End of an era for me

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tunes4046

DJ Extraordinaire
ODJT Supporter
Jul 24, 2008
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Fennimore Wi
If done a bi weekly bar gig at the same place for over 15 years the last year has really slowed down, I have been contemplating retiring from this gig for a few reasons biggest one is the culture of today, you can be at a bar full of people and well over 70% of the crowd is staring at there phones at social media, the owners don’t want me to leave however I simply don’t enjoy it any longer, it has nothing to do with money, I used to do this because it was fun, kept me up on current music, it’s not nearly as fun and most of the new music is pretty horrible,
 
I used to do this because it was fun, kept me up on current music, it’s not nearly as fun and most of the new music is pretty horrible,


I completely agree with that assessment!

I don't do bar gigs for this reason. Well...That and I don't like dealing with drunks, and the pay around here is awful.

The reason I like weddings over anything else is because I get to play REAL MUSIC much of the time, and I still get to play a variety that spans from the 60s through today.

My Dad only does an Elks Lodge, American Legion, and a Hand Dance Club. He doesn't play any new rap or crap music. THe newest he get's is basically Bruno Mars, or a recent country/crossover type song that may get requested. He plays the line dances, but generally speaking, very little music from this decade.
 
I completely agree with that assessment!

I don't do bar gigs for this reason. Well...That and I don't like dealing with drunks, and the pay around here is awful.

The reason I like weddings over anything else is because I get to play REAL MUSIC much of the time, and I still get to play a variety that spans from the 60s through today.

My Dad only does an Elks Lodge, American Legion, and a Hand Dance Club. He doesn't play any new rap or crap music. THe newest he get's is basically Bruno Mars, or a recent country/crossover type song that may get requested. He plays the line dances, but generally speaking, very little music from this decade.
I got to ask what do the bars in your area normally pay a DJ? I've had at least a couple that wanted to pay me $50 or someone else who would work there for that amount. Crazy.
 
I got to ask what do the bars in your area normally pay a DJ? I've had at least a couple that wanted to pay me $50 or someone else who would work there for that amount. Crazy.
Because of this being a consistent gig I charge this bar $300 per night works out to be about $8000 per year, I set my prices, the places I play don’t,
 
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It is truly unbelievable how stupid smart phones have altered our lives. We just had our bi-annual family cruise where Grandpa (me) puts all his children and grand children on a cruise ship - that's 14 people. This year it was the MSC Meraviglia, and all my kids upgraded their cruise packages to include wifi/internet at sea, while the old guy turned his phone off - what a difference a generation makes! When they're born, we should just stick a chip in them and be done with it!!
 
There is NO money in bars... period. If you want to live paycheck to paycheck, work in a bar.
 
There is NO money in bars... period. If you want to live paycheck to paycheck, work in a bar.

The club DJs in my area that are doing it successfully are working Wednesday - Saturday night. Sometimes even a Tuesday industry night or something.

Good gigs around here are paying $350-$500ish for that local headliner type of DJ on the weekend. Probably closer to $200-$300 on weeknights.

You can make a living doing it... but it's a grind. A lot of those guys will also do weddings and other private events. So they'll book an opener from 10-12, and then they'll come in and play the headlining spot.

Personally - I'm getting $300 a night for my lounge spot that I play once or twice a month. And I'm happy with it because it's the exact type of spot I think I'm a good fit for.

I played a gig in more of a bar type environment recently that didn't really have a dance floor - and even though the gig was easy I declined doing it on an ongoing basis. It just didn't fit what I think is fun.
 
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Bar gigs pay a few hundred a night but if you really have a following, I know DJs that make 1000 a night. ANd of course, if you are bigger and really talented, you can make a few thousand a night. I have opened up for many of these guys.
 
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Because of this being a consistent gig I charge this bar $300 per night works out to be about $8000 per year, I set my prices, the places I play don’t,
Tunes I wasn't trying to be smart here. I understand you have your price you want. I just wanted to know the average a DJ gets in your area. When I was asked to play at the Private Place Lounge the manager asked what I wanted to get paid. I told him $150 when I play there. Sometimes I had my birthday party there. I would DJ my own party and get paid. It was a win win for me. I loved playing there. Never an issue with getting paid in full. The manager a great guy told me one night had it on his mind to make the pay respectable. What they paid me I felt was fair for both me and the Lounge.
 
The club money in my day(94-2007) was made from being a self promoter...and offering a full package to an owner...including the djs...bouncers...sometimes even bar staff...and most of all...we had a huge following...very loyal college kids who knew they were safe and would be entertained... my partner was the head of a fraternity and a loveable, widely known person on campus.

We would normally stay at a venue for 6 months to a year and then either the owner would get greedy and think he could do it without us (never happened)...or we would pull up stakes to keep things fresh... it was always easy to find a new willing venue because we were normally the reason they were sitting empty on Saturdays... and were very desirable

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Let me tell this. My first counselor buddy God be pleased with his soul. He nailed it one day. When you get to a certain age certain things don't hold your interest anymore the way they used to.

I used to go Go Go bars. I haven't been in one I don't know how many years. A guy I used to work with kept trying to come with him. He was a really cool guy but that doesn't excite me anymore.

Just like the ex said something to me one day when we were together. She was surprised that I'm a DJ who isn't crazy about going to a bar or club to hear a DJ play. I used to go with her sometimes because that's what she liked to do. My thing is I don't mind when it's a friend of mine playing. Other than that it's not a big deal. I've been doing this for a long time and it's got to be somebody really good to get me excited.

Now let me ask you this and please don't take offense to what I'm asking. You said you don't like people in this place on their cellphones. So that's what you see a lot of in this place now? Not trying to be funny. Is the issue that more people are on their cellphones instead of on the dance floor because of the music you're playing?

Now I certainly do understand the job of a DJ in a bar is to keep a rotation. You don't want people dancing all night and not spending money at the bar. That's how the bar gets to afford to pay you.

I was playing one night in the PPL and one of the regulars who came there said to me get the people dancing. I wasn't worried about that. I knew eventually they would get out there and dance. I was just happy to the bar making plenty of money. Like I knew it after a while the crowd in the place started dancing up a storm. Sometimes it takes the crowd getting a few drinks in them to loosen up.
 
I was playing one night in the PPL and one of the regulars who came there said to me get the people dancing. I wasn't worried about that. I knew eventually they would get out there and dance. I was just happy to the bar making plenty of money. Like I knew it after a while the crowd in the place started dancing up a storm. Sometimes it takes the crowd getting a few drinks in them to loosen up.

Could the truth be...you dont really know what makes a crowd dance? You just play til they are drunk and will dance to anything?

No wonder you struggle to get your regular clientele at AA meetings to get out of their chairs

Glad you were just happy to be getting paid... im sure others besides me are super impressed as usual with your mastery of our craft

cc
 
Could the truth be...you dont really know what makes a crowd dance? You just play til they are drunk and will dance to anything?

No wonder you struggle to get your regular clientele at AA meetings to get out of their chairs

Glad you were just happy to be getting paid... im sure others besides me are super impressed as usual with your mastery of our craft

cc
Idiot when you take me up on my challenge I will pay attention to what you say. Until then just shut the funk up! Now for your information when I played in the PPL I didn't have an issue with getting people to dance because I knee what to doand it worked! Pay attention to what I said and you may learn something. I said it's about knowing to turn the bar over. So at some time you don't want the dance floor packed and people not buying drinks at the bar. If you knew what to do you would have noticed that part. The bar making money is how they get their bills paid including paying the DJ. I don't know why I made this post. The fact still remains you're an idiot and no matter what I say you're going to find something to complain about.

Now just so you sir I got called regularly to work at the PPL when they needed a DJ because the DJ for that night can't make it. You don't keep getting called back to a place unless they are confident they know that you know what you're doing. That means people who regularly attending the place liking what you do and the management getting told this. That's what happened in my case. Sometimes I would come there just to show my face in the place and people would ask me when was the next time I was to play there. I will leave your stupid AA comment alone simply because I'm not a member of AA.

Sorry moderators for the rant but I can only hold my tongue but for so long. I do my best to take the high road most times. Please remember I'm a human being first.
 
So you were only a fill in at the ppl, seems to me if you were that good you would have been a regular fixture,
I never knew about the place and was looking for a place to play at the time. So they already had DJs in place that had been working there for years. That's including a DJ that worked there for 27 years and was the last DJ to play there on a Tuesday night. The owner decided she no longer wanted to run the place and closed the doors that night.

Now my friend was going to let me play there on Fridays because he was getting tired of playing there on Fridays. He stopped feeling good about the crowd coming in the place on Friday nights. I never got the spot because it closed down. Non of the 2 managers along with the owner would have had a problem with me being the DJ playing there on Friday nights. I hated things didn't happen that way because I really loved playing there!!!!!!!!! Rarely was there an issue with someone getting out of hand. It was a nice crowd and you never had an issue with your pay. It was always right. I found out from the manager they would have your envelope already in the room with your money when you got there.

That's great because I know places where they would only make a certain amount of money and would short change the DJ at times. Never had that issue in there. It's gone so no crying over spilled milk. People still are upset that it closed because even though it was a hole in the wall, it was a place that people loved to come to.

Now on the flip side of things I had my 50th birthday celebration in another bar and my friend from the PPL came there. He listened to me play and loved it. So he kept insisting to the manager to let me take his place when he wasn't there. That's how I got started playing there. Enough people told the managers how much they loved what I did and that's why I got to play in there when I did. Which was usually when a DJ couldn't make it including Thursday night when it was classic Soul night. That's the music that they wanted the DJ to play mostly that night. You could play a little house music as a tease for Friday and that was it.
 
Now my friend was going to let me play there on Fridays because he was getting tired of playing there on Fridays. He stopped feeling good about the crowd coming in the place on Friday nights.
So your friend thought the Friday crowd sucked .. but thought you would be a good fit ??