The "Removing The CD Player" Debate

Message

Lawrence · #61 Post by **Lawrence** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 11:14 am

The problem with Reuben's suggestion is not with making a legitimate, sound business decision to stop purchasing or setting up CD players in a market where only a small minority of DJs use CDs. I can understand how reasonable minds could differ on this point, although I would continute to provide CD hookups even though I now DJ almost entirely from a laptop, myself.

And the problem also is not with his underlying point that laptop DJing has many huge advantages over CD DJing. I made the shift a while ago, but I am still adjusting over a year later to not having all the habits and patterns of finding my music on burned CDs that I had developed over the previous decade. Although I COULD reproduce all my CDs into playlists so I could find stuff the way I used to find it, I still have not done so because it takes time to do so, and... well, there are so many good things to watch on television these days.... Thus, I can certainly understand why some people might want to not go through that transition burden, even though I would encourage them to try.

The problem with Reuben's suggestion, as usual, is with Reuben's bullyish tactics and tone that suggests that people who are not devoutly computer saavy (or who just don't want to bother switching over) are morons who should be ditched if they refuse to switch over because they are not as smart as he is: that they should take after him in order to be "cool" and "in," as if the only permissible choice is the choice that best suits his preferences, not one of the several adequate alternative choices that can work just as well for others. Instead of convincing people through persuasion or just keeping it in terms of a non-invective business decision for his own venue, he tries to bully everybody into applying his way of thinking worldwide, regardless of whether it makes sense in any particular market. Not, "you would love it if you changed, but I won't force you to do so," but "you're stupid and slow because you do things differently than me, and I'm going to force you to be more like me."

However, if you take away his sports-talk-radio-host-turned-geek bravado, he makes a legitimate point that the burdens of retaining CD capabilities are starting to outweigh the benefits, even though I happen to think the time has not arrived for ditching CD players, entirely, quite yet. So long as a venue already has a CD player, I don't see the immense burden of continuing to use it so long as at least one of the DJs uses it. However, if it comes to the point of needing to pay to repair or replace a broken CD player for only one CD-DJ out of a pool of 30 laptop-DJs, then it makes sense to ditch the CD player.

Mr Awesomer · #62 Post by **Mr Awesomer** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 11:38 am

Lawrence wrote:The problem with Reuben's suggestion, as usual, is with Reuben's bullyish tactics and tone that suggests that people who are not devoutly computer saavy (or who just don't want to bother switching over) are morons who should be ditched if they refuse to switch over because they are not as smart as he is: that they should take after him in order to be "cool" and "in," as if the only permissible choice is the choice that best suits his preferences, not one of the several adequate alternative choices that can work just as well for others. Instead of convincing people through persuasion or just keeping it in terms of a non-invective business decision for his own venue, he tries to bully everybody into applying his way of thinking worldwide, regardless of whether it makes sense in any particular market. Not, "you would love it if you changed, but I won't force you to do so," but "you're stupid and slow because you do things differently than me, and I'm going to force you to be more like me."

You've sure read a lot into a few simple comments.

:golf clap::

Lawrence · #63 Post by **Lawrence** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 9:23 pm

GuruReuben wrote:
Lawrence wrote:The problem with Reuben's suggestion, as usual, is with Reuben's bullyish tactics and tone that suggests that people who are not devoutly computer saavy (or who just don't want to bother switching over) are morons who should be ditched if they refuse to switch over because they are not as smart as he is: that they should take after him in order to be "cool" and "in," as if the only permissible choice is the choice that best suits his preferences, not one of the several adequate alternative choices that can work just as well for others. Instead of convincing people through persuasion or just keeping it in terms of a non-invective business decision for his own venue, he tries to bully everybody into applying his way of thinking worldwide, regardless of whether it makes sense in any particular market. Not, "you would love it if you changed, but I won't force you to do so," but "you're stupid and slow because you do things differently than me, and I'm going to force you to be more like me."
You've sure read a lot into a few simple comments.

:golf clap::

That remark stemmed from an instance of a consistent pattern, not a few isolated comments. (The same comments apply to me, which is why we tended to get into it so ridiculously.) It is not your only method of persuasion and you, like me, seem to have mellowed a bit (both of us most likely due to apathy), but it reared its head again and diluted what I considered to be some good underlying points. I'm sure Katie, for one, wouldn't have minded the point if it had not contained the invective, bullying commentary. But now she just appears to be alienated from considering how legitimate some of your points were.

scowl · #64 Post by **scowl** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 4:05 pm

Now that I've taken the obsolete dual CD deck out and thrown it in the garbage with my obsolete VCR, what should I use the empty bottom rack for?

Storing CD's?

Toon Town Dave · #65 Post by **Toon Town Dave** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 5:01 pm

Use 1U for a keyboard/monitor drawer and the other for a 1U industrial computer chassis. Use the 2U from the CD controller for a USB remote control for BPM Studio.

kitkat · #66 Post by **kitkat** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 10:35 pm

Lawrence wrote:But now she just appears to be alienated from considering how legitimate some of your points were.

I do? And here I thought I'd written several posts acknowledging the wisdom of this idea in certain situations.

GemZombie · #67 Post by **GemZombie** » Sat Jun 09, 2007 7:18 am

I think Lawrence is the one that's most alienated

Lawrence · #68 Post by **Lawrence** » Sun Jun 10, 2007 2:22 pm

kitkat wrote:Reuben, shut up.

You are generalizing your own experience to a lot more people than you really should be generalizing it to.

There are a damn lot of talented song-pickers (that is, DJs) who have no reason to get a laptop other than DJing and who, therefore, don't get one.

Filtering out those people by not having CD players available because--ooooooh, REUBEN BROWN!--thinks that everyone's life is just like his and those whose aren't are somehow not with a program rather than simply with a program that makes more sense for their lives would do nothing but hurt the quality of music that gets played at swing dance nights.

Perhaps I misinterpreted this post.

If anything, it seems to have taken you a while to get there.

I just can't stand the "get with the program" bullying, especially about something that is not so fundamental and essential as he makes it sound. I DJ from a laptop, now, and I encourage people to switch, but I have no problem with keeping a CD player around for those who don't have the time or inclination to switch.

Mr Awesomer · #69 Post by **Mr Awesomer** » Sun Jun 10, 2007 3:15 pm

Lawrence wrote:
kitkat wrote:Reuben, shut up.
Perhaps I misinterpreted this post.

That's not the post you misinterpreted.

Ryan · #70 Post by **Ryan** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 8:42 am

I'm not going to pretend I actually read this thread past the first few posts.

That said, I still use discs becuase I have no reason except DJ'ing to buy a laptop. I never buy laptops because I tend to buy high end desktops due to my profession and needs, and laptops just don't cut it for me in the power department.

Mr Awesomer · #71 Post by **Mr Awesomer** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 10:15 am

Ryan wrote:That said, I still use discs becuase I have no reason except DJ'ing to buy a laptop.

You're a moron! You'd better get yourself on a laptop this instant or I'm going to take your lunch money and throw you in your locker!

Ryan · #72 Post by **Ryan** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 10:36 am

GuruReuben wrote:
Ryan wrote:That said, I still use discs becuase I have no reason except DJ'ing to buy a laptop.
You're a moron! You'd better get yourself on a laptop this instant or I'm going to take your lunch money and throw you in your locker!

Good luck with that skinny boy.

Mr Awesomer · #73 Post by **Mr Awesomer** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 10:42 am

Ryan wrote:Good luck with that skinny boy.

You would have had to have read the thread to have gotten the joke, but you made it funnier regardless.

Ryan · #74 Post by **Ryan** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 11:05 am

GuruReuben wrote:
Ryan wrote:Good luck with that skinny boy.
You would have had to have read the thread to have gotten the joke, but you made it funnier regardless.

I saw the "bullying" comments while I skimmed if that's what you mean.

Eyeball · #75 Post by **Eyeball** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 6:56 pm

Paging Announcer46.......paging Announcer46....