Why do we encourage mediocrity?

Actually I prefer that to being dropped in heaven knows what sort of state in the middle of a dancefloor crowded with unrezzed people.

From all of the DJs that I hire - I have come to realize that banter in between songs may be more of an American thing. Many of the techno or electronic DJs from Europe found it odd we wanted them to talk over the music. But with some persuading they can be convinced it's a good thing.

And if I do not hear the host speak for 5 minutes I IM her and ask her is she ok. I do try to encourage people to tip the hostess more because the DJ seems to get the lion's share of the tips during events (especially if he is doing requests).

Even though we are all looking at a rockin' party - we have to remember that the reality is twenty people sitting alone at home looking for some light conversation and good music. So dead silence with the radio playing is not going to keep your audience happy.


.

Hey all. Wanted to get in on this. I do dj and like to think i am a good one. Been working on intenet radio for over 8 years (Not bragging just showing i know what i am about to talk about). Any DJ who doesn't talk in open chat or talk on air should never dj again. It's a simple fact... DJ's are there to play music and entertain the club he/she is at. Personally i try to talk once every 15 minutes... tell some jokes... suggest the host and/or dancers get tipped... fun stuff.

Now, i do work at a club where the host is usually AFK right after she opens the board until it's time to close it for voting. So for 1.5 hrs i am on my own greeting people, taking requests, talking in open chat and making sure songs are going to play. And what do i get for it in pay? Tips. Now I love this club and the owner but I am getting fed up with pulling so much work. But, I love what i do. If i could do it for free, i would.

Is it laziness? Is it RL came calling at the last second and the host had to leave? Who knows. A host needs to do his/her job and help keep people talking.

That's my 2 cents

Give it a time out and withhold privileges if the behavior is repeated. Hitting floats just turns them into float abusers when they grow up.

As a performing musician I tend to limit 'chat' to announcing the name of whatever piece I'm about to perform and occasionally something else that might be relevant to the show.

I have an intense dislike for hyperventilating self-important DJ's. I prefer a low-key good-humoured DJ who is as unobtrusive as possible. Similarly with live music... some performers have acts that are so tooth-grittingly awful that logging out and doing something relaxing such as pulling my teeth out with rusty pliers without painkillers would be the soft option. But hey, they fill clubs and sims, so they *must* be doing the right thing.

"A good thing"? Sorry, but I strongly object that. DJ's are supposed care for the music not for the talking. I hate nothing more than some self-loving freak of a DJ ruining a perfect song just for the joy to hear her own voice on the stream. Or even worse start singing (way off any note) along of what was really good music until she started to sing. Another real turn off is when DJ's are forced to talk comercials for their employers. Another real mood-killer is when a club is forcing somebody to talk on the stream in a language the DJ obviously does not know sh*t about. But on top of all of that: Most SL-DJs for one have no idea about how to match the volume of their mic to the music. And for the very vast majority they are talking crude bullshit thats on the verge of being flat out idiotic and is a real mood-killer.

It boils down to that: In the RARE case you got a moderator or host with a trained voice and you are running a radio and are doing things like reports, news and stuff, I agree, speaking between the music *CAN* be cool. Provided the content is cool, too. But in a club? I still wait for the club where a speaking DJ really adds to the mood, not destroying it for her really crappy comments.

Regarding the "Why do we encourage mediocrity?" Well... There are a few stores and clubs and serviceproviders that actually care. Most don't. Why? Because service costs time and money. Feed them crap. "Once they paid you money your part is done" is the prime directive for most people runing business in SL. I have a long list of stores that failed to even REPLY(!) to an inquiry about what ever issue you can imagine a customer to come up with. Really "famous" and well credited stores. What helps? Warn those you know about those stores and don't buy there. Vote with your feet. The problem? There is no place or site or something similar that rates stores for service. It's "try on error" for every user over and over again. And that's how the "businessmen" are getting away with it, because they simply don't care about what a customer might think and they don't have to, because it's not getting back to them.

I don't go to many clubs but went to one the other day where the host didn't greet or talk to anyone but spent the whole time asking for tips. Tips for the DJ, the dancers, her, the club owners over and over again. It was boring and I left without tipping anyone.

The other thing I hate is going to a live music show and someone constantly using gestures wooting and howling throughout the event.

I attend a great place called CLUB MARTiNi they have great DJs , the best being Munga. They thanks each person for the tip, the dancers do also. Munga takes requests and he manages to get my hard selections also.
I have been to places like you have described where the music is just streamed and most times ill leave them and not tip.

I will tip well when its earned when its not i leave nothing

Basically there are a lot of people that own clubs in SL that don't know how to run clubs..
There are A lot that do know how to run clubs..
There are A lot that could care less about anything but the money coming in so you get flooded with tip me tip them tip this and don't forget to tip that..

then there are the ones that don't do all that and do care about the customers..and there are some that care about both ..

it's just a matter of finding the places you like..they are not all the same..

If you have to resolve to trashing a DJ-set to make you some money you are doing something wrong. Ever heard the performing DJs talk over their own sets at i.e. Sensation? Or at Mayday? Or at Loveparade? Or at Technics DJ Tour? You get the point. Many Clubs already have their hosts spamming me with oh-so-cool gestures. Let alone the oh-so-great idea to spam me with group-message AND group IM at the same time during prime time every 30 minutes (which usually makes me instantly leaving the very group and avoid that club at all cost.) Do you really think I want to be spammed by the DJ on top of that? And do you really expect me to promote a club for that?

Have you ever thought maybe you're just a tad too picky? Some people are hard to please no matter how "perfect" the event, hostess, texture, sound...

Nothing in SL narks me more than the use of pre-prepared conversation bound to an F-key. It's like an entire conversation is bound into a gesture and is pre-packaged and ready for us by anyone lacking the intellect to type a thought of their own.

Gestures frequently kill conversation too, when I goto a club i'm notorious amongst my haunts for changing the mood of the place because I chat to people, sometimes about them, sometimes about me, but always with these things called words and sentences. i'll be chatting away with somebody and suddenly i'll be informed, across 85 lines of text, that "THIS DJ FOOKIN ROX YEAH" along with an intricately detailed ASCII picture of a wolf howling.

Conversation then dies for a few minutes as people can't read the actual conversation anymore, and after some repetition of the aforementioned contribution to the discourse, we try to carry on talking, trying to time each sentence after the last screen hogging howl in order that we might be heard.

Gestures in a club, even if not from the club owner, meen that I do not tip. They spoil the entire purpose of going into a social networking environment by removing the ability to communicate. Sure yes I know the purpose of the gesture hotkey is infact to provide a means of communication for those who lack the capacity to do it, but can they not be made a bit more discreet - farmed out to channel 2 of the chat or some such?

As a DJ I do not ask for tips and I have no tip jar and if somebody tip me's manually when great fine marvellous - what you want me to make you feel special by thanking you? No sorry, i'm not going to interrupt the conversation or the music to make you feel special for tipping me an amount of money that is trivial to me. I don't appreciate the gesture of the tip, I don't care about it. I'm not in SL for the money and if you think I am then how do you think I can afford a computer? I will not place an advert for anybody. I have the capacity to voice and may ocassionally say a few words about the music i've selected - but usually after introducing myself before anybody arrived I wont say a thing vocally, I love music, if I loved the sound of my own voice i'd have become a singer or a stand up comic. I didn't, I became a DJ, therefore I play music.

Is this difficult to work out? It seems so because when people ask "has the DJ forgotten to get out her tipjar?" and I answer 'I dont do tips hun' I get tipped manually (which is a whole lot less clicking around then looking for a tip jar). Is it thanks to have received 20p? No not really. I'm not going to waste the effort of typing thanks either, otherwise the gracious tip received would not cover the wear and tear on the cardilege of my fingers.

Call me old fashioned, but I just like to chat to people, that's why I still come into SL. What I really want, whether i'm DJing or making an appearance amongst the cast of the audience, is a chat, and a lot less "THIS DJ FOOKIN ROX YEAH [wolf ascii art]".

Cast out people who use gesture hotkeys, may they suffer disconnect and their teleports leave them without attachments. Ignore tipjars, may their scripts be lagged and their particle effects broken.

Am I too picky because I want the best for the money I spend? (Yes, I do tip and I do it on a regular basis, even if I don't like the club.) What are other clubs doing wrong, ie. Element 6th or CI or...? Perhaps I am too picky because I have been a DJ myself for many years and have been leading a webradio from the editor's chair for several years. I don't buy into the buzz that trashing a set is a necessity to make money from streaming.

No Adger, I expect you to do whatever you feel is best for you. If that means not supporting a club for too much spam, so be it. It's really just a matter of taste. My own problem with certain DJs are their overinflated egos. It has been my experience that DJs who refer to themseves as "a kicka** Dj" or "elite" or any other such self stroking are no such thing.

DJ's are supposed to care about the music, yes. But they are supposed to care about the event they're playing as a whole. And that means saying what the venue owner wishes them to say at times. What they do between songs is fine with me as long as they're not talking in the middle of a song. In fact, i'd rather hear the commercial from the DJ's voice than in gestures by the host. The DJ can do something the host cannot, add some emotion to the Ad.

you are not paying for a service when you tip someone..
why do people think this?

you tip when you are happy with a service or feel someone deserves it and you want to show your support or kindness twards them..if you are tipping people and complaining about the service then you are wasting your money..

if i'm not happy with a place or think it sucks.i leave end of story..why the heck would i tip someone that sucks at their job? lol

I don't really mind if DJ's do a little self-pimping here and there, but like anything else in life, if they're going to do that then they better be "walking the talk" and in the middle of a blistering hot set or they don't get tipped. Walking all over songs though, even if they're songs I don't particularily care for, is something I really, really dislike. I don't agree with the notion that DJ's need to talk every 5 minutes, or that they even need to have a microphone at all, as far as I'm concerned... I'm there to hear the music, not the DJ who's playing the music. The highest tip I ever gave out was for a DJ who spoke ONCE in 3 hours, but pieced together an unbelievable set with perfect flow between the songs, and consistant in theme, tempo, and mood from start to finish. They also engaged people on a personal level in chat, and not just their favorite people either. Any idiot can stream music, but to get it all right (where it borders on being a performing art) takes desire, passion, commitment, and preparation.


Nothing wrong with wanting the best you can get, but hoping to see that kind of higher standard in more of the general population could be fruitless. Except for those serious business types, most people in SL are here for fun.. so there's a limit to how much actual work or commitment they'll volunteer for something like being a club employee. Sadly, for many of them it seems that pride in what you do, and the pursuit of doing it better each time isn't worth it for them. All you can do is reward the half-assed stuff much less, and save it for the standouts who truly seem to go the extra mile.

This

Clubowners taking their share from the tips being payed and tipjars for the clubs themelves are having nothing to do with the "service"? Interesting.

The way I DJ is simple. Play what people want to hear and request... talk over my intro music only... I don't cut in the middle of a song. Sorry if someone wants me to do a shout out or something... it can wait till my next talking break. People come to clubs for the entertainment and alot of that rests on the DJ to provide good music and a fun enviroment. Add into a DJ's job of hosting... it becomes much harder.

If I am not talking in open chat too much, I always say something... "Sorry guys... slammed with requests... " or something. But, I always tell the truth. The places I work at know how I am and how I run my shows. But I always listen to my listeners... because without them... who would i be playing music for?

A good DJ will do their job for the love of music and having people enjoy what they do. I don't care if I get tipped 5L or 500L. Due to how busy I get when I dj, I always say the same thing.. ."TY FOR THE TIP (insert name)". No one needs to know that Jane just gave me 1k... or that Johnny gave me 5L. A tip is a sign that a person enjoyed what I did. No matter the amount, they took the time to give me something they didn't have to.

Now talking over the music... I had this one club that wanted me to do that. I explained that it wasn't how i did things and it wasn't how I thought a DJ should be. I dj'ed there once as a test... people complained "Why isn't he talking enough?", made no tips and didn't take the job.

Also, when I am at a club, I will promote the club, the dancers, the host and leave myself for last. If the club gets tips, then they will stay... which is good. If the dancers and hosts get tips, then the place really gets going cause they feel appreciated. Me being tipped or not won't change how I do things. I hate the DJ's who say "Please tip after making a request!". I would never do this. Johnny is enjoying my music, but he has no L's. Who am I to tell him he can't request soemthing? I tell everyone... if you want to tip, it's appreciated. If you can't... maybe I can help you make some L's in SL. Besides, this is all for fun anyways right?

A lot of DJ's get 100% of the tips and a per hour wage from the owner..
if it were a service you would have to pay for it if you wanted it..but you don't have to so ya you are not paying for a service that was already provided..
you are tipping/complimenting someone on thier performance..

You are right. Most DJ's do get 100% of tips and set pay from the owner. If tips are good, I will usually put some back into the host and club tip jars... i think it's only fair to spread the wealth a bit

Hi Konu, that was my point exactly. A good DJ knows part of their job in a club is to not only provide the music and play requests, but also to help sell what the club is offering. It's simple good business sense from the DJ's point of view. Do what the venue owner wants, and you may be invited back or given some regualr slots.

I also think it's bad form to hustle tips for yourself or ask for tips in exchange for playing a request.

See that is the case.. and not to dump on the original post about this "ROGUE" dj, however we really dont kno what actually went down.. could have been chastized in im, the club owner might have been up his wazoo about what music he was playing.

As a radio station GM in the oldest club of SL, I encourage my djs to play what is requested and be very couteous to all patrons who walk thru that door. I do empathize with them when they ask "How many [expletive] times do I have to play biligual or Crazy bitch?" I have to agree with them to the extent that I out right refuse these songs as well as a few others.

One thing I do not stand for is wannabees (that think winamp is djing software) come in, request 5-6 songs and then heckle if not all are played. Request 1 or 2 and that is it.. you want more... get some real software or better yet cdj decks and become a real dj, then you can play your own playlist.... 9/10 times the wannabee never tips in the first place. I mean, how would you like it if I came to the fast food place that you worked at... ordered 5-6 burgers tailor made to order and if you were taking too long to get to them, i shout at the top of my lungs how much of a loser or bad burger flipper you were? Then leave without tipping... when you make below minimum because of gratuities...

I am not defending this DJ.. I would never drop stream and run in a huff... bad news travels even faster in the SL Entertainment industry. I would like to fry myself some people sometimes. We work very hard for your entertainment... give us a break already.

I agree that some requests *should* be refused for the overall good of the set and those listening.

After playing some fairly good tunes that had everyone SL-dancing, the DJ all but shut down the dance floor by playing - I kid you not - Dionne Warwick's "That's What Friends Are For."

The request should've been refused while using the song title in reply.