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?

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

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!

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.

“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.

“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.

as for records stores, they’re still around. you just gotta know where to find them

[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.

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

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.

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 generally enjoy any fun mix of music, but this one was exceptional for me.

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

FWIW my most recent meticulously planned themed set included Livin’ For The City. =)

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.

I’m just sayin’…

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.

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.

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.

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.