!!!!!Video Reenactment Of Every DJ on Second Life, CLICK TO WATCH!!!!!!!
You know the story. You are quietly building in your skybox and that little blue box appears on your screen, upper right-hand corner. You X out of it, only to have another one appear 3 seconds later. Your friends miss you, and they are summoning you to some Second Life “club” where you can stand around spamming gestures and listening to whatever Second Life DJ considers to be a “great set.”
I’m here to tell you kids, it ain’t gonna be great.
I’m OLD, people. No, I’m not gonna tell you exactly how old but let’s just say I have a mortgage, a white picket fence, and a gardener. In real life I enjoy reading the New York Time’s Sunday magazine and I recently started drinking juice made from wheat grass. Back in the day (Yeah, go wayyyyy back) we had these amazing places called RECORD STORES. And it was a BIG FREAKEN’ DEAL to spend a Saturday afternoon in the record store, digging around the import section to find some rare EP your favourite band had released in Japan, buying the latest issue of Flipside. In these magical places called record stores, independently owned, reeking of incense and clove cigarettes, the walls decorated with band posters from Coop and Kozik , there was always one type of guy who worked there. And it was almost always a guy, and not a woman. This guy was a failed musician. In his ratty Converse and flannel shirt, terribly ironic black rimmed glasses and floppy hair, this guy once opened for Soul Asylum in 1989 and will happily bore anyone with the details of it for the next three hours. He is usually a bass player. This same sort of guy is depicted in Nick Hornby’s amazing brilliant 1996 novel High Fidelity, the disgruntled, hipper-than-thou record store clerk who thinks he knows more about music than anyone of us and “mostly young men – who spend all their time looking for deleted Smith singles and original, not re released – underlined – Frank Zappa albums.”
This same guy is like the majority of Second Life DJs.
Because they rent a stream and have iTunes downloaded, or they pirate music from other sources, or they scavenge Myspace for music, they are here to entertain you in whatever Second Life venue you happen to be at. But they won’t. The majority of Second Life DJs suck it.
Why? Allow me to break it down for you.
1: They DJ the dreaded THEME SETS. And they take it VERY seriously. No matter how boring or mundane listening to the same genre of music for two hours is, if you message them with a request for something that falls outside this genre, they will NOT play it. Because it is not THAT NIGHT. I went to a “club” where a DJ was spinning what was termed a GOTH night. I politely messaged him with a request to play some Old Dirty Bastard. He informed me that he could not, because it was GOTH night and my request was not a GOTH song. Um, excuse me? Is there anything MORE “goth” than a dead black crackhead who left behind 13 children? That bloated, cottage-cheese faced Robert Smith WISHES he had that kinda street cred.
2: They have SET-LISTS. And these set lists cannot be broken, because they have spent the last week carefully choosing their songs to correlate perfectly to one another into the most not-fun, not-cool thirty-six song jerk-off fest to whatever they think is GOOD music. These are the same types of DJ’s who have DJ groups on SL and also send you a T-shirt to your inventory with their name on it. Who wears these things anyway? Like I need a souvenir to remind me I never need to hear you play The Black Eyed Peas remixed with AC/DC again?
3: They truly know nothing about music. Try it. Ask any of these DJ’s to play a Muddy Waters song and watch, they will tell you “I do not have that.” Never, ever trust a DJ who does not have a Muddy Waters song downloaded to his music. Or Slim Harpo. Or Smokey Robinson. I don’t care how “indie” you are. I don’t care that you have seen Wolf Parade ten times or you have been to Lollapalooza for the last six years or you are “friends” with Animal Collective on Myspace. If you don’t have a Bo Diddley song in your collection, get the hell out of my yard.
Now, this being said, there ARE some decent DJs around in Second Life. They add and subtract songs from their playlist depending on how their audience is reacting. They happily play requests for people. They talk on mic rarely, and when they do they are funny and charming and make you happy you decided to take that teleport. One of these DJs is the always-in-demand Niko Lyle. I caught up with Niko (Stalked him) via IM and asked him his take on this issue.
[18:50] Gattina Dumpling: so tell me Niko, why do so many SL DJs suck it?
[18:51] Niko Lyle: I don’t think it has to do so much with them sucking at it.
[18:51] Niko Lyle: It is more that a lot of djs either have a small library or only play for themselves
[18:52] Niko Lyle: i think most djs forget that they are playing for an audience and don’t bother to work along with them while playing what they like
[18:52] Niko Lyle: or introducing their crowds to anything new
[18:54] Gattina Dumpling: and why don’t you suck it? Because you don’t.
[18:55] Niko Lyle: well i still constantly think i can get better
[18:55] Niko Lyle: i never think i am a great dj
[18:55] Niko Lyle: getting better but not great.
That Niko, so wordy. And modest. I highly suggest catching one of his sets in world. And if you are a DJ that does not suck, please feel free to teleport me so I can check out your set. I promise to try and make it.
Or at the very least, feel kinda bad when I cancel out of your teleport request.
That Niko is such a good SL DJ, he even pretends to look for new music on Second Life.
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My best friend is a DJ, he’s a sound recording engineer and performer IRL. He’s decent, leans more towards old school hip hop, which is a nice change from hearing pokerface, something in your mouth, pussyliquor, and bilingual ALL THE TIME AT OTHER CLUBS.
My friend Leshi Soulstar plays stuff from before i was born (was born in the 80s). He plays at Ripleys on Sundays. You should check him out.
Ha! LOVE THIS.
I miss record stores. I still have all of my vinyl.
I’m an SL DJ and club owner and I have to admit that whilst I do usually stick to a genre for each set I do, I never ever plan anything and much prefer to just play whatever takes my fancy. Anyone who spends hours planning a set is doing themselves no favours whatsoever if they start to lose a crowd as they have no possibility of ‘reaching into their bag’ for their trusty DJ tool floorfiller track that guarantees a smile on every face.
A DJ is there to entertain a crowd, to take them on a musical journey. Sure, I don’t usually take requests per se, but I’ve been known to drop in records that the crowd have been talking about, mash them up live and in the mix and generally make sure that the people out there on the floor are enjoying listening to the music that I’m playing as much as I’m enjoying playing it… I’m a 100% live DJ, no premixes, no playlists, just me, Traktor and a very large music library to pick from
As for the music I play, I was launched into this world in 1983 and despite drooling and crawling for a lot of the Eighties, I still play music from that genre and beyond, as it’s good stuff and I think it should be heard.
One thing I disagree with you on is the fallacy that I know nothing about music because I don’t have a particular artist or group on my HDD reay to play. It’s impossible for everyone to like everything and music is *very* personal and subjective. I am incredibly knowledgeable on the subject of music, not just the modern stuff but genres from way before I was born, because I have a passion for music and the people who make it. Just because I don’t like everything that you do, it doesn’t mean that I’m not very well informed and knowledgeable on this stuff…
…and as for talking on mic? Well, I’m a club DJ, I let my mixing do the talking. I was once ‘told’ by another DJ that whilst my mixing was good (re. shit hot), he was better than me and that he’d prove it the next time he was spinning at a particular party we both play at… He didn’t mix once and hasn’t done every time I’ve been there, he just plays a track and then talks codshit until the next one is loaded… Really annoys me when someone is jealous of your skills and can’t admit it
“They have SET-LISTS. And these set lists cannot be broken, because they have spent the last week carefully choosing their songs to correlate perfectly to one another into the most not-fun, not-cool thirty-six song jerk-off fest to whatever they think is GOOD music.”
Okay, i DJ a bit in SL and actually yeah, my lists cannot be broken by mostly stupid requests i get from people. I think, DJ’s role is not only to act like a jukebox and play everything and nothing, but sort of musically educate people, make them discover new genres and artists. You can always leave if you come to my set and want only to hear that song you love and heard already ten thousands times in your life. Why not play it on your winamp then?
And it doesn’t mean i am preparing my “educating” set a week before my set either. 30 min before the set is acceptable i think.
oh and Hi5 for ODB!!
Loved.this.post.
Niko really is the best around. He’s nearly the only one I’ll go out of my way to hear anymore for several reasons. I spend a ridiculous amount of time searching for new music, so the fact that he still accomplishes to play something I both like and haven’t heard before nearly every set is really impressive to me. Also, if he knows you he tries to throw in songs he thinks you’ll enjoy without you even having to ask for them. More than once he has played songs I mentioned liking months earlier and had completely forgotten about. On top of that, he does honor requests, but often in his own style: a cover, a remix, etc.
I went to a club once that asked people for requests……
the DJ didn’t know who ‘The Who’ was!
when i wanna hear a song i wanna hear it, DJs are there to take requests, thats their JOB and what I PAY them for.
Loved this post!!! Made me remember hanging out at the record stores just because it was the place to be….Thanks for the memories
Tower Records ftw! When I lived in the city *many* years ago, I’d spend many a spring afternoon walking after work to one of several varied record stores, (some were a chain, some weren’t), to spend half of my paycheck on vinyl and/or CASSETTES!
And yes I still have all my records and cassettes, save a few cassettes that got eaten from overuse
I cried when news broke that the brick-n’-mortar Tower Records was closing.
Thx for reminding me about one of my favorite haunts, Gattina.
And fwiw, there are a couple of DJ’s I know that pour some really great rhythm n’ blues into their sets.
What are your Top 5 Songs to grow old to? LOL I must be as old as you cuz I have those same memories!
I’m gonna be real here. Most DJs blow in SL. Your a disgraceful DJ if you have to relay on request… part of your duties of being one is to have an idea on what you think would rock or at least be good for the atmosphere of what ever party or set your playing. Back in the day, as a personal joke when A DJ would take request, I would make a request for very hard to find, rare music.. then it got to the point where I would request stuff that didn’t exist.
Musical tastes vary widely and for some seem to be held with the fervor of religious mania, so there are bound to be love/hate opinions on DJs. There are a few DJ’s who actually do educate people on music – but they are rare.
What disappoints me with SL music clubs is how many play the same music. I get so tired of the electronica dance music and wonder how many people really like it. How many,like me, have turned off the music and are listening to their own itunes to save their sanity? What if we all spoke up and said play something else? Please?
By the way, I spun some tunes for my rez day party not long ago and sure did play Bo Diddley and John Lee Hooker and Lady Gaga, too, for that matter.
Ok..from a retired DJ in SL.. couple of tips for you aspiring DJs
When you DJ an event.. and sombody request a song.. take the 10 sec to go to their profile and under this tab called NOTES.. just pop in the date and thier request. it wont take you that long at all.. eventually you will have a pretty big group of people who will come to your shows.. then just pop up profiles of people who port in.. check notes.. play a song from that genre/artist.. and blam your a freaking genius.
What is sad is I could come back and DJ anytime I wanted and prolly be great at it.. I just dont have the time to do it anymore.. its all about catering to your cliental if your customers want Blue oyster cult.. and your doing a set on whatever.. just toss it in.. who cares if its a theme.. rationlize it.. find one word in the song that would work and just play it off ..who cares.. this is all bout customer satisifaction. remeber these people are the ones who PAY YOU.
OH yeah, Rance Alva is also an AMAZING DJ, he was just not around when I wrote this. Rance Alva will probably DJ my funeral. And I LOVED your question Whispers Magic, and it is a HARD one.
I love all sorts of music, and I love a lot of current bands too, but I think if I HAD to pick “Five Songs To Grow Old To” they would be.. (I am cringing writing this because it is such a hard question)
GATTINA DUMPLING’S TOTALLY IRONY FREE TOP 5 Songs To Grow Old To LIST:
1: Emotional Rescue: The Rolling Stones, 1980, Emotional Rescue: Yeah it’s disco! Yeah it’s almost painfully overwrought lyrically (“Riding across the desert with a fine arab charger..”) this is Mick at his swaggering, shimmying, Harlequin Romance BEST, and it’s pretty cheesy and overdone, but also REALLY GREAT.
2: Rosalita (Come out tonight): Bruce Springsteen, 1973: The Wild, The Innocent and The E Street Shuffle: This song is pure joy. End of discussion. Springsteen is one of the best lyricists to have ever lived, and it’s just brilliant.
3: Living For The City: Stevie Wonder , 1973, Innervisions: Try and listen to this without getting shivers crawling up your spine, JUST TRY.
4: Gangsta, Gangsta: N.W.A, 1988, Straight Outta Compton: As a almost-40 year old, minivan-drivin’, white girl, I am the blackest person you will ever meet. I replace Compton with the name of my local grocery store and the word “Niggah” with “housewife.” THIS IS MY THEME. I love N.W.A. Best housecleaning music EVER.
5:Young Americans: David Bowie, 1975, Young Americans: This song is so damn iconic. And Luther does backing! It reminds me of my parents and my childhood and .. it’s just so good.
I need a longer list. And this is aging me terribly. OK, what are your top 5 songs to grow old to everyone?
1) The Who – The seeker
2) The Clash – London Calling
3) Garbage – Queer
4) Rolling Stones – Sympathy for the Devil
5) The Specials – Gangsters
http://www.passiveaggressivenotes.com/2007/05/23/you-know-he-only-became-a-dj-to-get-girls/
I happen to like Goth, and if I were in a Goth club and somebody played Bo Diddley, I’d be p’od. It would totally destroy the mood. Likewise, I enjoy Ravel, but I’m not going to ask for “Pavane for a Dead Princess” in a Country Western bar, no matter how much I loathe country. It would be damn rude. A good DJ should take some requests, but within reason, or you’ll end up with a mish-mash of junk that nobody wants to listen to.
Lady Gaga is growing on me. She is actually pretty talented, if one can get past her teenybopper appeal.
This is hard, because I can’t think of “aging music”, with 40 around the corner for me too.
Five songs? Damn. OK. Five songs I will probably be listening to if I get to age 80, in no particular order:
1. Cherish the Day – Sade (Love Deluxe)
2. Man-Size – P.J. Harvey (Rid of Me)
3. Help Me – Joni Mitchell (Court and Spark)
4. Feeling Good or Sinnerman – Nina Simone
5. Prince – Anything released before 1990.
I was forced to leave out my drool fest over Tool, NIN, A Perfect Circle, Pearl Jam, Jane’s Addiction, Nirvana, and Amy Winehouse. *sigh*
DJ Cyberpink aka Amanda Shinji is a somwhat accomplished DJ in my humble opinion..Not that I’m biased or owt…;P
If you like dance music/mash-ups then she’s your girl, she doesn’t talk over the music either, she’s just a hardcore proper club DJ and posts regular details of her sets so that you can download then later for further listening pleasure.
Her blog is http://amandashinji.blogspot.com/ (It’s a bit out of date, but if you read the copy you can see set lists etc)
=^..^=
What this boils down to is the fat there are 2 types of DJs in SL.
Typical wedding style/radio DJ. They work for the tips and the fun of it. Almost always talk sometimes a lot sometimes a little. They honor your requests and play pretty much anything. These DJs mostly use Winamp or SAM and typically have no problem crossing genres.
The other style is not in this for the money. They talk sometimes but mostly dont. They assemble a playlist prior to going live called a setlist. They treat the music they are mixing together as art and hope you see it the same way. Not just a single song but a collection forming one large artistic set. These DJs use turntables or software that approximates them and stick with the genre they know best.
Pick your poison, and if you don’t like one over the other then politely decline the invitation. Making fun of or whining about something you don’t understand is just plain ignorant.
aw poor fat bob.
Yeah, as much as I agree with a good DJ trying to cater for his audience, there is no sense in pissing off people who’ve been hanging out with you for two hours by playing something someone who has just tp’d in requests, if it’s completely off-genre and nothing like what the event requires.
I did DJ in SL for a year, and even though I did all the things that you list as making a good dj, I really wasn’t that great, so there’s a secret ingredient there somewhere that DJs like Niko have and the rest of the people who blow don’t have.
I enjoyed it, a lot, and it was an ego boost to show up to an empty room and have it be full by the time you leave. You’re not there to play your favourite songs, you’re there to cater for a crowd and I really wish that more djs understood that if you’re so up your own arse as to think that you have better taste than everyone else in the room, you need to toss the stream and go home.
I once got a Beatles’s white album on white vinyl at a hole in the wall record store in the middle of nowhere like out of a science fiction movie. It was at a desolate crossroads too lol. The album was supposed to be like 32 bucks (probably a couple hundred in today’s worthless economy) but the stoner ex rocker record store dude kept the 8 and gave me the 32 as change.
As for SL DJs.. Violet Laviolette was the best DJ style entertainer in SL. Wherever She is I hope She fares well. She knew everything about the music and had tracks that were never made public and could not be acquired at any cost.
But hey there is still Tuna Oddfellow and the Oddballs. Note to bloggers: This is something you should look into: http://www.oddfellowstudios.com/
They will be at SLCC doing the Oddball on a 40 foot screen. Last night I got a good dose of vertigo from Tuna’s mind manipulation. Tuna is another one of those extremely rare SL personalities like Violet was before She vanished.
Daughtry does a really cool acoustic cover of “Pokerface.”
I’m just sayin’…
Typically the people who *pay* the DJ’s are the club owners who have requested a certain genre or theme. We do make tips, but those come from the people who are at the club to….enjoy that particular genre – or theme. I rarely go to country western bars in RL or SL…cuz I’m not a big fan of the GENRE OR THEME. But I sure would not go to one and request ODB. Cuz you know me (and I’m down with ODB), I’d have educated myself about the (stick with me) GENRE OR THEME.
Requests are terrific and it’s fun to both educate and be educated…but cursing a DJ cuz she won’t bust out the Britney when you’re in the middle of an EBM event is silly. Go find a top 40 event…a blues club…or a hip hop bar – whatever you’re in the mood for – and make that DJ’s night with your request.
If you honestly expect every DJ to have every song from every genre and decade, you’re going to be disappointed. Some DJ’s really thrive on specializing and go to the ends of the earth to find deep cuts within their niche – all the better to spin some stuff you’ve probably never heard. Give them a bit of a break, open your ears and listen. If it’s not the genre or theme you’re in the mood for, then go find the right place. Luckily there’s lots in SL.
Yes, I remember good old record shops too! The albums are all scratched and warped now after about 30 years of playing and storage. Big whoop.
While I have heard some crap dj’s that remind me of being in highschool.. u know.. the song plays.. then song stops theres some dead air then another song starts then the dumb dj talks and blubbers and you cant hear what hes saying anyhow.. yes, I have had that experiance in SL. but there are several amazingly talented DJ’s in SL. My personal fave is Dj Azu. He tells a story with his sets. there is a buildup, a climax and he brings it down towards the end of the set. Yes, all the music is simmilar in taste.. but thats what makes the story flow. He does not use a set list… he mixes from his heart what he wants to hear at that moment. If someone requests a song, hell mix it right in if its in the vein of music that he plays. Hes written his own music which he often mixes into a set, he has a passion for the music that is so refreshing.. and he posesses the talent to make you feel his passion through his mixes.
Yes.. some Djs are out there doing it so they can make a buck. but there are some who are truly passionate about thier art and sharing it with others. you can easily tell the difference between the 2. I suggest you find some that mix from the heart.
Hmmm. I’m an accidental genre DJ (I specialize in funk and soul) who has themed sets and meticulously planned playlists. I’m actually planning one for my upcoming Thursday set. XD I’m not opposed to taking requests at all, but they’ve *got* to be within reason. Not because I think I know more than anyone else, but if I’m playing, say, northern soul and someone requests Nickelback, fuck no I’m not taking that request. I do agree that being “in the room” (as my comedian boyfriend says) is important, but the audience should also know what to expect. If the DJ plays a certain style of music, and that type of music is not to your taste, then leave or listen to your iTunes. It’s that simple, really.
FWIW my most recent meticulously planned themed set included Livin’ For The City. =)
I like to play music too. Im a self proclaimed music whore. lol I have to agree with people about requests. If i have it and it fits the mood then i’ll play it. Nothing worse then playing a Manson song and someone requests a country song. I don’t play or own anything country. I wont use limewire or any other rip software to acquire music. Sometimes i will go on amazon and buy the song to play but its usually not worth the 50L tip.
Whats wrong with a play list? I very carefully go over my music and make sure i have the best quality and everything runs together smoothly. I have alot of the complete discographies of bands. I want to make sure its not live or something like that. Will i panic if i get away from my list? nopes. I allow time for that too. I do put a lot of work into it. I also will sometimes throw out on what i planned on playing because the feel of the crowd says differently.
No talking either? Just turn on your radio and get the canned effect there. Whats the point of having a live dj if they don’t say anything?
I will have to say when im not playing there is nothing worse then going to a club to hear a genre advertised and you get there for a good goth night and you hear Micheal Jackson. o.O
I guess what im saying is it’s not fair to lump the majority of us into one group. I put my heart into my music. It’s my life. So am i playin stuff i like? You bet. Ive also been commented on bringing music in that no one had heard of. Those are my best nights. When you can share something people they may not of heard without ya.
Ask me to play Brittney or any other pop, you might as well hand me a noose while you at it. lol
I love Niko sets and Rance sets. I don’t make it to all of them, but I definitely go when I can. They’re both worth checking out if you’ve never been.
As we are here at SCD we have learnt how to deal with copycats, plagiarist, photosourcers. How do we deal with DJs who didn’t legally buy their mp3s (and i never met one in SL who does)? They basically sell ripped skins, earn their lindens by benefiting from other peoples hard work (and don’t tell me 2500 L$ in tips per hour isn’t real money, and a DJ’s love for music isn’t really an argument either, else he would respect the ‘creators’).
I only met one DJ up to know who has a radio broadcast license (forgot the correct name) who pays for an access to a music data base which inclueds a right to broadcast (publicly / comercially). This data base then pays out royalty fees to the musicians according to how often they are played (and i am not talking about DJs who play 80s hits but the ones who play independent / underground music where they artists really struggle in RL).
I always have a bad feeling when DJs rezz a tip-jar, same when i see a clothing item in SL copied from a RL designer.
One of my fave sets EVER was a casual set at a casual party recently, where the gracious hostess was spinning a beautiful mix of what she was in the mood for, and what she noticed her guests were enjoying. The music was there both for ambiance and as a lovely conversation piece.
I generally enjoy any fun mix of music, but this one was exceptional for me.
If you want to be a successful DJ, you gotta cater to the crowd, if you don’t then basically you SUCK.
I attempted DJing once. I had about 200 songs that *I* wanted to play, that were awesome, that I thought people should hear. Well… it quickly turned into bass thumping “dance” music because that is what they wanted. It was rather heart breaking and I won’t do it again lol
Monolock, I cannot speak for any other SL DJ, but the music I play is all from legal downloads (free or purchased), or uploaded from CDs which I purchased. I personally do not use Limewire or any other P2P service. I have no qualms about rezzing a tip jar, since I spent money on the music that I play.
Business-In-Your-Box and bibe, it’s a matter of knowing your audience and knowing where your audience *is*. In the past, I’ve been offered gigs at rock clubs and dance clubs, and I’ve declined them all because I know my music will not be a good fit. I’m not going to play the latest animal indie band or top 40 song to please someone, but I’m also not going to play at places where people expect to hear that type of music. I only go to the places where the music I spin is welcomed, so it’s easier for the people who want to hear what I’ve got to play to find me.
I guess we should expect the world’s number one DJ, Armin Van Buuren, to play some Muddy Waters otherwise he is a horrible DJ…
Well, Xiomara, then you should read the back of your cds or the download lisence: “All rights (…) reserved. Unauthorized (…) public performance and broadcasting (…) prohibited”.
Playing it for friends is allowed, but as soon as you take money for it (even if it’s just a donation) then you do the same as re-selling a ripped and “uploaded” skin (which you purchased before).
I DJ in SL – less than I used to, but I still do.
I take requests, but not always. I won’t allow a request to break the genre of the set unless I know it’s totally complimentary to the genre and likely to be appreciated by the entire crowd, not just one patron – not because I have a sacred set list (I’m usually building my set on the fly), but because I made a promise about the genre of the set to the club owner and to the audience (in the notice)… and I feel obligated to keep that promise.
I have never played Lady Gaga- but then, I am not a pop DJ.
I also would not take an ODB request in the middle of a goth set – because in the places I tend to play, the audience who decided to attend did so with the understanding that I would be playing goth music, and would find that disruptive. To take the very opposite point of view of some – I tend to find people who insist on requests outside the genre (insist, not just ask) to have very little consideration for the others around them who came to hear that kind of music. If you didn’t want to hear goth music – why are you at a club that’s playing goth music tonight? I’ve had a few people get quite rude too, when you decline (no matter how kindly) to play an inappropriate request – a few of which I’ve banned from our club, because I won’t ask anyone to take that kind of abuse from a random jerk… certainly not for protecting the integrity of the promise they made to the other patrons. In total counterpoint to BIAB – I think a DJ that WILL take any old request totally sucks… and is totally replaceable by a jukebox.
I personally loathe it when a DJ will play anything a patron requests, regardless of whether it flows well with what was played before it or whether it is likely to please their crowd at large. I’m not saying it’s wrong – but it’s not something I’ll stick around to hear, and something I strongly encourage our DJs against. And personally, if I wanted a jukebox, I’d just get one of those. I’m far more interested in hearing a music-lover’s arrangement of songs – for theme, or mood. I’m far more interested in hearing what a DJ who loves a particular genre wants to share with me than I am controlling what they play. If I just wanted to hear what I wanted to hear, I could just listen to my own music files.
In the end, I suppose that what makes a DJ great is entirely in the eye of the beholder. I’ve seen a few of the supposed ‘greats’ play – only to come to the conclusion that I wouldn’t personally let them anywhere near any club I owned. I’ve seen “no-name” DJs playing little holes in the wall, turning out a fantastic set that kept me engaged and interested from the first note to the last. Fortunately, there seem to be clubs that cater to all points of view on the matter – and the best advice I can give is… find the ones that cater to yours, and stick to those.
“I have no qualms about rezzing a tip jar, since I spent money on the music that I play.”
The longer this sentence is sucking in the more it makes me angry. It’s pure ignorance. That’s exactly why the music industry is struggling. As music is nothing ‘physical’ everyone sees him/herself entitled to do whatever he/she wants with it. It’s just the same as if you would xerox a book that you “spent money on” and give it away with a ‘rezzed tip jar’ next to it.
<3 this.
ooo list list.
1. The Ballad of Sacco and Vanzetti – Mixed by Stephane Pompougnac.
2. Live with me – Massive Attack (<3 the emo video)
3. I wanna be your dog – The Stoodges
4. Love will tear us apart – Joy Division
5. Sad Eyes- Bat for Lashes.
I quite like DJs who talk a little bit too. I am prolly showing my age too. Great article Gats xx
Crap I am so uncool.
[10:03] Gattina Dumpling: REALLY?! Of all time? God, I like your pics but MAYBE in my top 100, not top 5 sheesh
[10:06] Charlotte Bartlett: hahahaha
[10:06] Charlotte Bartlett: no of this week
[10:06] Charlotte Bartlett: I can NEVER commit to all time
THIS WEEK OK! ….hides.
i loved high fidelity, john cusack was great on it. shame they casted jack black for that movie too.
if i was hannibal lecter i would find whoever was responsible for that and eat its liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti.
as for records stores, they’re still around. you just gotta know where to find them
Is this blog about whining? I get the impression a lot.
Music is about personal taste. If you don’t get it it means you’re not old enough.
I hate Lady GaGa but I don’t attend places that play her music only to bitch how shitty it is.
And I also don’t find calling someone “cottage-cheese faced” classy. I don’t get how being addicted and leaving a family behind can be something cool. More “true” than Smith’s whole life spent with one woman and without scandals. Even if you were joking… I am not amused. That’s teenager’s thinking, no matter how old you are.
@monolock.. sorry, coming into reading this a bit late… are you really saying that djing in SL is another form of content theft/rights theft if a DJ accepts tips?
“It’s pure ignorance. That’s exactly why the music industry is struggling.”
Are you serious? Really? So if I have a party, and play (MY purchased music) music for the guests, and for some odd reason, they threw some bills in a cup to help pay for the party, (regardless of whether it was the chips, house rental, or just the pleasure of listening to my cool music of course) that the RIAA is gonna send the music cops to file on my ass over DRM?, or file a DMCA on me?
And by some people briefly listening to my music, the music industry is going to lose money, what, in sales?
So now DJing in SL is a crime?
“It’s just the same as if you would xerox a book that you “spent money on†and give it away with a ‘rezzed tip jar’ next to it.”
Um no it isn’t? I don’t see DJ’s handing out mp3 files and asking for payment….
So if I read Harry Potter out loud to a group of kids, I would be a criminal, in violation of copyright? What? Of course, because they might have gotten the book themselves if I hadn’t read to the group? Should I get permission? Should I tell the library to stop doing this as well?
Do libraries have special book reading licenses to enable story time without the LIBRARY police breaking in and cuffing the librarians?
Can this get anymore fucked up? It isn’t so much the condemning reasoning that is pissing me off.. but the lengths some go to, to make shit look bad.
I do understand where you are coming from, but you have carried it way way off base with this.
Take a freakin breather, and then take a chill pill.
@Monolock, you said:
“It’s just the same as if you would xerox a book that you “spent money on†and give it away with a ‘rezzed tip jar’ next to it.”
That analogy is flawed, the correct one would be you reading the book out loud to the people in the room.
Nobody that goes to a club/party in SL takes with them copies of the music played to their virtual homes.
Just like everything else in SL, folks have different opinions about what is quality and what is not. And just like everything else in SL, some DJs are very skilled and others are less so.
Most things in SL are same-old-same-old, whether it’s clothes, furniture, or DJs – you have to seek out the better stuff, the stuff that is more to your taste.
I am a world-music DJ in SL. I like to think I’m good at it. My sets explore music from all over the world – India, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa.
A lot of the people who come to my sets haven’t had much exposure to world music and enjoy hearing things that are new to them.
Other people are familiar with international music and make requests. When they do, I do my best to accomomdate or approximate – and I have learned tons, and increased my collection tons, by following up on the requests and recommendations they make.
To me, those are the twin joys of DJing in SL – exposing other people to great music that I love, and in turn getting exposed to more of what the wide, wide world of music has to offer.
Just to correct the self appointed experts…
The venue where a DJ spins is the one responsible for paying the license fees. Not the DJ.
Here:
http://www.knowthemusicbiz.com/index.php/BIZ-WIKI/Licensing-&-Royalties/Public-Performance-Royalties-and-Licenses.html
I keep having to post this info over and over. Maybe there needs to be a notecard in everyone’s inventory named STFU and in it are myth busters that set all the self appointed experts straight lol.
Oh snap with that info it is entirely possible there won’t be yet another million new “club” openings because it costs real money for a venue license!. Drat!
I was an SL DJ. I ‘retired’ a year ago to finish my bachelor’s degree, and it was a welcome break. Why? Because DJing at a top 40 club can be the most soul-sucking thing you’ll ever have to do. Sure, I’ll play that new song I hate even though you’ve likely heard it on the radio every hour on the hour today and will for the next 6 months. I hope you can’t hear my soul crying over the music.
Concrete set lists made a week in advance? Not a chance. I DJed 6 nights per week, sometimes 2 sets per night, at up to 4 different clubs. I made my sets on the fly, based on who came, and orchestrated them like a ride designed to pump you up then slow you down. I read the crowd, and I NEVER played a request immediately because I needed to work it into that “ride.” I went to a club where the DJ played Van Halen then followed it with a request for Celine Dion. I wanted to punch him square in the dick. A different DJ took my request for a little-known song and instead played a shitty recording of a well-known song by the same artist. Sigh.
Yeah, I’ve done the “theme parties.” I’ve DJed a hip hop night only to have someone come in and request Rise Against. I have 4 of RA’s albums (don’t have the newest one yet) but I’m not going to butt it up against someone else’s request for a hip hop song and lose half my crowd. Theme nights are designed around people who enjoy that genre, and that’s what I will play for them. If you want harder stuff, stay after the paid set is over and I’ll play whatever you want.
Other than that, I’m pretty relaxed in what I’ll play. I have a library of 50,000 songs and climbing. I’m young, but as a child I spent every other weekend at my aunt’s house listening to the music she grew up with (she was born in 1946) or the current music at the time (back when VH1 and MTV first launched, AND played actual music.) I was exposed to everything from Mozart to the Coasters to Led Zeppelin to Run-DMC, and everything in between. I love just about all of it, so I will play just about all of it. I’m a veritable music vault. I’ve had people come to me with just a few words of a song because they know I’ll know what it is, and can probably sing it for them. There are very few songs/bands that I outright refuse to play or even have in my digital music collection, which has been ripped from hundreds of CDs that now sit in storage.
Speaking of which – and from what I’ve been told I’m not alone in this – if you get a request, don’t have the song, and can’t get it from a reputable source, DON’T PLAY IT. Getting garbage via p2p and tossing it on without knowing it has “DJ Whoeverthefuck” talking throughout the statick-y or looped recording will make me hate you instantly. Respect the music and the audience.
Music snob? You betcha. I usually hate remixes, and I don’t want to hear a live version unless I’m actually at that concert… or if it’s particularly incredible. I also hate sets where every song has the same mind-numbing techno beat remixed into it. When the crossfade becomes a cacophony, I grab my iPod and switch you off for the rest of the set. It’s sad, but I trust my iPod to play better music on shuffle than most SL DJs do live.
There’s so much more that I could rant about, because I’ve been to a lot of clubs and witnessed a lot of DJ no-nos, but this is already epic. Most days I’m loath to go to a club/event/party because of this crap. As of right now, there are *maybe* two DJs whose sets I enjoy and will show up for regularly. They know who they are.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: anybody can stream music. Not everyone can entertain.
Peace, love, and trim that shit,
Is
Gimme Kenny Rogers any day (heart sign)!!!
my particular pet peeve is when I request a song and the DJ starts talking over the song all “This one is for Sileny. Thanks for requesting Sileny, blah blah bla!” in the middle of the damn song. UGH.
The ugly truth of the matter is that most US based DJs in SL are breaking some sort of law when they stream into SL. You must be properly licensed and pay royalty fees to the appropriate collection agencies. As far as other countries I am not familiar with their laws and cannot tell you the requirements. It matters not where the server is. You can be in Podunk, Idaho streaming to a shoutcast/icecast server in France, you are responsible for the royalties. If you are fully licensed as an independent entity expect to fork over $2,500 USD a year in fees alone, and that is before the royalty fees based on streaming hours is calculated each month. If you join a co-op which has negotiated a much lower rate (less than $100 per month) there are restrictions on how the stream is accessed. Launching your stream via the SL client is technically a no-no and it becomes Linden Labs liability if RIAA takes issue. That has not happened yet. In my travels around SL there are perhaps 1 or 2 entities that are %100 legit, a dozen in the grey area and he rest are pretty much pirates in the eye of the RIAA and the laws they bought.
A very extreme and ugly possibility may be that LL may remove the streaming media player from the client all together or pre-program it with a few dozen “safe” streams. Wouldn’t that suck?