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

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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.?

I use my iPad, with Spotify for music source, and djay pro app.

The djay pro app allows me to use a headphone jack splitter so I can use headphones to preview/cue/ mix
 
not me!!! don't go on line
 
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First and foremost, I NEVER play a song I don't know. How do I know the lyrics are not going to offend the audience? There's no time to listen to (preview) a song during a gig, even if I wanted to; and I don't.[emoji1]

Secondly, I never play a song that I think will clear the dance floor. If nobody's dancing anyway, and I do plenty of events where people don't dance, then I might play pretty much any request. But if I'm playing an event where the crowd includes people who love to dance, I'm not going to play a song they can't dance to.[emoji4]

Finally, I haven't had anyone who constantly requests songs at an event I've done. I have a method of handling requests, which I've posted in previous threads, and it minimizes the likelihood that would happen.


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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.?
Mix, you missed the point... one of the suggestions made, was to say we don't play off of our ipads or iphones (which is a great idea I personally use). I was pointing out that you can't do that since you play off an ipad for yourself. I don't even know why you do that, as you can't properly mix in the song.

Personally.. I may only have around 12-15k songs, but that's all I need for the events I do. I plan and coordinate properly with my clients to be as best prepared as possible. Very rarely do I not have a song I actually could've used, and usually when I don't have a song, it's 95% of the time a song I shouldn't be playing to begin with. The best dj's arent the ones that have every songs at a moments notice... but know the right song to play at the right time.
 
I've used my iphone or wifi to get songs a few times. But only for songs that were very important to the client or guest of honor.

I think we've all had people that demand rather than request which is a pain in the ass. It can become an emotional experience which may cause the DJ to lose his train of thought or just give in. Well, it's happened to me a few times anyway. The worst thing that can happen is getting into an argument with them!
 
If you choose to play online music, for whatever reason...I will not judge.
BUT
You really should NOT let your audience know about it.
If they know you CAN do it...
they will assume that you can play ANY song you can find, and you WILL play any song they request.
As Taso said, you lose control over the event.

So, you start off by defending yourself for the small crowd,
and then when it turns on you, you suddenly change your tune. (pun intended)

Look, stop worrying about your reputation here. We are not potential clients. We are also not perfect (except for Taso :laugh:
If you had a bad night and want so advice....swallow your pride and listen to the advice being given.

You said it yourself from the beginning.
You had a choice and your chose poorly.
It happens.
Since it was a small crowd, at an event where they don't always stay...
you may not have been able to keep them there, even if you chose the reggae song.
 
My question is how do you deal with a person who keeps requesting songs for you to play and won't leave you alone?

I try to find something in their requests or similar or even leaning towards their request style to make them happy that STILL FITS THE NATURE OF THE EVENT ITSELF. Maybe someone really really really wants some pretty heavy metal....but I know that is a killer or totally frowned upon by the PAYING CLIENT. Odds are we can find something leaning that direction that will make them happy. It may not be as hardcore as the individual wanted but at least shows effort to get towards their genre. Sometimes you can play something reasonably obscure even just in part or with an intro that indicates it's a one-off request for so-&-so. There are lots of ways around oddball requests. None are necessarily right or wrong. The only true wrong is feeling bullied to play a particular selection that you know is not appropriate. I have no problem telling a guest "great tune, but I can't make that fly here tonight, sorry". Honest & sincere will get you a whole lot further than anything else.

As for the downloading at an event, yes we have done it...from our subscription pool service....but we do not let guests know we are acquiring it onsite. We never play off a guests device. You don't have to have every request to have a successful dance. You need to be able to interpret requests....sometimes that means translate & substitute; sometimes it's avoid it all-together.
 
Mix, you missed the point... one of the suggestions made, was to say we don't play off of our ipads or iphones (which is a great idea I personally use). I was pointing out that you can't do that since you play off an ipad for yourself. I don't even know why you do that, as you can't properly mix in the song.

Personally.. I may only have around 12-15k songs, but that's all I need for the events I do. I plan and coordinate properly with my clients to be as best prepared as possible. Very rarely do I not have a song I actually could've used, and usually when I don't have a song, it's 95% of the time a song I shouldn't be playing to begin with. The best dj's arent the ones that have every songs at a moments notice... but know the right song to play at the right time.

IMO, I find it very handy to have the abilities of my iPads. While I still prefer a laptop as my main media player, an iPad does have its strengths.

I have about 10k songs loaded into each iPad, so they could easily do a show if needed. I keep one ready as a hot back up. In the rare instance that I have a compelling reason to get a song I don’t have, I can get it easily on Spotify. This is not something I count on or promote, but it has helped in some instances. But I agree that getting any song is not a good idea all of the time.

An iPad can be on for well over a 6 hour show and not have a battery problem. The biggest downside for an iPad is not have good external sound card options.

I also use my iPads at events for note taking, TelePrompTer for mcing, credit card machine for extra time payments.
 
My experience is sometimes I will play a song that I think will have people going crazy and it has people rush off the dance floor. Then I get a request that I think will tank and it's through the roof. What about a clients list that you think won't work and it's the opposite. Good thing rarely do I play a song that clears the dance floor thank God.

I remember one DJ who had the crowd up going crazy playing Silvia Strickland's Give Me Your Lovkke and in the middle of the song slammed in Ain't No Stopping Us Now and cleared the dance floor leaving 2 people on the flooorr. This DJ was one of the 5 worst I ever seen and heard. That DJ kept pissing people off. It was so bad that he waited till the end to play the hottest song that was out Superman.
Her
I found out later on they picked that DJ because they didn't have a lot of money to spend. One lady outside said to me her brother could have done a better job. I told her I'm a DJ and the party was for my best friends tenant and I could have done the party. I wouldn't have killed them on the price. Especially since they had a tragedy happen. Their son got shot and killed directly across the street from where they lived. He was a great kid. Super honor roll student. He went to the same high school I graduated from.
 
IMO, I find it very handy to have the abilities of my iPads. While I still prefer a laptop as my main media player, an iPad does have its strengths.

I have about 10k songs loaded into each iPad, so they could easily do a show if needed. I keep one ready as a hot back up. In the rare instance that I have a compelling reason to get a song I don’t have, I can get it easily on Spotify. This is not something I count on or promote, but it has helped in some instances. But I agree that getting any song is not a good idea all of the time.

An iPad can be on for well over a 6 hour show and not have a battery problem. The biggest downside for an iPad is not have good external sound card options.

I also use my iPads at events for note taking, TelePrompTer for mcing, credit card machine for extra time payments.
Agreed that an Ipad for note taking and to read off of for intros is good... but as your music player... Idk. I have 2 macbooks set up and tied into my controller in terms of backup. I think that is more reliable and practical than having an Ipad. You can't even really mix songs off of an ipad. And worst comes to worst... you can get the downloaded song off of your second mac/pc and no one would really even know. With the costs of computers, it's so cheap to get a reliable laptop for a few hundred dollars to just play music off of for backup purposes. When I was on pc with serato my computer never cost more than $700 and that was before 2013 when I switched to mac... so I'm sure a decent pc can be had for $500 for JUST music.
 
Agreed that an Ipad for note taking and to read off of for intros is good... but as your music player... Idk. I have 2 macbooks set up and tied into my controller in terms of backup. I think that is more reliable and practical than having an Ipad. You can't even really mix songs off of an ipad. And worst comes to worst... you can get the downloaded song off of your second mac/pc and no one would really even know. With the costs of computers, it's so cheap to get a reliable laptop for a few hundred dollars to just play music off of for backup purposes. When I was on pc with serato my computer never cost more than $700 and that was before 2013 when I switched to mac... so I'm sure a decent pc can be had for $500 for JUST music.
IPad is fine as a music source .. it's run into a controller channel like any other source and you can do what your controller allows .. except for manipulation .. you won't be able to use most controllers to adjust tempo etc. You CAN do it on the iPad (I have Traktor and DJay on mine), but realistically, it's a simple music input .. fine for emergencies and one offs (Spotify, etc.) .. you can crossfade to it, but tthat's probably the limit (unless you add an iPad specific controller like the mini Numark DJ2GO.
 
IPad is fine as a music source .. it's run into a controller channel like any other source and you can do what your controller allows .. except for manipulation .. you won't be able to use most controllers to adjust tempo etc. You CAN do it on the iPad (I have Traktor and DJay on mine), but realistically, it's a simple music input .. fine for emergencies and one offs (Spotify, etc.) .. you can crossfade to it, but tthat's probably the limit (unless you add an iPad specific controller like the mini Numark DJ2GO.
Yeah I guess I was focusing more on the manipulation part. To me that a critical component, but I guess in some situations not so much. I also have 2 laptops, so I would get the song on my second serato ran laptop and drop it in like normal.
 
Yeah I guess I was focusing more on the manipulation part. To me that a critical component, but I guess in some situations not so much. I also have 2 laptops, so I would get the song on my second serato ran laptop and drop it in like normal.
As an integral component of your set, yes, but I don't think the lack of creative control should limit one too much for the handful of songs you might download because of a request or need .. and if you have a system failure and need the iPad on demand, it's really a secondary concern.
 
As an integral component of your set, yes, but I don't think the lack of creative control should limit one too much for the handful of songs you might download because of a request or need .. and if you have a system failure and need the iPad on demand, it's really a secondary concern.
I get it and you’re right. I just have gone about it differently (2 laptops both hooked up to the controller) and didn’t see any real value originally to an iPad as backup.
 
I get it and you’re right. I just have gone about it differently (2 laptops both hooked up to the controller) and didn’t see any real value originally to an iPad as backup.
Yes .. that's a better solution and one I used to do, but the reality is I have never had a laptop failure, so setting up 2 laptops on a 4' table just didn't make sense anymore (I don't do software DMX as yet), since the tablet can be fit into a tiny space .. and the tablet is also useful for things like a cocktail playlist player.

Just another option for the smaller setups.
 
I agree - my iPad has been on backup duty as well. My main was a Macbook with Itch and the VCI-300. Now with the SZ2, I have the ability to hook up 2 laptops to it, but you still have a single point of failure - the controller. iPad will still be a live plugged in backup / note taker / etc. The other Mac will be on standby if needed.
 
Agreed that an Ipad for note taking and to read off of for intros is good... but as your music player... Idk. I have 2 macbooks set up and tied into my controller in terms of backup. I think that is more reliable and practical than having an Ipad. You can't even really mix songs off of an ipad. And worst comes to worst... you can get the downloaded song off of your second mac/pc and no one would really even know. With the costs of computers, it's so cheap to get a reliable laptop for a few hundred dollars to just play music off of for backup purposes. When I was on pc with serato my computer never cost more than $700 and that was before 2013 when I switched to mac... so I'm sure a decent pc can be had for $500 for JUST music.

I’m for whatever works for each person.

I too have 2 computers with me but I never power the 2nd one up unless I need it. My thinking if I ever had a power spike the 2nd computer isn't dead. I know the odds are unlikely but it works for me.

My iPads are about $900 a piece. They have the cellular connection. My laptops a little more. My choice was not driven by cost.

Can mix with dj pro app.
 
I’m for whatever works for each person.

I too have 2 computers with me but I never power the 2nd one up unless I need it. My thinking if I ever had a power spike the 2nd computer isn't dead. I know the odds are unlikely but it works for me.

My iPads are about $900 a piece. They have the cellular connection. My laptops a little more. My choice was not driven by cost.

Can mix with dj pro app.
For most of the gigs, I also have a 2nd laptop, though usually I leave it in the vehicle and would only get it should the main one crap out.