well here in l.a. its the other way around, all these young dj’s got together and created there own hipter scene and now they dominate the electro scene in l.a, hollywood, and the I.E.
it’s the rebirth of the celebrity dj :sigh:
sorry for all you LCV fans 
Ill pass on that one, I rather dj for 100 ppl that enjoy my music than 1000 kids that are just there to look cool and be part of that scene.
As a DJ who lives in LA and has gigged here and in SF and Vegas, I’d have to agree that the scene in SF is much more open, flexible, vibrant, and accepting. The most fun gigs I’ve had have been at smaller venues in SF, such as Wish, where other DJs were supportive and totally into what each other are doing, and where the crowd encourages you to take the music in different directions as long as everyone’s feeling it.
LA is MUCH more rigid: DJs climb all over each other to get gigs, don’t open gigs to newer DJs, form hermetic crews. Club owners and promoters screw over DJs. Crowds are hard to win over (it’s very important here not to look impressed even if you’re having the time of your life), and god forbid you start off with funky house and move into electro over three hours. I’ve had good gigs here and played well-known smaller venues, but none of them have been as fun as most out-of-town gigs I’ve played.
I can’t speak for the relative merits of trying to make a living as a club DJ in any of these cities, though. Vegas is certainly cheaper to live in. SF is very expensive and you’ll pay a fortune for a tiny place. LA is probably a wee bit better but much harder to get around and definitely harder to break in.
Tru Steve, its hard to get your foot in the door here in L.A., but once your in, your in! Here in L.A. you have to make a name for yourself before you even do a opening set. Unless you are friends with a promoter/club owner goodluck trying to play at clubs.
Gee, then you get to be one of the people holding on to his slot like a monkey grabbing a ball in a vase. I don’t think I want to be part of that club.
Tru man, I’ve been offered to do 1hr sets at clubs and I turn them down being that its not even worth setting up my rig. Its small, but they usually ask me to get there before the club open cuz there worried that my rig might not work with the house mixer
True dat, but on the other hand, promoters are about as abundant as DJs here so it’s not really hard to meet them. As long as you’re not a douche, it’s pretty easy to stay in people’s good graces.
@ Steve - let’s meet up sometime ya? I think we know some of the same people. I would have sent you a pm or email, but alas you don’t accept them.
Hey D, if you saw the scene here in L.A & SGV its cut throat here man. I’ve seen dj’s throw blows of losing there residency to a rookie djs just cuz there hipster dj that pull alot of little kids from the flyer parties
I can imagine, which is kinda why i’m focusing more on the dnb scene out here. It feels alot more like a family than the electro scene does. There are still a few people i keep in contact with from the 818 electro crew, but for the most part, i’ve been too busy putting together routines and working out logistics for the tour as well as helping a new promo company get off the ground (accepting submissions btw).
I know a couple of DJs from SGV and they all tell me the electro scene down there is evil which is why they have stuck to dnb. Electro, on the other hand, is very accessible to the hipster culture and therefore has more paid gig opportunities. I have noticed that it’s a very much who you know and not how good you are scene as i’ve had to open for a few DJs who couldn’t handle a transition or read a crowd to save their life.
If I had a penny for everytime I heard that I would be a rich dj!
If you have a big hyphy dj name your in! Oh well…like i said before I would rather dj for a small crowd that enjoys my music then play at a massive where kids go to just be part of the scene.
uhh, what about cost of living? ny, sf and i am sure la are expensive…especially on a dj’s budget who isnt established. why not denver? i’d try to get out of the country for a bit of culture if i were you. good luck.
Definitely what I’ve heard from a couple friends that live down there. When are you, Ean, me and any other San Franciscans gonna’ throw a giant party?
i’m not sure how to denver scene is.. i love colorado though. definitely the only other state i’d want to live in other than california. got lots of family out there and i must say it’s a beautiful state!
I’m down to help if this goes through. I has family in Vallejo, Oakland, and SJ so i has places to stay. 
you should consider Austin, Tx as well. they have a great music scene. cool town too.
ive heard that they are big on live bands not dj in austin? I could be wrong being that im not from the great stat of texas!
There are more DJ’s in NY than RATS. Stay where you are
. I say…if you feel you’re not pushing the envelope…then fuckin’ push it! Don’t move to make life better…make it better where you are!! Start your totally independant night to promote/DJ. Think of what you would want to do in a new city, and see what it would honestly take to make it happen there. Plus…it’s kinda difficult to “start over” and make a new name for yourself. If I were to move(again), I would go back to the midwest. Michigan, Ohio, etc. Near a college or something similar. Tons of renewable income every year. Always a bar/club around and tons of girls. Chicago is really nice too.
im in melbourne.. 3,500 klms isn’t that far… the nullabor is a good drive - not much to see tho. 