How old is too-old to DJ nightclubs ?

[mojo_scotland]

Just something i had a conversation with someone recently.

These are COMMERCIAL NIGHTCLUBS playing chart, edm, RnB etc

In my current residency there are DJs on the rota that are..

37 years old (me) - 35 years old - 47 years old - 39 years old - 48 years old.

The venue has a opinion that age doesnt matter as long as they are good enough.

The clubs target demographic is 18-30 years old.

Whats people opinions on 'being too old to DJ nightclubs' - are these DJ's too old, no matter how good they are ?

Granted visiting them as a crowd member at this age is a different discussion completely.

Thanks

[Dix]

The venue has a opinion that age doesnt matter as long as they are good enough.

This.............

[mojo_scotland]

This.............

Good point !

What about from the social aspect / opinion. IE: The DJ's being old enough to be the crowds parents ?

[DJ Bobcat]

Good point !

What about from the social aspect / opinion. IE: The DJ's being old enough to be the crowds parents ?

I can’t really see why a DJ’s age would be important to a club-goer. I guess it would depend on why they go to a club. I think people who go to clubs are going to: socialize, drink, hook-up, dance, listen to music, perhaps be entertained?, etcetera. I think almost none are going with hopes of making it with the DJ.😄 While some patrons interact with the DJ, I suspect that was not their motivation for going to a club.
Now if the DJ starts acting like a parent, that might not go over very well.

[KLH]

I can’t really see why a DJ’s age would be important to a club-goer... I think almost none are going with hopes of making it with the DJ.��

I was going to say that the first sign that an older DJ will notice is that the young ladies don't hit on him as much as they used to...

[DJ Bobcat]

I was going to say that the first sign that an older DJ will notice is that the young ladies don't hit on him as much as they used to...

LOL... Well I was already old before I started DJing, so I never had that experience. I heard from other DJ’s that it happens, but I don’t get how a DJ manages to play music AND play around???😄 I have enough on my hands handling the music. I’d need at least one more (hand) to... uh... do more.😄

[Daniel S]

Armin Van Buuren 42
David Guetta 51
Tiesto 50
Fatboy Slim 56
Carl Cox 56
Paul Van Dyk 47
Louie Vega 54
Roger Sanchez 52

All these guys are still drawing rather big crowds and raking in a bit of cash when they play, so I think age doesn't matter too much if you're good at what you do.
I'll soon be 45 and I'm still DJing and have no plans to stop doing so in the near future.

[mitchiemasha]

so I think age doesn't matter too much if you're good at what you do.

But they're brands more than DJ's, yeah DJ's but the name is a brand. Most of the knowns only do 1 hr or 2 and on with other big names, many younger. They have huge production teams that make up that brand. David Guetta isn't aging well. I doubt Carl Cox will ever lose his DJ looks. Those big crowds are 1 offs, yearlies for where ever it happens to be. If you're a local resident, like myself, you get less relevant with each new generation. I'm 40, I'll probably retire in a year or 2. It's bad when people come up greeting you with, "can't believe you're still here, I used to come here when I was 18, 20" They're now married with a full family, some of which will be coming out themselves in a not so distant future. This is not good, lol!

[Alt2de]

But they're brands more than DJ's, yeah DJ's but the name is a brand. Most of the knowns only do 1 hr or 2 and on with other big names, many younger. They have huge production teams that make up that brand. David Guetta isn't aging well. I doubt Carl Cox will ever lose his DJ looks. Those big crowds are 1 offs, yearlies for where ever it happens to be. If you're a local resident, like myself, you get less relevant with each new generation. I'm 40, I'll probably retire in a year or 2. It's bad when people come up greeting you with, "can't believe you're still here, I used to come here when I was 18, 20" They're now married with a full family, some of which will be coming out themselves in a not so distant future. This is not good, lol!

I can relate to this. I'm about to turn 48 tomorrow, and I'm definitely not in that nightclub vibe anymore. The way I see it, if I'd stand out as a patron due to my age, then I probably ought not to be deejaying there. So these days I stick to livestreaming, or the occasional block party or other types of adult functions.

But, hey, there's still obviously folks my age or older who are out there doing it, and more power to them! Heck, I saw Moby back around 2016 or so, and he was going head-to-head with Gareth Emery and spinning dubstep in an arena! But I guess at that level, it's a little easier.

[Alex Murphy]

One of my friends is not into his 60s, still going very, very strong in business with a decades long reputation behind him. He had a long run in a famous local club, now he does weddings and such with a ton and a half of gear. The guy packs up local venues everywhere he goes. The only difference is that he has a couple of guys at hand to move the gear around.

Also, this guy:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DJ_Derek