Music Monopoly

Everything about the swinging music we love to DJ

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falty411
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Music Monopoly

#1 Post by falty411 » Tue Sep 02, 2003 9:53 am

Does it bother anyone else that 2 djs, with very similar musical preferences are responsible for music at the following (in my opinion) major events:

Harlem Jazz Dance Festival
Summer Hummer
Swing Out New Hampshire
New York Lindy Hop Open
San Francisco Lindy Exchange
Boogie By The Bay
American Lindy Hop Championships
US Open Swing Dance Championships
Swing Out Hawaii
New Year's Eve Extravaganza
North Atlantic dance Championships
Hot LX
Boston Tea Party
Beantown
Virginia State Open
Frankie Manning's birthday

Good for them for getting the business, but isn't it bad for us as dancers? I would like to know your opinions.
-mikey faltesek

"Dancing is the union of the body with the rhythm and the sound of the music." Al Minns in 1984

mousethief
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#2 Post by mousethief » Tue Sep 02, 2003 10:08 am

you mean rayned & jesse? why not come out and say it?

in a word, no. meaning i think there's no problem here.

i guess the real question goes to the organizers, who - i assume- are trying to pack their dance floors and think that certain attractions are better than others.

i hardly consider it a monopoly if 80% of the country went out and bought coors beer. monopoly is an unfair trade practice; meaning the two people in question are unfairly barring others from entering the field. but both individuals have given many of us (and the scene, in general) unquestioning support as we built our own collections. if anything, they have helped to build a national dj scene.

is it any wonder that organizers & dancers might single them out over others?

my solution is work harder if you want the gigs. i did a bunch of events early this year, then i wised up and took some time off for real life. some of my sets were real good, some were awful. a lot of organizers weren't looking for what i had to offer; so much the better for all of us. they're keeping their dancers happy.

besides, no one ever talks about X dancer lokcing up the teaching circuit; each instructor has been helping it grow by adding to the pot, year after year.

kalman

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yedancer
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Re: Music Monopoly

#3 Post by yedancer » Tue Sep 02, 2003 10:16 am

falty411 wrote:Does it bother anyone else that 2 djs, with very similar musical preferences are responsible for music at the following (in my opinion) major events:

. . .

Good for them for getting the business, but isn't it bad for us as dancers?
If it were true that only 2 DJs with similar preferences were responsible for all the music, then yes I think that would be bad for dancers. Especially if those 2 DJs excluded large portions of a certain genre, or promoted one genre over another.

However, is that really the case? Don't most of those events have multiple DJs? Even though someone might be a "Head DJ" or something, that doesn't mean that they dictate what music will be played by all the DJs. Or does it? I don't attend many events, nor do I DJ at many.

Maybe the solution is a Swing DJ's Union, which could be used to prevent a monopoly by any 1 DJ, and force event organizers to give standardized wages and time slots to DJs at events. :lol:
-Jeremy

It's easy to sit there and say you'd like to have more money. And I guess that's what I like about it. It's easy. Just sitting there, rocking back and forth, wanting that money.

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#4 Post by yedancer » Tue Sep 02, 2003 10:19 am

"Competition is a by-product of productive work, not its goal. A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others."
If only that were true.
-Jeremy

It's easy to sit there and say you'd like to have more money. And I guess that's what I like about it. It's easy. Just sitting there, rocking back and forth, wanting that money.

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falty411
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#5 Post by falty411 » Tue Sep 02, 2003 10:26 am

it doesnt matter WHO (you were only right on one) i think the question is more for event organizers as you stated.

But each dancer at an event doesnt pick the DJ they want. That is completely up to the organizer. And a lot of these events have the same organizer or are closely related.
-mikey faltesek

"Dancing is the union of the body with the rhythm and the sound of the music." Al Minns in 1984

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Mr Awesomer
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#6 Post by Mr Awesomer » Tue Sep 02, 2003 10:26 am

It's not a monopoly. It's simple supply and demand.

There is a huge demand for DJs like Jesse and Greg (whom I think you're actually referring to... in this case) but the supply of such DJs with the "skill"/"experience" to head up music at large events is limited. Plus, Jesse and Greg seem to be highly available. Rayned also falls in that category. Thus they head up a lot of events, usually of the "let's try and make everyone happy" variety. Of course, as we know, they don't make everyone happy but they seem to make most of the people attending happy and thus come back for repeat "performances" and get hooked up for even more events. Jesse gets brought back on merit alone, though I believe Greg being a bit of a shmooze is what helps his case, hee hee.

On a side note, you list a number of Westie events, which I find hillarious.
Reuben Brown
Southern California

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falty411
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#7 Post by falty411 » Tue Sep 02, 2003 10:29 am

of an I am definitly NOT saying that the DJs did this on purpose or are employing any unfair tactics......just for the record
-mikey faltesek

"Dancing is the union of the body with the rhythm and the sound of the music." Al Minns in 1984

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#8 Post by falty411 » Tue Sep 02, 2003 10:31 am

GuruReuben wrote:On a side note, you list a number of Westie events, which I find hillarious.
you mean ALHC and SFLX?

hehehe
-mikey faltesek

"Dancing is the union of the body with the rhythm and the sound of the music." Al Minns in 1984

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#9 Post by mousethief » Tue Sep 02, 2003 11:16 am

yeah falty, sorry for jumping the gun there.

hey, hard to knock the organizers if dancers keep coming back in good numbers, eh?

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falty411
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#10 Post by falty411 » Tue Sep 02, 2003 11:34 am

no problem....I guess monopoly definitly implies unethical practices

im not questioning why or who is responsible, simply is this good for us or bad? why is it good, why is it bad? Also keep in mind, these DJs also have influence over the organizers as far as who else they bring to DJ.
-mikey faltesek

"Dancing is the union of the body with the rhythm and the sound of the music." Al Minns in 1984

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Swifty
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#11 Post by Swifty » Tue Sep 02, 2003 11:51 am

I don't have a problem with it.

On a side note, of the four DJs mentioned, I don't really think their tastes are all that similar. Unless, by similar, you mean, "not what Mike would play."

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#12 Post by Swifty » Tue Sep 02, 2003 11:55 am

On a slightly more productive note, I have been to these events in the last year:

Harlem Jazz Dance Festival
Summer Hummer
American Lindy Hop Championships
New Year's Eve Extravaganza
North Atlantic Dance Championships
Frankie Manning's birthday

...and I have to say that I found the music at each of them to be different from the others. Also, I find that the live music at HJDF and Frankie's B-day leaves a much greater impression on me than the DJ'd music did.

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Mike
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#13 Post by Mike » Tue Sep 02, 2003 12:00 pm

I think there is a reason they are the most popular: they play what more dancers want to hear. While you could argue that dancers are going to like more whatever they are most exposed to, I believe there is an element of the aforementioned DJ's having their finger on the pulse of the Lindy Hop community in general. They play what they like, but they also play what they think will resonate best with the people.

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#14 Post by Lawrence » Tue Sep 02, 2003 12:01 pm

Mike, your tone clearly implies that your answer is that it is a bad thing and that you are raising the issue only because you feel frustrated by it. Perhaps you should consider the REASONS why they are asked the DJ all these events. It is in part promotion, but it also comes from their diverse musical tastes, diverse collections, and--perhaps more than anything--the fact that they would NEVER use the sort of harsh tones, snooty criticisms, and outright dogmatism that you (and I) have used on this board and elsewhere. They are great DJs and they are easy to work with.

It is frustrating for some DJs to see the same DJs everywhere. Nonetheless, it is not an inherently bad thing. If the dominant DJs were snootier and more limited in their musical tastes, then it would be a bad thing. But I can think of far worse scenarios. Moreover, I completely agree with Kalman's point about how Jesse, Rayned, and Greg have shared their love, not hogged it, and how encouraging they are, instead of being snooty and consciously hoarding gigs.
Lawrence Page
Austin Lindy Hop
http://www.AustinLindy.com

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#15 Post by falty411 » Tue Sep 02, 2003 12:01 pm

Swifty wrote: Unless, by similar, you mean, "not what Mike would play."
by similar i meant:

similar years of music
similar views on recording quality
similar musicians
simliar tempo ranges

and "not what mike would play"

I was only referring to 2 DJs, and of course no one is excatly the same.
-mikey faltesek

"Dancing is the union of the body with the rhythm and the sound of the music." Al Minns in 1984

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