DJ's who think its ok to continue playing for free

[Ree Fresh]

I came accorss this really intresting thread in Club Vibes

http://www.clubvibes.com/forum/topic...opic_id=408799


Some highlights made by Jay Tripwire:

"umm,personally 75-100$ isnt worth the hearing damage.i dj for a living and if im going to further damage my already questionable ears its probably not going to be for no 75$,it costs me 30 bux just to cab to and from the gig and not to mention the amount of money spent on records,so unless its a free party thats gonna be dope i wouldnt do it,im always up for a good free party tho.
its probably why i dont play anywhere other than than deepen or for nordic trax shows,alot of the other gigs in this city are quite unfulfilling to my mind my soul and my wallet.
i also see the other side of things being a dj who travels quite alot to play at various places and outside of vancouver local djs are usually payed a reasonable fee.
also in vancouver promoters are extra cheap for the most part,and another reason is there are too many djs who want their "big break" and play for nothing and ruin it for all the djs who have been doing it for a long time.they sully the pay scale.

KEEP IN MIND ASPIRING DJ THE MINIMUM WAGE LISTED WITH THE MUSICIANS UNION FOR A DJ IS 100 A HOUR!!!thats the law bitches..."

"i can understand playing from 9-10/10 30 paying your dues for nothing or low fees,but if you are in any sort of headlining position(peak time slot) you have to be paid from promoters accordingly to the venue size,cover charge,budget etc. "

Sold out show 2 weeks in advance
Tickets sold at $40-$75 for the MLC
Price at the door $200
Average pay for local DJ's free-$25-$50-$75

You do the math.

[Ms.Tarantula]

the woman makes an exellent point. ^^

[Bevvy Swift]

yo that.

[Akeel]

case in point...i had someone ask me to open up for a club show for cab fare and play for like half an hour or something.

turned it down.


Me and Hirsh were once discussing how much we spend on records...5g's minimum a year....

[miSsy_chriSsy]

Originally Posted by R Wellbelove

I came accorss this really intresting thread in Club Vibes

http://www.clubvibes.com/forum/topic...opic_id=408799


Some highlights made by Jay Tripwire:

"umm,personally 75-100$ isnt worth the hearing damage.i dj for a living and if im going to further damage my already questionable ears its probably not going to be for no 75$,it costs me 30 bux just to cab to and from the gig and not to mention the amount of money spent on records,so unless its a free party thats gonna be dope i wouldnt do it,im always up for a good free party tho.
its probably why i dont play anywhere other than than deepen or for nordic trax shows,alot of the other gigs in this city are quite unfulfilling to my mind my soul and my wallet.
i also see the other side of things being a dj who travels quite alot to play at various places and outside of vancouver local djs are usually payed a reasonable fee.
also in vancouver promoters are extra cheap for the most part,and another reason is there are too many djs who want their "big break" and play for nothing and ruin it for all the djs who have been doing it for a long time.they sully the pay scale.

KEEP IN MIND ASPIRING DJ THE MINIMUM WAGE LISTED WITH THE MUSICIANS UNION FOR A DJ IS 100 A HOUR!!!thats the law bitches..."

"i can understand playing from 9-10/10 30 paying your dues for nothing or low fees,but if you are in any sort of headlining position(peak time slot) you have to be paid from promoters accordingly to the venue size,cover charge,budget etc. "

Sold out show 2 weeks in advance
Tickets sold at $40-$75 for the MLC
Price at the door $200
Average pay for local DJ's free-$25-$50-$75

You do the math.

Attila paid me. Very well actually.

Did you not get your cash?

He messaged me the next day saying he had money for me, I wasn't even expecting it.

I was more honored to have such an amazing spot, than to care about getting any money.

Just a thought. If it's for the love, then why bitch about money?

[Bevvy Swift]

yea it seems like its become the norm to not pay dj's, or pay them shittily. i have spent ridiculous amounts of money on records and gear, but its not shit compared to some of the big playahs in town, who hardly ever get paid either! (unless, of ocurse they throw thier own shows)

its hard out here for a dj, mang

[Ree Fresh]

Originally Posted by miSsy_chriSsy

Attila paid me. Very well actually.

Did you not get your cash?

He messaged me the next day saying he had money for me, I wasn't even expecting it.

I was more honored to have such an amazing spot, than to care about getting any money.

Just a thought. If it's for the love, then why bitch about money?

This is the problem. Like Jay Tripwire said... we have so many DJ's in this city trying to make their break and willing to play for free. Almost every DJ loves to play no matter what and would probly do it for free anyways. However we are providing a service. We invest alot of money towards records, equipment, gear, and countless hours of practicing. The money we spend and the skills we practice are used to bring ppl to a party. These ppl pay $$$ to see DJ's not the promoter. Think of all the big time musicians out there who love what they do, but they do need somthing in return.

Chrissy I was expecting $100 an hr. My time slot was extened to 1.5 hours, but I was only given $75. Wierd enough I was piad more per hour last year for a much earlyer time slot at sinful than Pink. Like I said I dont mind playing for free if its a low budget party, fudraiser, or if I know the promoter is losing money... however I think something is wrong when ppl are paying $200 at the door and the party is sold out and the promoter calls a DJ money hungry asking to be paid the basic standard.

PS: Chrissy dont you think you deserved that spot? With all the years you have worked so hard and all the experince you ahve gained... you were more then ready to open for DJ Diamond. Dont disrespect yourself thinking it was such a rare chance and you where willing to do it for free!?!

[Bevvy Swift]

Originally Posted by miSsy_chriSsy

Just a thought. If it's for the love, then why bitch about money?

it is most definately for the love, but the fact is, most djs (or at least the guys i know) spend about $100 a week on records, often more! its nice to get some of that money back, and feel appreciated. too many promoters take dj's for granted, imo

[Akeel]

if dj's were paid based on skills this would be a very different ball game.

[Bevvy Swift]

Originally Posted by Akeel

if dj's were paid based on skills this would be a very different ball game.

you could never really find a fair way to judge that. there are tons of "headlining dj's" that rock dancefloors with big choons, but are not very technically proficient or creative on the decks, and the rest is just opinion and taste

[Ms.Tarantula]

^ how can you measure a dj's skills?

one person might think a DJ skills sucked when the next person might think its GOLD

edit: outposted

[Ree Fresh]

Originally Posted by Akeel

if dj's were paid based on skills this would be a very different ball game.

We should seriously get a DJ union going in this city. Or at least some basic standards going for both the promoters and the DJ's to go by.

[dabbler]

i've been having a similiar series of convo's with most of the local dnb dj's regarding shows or sets at raves (not counting the clubs which for us, basically make us no $ at all) and a lot of people suggested that $100 should be standard. i've cut a few promoters on here a LOT of breaks over the last year and played for free far too often, as have all of my friends. there are a million reasons to not play for free, not the least of which is how much money we all spend on gear and stuff. i think over the last 8 years, i've spent about $60,000 (prob more) on records and gear, and i've barely made a dent in that in money being earned back. i still keep doing what i'm doing for the love of dj'ing, but i'd rather earn at least a small part back while doing so. Also, what jaytripdawg said about his ears is a very valid point. hearing loss is an unfortunate side affect of djing, there should be some compensation, or it's rarely worth it. that being said i know the consensus for a lot of dj's in town is no longer playing for free for anyone, deals are still there for our friends, but even our friends should be paying $ for bookings (ESPECIALLY if the ticket price is more than $10) /rant

[Akeel]

Originally Posted by Cheez

you could never really find a fair way to judge that. there are tons of "headlining dj's" that rock dancefloors with big choons, but are not very technically proficient or creative on the decks, and the rest is just opinion and taste

i disagree, take a look at dmcs.

[dabbler]

^^^ DMC dj's are still only judged on technical skillz. which really mean jack squat overall

[Akeel]

i'm tired of seeing dj's just mixing...its boring.

[Chewy]

if its not worth it then why continue ? If what your doing is not beneficial then focus your time and money to something more fullfilling, something that will pay off..

[nabs]

I love what DJing and thats why I do it. Its the feeling that makes it worthwhile to continue, we do what we do, cuz we love what we do. Still I do believe if DJ's that have been playing for over 2 years should at least get the MINIMUM of $100 per hour. and i think a Vancouver DJ Union is an excellent idea.

If The Union goes on strike, ALL THE CLUBS IN VANCOUER ARE SHUT DOWN, cuz no DJ's! that will send a VERY VERY clear message.

[LDUB]

Originally Posted by nabs

If The Union goes on strike, ALL THE CLUBS IN VANCOUER ARE SHUT DOWN, cuz no DJ's! that will send a VERY VERY clear message.

However in Vancouver the market is saturated and I'm sure in this situation there will be more that enough 'scabs' to step in and play regardless of any 'strike'.

PS Rhia, glad to see you stand up for your worth. You put a lot into what you do, and often, I see you promote more than the promoter for any show hired to play.

[nabs]

Well then we do what other people do on strikes, im pretty sure upcoming DJ's would love to be a part of the Union. So that will stop them from becoming a scab. and if they are, we hound them.

[miSsy_chriSsy]

I have to agree with Lauren...

Rhia you're out there every weekend, driving from pillar to post, a gig every weekend and working full time... I seriously couldn't keep up with that! Most of all, you deserve to get paid for all that work :\ Personally, I'm really picky about gigs based on the fact 9/10 times I won't get paid... therefore I go for the gigs that I'm most passionate about.

I find that local gigs tend to be taken less seriously for money due to the fact we're readily available, and there's rarely any travel costs or hassles to get us to the venues. If you can promote yourself out of town, it's seriously the best way to go. All my big gigs out of town have been nothing but amazing. I've been treated like royalty, and for god sakes, the money has been incredible. I've made up to 400 for an hour of my time, and man, I almost felt guilty for it because I had so much fun!

Seriously consider throwing your demo around somewhere other than Vancouver, we're always playing out so the respect factor can sometimes fade out. Out of town there's appreciation and interest, along with some pretty solid promoters out there who will pay you what you're worth.

Keep it up, but don't expect miracles in your home town ;)

Regarding money spent on equipment: Again, it's all about the love! I've maybe spent $1,200 on my total setup and still manage to do a good job playing out. I think fancy schmancy stuff can be somewhat overrated, but to each their own. I like to keep things simple and basic. Plus, I don't expect promoters to pay me back for all the things I buy.

[klockwize]

A big problem that Vancouver has is that everyone is so inter-connected that eventually, its friends booking friends and it then becomes an issue when money is involved. No one wants to charge friends, but then when do djs get paid??

Another is yes, there are so many shitty djs getting booked because they're out devoting their lives to flyering & ticket selling so that they can ultimately play (for free) at the next gig which in turn gives all the skilled talent Vancouver has little to no chance of getting noticed...I find this disgusting and rediculas but it all comes down to the Vancouver rave scene becoming a mainstream, corporate money grab.

The novelty of "The DJ" in Vancouver died a long time ago. Anyone with 1000 bucks can think up a fancy dj name and buy some decks. Which from a promoters perspective is the perfect combo, be-friending and booking newbie dj's that will pull in 30-50 tickets and than thank the promoter after playing.... for free!
this ends with truly talented Djs in van getting looked passed because they are charging 150-200 a show (which for even a smaller show) is not that big of a chunk out of the budget!

Either way it’s a lose, lose situation…. djs will never get back what they put in and promoter will always try and save a few bucks. In a perfect world, true talent is recognized and Djs actually get paid, but that’s not the case in vancouver

[Richard_Pyra]

Here here... thanks Rhia!

Originally Posted by miSsy_chriSsy

Just a thought. If it's for the love, then why bitch about money?

Sorry Missy, but that makes no sense at all. Tell that to any other working professional who loves their job. They will look at you like you're on crack.

Originally Posted by Rhia

something is wrong when ppl are paying $200 at the door and the party is sold out and the promoter calls a DJ money hungry asking to be paid the basic standard.

You're right Rhia, it's called hypocrisy!

Originally Posted by LDUB

However in Vancouver the market is saturated and I'm sure in this situation there will be more that enough 'scabs' to step in and play regardless of any 'strike'.

This is true... but who's going to want to see a bunch of DJs nobody's heard of? Don't get me wrong, I'm all for new talent, but unknown DJs aren't a big draw... I'm sure promoters know that, and if they don't they'd figure it out pretty quick.

[b0ld]

ok so to solve your problem with not being paid.... Have a contract made with both signatures the performer and promoter, based on payment for what ever performance... Problem solved.... If you don't get paid then you have every legal right to bring it to court and win.

Nobody pays then you don't play plain and simple (that is of course the route you choose to take)

[Richard_Pyra]

^This is very true, but the fact still remains that not enough DJs are charging what they are worth, and as a result the value of their services is trivialized.