Dj Residency And "complaints" Of Hearing Similar Music

[nrgize 0]

 

Hi,

Any hints, tips or any experience of the same situation would be greatly appreciated.

 

I currently have a residency at a nightclub in Norfolk, and have done so for the past 1 year.

The club is open from 9pm until 6am.

I do every Friday and Saturday.

Apparently the venue have had complaints sent in on Facebook about hearing similar music each week. :wall:

 

I never plan ahead what music I am going to play throughout the night but always make sure I have more than enough music. I currently use a digital set-up using a 2TB hard drive, and 2 x flight cases containing 500 CD's in each case.

2 x Pioneer CDJ 1000 MK3 and a DJM-900 Mixer. :chad:

 

I tend to play a similar sort of music most weeks but add to it as new releases come into the charts, take some songs out, and as I can get hold of new music I add this in.

 

I get a astoundingly large amount of requests as it is a busy club, and if I don't play them within 10 Minutes people email in and complain aswell.

 

I play various music from Commercial (Nicki Minaj, LMFAO etc), Dance, Trance Classics, 90's Dance Classics, Kisstory, Garage,DanceHall, and a bit of some well known cheese tracks.

 

I don't know what else I can do to change my sets any more as I currently play everything across the board within reason. Excluding music genres such as rock, heavy metal etc.

 

There is another venue nearby where the DJ has a set playlist and it is exactly the same every week, and has been for the past 2 years. From 10pm-12.30am he plays the latest chart and then from 12.30am exactly the same each week. For example 2am every Sunday morning early hours; Darude - Sandstorm followed by Paffendorf - Be Cool etc. But this DJ does not experience problems of complaints. :hurt:

 

I am worried that I could lose my job by people complaining to the owners on Facebook, and I have turned down all Mobile Disco bookings etc and devoted myself to this residency. This is my sole job.

I really enjoy DJing at the Club, and enjoy the different people I meet aswell. I am on a good wage and get on really well with my bosses.

 

I am at my wits end, and would very much appreciate any tips or pointers.

 

 

 

Many thanks in advance :photo:

:thanks:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MintyDave 0]

Sorry to hear you are having a rough time of it, not what anybody needs

 

How many attend the club and how many complaints are there. You always get somebody who doesnt like what you do and take the old keyboard warrior approach without thinking for 1 second what they are talking about and the potential consequences.

 

What terms are you on with the club, self employed with no contract, work for them. i'd look at this closely and weigh up your options for protecting yourself a bit. you could turn it aroung around and say you are showing your commitment to the club by looking at contracts, last thing they will want is to be let down

 

Have you approached the club owners/managers to discuss any problems and chat about the negative comments. Hopefully they will have an understanding that there are limitations on what you can and cant get away with regards to what you play. Music is very fickle at times and people like to dance to what i call 'safe music' - something they know they will like and favourites, hence you play some stuff on a regular basis. Its good to experiment and introduce new music to the masses but always a bit of a gamble

 

all in all a bit of a sticky situation and i would approach the club first to have a friendly chat , it may just be hot air from jelous wannabe DJ's but either way it has the potential to damage your reputation and see you struggling for a bit.

 

I hate the whole social network thing and avoid it like the plague myself, it is a good advertising tool so im told but for now its definate no no for me.

 

Good luch with it all, i really hope it all blows over and you can get back to focusing on what you do best

 

Dave

 

 

[bigMCben 0]

The other thing to remember is, unlike a function where the same people are there for the whole night, pubs/clubs tend to have a transient audience who can be there for the whole night or just a couple of hours. I always found that the current songs had to be played two or three times a night for those who had recently come in but might seem as repeating yourself if you are there all night. As Minty Dave said, if you have 1000 customers a week and a few complaints, I wouldn't worry too much.

[McCardle 1]

As soon as I saw the word ' Complaints' I just knew that Facesmack or Tw@tter would be involved :devil:

 

I honestly think you are building this up and worrying yourself for something which is probably nothing in the grand scheme of things. Unfortunately, many people build the importance of FB up for far more than its actually worth. Unfortunately some people are obsessive about social networking almost to the point of borderline OCD with the damn thing and their whole world revolves around it. Its probably one or two of those such individuals who are enjoying giving you the run around and making you sweat, and it seems to be working.

 

Has this escalated to a consultation with the Management yet? or are there any mutterings of a possible future call to go in and see them to discuss these comments, or are you just crystal ball gazing on what could happen?.

 

Apparently the venue have had complaints sent in on Facebook about hearing similar music each week.

 

Ok, lets cut to the chase. By complaints are you talking about one or two comments from the same account, or a small group of people intent on just being a PITA?. However, if 25% of the average club turnout are complaining, and if the complaints are increasing in number week after week, you probably have big problems and you should be taking notice of the comments, however I reckon its one or two people or a small group who probably have issues with the fact that you didn't play their obscure album track within 25 seconds of them asking for it, or some other mundane reason to get p'ed off with you.

 

Unfortunately a lot of businesses seem to see Facebook as a marketing tool, and in some ways it is, however it has an equally dark side which grows with its popularity and is equally powerful, and that is a free for all tool for harassment and malicious personal intent. Often people, faced with somebody or something they don't like or agree with will immediately spit out their dummy and head for facebook to spout vitriol or start some kind of 'anti' page, its all quite pathetic really.

 

I remember when making a 'complaint' meant writing a letter to head office or asking to speak personally to the manager. Such complaints had meaning and were always merited based on the physical effort involved, however nowadays people can basically log into FB via their phone whilst sat on the toilet at work, and write a scathing message about anyone or anything. What proof is there that the person is even a regular to the club?, did they identify themselves?, could it be another DJ with a grudge?.

 

Any manager worth their salt will understand there is more to life, marketing and commercial success than a few random anonymous comments on a social networking site, which could have just as easily have originated from Botswana, as his club bar!. Either way, to them its more about people having a good time, seeing a packed dancefloor week after week, and their sales over the bar. Provided these factors are all positive and consistant, I can't see it progressing any futher.

 

To be honest, if you have faith in your own abilities, and the management also have faith in you, then I don't believe either of you should be losing any sleep over it, eventually the person / group will get fed up, or find another outlet or target for their boredom and jog on.

 

If you are still worried, then start archiving your old request slips each week, if the manager / management haul you in front of them, then produce the slips and state that you are only playing what is being asked for, and are you expected to alienate the majority on the basis of a few faceless comments on the internet?. I assume that the number of request slips, outweigh the number of comments made?. If so, enough said.

 

I am worried that I could lose my job by people complaining to the owners on Facebook, and I have turned down all Mobile Disco bookings etc and devoted myself to this residency. This is my sole job.

 

I think in this day and age, that putting all of your eggs in one basket is false economy, especially if its your sole form of income. Losing a Job through a few complaints, I don't believe is going to happen, however businesses can go bust, get taken over, lose their licenses, burn down etc and in one swoop thats your livelihood gone. Personally, i'd use this as a wake up call that nothing is forever or guaranteed and its always wise to have other work or some diversity to fall back on.

Edited May 11, 2012 by McCardle

[DJMickeyk 0]

Great to see the forum back only came across it by accident.

 

OP I'm in a similar situation, I stepped back from mobile work almost entirely and possibly foolishly threw all my eggs in one basket with a busy residency, where I get lots of requests every night and lots of abuse sometimes too if I don't play somebodys request immediately after they ask for it, some people almost expect you to cut the track playing to accomodate them and people are becoming increasing rude and obnoxious. I never let it get to me and just try to keep a packed dancefloor and play all sensible requests etc., not much more you can do. I also try to mix mix it up a bit with different genres etc., but still find that I often have to play the same song two or three times over the course of the night as punters come and go. As for the complaints, some people are just never happy, how many complained and did they identify songs or genres that they would like to hear instead of what you already play? I'd wager any money that they wouldn't be able to come up with anything constructive if asked this question and are just complaining for complainings sake. Unless management have expressed their own concerns about the music you are playing then I don't think you need to worry.

 

As for this gig being your sole source of income, thats a big risk, even if the management are totally happy with you at the moment things can change quickly these days. Establishments close down, management can move on or be moved on meaning new management and new ideas coming in etc etc, I'm sure you don't need to be told all this. If I lost my res I'd have to rebuild the mobile work from the ground up and to be quite honest I don't think I'd have the will to do it as I have a busy dayjob and family. Best of luck with it in any case, I think you are being slightly paranoid but if you really are that worried why don't you sit down with the management and discuss your concerns with them. One way or the other you'll then know what they are thinking, good or bad!

[djmick 0]

Sorry to hear about your probs, but I wouldn,t worry about it, I have been a resident dj for the past ten years at the same venue and reckon I have a hard-core of around 30 regulars and then assorted dropper-inners,

I usually have a wee 20 min set where I play stuff that I like but you would not normally call (Disco fodder), stuff like The alarm, cure, Cult and a wee bit of rock, The punters actually quite enjoy hearing what,s going to come on next, They know it,s only going to be 20 mins or so and then the usual katy perry and ilk come back on,

It,s a pub, so I know what the punters want to hear mostly, but the odd Curve-ball keeps it interesting for me too.

As for the request thing, I used to get really upset with myself if i didn,t have the song or forgot all about it, But usually a "Sorry mate< I,m going to play it in a wee while for you" does the trick, So in summary, Don,t get too wound up about it, If the club is open from 9pm till 6am I would be really surprised if some songs didn,t repeat.

[qcdiscodynamic 0]

I expect you'll also start noticing one or two 'regulars' who nearly always request the same track when they come and speak to you as well, which doesn't help in some respects!

 

All you can do is try your best to mix things up. Unfortunately there are some people who are convinced that every dance song sounds the same (admittedly some stuff sounds generic) and it looks as though the sort of music you are playing or being asked for falls within the dance genre and its sub-genres.

 

One of my top tips (and I bet you're doing this already) is try to jot down what you play during a night and then review it the following day or when you get time. Compare what you play one week to the next and see if you can spot patterns and opportunities to mix things up for next time.

 

The whole venting on Facebook because a request isn't played within 10 minutes though is just petty and shows the sort of people you are dealing with. I'd be amazed if management took those sort of complaints seriously.

 

One way to mix things up that worked well for me when I did a spot at a club was to substitute tracks by the bigger artists/bands. For example, if I was asked to play something by Michael Jackson, I'd try something like 'Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground),' 'Black or White' or 'Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough' first instead of rushing straight for 'Billie Jean' or 'Blame it on the Boogie,' which were my safe choices.

Admittedly that's a lot harder to do for dance acts who may only be known for having one hit!

 

Still if you're playing 90s dance/Kisstory type stuff, there are quite a few tracks from that period that would work well but don't get played as much as say something like 'I Luv U Baby' or Alex Party. Have a look through some of the old Now albums from the 90s or old dance compilations to jog your memory. You can get the tracklistings for the old Nows on Wikipedia.