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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Couldn’t agree more as well. Yes, I acknowledge that it takes mad skills and talent to be able to do what they are pulling off. BUT, it’s a routine and not something you can really do for four hours without the crowd losing interest.
I got flown to Isle of Mull of west coast of Scotland just on Sunday for a wedding set. All expenses paid (flights, hotel, car hire, etc) plus £600.
I rarely do weddings but when some one really wants me cause they like my style (old skool house is my speciality but also can cater to everyone with funk, disco, 80s too and work into 90’s house etc) and they’re willing to pay it’s cause they know I offer that rare mix - being able to keep it cool but cater to a wide taste.
Personally I think the real skill is to incorporate both a “real” dj mixing style with accessible music.
But I’m not hating on this guy if hes playing to a crowd who don’t give a fuck about mixing and just want to hear bangers.
Entertaining the crowd is the job and whether you mix or not is neither here nor there if the crowd are entertained
