Digital Song Request Service - DJ's Get Paid!

I had a pretty good career as a club DJ and I can assure you that the music was not the core competency required for that job. The whole point of having a DJ in the club is to sell food and beverages. I love taking requests personally and interacting with the crowd because giving the people the best and most personal experience is how a club operates. I honestly think your APP is a huge step in the wrong direction. I'd be surprised if you get any traction.

I need to take requests in person, and I'm honest about when or if I will play them. My job is to make the cash registers ring because, the first report an owner will hear is whether or not the bartenders and waitresses are making good tips. If they're not, then straight away the owner examines his nightly sales records and the under performing entertainment is replaced.

Build an App that brings these crucial elements together and then you'll have something far more valuable. For example, a DJ who can bring the crowd with him to a venue is worth far more. It would be more valuable to have an App that informed patrons WHICH disc jockey and at WHAT VENUE a given request is likely to be played, or match their particular music taste. DJs in the loop would then have a running tally of how many potential followers could be seeking them out on any given night at a venue where they appear

For me taking request is part of the job for me. I understand some DJs don't take requests. I have never done that in all my years. Taking request to me makes me friendly and approachable. I don't want people to feel uncomfortable with me. Of course just because someone makes a request doesn't mean I must play it. It depends on the situation and if it's appropriate for an event. It could be a bar, club or private event.

Proformance said:

I had a pretty good career as a club DJ and I can assure you that the music was not the core competency required for that job. The whole point of having a DJ in the club is to sell food and beverages. I love taking requests personally and interacting with the crowd because giving the people the best and most personal experience is how a club operates. I honestly think your APP is a huge step in the wrong direction. I'd be surprised if you get any traction.

I need to take requests in person, and I'm honest about when or if I will play them. My job is to make the cash registers ring because, the first report an owner will hear is whether or not the bartenders and waitresses are making good tips. If they're not, then straight away the owner examines his nightly sales records and the under performing entertainment is replaced.

Build an App that brings these crucial elements together and then you'll have something far more valuable. For example, a DJ who can bring the crowd with him to a venue is worth far more. It would be more valuable to have an App that informed patrons WHICH disc jockey and at WHAT VENUE a given request is likely to be played, or match their particular music taste. DJs in the loop would then have a running tally of how many potential followers could be seeking them out on any given night at a venue where they appear

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I highly agree....as a club dj/promoter my team and I kept the door money on any given night along with a 6 month contract fee which guaranteed our soul devotion to this particular venue for an alotted time period...and in turn...our goal was to make the cash registers overflow for the owner... otherwise why were we there...why hire us? We provided a full service package with the right bouncers... the right promo team... the right dj...and the right clientele for whichever clubowner was the highest bidder. We brought with us loyal clientele who behaved themselves out of respect for some of our key members (greek leadership) so we would never abuse that clientele with a tedious expense like this...though small... an annoyance for both the clientele and the entertainer.... imagine the abuse of this app.... when some idiot decides to pay for Tom Jones "What's new pussycat" 10 times in a row... am i as the recipient of such requests now bound to play it? Ridiculous...

For me... the playing of a request is based on a certain amount of shared respect i have with the requester... its easy to tell when you and the requester have a shared interest in taking a dancefloor to a new level.... many times a requester selfishly and possibly unknowingly wants to derail the whole evening out of some selfish desire to hear some obscure song they like to listen to in their car.... i cant allow myself to be bound to those desires in a club setting...

I once was badgered by a guy who claimed to be a "friend" of the owner to play some B side off of some Bruce Springsteen box set cd he brought in his pocket... at like 1am on a Saturday.... he threatened to have me fired if i didnt play it.... i told him i couldnt play it...and to please produce the owner for my "firing"... he disappeared into the mist...

cc

Are you guys talking about actual clubs... or bars. Clubs around here, you couldn’t get to the DJ unless u actually knew them. Also at many actual clubs the focus isn’t necessarily to rotate the floor or anything of that sort. Most clubs have a cover to get in and their money is made off bottle service and people staying all night and naturally buying drinks. Most weekend nights had djs who specialize in a certain format... so it’s their style and that’s it... definitely no requests happening.

Bars are naturally different, and are usually located in areas where they can easily bar hop, so keeping them there and getting them to head to the bar often is key obviously... but as far as clubs go... they go to one for the night and that’s it. Bottles are where the money is at.

This app would apply more to a bar setting where accessibility to the DJ is more common and where music is more wide ranging and not just current mainstream hits. It can work... as it’s still up to the discretion of the DJ what will be played. I don’t think it changes anything in the performance.

Probably a thinner line between bar and club around here than your area...

But it changes nothing about my thoughts on the matter....

Save the paid requests for the bowling alley jukeboxes

cc

djtaso said:

Are you guys talking about actual clubs... or bars. Clubs around here, you couldn’t get to the DJ unless u actually knew them. Also at many actual clubs the focus isn’t necessarily to rotate the floor or anything of that sort. Most clubs have a cover to get in and their money is made off bottle service and people staying all night and naturally buying drinks. Most weekend nights had djs who specialize in a certain format... so it’s their style and that’s it... definitely no requests happening.

Bars are naturally different, and are usually located in areas where they can easily bar hop, so keeping them there and getting them to head to the bar often is key obviously... but as far as clubs go... they go to one for the night and that’s it. Bottles are where the money is at.

This app would apply more to a bar setting where accessibility to the DJ is more common and where music is more wide ranging and not just current mainstream hits. It can work... as it’s still up to the discretion of the DJ what will be played. I don’t think it changes anything in the performance.

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You can't sell bottles to people who leave because the services and entertainment suck. The approach may vary but, the principles are the same whether it's a bar or a club.

Proformance said:

You can't sell bottles to people who leave because the services and entertainment suck. The approach may vary but, the principles are the same whether it's a bar or a club.

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That reminds me of the time the manager of the Private Place Lounge wanted me to play both Friday and Saturday night. They got another DJ for Friday. When I got there on Saturday I had to hear what happened. The DJ was so bad that I was told 30 people walked out the place. It was so bad that the manager wanted to leave. Finally they stopped the DJ from playing and turned the jukebox on.

A bartender told me I have to really come up. All I had to do was my job and get paid. I wasn't worried about them stopping me from playing and turn on the jukebox. I tell people the day that happens I quit. I will leave everything there and never play another song for anybody. That was the first time I ever heard that happening to a DJ.

MIXMASTERMACHOM said:

That reminds me of the time the manager of the Private Place Lounge wanted me to play both Friday and Saturday night. They got another DJ for Friday.

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You can't always get what you want.

MIXMASTERMACHOM said:

I tell people the day that happens I quit. I will leave everything there and never play another song for anybody.

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Fair enough, but isn't the Private Place out of business?

djtaso said:

Are you guys talking about actual clubs... or bars. Clubs around here, you couldn’t get to the DJ unless u actually knew them. Also at many actual clubs the focus isn’t necessarily to rotate the floor or anything of that sort. Most clubs have a cover to get in and their money is made off bottle service and people staying all night and naturally buying drinks. Most weekend nights had djs who specialize in a certain format... so it’s their style and that’s it... definitely no requests happening.

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Some of the bigger clubs in my area don't even have a dancefloor. It's all VIP sections for bottle service and hookahs. They "dance" and people watch from their sections all while on Facebook Live or some other social media. As long as the music is current and loud, they could care less. After they pay for parking, entry to the club, a VIP section and a hookah, they are too invested in the night to leave because they didn't like a couple of songs.

logisticalstyles said:

Some of the bigger clubs in my area don't even have a dancefloor. It's all VIP sections for bottle service and hookahs. They "dance" and people watch from their sections all while on Facebook Live or some other social media. As long as the music is current and loud, they could care less. After they pay for parking, entry to the club, a VIP section and a hookah, they are too invested in the night to leave because they didn't like a couple of songs.

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That last part is kinda where I was getting at. Clubs aren’t really the type where you can just leave and go to another one if you don’t like it. You already spent way too much on the bottle, (and hookah at some places), parking, $20-$40 cover, etc. so you’re gonna be sticking around a bit, especially since by the time you leave and get to another club, at least 30 minutes will pass since clubs are slightly more spread out than bars. Granted you many not come back if the music really sucked... but for that one night you’re not leaving.

djtaso said:

That last part is kinda where I was getting at. Clubs aren’t really the type where you can just leave and go to another one if you don’t like it. You already spent way too much on the bottle, (and hookah at some places), parking, $20-$40 cover, etc. so you’re gonna be sticking around a bit, especially since by the time you leave and get to another club, at least 30 minutes will pass since clubs are slightly more spread out than bars. Granted you many not come back if the music really sucked... but for that one night you’re not leaving.

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Bottle service guests have a lot of influence in that type of situation though. Touring headliners have been pulled off sets in Vegas for not playing the types of music that big spenders want to hear.

I realize most of us aren't dealing with that type of spender or pressure, but it has happened. If you're dropping $150K in the club, they'll bend over backward to make sure you're happy.

Albatross said:

Bottle service guests have a lot of influence in that type of situation though. Touring headliners have been pulled off sets in Vegas for not playing the types of music that big spenders want to hear.

I realize most of us aren't dealing with that type of spender or pressure, but it has happened. If you're dropping $150K in the club, they'll bend over backward to make sure you're happy.

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Well that’s a polar opposite extreme, but I do know the story you’re referring to. It just wasn’t the right DJ for the crowd that showed up and was spending money. Think they wanted more hip hop and the headliner was a house music guy. But 150k is a different story than someone’s $20 trying to influence an entire night

djtaso said:

But 150k is a different story than someone’s $20 trying to influence an entire night

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Totally. I wasn't presenting them as the same story.

It's interesting, the more I think about this... Some DJs seem to view taking requests as being crowd friendly. But I really don't see it that way. If I'm doing a good job of reading the room overall and keeping the masses engaged, I think that's the most crowd friendly thing I can do. And I often find the requests as hindering my flow. It never fails that people ask for some 70 bpm hip hop track after I just played 20-25 min of hip hop, and I just switched styles to some house music, or moombah/afrobeat stuff.

I'm not opposed to requests in general, but it might be 30-40 minutes before that particular song fits into what I'm doing. And as long as the room at large is happy... I'm perfectly happy making that call and being judge and jury of whether the request makes sense.

To me, taking requests is crowd friendly. Playing a bad song just because someone requested it is NOT crowd friendly.
I have no problem taking requests. I don't feel the need to give the person a break down of the chances their song will be played. Anything is possible.

Their song might have little chance of being played...but then the bride comes over, requests a song that worked...and suddenly the fore-mentioned request suddenly seems like a good fit with the bride's request. It happens.
So I'm not lying to anyone when I take their request. I do tell people towards the end that they have very little chance....but stranger things have happened.

I played mainly for college crowds... 95 percent of my show was my crowd reading and experimentation... however.... our crowd was part of what we sold in our package... and with multiple greek organizations in the building...we did our best to cater to their experience...and any other patrons lucky enough to be allowed in were just happy to be in the place

... for anyone who's played clubs/bars in big college towns... you will know that some very odd songs can make an entire venue rock back and forth with crowd participation...ie "Hang on Sloopy" at Ohio State... etc.... Each greek organization has a song or two as well... and when you play it... 50 girls my be on top of the bar....or 100 guys may be singing at the bar after buying a round of shots.... It was my business to know and have those specific songs...and be ready to play them when requested....

Bottle service is fine and all... but its just a highly pretentious way for a buncha douchebags to sit around and pretend to be more important than the other douchebags across the room....gimme a college bar any day.

cc

My experience is that I'm usually a good judge if a request will work or not. Sometimes a request will bomb. The thing when that happens is knowing how to recover a dance floor quickly. I'm usually good at doing that because of my many years of experience.

I didn't read many of the responses to this post. However, what seems to be the consensus based on postings thus far? I don't need somebody who never experiences live performing, but tells me what goes together in a playlist...for money. I do read gig logs of what DJ have played and see if there was anything I could use later on down the road.