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Forum: General Discussion

Topic: The dreaded "Bedroom DJ" situation...... - Page: 2

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Working for bars and clubs does suck thanks to their endless desire to get people to work for free... And also, don't be too rough on the kid, we all have to start somewhere. And maybe that establishment deserves an amateur that is willing to work for peanuts. Hell, if you ask me, most bar owners / operators have a lot to learn about running a business ethically. Maybe an unsatisfied clientele and low ring will teach a good lesson.
 
I retired after this past new years party because I was tired of seeing the Dj wages steadily decline over the past 10 years, especially the past 5. I was just brought back out of retirement because I realized it is happening in every industry. I have friends who used to make 6 figures as computer programmers, 50k as web designers, 50-60k as managers....all looking for work becuase they were replaced by people willing to work for half of that or less. Hell I saw a car wash advertising job openings and it said "Bring your resume"....HELLO it was drying cars at an automatic car wash, what kind of resume do you want to see! Just for fun I showed up with my resume writted in sharpie on a sham-wow...needless to say they didn't appreciate the humor!

I finally decided $200 per night for 4-5 hours beats writing a resume for an $8.40 an hour job drying cars when 25% of the country is out of work.....so I am back n the game. bad pay and all. At least they still give you free meals and all the mountain dew you can drink.
 
SilentOneLove wrote :
i am a bedroom dj but have been wanting to dj for years and it was only in the past few years that i could use technology(ie vdj,controllers) and actually start to dj just for my own interests, the only thing that bothers me is when i see someone on the forums just join up and ask a bunch of newb questions only to 2 weeks later see them post that they have their first gig


I know, I just think it's bullshit myself.

Electric, you get free meals! at every gig too I bet, alright for some.
 
Charlie Wilson wrote :

Electric, you get free meals! at every gig too I bet, alright for some.



Usually they will offer a drink tab, but I don't drink so I take it in food instead. If they complain that the profit margin on food is too low I just remind them that (a) it is illegal (in most states) to give away alcohol, even to employees (b) it is illegal (in most states) for employees to drink on the job, and that includes Djs and (c) as of yet (although the lawyers are working on it) there is no liability for someone leaving the bar too fat, no cholesteral blood level tests in the cop cars yet!
 
OK, latest update on this situation.

Manageress has finally seen sense, the kid is not gonna do the Saturdays. There is another Karaoke/DJ that is more experienced but not good enough for the Saturdays, she is thinking of giving him my Sundays and putting me on Saturdays. Which means a couple of more hours and a bit more money for me. I'm doing a double gig for them next week that overlap by an hour, so, gonna use the kid to cover the first hour in the nightclub and I still get paid for the overlap. :-) In fact, I'm doing a double gig for them Friday and Saturday as well as single gigs on Sunday and Monday (Bank Holidays in the UK).

Hmmmmm, looks like my Ibiza trip in June may back on. :-)
 
Nice, they still have sense in the Uk I see, not much left here...must be a plague?

Good Luck,

Joey...
 
Ooooops, I mean nice to hear, hope I don't get in trouble...


Good Luck,

Joey...
 
djnutz wrote :
I hate to say this, but start looking for another venue. I have been down THAT road more than once. I actually had one of these "bedroom dj's" tell me we could go outside and sort out who is gonna DJ.


Heh, reminds me of days when I played in bands around pubs, clubs and other venues. Fights about who was going to go on last were more common than you think. Anyone who could play three chords on a guitar thought they were a punk/rock/indie band, no matter how shite they sounded.

Bedroom DJ's (of whom I am one at the moment, but it's a hobby, not a career. I won't be stealing any pro's gigs ever) are just like those little punks who thought that playing loud was all you needed to do.

Only advice I can give here (I'm almost 40, so have plenty of experience) is 'never bring a fart to a knife fight'. I'm not suggesting you beat the crap out of the opposition (let the crowd do that when they realise the bedroom DJ blows), but the music industry ain't called a 'cut throat' industry for nothing.
 
i think nutz and Marcel got it right

Marcel unless i miss my quess always covers his ass w/ a contract ..... very wise business decision

although.... covering your ass with a contract can be a little scratchy and uncomfortable ....
 
Chuck Norris doesn't spin records, he stops the record and spins the world.
 
Well people,

This is the same in every branche, wether its dj-ing, webdesign, software development, photography, music etc. Tools are becomming easier available, and not just pirated tools, some free or very affordable tools also offer great functionality that come very close to the pro thing. With this in hand 'amateurs' can provide services with a very 'professional' feel to it.

Its just the time we live in and its the thing every professional needs to take into account to visually excel where amateurs cant. And also remember, one day YOU also started out to be a wanna be DJ, trying to be seen and using every workaround available to get to that goal.

And also, having the tools, wether legal, illegal or free, doesnt make you a good DJ. Bottom line its the party you create on your dancefloor that makes you a good DJ. And if a starting bedroom DJ is able to do that job as just as well its a nice reflective moment to wonder.. WHY. Is the crowd to 'easy' for your skills? Is the guy talented? Or is your professionalism overrated to the quality of the end result?

just my 2 cents
 
chucknorrisyouwimps wrote :

Marcel unless i miss my quess always covers his ass w/ a contract ..... very wise business decision
although.... covering your ass with a contract can be a little scratchy and uncomfortable ....


Even for a Charity gig - They sign on the Bottom line. And It's not free.

I only do Free Events for my GF when she's fundraising for her Annual 60KM "Walk to End Women's Cancer"
http://www.endcancer.ca

Other than that - Every Client, Bar, Pub, Charity, Homeless guy on the street, signs a Service Agreement.
And they Pay.
No Grass
No Ass
No trades (unless the assessed value is the same as my Fee and they still sign a Service Agreement)
Only Cash
 
i'm 12 and a bedroom dj and it gets me so annoyed when people pirate software and songs because people like me don't have the money to splash out on exspensive gear and software are getting less practise in with the gear you would find in clubs or even mobile gigs because people pirate things so they have more money to spend on hard ware. it has taken me 5 months to get my mixtrack pro and i won't be getting pro software for at least a year :( don't have speakers yet either
 
Way to go Finn... proud of ya!
 
Who ate Finn wrote :
i'm 12 and a bedroom dj and it gets me so annoyed when people pirate software and songs because people like me don't have the money to splash out on exspensive gear and software are getting less practise in with the gear you would find in clubs or even mobile gigs because people pirate things so they have more money to spend on hard ware. it has taken me 5 months to get my mixtrack pro and i won't be getting pro software for at least a year :( don't have speakers yet either


I am also a bedroom DJ. I used to think the same way. I couldn't afford gear or anything but I did everything I could to gather up the money to buy A Hercules MK4 and Virtual DJ Pro. Now.. I DJ on Virtual DJ Radio.
 
Who ate Finn wrote :
i'm 12 and a bedroom dj and it gets me so annoyed when people pirate software and songs because people like me don't have the money to splash out on exspensive gear and software are getting less practise in with the gear you would find in clubs or even mobile gigs because people pirate things so they have more money to spend on hard ware. it has taken me 5 months to get my mixtrack pro and i won't be getting pro software for at least a year :( don't have speakers yet either


Keep it up, you will end with everything!
 
If you're 12, you have a long time to learn, practice and buy gear! Keep at it and you'll reap the benefits in time.

AC
 
Just another reason for me to continue to create my own events! I find the venue, promote the event, charge a fair cover charge, take a percentage of the bar, DJ the gig, grow my following, at the end of the day walk away happy and the cheap ass owner who hates to pay his DJ's loses nothing because his venue made a real profit!

Dealing with the bedroom DJ drama or any other of the BS drama, when it comes to club owners suck!!! A lot of the club owners have no clue how to run a club, so they'll lowball their mother to make a profit!

Sorry, I'm not having my kids saying, "daddy I'm hungry" and I can't feed them all because some cheap ass jerked me out of my job!
 


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