How would you handle a situation like what happened to me.

[MIXMASTERMACHOM]

I'm in major pain while making this thread. I did the event this Saturday. It was a speaker jam and dance in New Brunswick. I was the DJ and my partner took care of the taping.

This happened at the dance which was after speaker jam. Not a lot of people stayed for the dance. Reason because some people just come to hear the speakers and after that they are gone. So not a large crowd for the dance. The speaker portion was packed!

I start playing for the crowd and they are loving me. Later on I play some line dance songs. In the beginning a lady wanted me in the beginning wanted me to play reggae. I told her I would play some later. I had another lady kept bugging me to play some songs. This one song was supposed to be a line dance song called Chuck Baby by Chuck Brown. I got my Ipad out and played the song. It didn't just clear the dance floor, it cleared the room.

I told my partner if it was a lot more people there that the floor would have cleared but I quickly would have got the dance floor packed again.

Let me be fair. This lady was from Pennsylvania and we were in Jersey. So what works there may not work somewhere else.

My question is how do you deal with a person who keeps requesting songs for you to play and won't leave you alone?

 

[djtaso]

I'm in major pain while making this thread. I did the event this Saturday. It was a speaker jam and dance in New Brunswick. I was the DJ and my partner took care of the taping.

This happened at the dance which was after speaker jam. Not a lot of people stayed for the dance. Reason because some people just come to hear the speakers and after that they are gone. So not a large crowd for the dance. The speaker portion was packed!

I start playing for the crowd and they are loving me. Later on I play some line dance songs. In the beginning a lady wanted me in the beginning wanted me to play reggae. I told her I would play some later. I had another lady kept bugging me to play some songs. This one song was supposed to be a line dance song called Chuck Baby by Chuck Brown. I got my Ipad out and played the song. It didn't just clear the dance floor, it cleared the room.

I told my partner if it was a lot more people there that the floor would have cleared but I quickly would have got the dance floor packed again.

Let me be fair. This lady was from Pennsylvania and we were in Jersey. So what works there may not work somewhere else.

My question is how do you deal with a person who keeps requesting songs for you to play and won't leave you alone?

No offense, but you've been doing this longer than I've been alive and you're now trying to figure this out lol. It's simple... yes her to death and don't play it... say you don't have it (that's what I would have done)... I'll see what I can do about it... I'm not there just yet (in terms of genres), but when I get to that style, I'll try and squeeze it in... Idk if that will work well with this crowd, is there anything else instead you want to hear... I'm not taking requests tonight... so many options. But what blows my mind is how of all her requests, you played the worst one possible. The reggae one would've at least had a better shot at keeping some people on the dancefloor... but you went for the one that no one knew.

Personally... I have an assistant who handles all requests... I am always mixing and cueing music and HATE being bothered especially when my mixes are taking place every 30-90 seconds. My assistant takes the request and tells me them after my mix is done when I have a few seconds. If he knows its not a good one or I tell him no way I'm playing that, he'll tell that person, that it's up to me and that I can't always get all requests in depending on where I'm going with the music. You sound like you're a jukebox with the willingness to hear all sorts of requests. I make it appear as if I am dictating the direction of the music, not any random guest dictating what I am doing.

I still don't get what you're booking these events for. You're not even djing, and you're not impressing anyone for potential future events.

 

[tunes4046]

Mix if I was asking entry level DJ question after being in business as long as you have I would think it was time to re think if this was the right profession for me

 

[adj2ent]

Actually the simplest way to do it is just tell the person did you don't have the song. It is easy is that. If I know in my heart that song will not work I won't play it unless the person requesting the song is the person paying. What I do is have a request list because I really do want to know what songs people would like to request. For larger jobs I have someone handling that because I do not want to talk to people while I'm in the process of playing music. I don't want to be disturbed. From the request was I select what songs I choose to play based on my experience. After the event I will go through the request list to see if there is something I should add to my playlist. Since I play throughout the Northeast it is impossible to know all of the local favorites so it's so Important in my eyes to get the request list to get those songs that I might not ever think of playing.

 

[Scott Hanna]

In my opinion, its my responsibility to know what songs have the best chance to work.

I'm not always right, but am right a lot.

I'll take any request. I'll decide if or when it gets played

 

[Jas]

My question is how do you deal with a person who keeps requesting songs for you to play and won't leave you alone?

This can be a problem. Sometimes I get a sister of the bride that constantly requests songs. In this case I keep smiling and keep playing them because sis knows what songs the bride loves to dance to. Getting a request for a song that I'm real sure will clear the floor is another story. Lately my response to requests is "I'll put it on the list", meaning I have been getting lots of requests and your's will get played eventually. If it's a good one it might get played immediately, if not a good one, it might not ever get played.

I would share a trick with you but you've said before that you don't need tricks because you can read the crowed and you play the right songs. And since it involves getting on the mic you wouldn't wanna do it anyway.

 

[steve149]

 

[DJ Ricky B]

Chuck Brown's Chucky Baby is a old DC Original Go Go Song. Chuck Brown created Go Go Music.

I use to play that song back in my younger DJ days if I was doing a company holiday party in D.C. where there were older black people who were above the age of 50 attending who wanted old Go Go Music (Back between 2003 and 2009). I can't say I have played that song since 2009, and it was never a big dance floor filler by any means. It might get 10 older Chuck Brown fans up on the floor...if that.

Old Go Go Music...I still on a rare occasion see "Go Go" put into the client notes of a Gig Masters gig for a party down in PG County or D.C. ...When I read the word Go Go, I almost immediately know it's going to be a cheapy gig. And they will expect the DJ to be knowledgeable about Go Go Music which has such a small and regional following that it's not even worth dipping into the knowledge department on any more (Not at least for a mid 30s white DJ like myself).

...I could do a go go set if I wanted to though.

...Mix, this question wasn't really even worth posting about. Just cause yourself more pain and suffering by doing it.

 

[Albatross]

Mix, you need to act as a gatekeeper for your clients. If someone hires you to play good music, and a guest asks you to play a song that doesn't fit the programming... you shouldn't play it. Excuses could be:

1) I don't have it with me, I'm sorry (and no, I can't play it off youtube or your phone)

2) I'll see if I can find a way to work that in

3) I'm not sure that song fits the programming this evening, is there anything else you'd like to hear?

Guest requests are always a bit tricky, but you should have handled this many times at this point.

 

[MIXMASTERMACHOM]

I hear you. I decided to honor her request since she had so many. I never heard of that song I guess other people there hadn't either. I should have previewed the song before playing it. Sometimes I will look at ways to put a person off so I don't plan their request knowing it will bomb. I was looking to please her since she kept at me. One thing I don't do is decide on my own to not take request. That's for the client to make that call. Me doing it to me says my ego is getting in the way.

 

[steve149]

I hear you. I decided to honor her request since she had so many. I never heard of that song I guess other people there hadn't either. I should have previewed the song before playing it. Sometimes I will look at ways to put a person off so I don't plan their request knowing it will bomb. I was looking to please her since she kept at me. One thing I don't do is decide on my own to not take request. That's for the client to make that call. Me doing it to me says my ego is getting in the way.

If people started leaving, couldn't you have faded out on it and faded into something to keep them there?

 

[sonic-vision]

Mix , you can't please everybody.

 

[djtaso]

Mix, you need to act as a gatekeeper for your clients. If someone hires you to play good music, and a guest asks you to play a song that doesn't fit the programming... you shouldn't play it. Excuses could be:

1) I don't have it with me, I'm sorry (and no, I can't play it off youtube or your phone)

2) I'll see if I can find a way to work that in

3) I'm not sure that song fits the programming this evening, is there anything else you'd like to hear?

Guest requests are always a bit tricky, but you should have handled this many times at this point.

Rule 1 doesnt work since he bought an Ipad to play music off of... big contradiction lol.

 

[Jas]

The gig wasn't a very good situation in the first place. This is why:

some people just come to hear the speakers and after that they are gone.

It sounds like everyone was ready to leave anyway. Once a bunch head for the door, the rest get the same idea. All you can do is look back and think of what you could have done that would have made a difference. Next time you get a crazy requester, tell them that you already have a long list of requests and can't get to it right away.

 

[Dj Jimmy D]

Since 10 people were left if you made one mad it becomes a problem. If you had 200 there one person being mad because you didn't play her request means nothing.

 

[MIXMASTERMACHOM]

Since 10 people were left if you made one mad it becomes a problem. If you had 200 there one person being mad because you didn't play her request means nothing.

STOP WITH THE ACCUSATIONS. IT WAS MORE THAN 10 PEOPLE. The event went very well. It's just what can happen with these types of events. Some people don't come for the dance.

Taso I use the Ipad for when I get a request that I just don't have. For me nothing wrong with that. I don't have every song ever made since the beginning of time. Maybe you do.

 

[Dj Jimmy D]

Sorry 15

 

[djtaso]

STOP WITH THE ACCUSATIONS. IT WAS MORE THAN 10 PEOPLE. The event went very well. It's just what can happen with these types of events. Some people don't come for the dance.

Taso I use the Ipad for when I get a request that I just don't have. For me nothing wrong with that. I don't have every song ever made since the beginning of time. Maybe you do.

I certainly don’t have every song... but what you are doing invites people to ask for anything they desire rather than allow you to dictate the direction of the night

 

[Albatross]

I use the Ipad for when I get a request that I just don't have.

That's exactly how you used it, and it wasn't a great outcome.

I'd take a well cultivated library of effective music over the largest access to music any day.

 

[MIXMASTERMACHOM]

I certainly don’t have every song... but what you are doing invites people to ask for anything they desire rather than allow you to dictate the direction of the night

No like you said it, if you don't want to play it you don't have to. I 've had songs that people request and if I think it won't work for that event, I don't play it. Who else on here uses a tablet or computer to play a song they don't have.?