Leave the
DJ Alone
by
Rob
Wegner
January 2004
During the 80's,
I worked at a popular Phoenix nightclub called Zazoo. During
its first two years, the club enjoyed an international reputation
(i.e., a sister club was opened in London) that even lured Madonna
to its Phoenix dance floor. However, like many nightclubs, the
numbers started to decline over time and the owners were starting
to ask questions.
To determine
the cause of the club's decline, the owners hired a well-known
nightclub consultant. In addition to his consulting fee (which
ran into the thousands), the owners paid for the consultant's
hotel and transportation.
The consultant
spent one week analyzing every segment of the club and its employees.
He spent a considerable amount of time in the DJ booth; often
looking over our shoulders and taking notes. As far as the DJs'
performance, he never indicated an opinion. In fact, we were
rather concerned that he was going to criticize the DJ's in his
final report.
After the week
passed, it was time to hear the consultant's report. The owners,
managers, DJ's, and department heads (such as head bartender,
head bouncer, etc.) attended the meeting. After discussing other
departments, it was time to hear the consultant's opinion of
the DJ's. It went a little like this:
"You have
great DJ's and they do a good job. The problem - as far as they're
concerned - is that your managers come into the booth and talk
down to them. It puts them in a bad mood and it's reflected in
their performance. If the DJ's are not into it, then your dance
floor is not going to be into it. Tell your managers to save
their remarks [to the DJ's] for after the club closes."
In other words,
the club's owners paid thousands of dollars to be told (among
other things) "leave the DJ alone."
DJ Temperament
On the flip side,
there are temperamental DJ's that might misinterpret the consultant's
opinion. In clubs, our job revolves around pleasing patrons/dancers,
managers, and owners (and in some cases other employees). If
there's anything to be learned from this month's tip, it's the
knowledge that our state of mind is reflected on the dance floor.
Do not allow petty criticism to disrupt your mood and/or performance.
(It should be
noted that sales improved after the consultant's recommendations
were implemented).
Industry News
* Winter
Music Conference
will take place March 6-10, 2004 at the Wyndham Resort, Miami
Beach, Florida. This year's conference will address the tremendous
change taking place in our industry, as well as: legal issues
and advice; revenue streams; radio exposure; demo-listening workshops;
remixing-editing workshops; exhibits; a DJ spin-off; the international
dance music awards; and the Ultra Music Festival. Panel discussions
will include: artists and artist development; audio technology
development; club culture; demo listening workshops; distribution;
DJ and artist meet-and-greet; European market trends; event promotion;
independent record labels; independent retailers; Latin music;
managers and agents; online retailers; producers and remixers;
promotion; record pools; and songwriting/publishing. Early registration
ends January 28, 2004 (although the less expensive "year-end"
registration ends January 9, 2004). Phone: 954-563-4444.
* Club DJ Class
begins at Scottsdale
Community College
on February 4, 2004. This will be the sixth time that it will
be offered. Taught by Disc Jockey 101's Rob
Wegner,
this semester's guest speakers includes: Steve LeVine (CEG, Spin Records, Radius), Aaron Seaford (CEG), J.Alan (Spin Records,
Sanctuary, Suede, Shaker
Room,
Acme
Tempe),
MC-B (Axis-Radius, Suede, Acme Tempe), Pete "Supermix"
Salaz (Batucada, Next), DJ Soloman (Next), John Stettler (Spin
Records), and Tricky-T (Axis, Acme Scottsdale, Elixir).
Current and former
students enrolled in Club DJ are eligible to enroll in DJ
Radar's
Turntablism I class (i.e., Club DJ is a prerequisite), which
is being offered for the first time. Radar's class runs from
March 24 to April 28, 2004 and costs the same as Club DJ ($69).
In addition to scratching history, hand and fader techniques,
and various turntablism skills and theory, Radar will invite
notable guest speakers. To enroll, contact SCC's Community Education
Department at (480) 423-6321. View
Flyer
Tip of the Month