| Author | Message | ||
  ~medusa~ (~medusa) 5-Doyen Username: ~medusa Post Number: 288 Registered: 3-2004 |
Out of curiosity, I want to know how do Disc Jockeys' (Radio, Stage, Club & Dance, TV etc.) always keep up with the lastest music, musicians & songs ???? Are they notified ?...and by whom ? ...and do DJ's have a certain protocal to follow, as far as putting the music out there? Is there a certain amount of times they have to play certain songs per hour or per day ? Do DJ's have a choice of what to play, or do they have to play what's popular...even songs they personally don't enjoy? | ||
douglasm (douglasm) 4-Laureate Username: douglasm Post Number: 103 Registered: 4-2004 |
Yes, on the radio you can play what you want to play...... ....as long as the consultant, program director, music director, and music scheduling software agree with you. When it comes to radio, most all stations nowadays use some form of scheduling software that (following paramaters set by the program/music director/consultant) schedule by tempo, male/female/group, rotation, daypart, time of year and the like. Sort of like a '60's card file system on computer. Kev-Go could probably explain it better. doug | ||
Funkyone D.J. Dollar Bil (funkyone) 3-Pundit Username: funkyone Post Number: 70 Registered: 4-2004 |
Club D.J.'s used to lead.The only restriction was playing within the set format,but there was even ways around that.We bought tons of records and used our own judgement as to what would work in the club.We would get promoters and promo copies,but no undue pressure to play something that we didn't feel would work. Radio was usually at least 3 months behind what we were breaking in the clubs. People used to enjoy hearing new music that wasn't being played on a hourly rotaion on the radio. And then... As far as I'm concerned MTV and the like killed it for originality and leading the pack.Sudenly millions of people were exposed to the same song at the same time and it has slowly changed the crowd to one that only wants to hear tracks they already know and have been brainwashed with. Clear Channel and "Independent" Promotors have only added to the problem. My biggest pet peeve is when people request a track number off a pop compilation CD.I remember when songs had names! Can you tell I'm just getting home from work?More on this after some sleep.Tomorrow 12 hours and 10 bands to do sound for back to back. | ||
Eli (phillysoulman) 6-Zenith Username: phillysoulman Post Number: 647 Registered: 4-2004 |
Back in the day you had the "fifty dollar handshake" Nowadays its the $50,000 dollar handshake!!! | ||
1wicked (1wicked) 5-Doyen Username: 1wicked Post Number: 177 Registered: 4-2004 |
I totally agree with Funkyone. I bought my own music, and had the liberty of playing what I wanted within the format I had set (7-10 "hot" dance tracks, 2-3 mid-tempo cha-cha/swing-out tracks, 2-3 slow "lights down" hold me close" tracks). If an album cut was stronger than the current single...that's what I played, and I found that local radio was checking me out & adjusting their play list accordingly. (Yeah...radio was a far different beast then !) My time on "the 1's & 2's" pre-dates the popularity of MTV, so it was never about playing tracks from the videos in regular rotation. We (Club DJ's as a whole) took pride in breaking new music and enjoyed the inherent competition among us in doing so. It was a win-win situation for all involved...breaking artists, the club crowd, retail record, radio, radio listeners, and the DJ's. WRT keeping up with new music...not being a member of a "pool"...I'd spend hours in my favorite "wrecka stow"...checking out every bin. I'd also find out who was responsible for ordering certain sections (Soul LP or 12" Singles) of the store and pick their brain on a weekly basis. And if you're really into it (as a fan or a DJ), you'll read the liner notes & become familiar with writers, producers, and musicians. Based on how you feel about any of those...you may buy an LP without knowing anything about the artist. I, for instance, would buy anything produced by Bobby Martin, Randy Muller/Michael Stokes, Ashford & Simpson, etc., played on by Babbitt or MFSB (individually or collectively), Keni Burke, STUFF (individually & collectively), etc. Sometimes an album cover just says "buy me"..and it works out. I bought Aalon's "Cream City" and an LP by guitarist Tom Coppola (& wife Googie) based on the cover alone...and one became a club fave & the other a personal favorite. | ||
Destruction (destruction) 4-Laureate Username: destruction Post Number: 144 Registered: 4-2004 |
Bobby, did u say "$50,000 handshake?" Well all i can say is, "I am the DJ, I am what I play, Hey Mr destruction put a record on I want dance with my baby, cause last night destruction saved my life. could ya help a brother out with his resume...lol? | ||
Soulaholic (soulaholic) 5-Doyen Username: soulaholic Post Number: 280 Registered: 4-2004 |
Now now Bobby I always took my handshake in non taxable trade....  Medusa: I just got back from a weekend at the beach (lake Michigan) but give me a day and I will be glad to tell how it worked on the DJ (club) and Radio side I had about 24 years experience with it. It involved test pressing, billboard, promotors and favors!!!! of all kinds.. oh the stories I could tell!!!! (Message edited by Soulaholic on July 11, 2004) | ||
douglasm (douglasm) 4-Laureate Username: douglasm Post Number: 104 Registered: 4-2004 |
Soulaholic.... .....do they involve a roatation clock? | ||
douglasm (douglasm) 4-Laureate Username: douglasm Post Number: 105 Registered: 4-2004 |
....that's "rotation". dogu | ||
Juicefree20 (juicefree20) 6-Zenith Username: juicefree20 Post Number: 1391 Registered: 4-2004 |
Hello all! Back in the late '70 into the 80s, it was a joy to be a DJ. As far as playing in the clubs, I was able to play whatever I wanted. It was a joy to break songs like Alicia Myers I Wanna Thank You & Fatbacks I Found Lovin, long before anyone else caught on. In both of those cases, I was playing those songs at least a year before radio finally caught on. In the case of Fatback, it took 5 YEARS before it finally caught on in the clubs. I felt vindicated in both of those cases. There was so much music that I was free to play that never was played on the radio. In fact, all of us DJs wanted to be the first one to play something new & unknown, that everyone else would finally catch on to. THEN CAME RAP!!! The worst thing that ever happed to Radio was Program Directors & playlists. Radio stations lost their unique identities due to the marketing geniuses. They came up with all of these Marketing studies & basically contracted the playlists. That's why damn near everything sounds the same on the radio these days. These geniuses have contracted formats into extinction. We have less choices to listen to & for R&B artists over the age of 35, there's not even room for them to have their current music to be heard. Program Directors & that whole mentality sucks & we're all the worse for it. That is one of the reasons that I never pursued being a radio DJ, you're at the mercy of the Program Directors. |
