lazy club owner or Dj? what are your thoughts?

The Bar Owner is out to lunch…With the way the industry is going it is becoming more of a common thing that the DJ is also the promoter…However i like to make sure that i draw the line when im doing a show. If i am the promoter…i am responsible for selling tickets, informing people of the show, and making sure that the show goes smoothly.

When im a DJ…my only job is to make sure that my mixes are perfect…that i can keep everyone entertained and that i am fully prepared with my tracks equipment etc. Thats not to say that i wont tell people to come out…

Its really weird these days though…A lot of the Wow factor for going out now a days is “who is djing” You have customers who are very loyal to specific venues and those people i can guarentee that i will see. But in the opposite light…i have friends who Love coming out to see me spin but refuse to goto a specific venue because they hate it there.

So its a bit of a catch 22. I just recently got booked for a gig that i accepted before i heard what this promoter has to say:

Me: Is there to be a form of compensation for the evening (new venue i dont mind playing for a few beers so they can hear me)
Promoter: Yes we can give u a % of the door or % of the bar depending on how many people come out to see you so promoting yourself is key.
Me: Alright that works for me

Now had i known these terms before i said yes 95% of me would have argued the point but in the end i would have done the show regardless as tapping into new venues can make a lot more money in the long run.

However when i promote local gigs i always pay a flat fee per DJ usually 40-50 per hour…and 100 for the headliner. It is MY RESPONSIBILITY to make sure the club is packed…its their responsibility to make sure they lay down some wicked music.

Hey, if you want to DJ and promote, then the owner should be ready to pay you way more than he would pay a DJ. That means you get a cut of the door, the bar, etc…because you’re bringing him busines.

On top of that, if you’re planning/promoting the event, then he can’t tell you what to play or how things will go. So if you pack the room with die-hard underground folk who drink like fish, but he’s complaining there isn’t enough pop music and hot girls…too bad. His girlfriend runs up demanding to hear Call Me Maybe…tell her no.

Frankly, I would not mess with that venue. It clearly shows he’s not serious and won’t be in business for very long.

1) Lazy Club Owner

I will say though, I’m used to the dj either co-mcing or mcing parties. Usually, this involves some element of promotion/planning. Now where I come from more applies to house parties as opposed to clubs (pro-bono I’m doing it because I want to type stuff), but usually friends will come up and ask me to help them throw/dj parties. Marketing, I don’t feel takes a great deal of study (though it does take knowledge). For me, it falls into the same category of business administration (a piece of paper that is the equiv of going to an employer and asking them to tell you you are pretty). If you are constantly going to clubs/events, if you are observant you are noticing the areas (Adams Morgan/U St./14th for the most part in DC it seems) where the parties/clubs are, and the demographic attending on certain nights. Word-of-mouth ”off-time” promoting can also be great.

I agree with Menno though, ideally it would be nice to dedicate all of our time to the actual art, instead of worrying about promotion bullshit. God knows I’d be worlds ahead of where I am in terms of skill if I didn’t have to factor organizing/promoting into djing.

Sounds like a lazy owner. Yet, I truly believe the DJ must help promote the night too. When the owner promotes, it shows how much they really care about the talent and how dedicated they are in business matters.

wow, reading through all this I’m starting to think one of my gigs (monthly) is a bum deal. I get paid $20/ hr (but I only get 1 hr set so pretty much $20 a night) which is pretty much pocket change.. It’s a goth/ Industrial night so we typically do not pack the house. Maybe 50-100 heads on a normal night? The “promoter” sent a Facebook message to all the DJ’s saying that if you do not repost the event every day and invite all your friends to the event, then you do not get to DJ. That pissed me off a bit because they hired me there for my high energy sets and I normally pack the dance floor. I get my standard pay regardless of the final head count. I also set up all the sound at the start of the night and sound check everything, so I’m basically “Sound Guy” “Promoter” and if I get a chance… “DJ” it seems. I honestly thought this practice was normal.. but after reading this I see that it isn’t.

J-Zed, I heard that man! This club “promoter” does almost zero promotion himself (aside from creating the events on Facebook and just re-posting them). Relies on the DJ’s to bring people in, yet does not give us a cut of the door (even on exceptional nights) claiming we should all be working together as a team to keep the club afloat. Of course I’ve always promoted myself, but I hate feeling like that is my primary job when I should be focusing on putting together a bangin set for that night. I’m trying to get a taste of what it’s like to work for a large club who knows how to promote successfully!