Today’s superstar DJs stands atop an elaborate booth high above the screaming crowd. He has absolutely no need for personal interaction with the people they are playing the music for ,other than an occasional fist pump. Meanwhile back in the real world Club and Mobile DJs are constantly within reach of the general public. The need for ” Customer Service” has increased on the part of ” Music Provider” ( DJ) who must be exposed to a barrage of people holding up a variety of things ranging from a napkin with a badly spelled song title to a dim and cracked cell phone. Most of us , whose booth or setup is not located in some electronic altar have adapted to the new customer’s outlook on the DJ who has gone from being a ” Talent” to being their employee. To my surprise there are still a handful of jocks who adhere to the ” stone faced , Don’t ” F” with me attitude” when dealing with Club patrons, sort of a ” tough love” approach with the intention of educating the general public in the proper “customer to DJ” interaction. In the mobile world the DJ is no longer hired based on his DJ skills and is required to go above and beyond his ” entertainment” duties ,providing room lighting, additional PA systems and in some cases coordinating the event itself. The music is dictated by the client who even provides a ” Do Not Play ” list, A ” Must Play List” and a ” List” of whatever ridiculous requests they may have . Customer Service is key in these scenarios where ” DJing ” is secondary. The Club DJ who is accessible to his patrons has a different set of problems , mainly the transference of this mentality where the DJ must succumb to all of the customer’s requests. The Club DJ is under pressure to maintain a packed dance floor all night, and keep the bar’s registers ringing as well. When the place is full and receipts high ,the manager and promoters take full credit. When it is slow and sales are down it is the DJ that takes the blame.
What is important to remember is that establishing a fan base , Facebook and Twitter followers, hinges more on your personal interaction that on your musical selections and mixing prowess. I am constantly hearing complaints of DJs working at popular clubs with terrible attitudes whose clients are swooned by other jocks working at a less popular establishments who have a more personal approach with their public. By the time these unfriendly jocks see the light, their nights are usually suffering and the damage to the location and their image is irreparable. With the advent and affordability of technology and the over saturation of people calling themselves DJs in today’s market it is extremely necessary to not only possess the right music and skill but the right attitude and demeanor to be viewed as an accessible ” star”.
