years ago, but your numbers sound comparable.

**jakeintox** · 06-08-2012, 04:56 PM

Originally Posted by mostapha

A 500-song playlist that you can skip through on an iPod would easily replicated the DJing-side of every single mobile DJ i've ever heard at a lifetime of weddings, school dances, company events, and anywhere else I've seen them.

I don't want to take away from what your skills are, and I thank you (and every other mobile jock out there) for dong it so we don't have to…but those skills are not DJing.

Please feel free to argue with me on this one…I want to read someone tearing me a new one for this opinion…it'd make me feel better about humanity.

I'm not gonna tear you a new one, but try djing a wedding or a prom before you pass judgement. There are plenty of playlist djs out there half-assing these gigs, but there are also a lot of real, skilled djs (yes DJs!) that work their asses off to make these events special and memorable for people. This is way harder than a club gig (I've done plenty of both).

There is a flow to the music that controls the mood and energy of an event, just like a club gig, but without the benefit of a set genre. It requires intimate knowledge of many genres whether you like them or not, quickly reading crowds with diverse age ranges and musical tastes, good public speaking skills, a willingness to deal with requests, and sometimes the need to swallow your pride to make your clients happy. These are aspects of working as a dj, and I think this deserves more respect than plugging in a usb stick and playing one genre for a few hours. It also makes me waaaay more $$$!

People have been called djs since before there was edm, or hip hop, or beatmatching. If you play recorded music for people you are, by definition, a dj. That's it. Doesn't matter what you use, what you play, or HOW WELL YOU DO IT. People seem to think 'dj' is some special title bestowed upon those with some superior skills and musical taste. It's not, it's just a fucking job title like bus driver or lawyer or porn fluffer, get over yourselves.

**ellgieff** · 06-08-2012, 05:15 PM

Originally Posted by jakeintox

People have been called djs since before there was edm, or hip hop, or beatmatching. If you play recorded music for people you are, by definition, a dj. That's it. Doesn't matter what you use, what you play, or HOW WELL YOU DO IT. People seem to think 'dj' is some special title bestowed upon those with some superior skills and musical taste. It's not, it's just a fucking job title like bus driver or lawyer or porn fluffer, get over yourselves.

This.

**Capitan** · 06-08-2012, 05:19 PM

Originally Posted by Ed Paris

i just read your sig "I dont care if you use 2 ipads...2 cassette tapes...or a washboard and a wooden spoon...if you rock it, you rock it".

The OP got hoisted by his own petard with this post and he hasn't posted in this thread since!

The guy and his 4 employees did nearly 700 gigs last year. That's between 13-14 gigs per week between them, about 3 per week, every week, each.

As far as his customers are concerned he obviously "rocks it" so, given the OP's sig, the OP should rate him.

Most DJ's I know are so far up their own arses it's a wonder they ever see daylight.

If the customer is happy then, for the customer, you are doing a great job.

There are many types of DJ, some mobile, some club/resident, some scratch, some mix, some are personality DJ's and some do a little bit of everything etc.

The snobbery from some is breathtaking. They do their thing and you do yours. Why worry?

The customer is always right, and if you don't like that or agree with it, go and do something else or stay in your bedroom.

**tokenasianguy** · 06-08-2012, 05:49 PM

Originally Posted by jakeintox

I'm not gonna tear you a new one, but try djing a wedding or a prom before you pass judgement. There are plenty of playlist djs out there half-assing these gigs, but there are also a lot of real, skilled djs (yes DJs!) that work their asses off to make these events special and memorable for people. This is way harder than a club gig (I've done plenty of both).

There is a flow to the music that controls the mood and energy of an event, just like a club gig, but without the benefit of a set genre. It requires intimate knowledge of many genres whether you like them or not, quickly reading crowds with diverse age ranges and musical tastes, good public speaking skills, a willingness to deal with requests, and sometimes the need to swallow your pride to make your clients happy. These are aspects of working as a dj, and I think this deserves more respect than plugging in a usb stick and playing one genre for a few hours. It also makes me waaaay more $$$!

People have been called djs since before there was edm, or hip hop, or beatmatching. If you play recorded music for people you are, by definition, a dj. That's it. Doesn't matter what you use, what you play, or HOW WELL YOU DO IT. People seem to think 'dj' is some special title bestowed upon those with some superior skills and musical taste. It's not, it's just a fucking job title like bus driver or lawyer or porn fluffer, get over yourselves.

Well said. Even for the club DJ's that just do straight up mixing track to track, it's not very impressive, so I tend to think that DJ's (of the mixing variety) tend to have an inflated sense of self worth. They talk about their talent in "mixing" and "track selection"...Well it's not hard to mix. Anyone can do it, and track selection is subjective. There's nothing impressive about a DJ that just mixes. The really impressive DJ's are the turntablists...The ones that really use turntables as instruments and win DMC competitions. I always hear DJ's say "that's not my style of DJ'ing" but I can't help but think it's just another way of saying "I can't scratch". I can't scratch either, but it's not because "it's not my style of DJ'ing" it's because I suck at it, otherwise I'd do it, and to me that's when someone can say they truly mastered the art of DJ'ing.

Seems like since the beginning of time DJ's have been trying to stand up for themselves as a legitimate career, or art, talking about how hard it is and how much work it requires...But let's be honest it doesn't. I quit working in Marketing in a corporate office to pursue DJ'ing full time in search of an easier life and the work itself is so simple.