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quote:

Originally posted by DJ Omeed crowd response...but it was ridicoulously political. I am 18, and I didnt have many friends I could whore into the place that were of age(I was the only first year dj...and at this campus club student card has to be shown..so no fakes even). SOme djs brought like 60 people in and told them to go crazy when they went on, and to sit aside the rest of the time. I did get 3 place out of 7 participants, but let me tell you there was not much serious competition in there AT ALL, which is the main reason why I was dissapointed with myself. I was thinking too much.

I wouldn't even sweat this one then. Trust me. This wasn't a contest of skill, it was a popularity contest. Your mistake wasn't in mixing, it was in promotion. Lemme give you an example of who the same thing happened to me.

I entered a similar popularity contest where the prize was $500 and a residency at a huge club (that was hosting the event). Througout the night, the people at the club would vote via ballot. I did my usual promotion tactics. I invited my friends, posted onilne, sent some emails and for the most part, my friends did show up. What I did notice in my promotions, though is a that one of my competetors had placed home-made fliers in the record stores with only his name on it. Along with that it says: "Don't forget to vote for *dj's name*."

So the night of the competition, I rocked the crowd. Hands down I had better tracks, better mixing, even better crowd response. But the numbers that I brought weren't enough in compared to who this guy promoted to. So naturally, he got the most votes and won the contest. I came in third.

So don't worry about these BS competitions. Just learn from them. Next time, if you feel you need to. Whore your name out to drag more people in.

no worries dude...don't forget, no one remembers the bad djs anyway...it's the good ones they remember...so if one time you screwed up, it was just once and the event is far gone by now, you're probably forgotten by now as of that day's dj and no one will hold it against you in the future when you do real good and set the place on fiya!

i have only spun once in my life where everything went well.

it's rarely my fault, i have faith in my skill, but things like fucked up decks, a shot mixer, the sound crapping out, a cable breaking, the weather fucking the party up... things like that follow me like a plague. me spinning normally ends up being more hassle than fun. yet i still do it. call me crazy.

Sometimes you eat the bar, sometimes the bar eats you.

also, to our veterans that hung the headphones up... i really don't understand this...

why would you quit doing something you love because of how other people act?

if i were in your position, where gigs are flooding in, and there would be enticements for me to spin at them, what i would do is just, well... become a bit more difficult.

if i wasn't interested in playing as many gigs or dealing with bullshit, i'd just up my DJ fee, make a contract with my specific demands and whatnot to get promoters on my own terms. if they meet everything, then, well, i wouldn't have anything to complain about and i would spin. if they don't, big deal, it's not like i was really after the gig anyway.

even big name DJs do things like these when they are tired/want to play less gigs and focus on production/etc. think about it, you will have more time, and if a gig ever pops up that you will accept, you know it will be worth it. no sense in quitting a hobby you like and the chance to make a little extra from it.

quote:

Originally posted by Inertia i have only spun once in my life where everything went well. it's rarely my fault, i have faith in my skill, but things like fucked up decks, a shot mixer, the sound crapping out, a cable breaking, the weather fucking the party up... things like that follow me like a plague. me spinning normally ends up being more hassle than fun. yet i still do it. call me crazy.

you're crazy!

quote:

Originally posted by noikeee you're crazy!

i actually looked at your post for a good 30 seconds wondering wtf was wrong with you and why you wrote that

quote:

Originally posted by Inertia also, to our veterans that hung the headphones up... i really don't understand this... why would you quit doing something you love because of how other people act? if i were in your position, where gigs are flooding in, and there would be enticements for me to spin at them, what i would do is just, well... become a bit more difficult. if i wasn't interested in playing as many gigs or dealing with bullshit, i'd just up my DJ fee, make a contract with my specific demands and whatnot to get promoters on my own terms. if they meet everything, then, well, i wouldn't have anything to complain about and i would spin. if they don't, big deal, it's not like i was really after the gig anyway. even big name DJs do things like these when they are tired/want to play less gigs and focus on production/etc. think about it, you will have more time, and if a gig ever pops up that you will accept, you know it will be worth it. no sense in quitting a hobby you like and the chance to make a little extra from it.

Werd to this.
Unfortunately, far too many dj's are more concerned with seeing their names on lineups than their creative integrity. Which is why we often see an array of crap dj's playing out more frequently than quality dj's who restrict their gigs.

quote:

Originally posted by TwistedDUO Werd to this. Unfortunately, far too many dj's are more concerned with seeing their names on lineups than their creative integrity. Which is why we often see an array of crap dj's playing out more frequently than quality dj's who restrict their gigs.

that's one of my reasons

too much crap and not enough quality

the scene in calgary is really weird right now

people are worshipping these green djs who barely have experience

ironically enough, i've been offered a monthly residency which i've accepted, taking the role of promoter and not dj

i've selected a few djs from my roster who'll be the residents

i'll try change things from behind the scenes rather than the front lines

if things pick up i could be cohersed back behind the decks, not likely, but it could happen

if the night bombs, maybe it's just this city and it's fickle nightlife and relocation could be an option

we'll see how things go, i've had success in the past in the promoter role but fell short because i was also a resident, hopefully this time as a promoter only with 3 of my quality djs backing me up on the decks things will pan out

really, it just came down to me not liking the scene in calgary, now i'm going to try change that

quote:

Originally posted by TwistedDUO I wouldn't even sweat this one then. Trust me. This wasn't a contest of skill, it was a popularity contest. Your mistake wasn't in mixing, it was in promotion. Lemme give you an example of who the same thing happened to me. I entered a similar popularity contest where the prize was $500 and a residency at a huge club (that was hosting the event). Througout the night, the people at the club would vote via ballot. I did my usual promotion tactics. I invited my friends, posted onilne, sent some emails and for the most part, my friends did show up. What I did notice in my promotions, though is a that one of my competetors had placed home-made fliers in the record stores with only his name on it. Along with that it says: "Don't forget to vote for *dj's name*." So the night of the competition, I rocked the crowd. Hands down I had better tracks, better mixing, even better crowd response. But the numbers that I brought weren't enough in compared to who this guy promoted to. So naturally, he got the most votes and won the contest. I came in third. So don't worry about these BS competitions. Just learn from them. Next time, if you feel you need to. Whore your name out to drag more people in.

about those stupid dj comps

i too have a similar story

a chance to open the night for armin van buuren, not open for him, just play from opening til the opening dj

anywho, we were givin tickets with our names on them, passed them all out and even went back for refills

another dj playing that comp with almost the same friends gave them all his tickets (2 day comp, he friday, me saturday)

long story short, everyone showed up friday with his tickets, partied all night (dj show that night) then went home

i got screwed out because everyone was too hungover to come out the second night and since it was going to be a regular club night (top 40 garbage) they weren't down with having to dress up

even the judges said i played the best set, i just didn't have the numbers to support

well that fucking sucks

the career i was going to be focusing all my attention on decides to lay me off

they've found another producer that's more expereinced and can handle my work too, we had a vacant spot that i was set to fill

looks like it's back to djing full time again

this sucks, in more ways than one

quote:

Originally posted by Tony Morello well that fucking sucks the career i was going to be focusing all my attention on decides to lay me off they've found another producer that's more expereinced and can handle my work too, we had a vacant spot that i was set to fill looks like it's back to djing full time again this sucks, in more ways than one

Can I ask which club you were involved with?

i was involved with sambuca lounge until i quit being a resident and promoting, i've been doing guest gigs here and there since then, now i'll be starting up at a new location, details TBA once everything is secure

Damn that sucks. I know how that goes. The nice part about this sorta work is that you can work for yourself.

quote:

Originally posted by Inertia also, to our veterans that hung the headphones up... i really don't understand this... why would you quit doing something you love because of how other people act? if i were in your position, where gigs are flooding in, and there would be enticements for me to spin at them, what i would do is just, well... become a bit more difficult. if i wasn't interested in playing as many gigs or dealing with bullshit, i'd just up my DJ fee, make a contract with my specific demands and whatnot to get promoters on my own terms. if they meet everything, then, well, i wouldn't have anything to complain about and i would spin. if they don't, big deal, it's not like i was really after the gig anyway. even big name DJs do things like these when they are tired/want to play less gigs and focus on production/etc. think about it, you will have more time, and if a gig ever pops up that you will accept, you know it will be worth it. no sense in quitting a hobby you like and the chance to make a little extra from it.

I wish I could explain, but it is tough. This business is worse than selling drugs.

After WMC I'm going to be starting up a residency at a monthly underground by invitation only party. But I've had it with making money for venue owners in this bullshit town.

quote:

Originally posted by Zild I wish I could explain, but it is tough. This business is worse than selling drugs. After WMC I'm going to be starting up a residency at a monthly underground by invitation only party. But I've had it with making money for venue owners in this bullshit town.

especially when you've been in the scene for quite some time

everyone makes money off you, there isn't a whole lot you can do about it because they'll just book some green noob to play for free

which significantly lowers the market value for everyone

Damn this all sucks...can I ask what you mean by green noob?

quote:

Originally posted by Tony Morello especially when you've been in the scene for quite some time everyone makes money off you, there isn't a whole lot you can do about it because they'll just book some green noob to play for free which significantly lowers the market value for everyone

Co-sign on this.

It's sad that I made more money as a shit dj with little experience than I do as one with a decade of experience and production credits.

Green N00b = Newbie dj with little real experience behind the decks. IE: Bedroom DJ.

still. i don't see the problem with taking gigs by contracts on your terms.

i've been spinning for 3 years, i know that's nothing compared to you guys, but i have had to deal with some shit. hell, i AM dealing with shit right now. i still haven't been paid for my NYE gig (lots of bureaucracy or some other shit at Red Bull, they always take forever to pay, but still.)

the point is, well, and i feel kind of bad saying it, but you guys are going to have to become a bit of an asshole. not in the bad sense, but unfortunately, being polite all the time seems to be worse for you than being a bit more pompous in this kind of thing.

Because once you start trying to do that they'll axe your ass and replace you with a green DJ.

hah. they do that to me now, and i'm no veteran nor do i use contracts. you might as well do it, since you're not accepting most gigs anyway.

There are so many shit DJs willing to do anything it takes (suck cock, preform for free, ect..) just because they want to see their name on the flyer that it isn't even worth the trouble.

quote:

Originally posted by Inertia still. i don't see the problem with taking gigs by contracts on your terms. i've been spinning for 3 years, i know that's nothing compared to you guys, but i have had to deal with some shit. hell, i AM dealing with shit right now. i still haven't been paid for my NYE gig (lots of bureaucracy or some other shit at Red Bull, they always take forever to pay, but still.) the point is, well, and i feel kind of bad saying it, but you guys are going to have to become a bit of an asshole. not in the bad sense, but unfortunately, being polite all the time seems to be worse for you than being a bit more pompous in this kind of thing.

There are some of us that do. Sadly, the dj has become a commodity these days. Unlike the sound guy who gets paid a deposit even before he agrees to it or the venue who asks for the rent in full before you walk in. Even special talent (VJ's/Special Perfomers/Lighting Crews) get their cut before the event even starts. Dj's on the other hand get shafted. Those with the experience and willingness to take a huge cut in the number of gigs booked can insist on a deposit and pay but overall dj's on a local circuit are lucky to even get paid on a "successful event".

here, djs are a dime a dozen

especially ones that are willing to work for less money than i charge

with this over saturation of crappy djs, crowds begin to not understand what truly makes a good dj

quote:

there isn't a whole lot you can do about it because they'll just book some green noob to play for free

God this has happened to me a lot - fucking frustrating. Especially when you are dealing with college kids and bars that don't know a fucking thing about house music.

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