mousethief wrote:yedancer wrote:
Maybe I'm missing the point here, but I would have to disagree. The money I've been payed DJing has helped me to stick around as a DJ, mostly because I put all the money I make back into new CDs or equipment (either that or food).
Perhaps I could have explained that better. I was thinking more along the lines of when someone with a vested interest in your sets (like your employer) starts looking at the bottom line and pressuring you on keeping your sets consistent with the business in mind. Several local clubs had this impact on DJs - mostly kids without excess cash - and they pretty much had to use their DJ take (which ain't much) to buy neo swing CDs because that's what the owner wanted. If we had kept on the same track, with clubs demanding more neo, more standards, we would have been hard pressed to run off and dig up some Mills Brothers or Maxine Sullivan.
In short, the guy who signs the checks deciding the sets, not the DJ.
Kalman
That makes more sense to me than your earlier post.
I don't think it really applies to the Austin situation. The DJ is supposed to keep the floor moving, we have a whole lot of leeway in how to do that.
When a so-called "problem" set occurs, it is not that the DJ played bad music or music from an unacceptable genre. More often, the ratio of non-dancers is too high for too many songs in a row. It is a sign that the DJ is not adjusting to the crowd.
Of course, it is nice to have variety and play to all the factions in the room, even if that means giving the minority a token song or two. But, that is a DJ preference. Locally, nobody complains about DJs being too conservative, or at least they don't complain loudly.
People get very upset when the DJ stands up there playing their favorite music, appearing to not show much interest or regard for the masses of dancers on the floor.
A good DJ to me, finds a way to blend their personal preferences with the greater interest of the overall crowd to create a good environment. Luckily, that is how most of the DJs in Austin DJ. It is not about them, it is about the crowd. Matt Jones has a saying that he repeats often, "If I want to play whatever I feel like playing, I can play records at home and DJ for myself" <paraphrased> Perhaps having him around for so long kept us from every developing really bad DJ issues.
But, there are other DJs who disagree with this view. They play whatever they want and let the chips fall where they may. This view may work in some scenes and venues. But, I can't see it working in Austin. Unless of course, the DJs personal tastes are in perfect alignment with the average dancer all the time.
Oh well, what was the thread about again?
