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bigperm75
02-07-2012, 07:34 PM
Ok....so I'm not exactly a "DJ". I'm not sure if I am on the right website but I'm having trouble finding information so I figured I'd start here. I have about 1000 vinyl albums and play just about everything over the last 60 yrs of rock and roll for friends and family at home. I have a great home stereo setup and wanted to share my appreciation for great music with other people.

I want to start playing 1-2 hrs sets of NON top 40 rock/pop at local bars. There will be no beat matching. No dance floor, per se. Just great records to play between live music sets.

I'm not a wedding dj, nor a corporate party dj. I guess im more of a radio dj without the commentary. If you listen to Steven Van Zandt's underground garage show, well.....that's kind of what im after.

Anyone else on this forum doing this??

DJ Watty
02-07-2012, 07:47 PM
Sounds cool man, good luck :-)

Martin G
02-07-2012, 08:48 PM
Welcome to the forums.

Your idea is interesting but I'm not sure if it would work in a bar. Music in bars tends to fall into one of 3 categories:
Background, in which case no one will hear or appreciate your commentary above the sound of others talking.
Dancing, in which case the talking will interfere with the dancing.
Live music - but even then bar bands tend to try to keep the songs flowing.

For it to work you would have to be very engaging so I'm saying it might be possible but won't be easy.

Why not just try to host a radio show at a local college station or something?

cvdeco16
02-07-2012, 11:28 PM
^He said he's "more of a radio dj without the commentary." So, taking commentary out of the equation, the situations you mentioned may actually work well in a bar.

DJMC
02-08-2012, 12:58 AM
News Flash:

"PEOPLE DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY LIKE -- THEY ONLY LIKE WHAT THEY KNOW"

when you work in a bar, you need to LEARN what they know. Does the clientele like the style(s) of music you're likely to play?

Then again, if you're not getting $$$ for the gig, then its a case of "Beggars Can't Be Choosers."

DJ Donnie Lewis
02-08-2012, 08:36 AM
If it makes you happy and you have fun with it then try it out. Music is music, if there is a group to cater too then play it loud

Sween
02-08-2012, 09:05 AM
Sounds like a great idea... I love rock music. Put some Rush in there and I'll hang all night! But don't expect to get paid much (or at all).

Thinking from the perspective of a bar owner... why couldn't I just hire you to put your playlist on an iPod? Or pay $36 for Pandora without commercials? What makes the vinyl so special? What if they're scratched!

(I do think vinyl is something special...) But I don't think most people care/notice. I really think it would be a great thing for true audiophiles... but I don't think you'll get a huge draw.

@DJMC - The "like what they know thing" is not true for everyone. Such as myself. I LIKE hearing something I never heard before or something more off the beaten track. Many people do. But we account for maybe 5% of the population at best, so we're usually ignored by DJs who play to the "masses".

DJ Matt
02-08-2012, 01:01 PM
in the colombian salsa scene vinyl is still used, and many of the nightclubs are owned by collectors and can be seen to have thousands of records behind the dj booth. the djs will play some songs from vinyl, some mp3 and some cds, a lot of people appreciate that, me included.

not sure if this culture can carry through to the rock scene, but hopefully it will work out for you ,

building up a following or a social circle who can give you a "core" crowd to attend your nights, and convincing the bar that you can make them money is the key at the end of the day


let us know

best of luck

DJMC
02-08-2012, 03:50 PM
He's in Fort Worth, TX....not Austin!

FYI for people from outside the US: Dallas/Fort Worth TX metro area ("DFW" for short) has the largest number of chain restaurant Headquarters of any place in the country. (Chili's, Applebee's, etc etc). Its an area that has more "followers" (sheep) and more chain restaurants and fast food per square mile than anyplace on this planet.

Now, in Austin TX, an eclectic town for Texas, they have plenty of universities and high-tech companies, so you'd have more likelihood of having the right demographic for what OP is suggesting.

Matt Ush
02-08-2012, 07:38 PM
Any concert I've been to has what you are talking about however I don't ever see a DJ during that portion of the night. It's most likely just a playlist. I'm not saying you will be doing concerts I'm just comparing to past experiences. Good luck to ya though

djtanveer
02-09-2012, 12:19 AM
not a bad idea, but It will be very hard to find gigs that reflect your taste in music. as Mobile Djs we usually have to play what the crowd likes as well as add our own flavor to the mix. good luck though.

Martin G
02-09-2012, 11:30 AM
^He said he's "more of a radio dj without the commentary." So, taking commentary out of the equation, the situations you mentioned may actually work well in a bar.


He also mentioned Little Steven's radio show, which has commentary.
So my understanding was it would be like Underground Garage except perfomed live and not with Little Steve.
And therefore the comment "For it to work you would have to be very engaging.."

allenpa5
02-09-2012, 12:25 PM
So, a human jukebox? Why not just get a regular jukebox? .... That's what the bar owners are going to be thinking

DJ LEVLHED
02-09-2012, 07:24 PM
If you can find the right place with the right atmosphere and the right crowd, it can work. What is "right"? Hard to say.
Anywhere that would appreciate the fact that you are using real records because that's the only thing that will truly set you apart.

KLH
05-02-2019, 09:22 AM
So, a human jukebox? Why not just get a regular jukebox? .... That's what the bar owners are going to be thinking
I'm in this camp.

Dix
05-02-2019, 10:26 AM
As I found out the hard way, there's a big difference in a radio DJ & a club DJ. Not all music is dance-able. Just cause its a good tune doesn't mean you can play it in a dance club. For example, I know CCR & The Eagles both had good songs that stayed at #1 for weeks... but they weren't dance-able. Radio is for listening... a club is for dancing. When you come out of live radio & go into a club, you gotta focus on that.

I always tell people: Just because a guy has "DJ" hung on the end of his name don't make him a wedding DJ. Your wedding aint a frat party.
Neither does it make him a live radio DJ, nor a club DJ.