A trend - Could be good or bad for DJs
- Thread starter sawdust123
- Start date
Mix, the problem with your statement is that you are literally at the bottom of the market. In your situation, there really isn't that much in terms of bookings or income level for changes in the industry to hurt you. Business wise, you seem to be at the same level of a very part time hobbyist. Not trying to knock you down, but you don't really have much to lose with the changing industry. Outside of calling it quits and retiring as a DJ, You can only go up and improve from where you are now.
If you were to manage to book 5 good paying weddings next year, you would probably feel a vast improvement in income, and likely believe that the changing market simply have no effect on you because you believe that truly mixing and reading a crowd is the reason your clients hired you, and look how well you are now doing. ...When in reality your perception of things would be completely flawed.
...With that said, I hope you do manage to book 5 nice paying weddings next year, and improve over the gigs you seem to typically book.
I can't argue with you. My plans for next year once I have the surgery and can come back is to make some changes.
I'll mention one thing for now. Get out of dealing with what I call hood rats. Those are the people that barely want to pay $250-300 and want to haggle about that. Tell a little bit more later.
Wait....the main reason I haven't adopted Spotify yet is I do not know a way to incorporate my huge music library with tracks I "get" from Spotify.
Is there a way to do that?
Yes, there is, although stealing, leaching, downloading, etc. from Spotify is not an ethical option.
Step 1: Determine the Spotify selections you wish to incorporate
Step 2: Purchase them from a endless array of sources.
Suggested legal music re-sellers include:
iTunes (not in my top 10 options but a very popular music re-seller, actually the biggest re-seller if I correctly recall)
Amazon Music (My go to source)
Google Play Music (Second best source, in my limited experience)
Bandcamp (Good source of remixes and hard to find edits)
CDBaby (rarely used but easy to use and often the only source for a cut)
eMusic (about to end my subscription but was useful for a few years)
I purchase a premium Spotify membership for my family so I use it, and frequently for personal listening and in my vehicle (practically daily) as my primary source for music and podcasts but have only needed it once, while perfroming. It was not an easy, reliable, or endorsed means of song incorporation.
If Spotify were to be properly integrated into a DJ program, I might revisit the process but not until it is substantially more integrated.
That didn't answer my question.
I purchase all my music now from Google Play. But I spend an average of $80.00 a month.
It's my lone addiction, but I'd love to be able to incorporate Spotify to save a bit of cash.
I don’t know... I personally dont use Spotify lol. My selling points never had anything to do with access to every single song that exists.
This is just a guess, but I think software that incorporates Spotify can have access to both sources.
It's not stealing, leaching or otherwise illegal using tracks from Spotify to DJ with for "private" events (Spotify even answered that question in the past) .. in fact, Algoriddim has partnered with Spotify to DJ from. The pools and Spotify pay for distribution rights .. YOU or the venue pay for performance rights.
I don't typically use spotify for event plays for a different reason; the tracks are often re-makes and are inferior to the original track, even when re-performed by the actual artist.
I agree .. I wouldn't use Spotify as a primary source, but it is "legal" for private events and still might be worth having for the $10 or so as an option.
I define "incorporate tracks...I get from Spotify" as owning the music, aka having it in my inventory when I DO NOT have access to Spotify.
Simply using Spotify is not, IMnotsoHO, equivalent to ownership of artistic, copyright protected material.
If there were some measurable means to integrate a streaming service that would be reliable and beneficial to the artists, I'd be an early adapter...'til then I pay to play.
My personal dedication to purchasing my music from legit sources is a desire to support, reward and compensate the artists and the artistic endeavor of music/song creation. Without it, my craft, my art (albeit less exalted) will suffer from staleness.
As I expect my clients to value my art, so must I regarding the art of the material with which I employ to pursue it.
When the artist isn't fairly compensate, the art will have no capacity to continue.
YMMV.
To all who celebrate, Chag Chanukah Sameach (Happy Chanukah)!
Simply using Spotify is not, IMnotsoHO, equivalent to ownership of artistic, copyright protected material.
If there were some measurable means to integrate a streaming service that would be reliable and beneficial to the artists, I'd be an early adapter...'til then I pay to play.
My personal dedication to purchasing my music from legit sources is a desire to support, reward and compensate the artists and the artistic endeavor of music/song creation. Without it, my craft, my art (albeit less exalted) will suffer from staleness.
As I expect my clients to value my art, so must I regarding the art of the material with which I employ to pursue it.
When the artist isn't fairly compensate, the art will have no capacity to continue.
YMMV.
To all who celebrate, Chag Chanukah Sameach (Happy Chanukah)!
Yes .. but I don't own everything, so occasionally, a request is made for something I don't own or have. I can either attempt to buy it or potentially "stream" it (legally of course). I'll buy if it's something I see being used again .. otherwise, I can see where a streaming service can be handy.
I used to have a subscription to Promo Only. I didn't like it because it only went back 2 years. So all you could get from them is current stuff and some events you need music that's not the most current stuff. I felt what's the use of having them and having to buy music from another source too.
The vast majority of pools only cover recent material .. that's their primary purpose .. to get out new material. There are a few that have some back catalog, but no one in their right mind would rely solely on that. That's where buying CD collections come in .. NOT buying pre-loaded hard drives.
The good part (for us DJ's) is, the TECHNOLOGY may only be 5 to 10 years out...
but the ACCEPTANCE of new technology takes more time.
Look at self driving cars.
They've made incredible progress on the technical end...
but there are A LOT of people who don't want to use it, and/or still don't trust it.
But at some point, insurance companies will either require your vehicle to have some autonomous capability or they will charge more for those that don't, since those vehicles will be statistically safer than a human driver.
As for DJs .. I agree acceptance will be a factor and there will be those that are prejudiced towards a live human ..
