Why do clubs not pay DJ's more?

last i looked it wasn't the newbs that were using all these gestures..heck most newbs don't even know how to work gestures..
it's the cliques wearing us out with that crap..
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On topic
I hang out at The rock a lot and the music is awsome and the dj's are working the mic like they were RL dj's..giving little interesting history lessons at times on certain songs or groups..
just getting to know the people coming in or enjoying the crowd..those dj's are gonna get paid because the crowd wants to show how much we love the way they work it..

there are a lot of good dj's out there but if they want to make it it's not gonna be by setting up a 30 minute playlist going afk then coming back to the mic to say a few words then hit play for another 30..
people want to have fun with them and i know they want to have fun with the crowd as well..if they don't then they are in the wrong line of work..

actually I do not go to clubs anymore, the ascii spam and gesture spam is way too much for me
and I prefer to listen to my own music
as I said when I did go to the clubs, I preferred to hear a DJ that spoke, and if one did not speak, then I just simply turned off the stream and listened to my own music

I am not sure why that offends you, do you think everyone who goes to clubs tunes in and listens to the stream or the music the DJ plays?

granted yes, some DJ's should not turn on the mic, and in that case, in my opinion, should not even DJ

again this is merely just my opinion, it is in no way the opinion of those in SL

That is the job of the host/hostess. You are asking for the DJ to do that job, because most hosts don't do it well.

Hosting is hard work, harder than even good DJing IMHO.

A good DJ doesn't have time to be helping out new people while they are DJing if they are busy taking requests and talking over the stream. That is the role of a host.

Edited to add: I prefer to use DJs who use voice. Why? Because there are several radio stations where the quality of the stream and the music selection is BETTER than most DJs. But a DJ who uses voice makes it personal, makes it "alive", and being able to dedicate requests, chat with the crowd in real time, makes the DJ unique.

I've had DJs at my club who don't use voice and inferior quality streams. When the radio turned back on, I was relieved. That's not a good sign.

In my opinion it is the job of the hostess to be sending out notices, adding the event to the events calnder, running the contest board, sending dance invites, sending group invites, ejecting and banning people from the parcel as needed as well as saying hi to people keeping thee convo going etc.

the points i pointed out above are the job of BOTH the DJ and hostess. It is both of their jobs to make sure that people are having fun, feeling included and helping out those new to the place. The reason it is both their jobs is because THIS is what pays. People being entertained. I am not going to tip a DJ who barely says two words, who doesnt greet new people etc etc. To me thats when i may as well have the radio on. A good DJ does this and they are the ones who arent in this thread complaining about the lack of tips etc why? cos they make 1000 to 2000 a shift already

well I consider myself one of those DJ's that do as you described

and I would make those kind of tips and more

I changed nothing about how I DJ'd however I can almost pin point when the tips stopped

Just about the same time that LL stopped the stipend for basic accounts.

People just stopped paying out like they did before

I am not really complaining about the lack of tips, I am just making an observation.
my question in the OP was, why do club owners not pay DJ's anymore.

Besides I quit DJing, the enjoyment left for me, especially when voice started, because I am a chatter and I tend to enjoy being on voice with folks, and voice + DJing = disaster (for me) hehe
(plus I just do not have the time)

I have my own store, I work part time as a customer service rep for a RL business within SL, I do custom skin orders, custom avatar orders (via the place I work at) and I do custom order from my store, plus keep the rentals going, and try to find good ways to market, as well as now the pawn shop, I also do mentor work when I find the time, and am always assitng folks when they need it, I try to do some building when I can, as well as fiddle with making hair, shoes, and other prim items.

not to mention putting this hunt together LOL
(oh and ALWAYS doing something with my store, I once again shifted things around over there LOL)

I know the thred was originally about whyclubs dont pay DJs, but many have commented on the lack of tips.

I am looking at my pater's tip jar which has almost 3000L in tips and the hostess's which has 600L. (there was another hostess ebfore her which was ehre for my partner gig who took home 1200L). I dont think people are unwilling to tip. This is normal for weekends at our club.

I think the right club with the right group and good hostesses and DJs is what makes tips.

*shrugs* I still wonder why peope talk about paying a DJ what its worth, when really we re talkign about $4

We pay our DJ 1000L$ an hour, he uses voice, takes requests and makes the evening great and he is worth every L$ we even allow him his tip jar as well 100% to him as he works for it

We pay our hostess as well and allow her the tips and they work their tails off and when u convert the L$ back to real cash dam they are cheap

Sorry but, 3k in tips? someone has a lot of friends putting out then.

even the best venue, packed to the rafters, would not net that sort of return, not without calling in friends.

Cynical? You bet .... I've watched as normal patrons, ones that used to tip far more than 50-100 at a shot, started to tip EVERYONE somewhere closer to 5-10 per shot. Only friends of those working bothered to tip more than that.

so, you'll have to forgive me if I refuse to believe that such a large tip amount is caused by anything more than friends.

LS ...


-sighs- Sounds about what I was being paid ... before I was told two weeks later (one week advance pay, nothing the next week due to the advance) that they could not afford to keep me.

Still ticks me off too ... That job paid the stream cost plus an additional 1k a week (I was hired to work two days out of the week at 1k a gig) .... I do not begrudge the friend of mine that tipped me off to this place her own 3k a week, it's just that it seems to me that I had been hired under the false pretense that I'd be working there for longer than two damned weeks.

No dress code, DJs get to play literally anything, fun people ..... Who wouldn't be looking forward to their next gig at a place like that?

You will forgive me if I find that a little rude you assume that she is only tipped from frieds. Yes lastnight was mostly friends as we OWN the club she was working at. However she also works at another club once a week and is still tipped well.

The fact is that she works mostly in one club and spends her time there. So of course they know her and are friendly with her. So yes that does yield more tips. Good DJs knkow the crowd and the peple they are playing for and that nvolves spending timeat the club you are spinnign tunes at and etting to know those peopel and ohhh becoming friendly with them.

She never solicits her friends lists to make up number at the club... oh cos we dont need to. 20 to 25 people at the club the whole night.

Yes, I assume. I assume because that is how I have sen it work.

frankly - and es I am GOING to be rude here - I don't care if you hit up your friends lists or not. even with 40 people at a club, the majority of the tips are going to come from the regulars and friends of the staff.

More from the staff's friends than any other source at that.

Well DURRRRRRof course it mostly comes from regulrs... and ummm usually when someone becomes a regular it is becuas they have become friends with people. Sorry but i would suggest THIS is whyyou dont get tips, cos your attitude towards clubs and their patrons is pretty poor.

My staff rarely ever TP friends in or invite them, cos well they are friends with peopel who come to the club. We are like a big group of friends. A concept that i doubt you will grasp with an attitude like yours

The times I have hired DJs for the Cartel Hangout, usually 2-3 hours work. They would always bring in 3000+ in tips. We even had a couple who got tipped so well they declined their fee.

My 'attitude' as you perceive it is reserved for people who actually think that they are somehow better or are not subject to the way these things work.

I am rather friendly to patrons and such, thank you very much. I simply detest he practice of tipping diddly squat to the other people working and only tipping those you know or are friends with. Nothing irks me more when I see a dancer or host who has friends present with over 700 in their tipjars/tippics and everyone else is given next to nothing.

Kindly keep YOUR attitude in check: I do NOT appreciate being talked down to by someone that thinks this practice is somehow perfectly normal. It isn't, nor should it be.

Ummm did you bother to read my post??

I dont think people just tip their friends. I have watched people i barely know come into the club and happily drop 200 to 300L in my partners tip jar becuase she is fantastic at her job. She doesnt just spin tunes, she takes the time to interact and chat and greet and invite peepl to dance. She runs her own huddle and co ordinates ehr dances to matchthe music.

You accused me of lying, how on earth did you expect me to react?

I dont think i am better than you, I do think you are complaining about what is essentially a few dollars. And you think that you are a wonderful DJ so no one could possibly be making more in lindens than you.

No dear - I don't. I simply hate the practice of tipping more to one's friends and nothing at all to the other staff ... which is how things have ALWAYS gone in EVERY club I have DJed for.

I did not accuse you of lying ... I stated my observations and warned that it is a cynical view and that it is taken as how things usually occur.

sounds great that doing other people's jobs is working out for her. I may be polite and friendly but I am not going to go out of my way to compete with someone who should be doing their bloody job just to get tipped.

sure: I'll work the crowd ... but I am not a Host.

This is sayign tht what i said was untrue. Youmay not have said the word lie but the meaning was there.


Do what you like, dont greet people, dont chat, interactand help newbies and enjoyyour tips which are no where near the 3000L that a GOOD DJ worth their grain of salt makes cos they do mroe than spin music and talk on stream occsionally.


Lie i said before. It is the host/ess job to send notices, post on the events group, to run the contest board and to eject/ban.

It is BOTH the DJ and hostesses job to greet people, keep converstion going, help peopel and basically entertain. Any DJ who doesnt do this of course isnt going to make lindens cos they arent doing their job. They arent entertaining. DJing in SL is about far more than music.

As I have said before: It is the DJs job to entertain and play music. Noting mroe and nothing less.

It is the job of the HOST to greet everyone as they come in.

take it however you want to .... 3k in tips, earned from ding someone else's job does NOT make a good DJ at all. It makes a good DJ/Host doing both jobs at once.

please stop arguing, you both made your points, now it is turning into a who can get the last word in

for the record I agree with solar, it does seem as though most folks tend to tip the friends or those they know, more and more often than the new or unknown

E you have a great club, I have been there, however it is not one of your average SL clubs, it is an exclusive all women's club, which in my opinion, makes for an even more close knit group that come in
you say that some are not regulars or friends, but... they might be a friend of a regular, which ends up working the same way

I can see how solar feels that you are saying that your DJ is better than those who get no tips and why he resents it, because when I first read your post, that is how I took it too
It is as though you are saying a good dj will get the tips and a crappy one will not, so thus yours is good, and those who don't are crappy (and the last few times I DJ'd zero tips and I do not consider myself crappy)

again, the original topic was nothing to do with tips, or who DJ's better or why they get tips, it was why do club owners not pay DJ's when they used to

anywho, just had to have my say, and to be clear, I am not saying anyone is better than anyone else, or that anyone is a liar, I am simply stating my view and perceptions on things

I disagee
it is not the DJ's job to greet and such
it is the DJ's job to play the music, take requests and entertain via the stream
it is the host/hostess' job to greet folks when they come in, and to keep conversations going etc

sure a DJ CAN do those things, and most do, and it is nice when they do, however I would think it should not be expected of them
otherwise why have a host if the DJ is gonna do it all?

edited to add
however, it is your club, and your choice to stipulate what is expected of your host and DJ and any other staff on hand, I can not disagree with that

so I have to remember, what you state is merely an opinion and your way, which doesn't have to be the same as my opinion and my way

so.. I guess we just agree to disagree

I don't understand the point of this topic. If they payrate isn't appealing, don't work there right?

Ever since gambling wasn't allowed anymore a lot of people have earned less money so naturally DJ's as well.

And if we talk about "real" DJ's ( I do not consider myself one of those) to me that are people who actually mix music instead of playing songs in SAM and talk on a mic. Those DJ's should get a lot of money in my opinion and the rest (including myself here) are just people that play mostly their own music and talk when they feel like it hoping they entertain the crowd like that.

I never DJed for the money but I don't think DJing for free is okay either. It's just a matter of economy though. Lots of DJ's = less pay, less DJ's = lots pay

Yes, we are here to go our way to have fun. In real clubs most of the DJs spin their own mix and can't even think of fade2fade blendings - track by track and I don't know one DJ who takes a request. But this virtual enviroment is almost like radio entertainment, so club or DJs let guests interact. Have fun I may will come to your ...DJ time ^^

I have a club (yes one of the thousands out there) and have been open over 18 months now.

We have DJs 7 nights a week, working on tips only. They DO get 100% of those tips, and they make a fair bit. We also have hosts to help the night along, but I am also there EVERY night. The dancers get tips, the hosts get tips and the DJ gets tips, I don't lol. I'm there a lot, I greet, I send out notices (as well as the hosts), I do the event listings (as well as the hosts), I post on forums, websites etc etc etc etc, so if I don't get a wage or even tips, I can't really afford to give every member of staff a wage either. I DO tip, but with DJ, hosts, dancers etc, thats a lot of wages. We also have events (best in black etc) most nights and its more about seeing people dress up and look silly sometimes that adds to the fun, but again, its cost cos some only come for a chance to win lindens.

I offer DJs 100% tips from a very large tip board that can't be missed, I tip them ourselves, I work the crowd, I also offer a club stream so thats something else they don't have to fork out themselves. As several people have said, a good DJ will earn good tips, but MOST DJs do it for fun. All our DJs use a legal registered version of SAM, they use our stream so don't need to pay for that, the only payments they need to make is the SAM, the rest we pay for.

As has been mentioned in previous posts...

Clubs ARE money pits
Most DJs do it for fun.
A good DJ will earn a decent amount of tips and get a following.
People won't pay for entrance fees if there is a free club on the next sim.
If I had a perfect solution I'd bottle it and sell it on Xstreet or ebay!

What I find disheartening, is the fact the "busy" clubs are full of campers (or at least 30 plus bots in the sky) and tonnes of (Away) people who don't tip anyway.

Where is the FUN in SL lately? Come onnnnnn, get your fun events out there - silly hat contest, demo night etc, get the DJs playing great tunes and your hosts working the crowd and have fun!

Sorry for waffling xx

Wrong , Dj just is both to greet , interact with all the customers thats how you make tips! spinning mp'3's and talking about yourself on air anyone can do , a GOOD dj will entertain and associate with people

We have fun! Our club has events from 12 noon SLT to 10pm SLT some days, and always till 7pm SLT on the others. Our DJ's are all live and take requests/dedications. We don't have dancers and usually only 1 host per set, although everyone who works with us turns up for other events, if they are around, because they enjoy the place so much! We're very much a team: people don't work FOR us, we all have a part in working together to make our whole sim a place people want to spend time.

Oh and there's no bots... unless you count me because I have a habit of doing 5 things at once and forget to chat!

I've been away from the forums for a while and I checked today and found this thread back. A couple thoughts sprang to mind.....

I've been DJing for over a year now. First, as far as clubs paying or not paying, that is really up to the club, isn't it? When I first started, it was suggested to me to charge 300L per hour and that is what I did. I also received an offer from a reasonably well known club to DJ for tips only. I took this offer, since I was new and felt that I could use this to my advantage. After I started there, I had so much fun and met so many people, most of whom are still my friends today. Due to some questionable management decisions, the traffic at the clubs started dying down as well as my tips, so I left that club amicably, grateful for the experience. Some things are worth more than Lindens, and friends are one of them. I have not taken a gig for tips only since then, and although I ask for 300L per hour when approached, I have a couple that pay me 500L for a two hour gig. One club started paying me 1000L for two hours and then realized that it was too much for their business and cut that in half. Since the club in question is way too much fun, I had no problem accepting this. There are two business decisions there: How much as a club owner am I willing to pay and how much as a DJ do I accept for my services?

I own a club now. A good friend of mine and I have a mutual love of jazz, and when I say jazz, I mean straight ahead classic jazz like Miles, Billie, and Trane. While there are a lot of clubs in SL that play what can loosely be described as jazz (Sinatra, Bennett, smooth jazz) we saw a void and since we both love that music, decided to open a club where we could play what we love. We did this with no expectations, as that is not a popular genre by any stretch of the imagination. The club we decided to open was to be about music, pure and simple. No contests and shiny things. Just a nice club and the musical vision we had. To our surprise, people showed up and told their friends and we actually got people in the club. We talked to some friends of ours who DJ and asked them if they wanted to DJ at The Savoy and they said yes. The only catch was, we would not pay a fee. The gig would be for tips only. This was to be a labor of love and not a money making experience. Thankfully these friends of ours signed on and they have all done reasonably well. I lose money every month on this, but my other gigs make me enough to cover it. Clubs lose money, for the most part. A club like ours, playing a genre of music that is not very popular, is not going to make money. Our DJs, me included, do make money though. And most importantly, we are fulfilling our vision of playing great, traditional blues and jazz music. The moral of the story is, do what you love and the rest will fall into place. Not all clubs that don't pay DJs are bad, and it might be okay to work for tips only. If it doesn't work out, move on. That's what I did. Oh, and I also tip my DJs well to compensate for their efforts and try to make at least part of every gig I can to support them. So, in essence, I'm still paying them...lol. The only thing I tell them is to stick to jazz and blues, but I also understand that there are not specific lines defining that. And I tell them to have fun and play what they love. If they do that, it will shine through brightly.

From my experience, tips have declined in SL over the last 15 months that I've been DJing, but then things should pick up for the winter too. I usually make between 1000-3000L per gig. There are times I make less and there have been times I've made more. I don't play the most popular music out there. I play the music I love, for the most part. I will play requests, even if I do not like that type of music, as long as it fits in with the gig. I do rock, blues and jazz in SL, so if a club wants to hire me and ask for techno, country or hip-hop, I have to decline. I have been fortunate enough to find clubs that allow me to do my thing, to have fun and as long as this is mutually sustaining, we are good. If I have a gig where attendance is poor, I'll donate part of my fee back to the club, as I believe that is fair. Part of my fee is paying for the draw that my particular group should bring to the club. If it doesn't, I will pay back, although I tip the club every night anyway.

Also, it IS the hosts job to greet everyone, but I also greet everyone that enters one of my events. I suppose I don't have to, but I believe that it is friendliness and attentiveness to patrons that contribute to a good relationship between us. It helps with tips, sure, but the bottom line is that being friendly and getting to know people is fun! Most of my friends are from either my DJing experiences or from AA. I have people who have commented to me that they felt comfortable and welcome at a gig because I, and others, welcomed them. When people feel that way, they are more likely to tip.

One last point.....I don't DJ at any of the big time traffic clubs. I don't think any of my clubs make money, but I also am quite sure they are not losing that much either. The traffic of the clubs I work at today are: 238, 5091, 2033, 1840 and 25. Two of these are skewed, as the 5091 is the Savoy where we had a live performer the other night, and the 25 is a friend who opened a pub recently and only has three events going right now. My point is, that find a club that is fun and have fun. Find a balance of the music you like and of what the patrons like. If it's not fun for you, they will notice, and if you're having fun it will rub off. I can play Crazy Bitch like everyone else, but if I can slide in some Lucinda Williams or Cowboy Junkies or Roxy Music and people like it, what a bonus! If I work at a club that is all about the traffic and money, I may not be able to do that.

It is SL. Have fun, because we may not have this chance in RL.