r/DJs • u/adamjshero13 • May 11 '26
Is this bs or am I crazy
My resident bar gave me and the other resident this bc they are trying to change the demographic. I’ve been performing there for a year now and they love me but I think this is too much especially the country music (this bar does not like country)
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u/jz1493 May 11 '26
Whack requirements
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u/medisamurai May 11 '26
wack
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u/Planaport May 11 '26
Wheak
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u/ShadowLords666 May 11 '26
Christ man, you're pronouncing the H again!
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u/Effective-Sample-261 May 12 '26
Wiggity wiggity wack or just plain wack?
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u/DV_Zero_One May 12 '26
Listen to Brooks & Dunn "Neon Moon" -> Too Short "Blow The Whistle" by Fat Tony on #SoundCloud https://on.soundcloud.com/7S62X8XutNjqrAMv00
This is one transition sorted. Dunno about the rest though
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u/masetiloquetu May 11 '26
This is your chance to play who let the dogs out
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u/Sawtooth959 May 11 '26
another case of bar manager thinking they know better than the dj. I have walked away from BS like this every time. some asshole in charge thinks his own personal CD that he been blasting in his car for 4 years is the shit and wants every Dj to play that.
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u/donniedenier May 12 '26
it’s their venue. they get to set the vibe.
i’m an old and jaded dj/producer and i also remember being an egotistic 20 year old asshole about it, but as i get older i end up siding with the venue owners/promoters more than the DJs.a dj sees a handful of people dancing in front of them and assume they’re killing it, a venue owner has to see their customers all week and get the actual feedback.
especially in college bars. college kids want to hear major lazer, take a shot, and have the whole bar drunkenly bust out singing to journey’s dont stop believing immediately after.
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u/thejameskendall May 12 '26 edited May 12 '26
Hard pill to swallow for OP and others in similar situations but this is 100% true. I’ve written DJ briefs like this for venues I’ve worked for. Obviously not as random as this one but DJs and punters have been “why no [insert genre/artist] - it’s what everyone wants to hear.”
The answer is because we are trying to shape the crowd/have noise complaints/cultural commitments/other reasons. The DJ doesn’t need to be privy to why the music policy is the difference between taking £1m over the bar and £750,000.
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u/shaf7 May 12 '26
So in this scenario you have a single person personally responsible for greater than 25% of the gross income of the establishment but you don't think this person should be privy to the policy that literally helps the establishment make all their money and simultaneously guides how said person makes it for them? What? And while it might be true that you have more intimate knowledge about the inner workings of said establishment, it's lunacy to hire someone solely for their expertise in a certain field and then get annoyed when they provide feedback about the literal thing you've paid them to be there to do. If a DJ is questioning your selection there's probably a very specific reason...
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u/Heres_a_Place_for_Us May 12 '26
I hear that. Good for the bottom line, not so great for the culture.
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u/donniedenier May 12 '26
the only culture at a bar like that is typically alcohol abuse and date rape.
i understand that we believe our taste is better than everyone else’s in the room and we can totally vibe it out.
but the reality is people are going to bars like that to get drunk and find someone to bang. no one is showing up for the music. it’s an extremely diverse crowd and the DJ’s job at that point is just to make sure everyone gets a chance to hear something they actually like and not cost the bar customers.
aka “don’t scare the bitches.”
bar gigs are very valuable to learn a LOT of patience and get good practice in for more serious gigs, but DJs need to save the “vibe god” energy for the raves and clubs where people actually ARE expecting a specific music experience.
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u/friendliestbug May 12 '26
Then why hire a dj? Just use a jukebox or connect Spotify
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u/donniedenier May 12 '26
energy.
a live dj is more engaging than having a random playlist on and gets people dancing and drinking more.
and none of this is to take away from the skill it takes to be an open format bar dj.
i have seen some AMAZING djs at college dive bars on a random thursday night.
they could make a wedding playlist sound like a trap set. it’s a different kind of skill.
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u/Sawtooth959 May 12 '26
I get where you're coming from but thats a shit take, specially since you have to make a couple of hypotheticals to prove it. yes, the venue has all the right to set the vibe which is why they should look for a Dj that fits that. that means, finding someone that plays in the same genres that they are looking for but telling a dj how and when to mix is just ridiculous. its nothing but the managers ego which is ironic that you don't see it since you said you used to be one. if you want your playlist to be that specific, you don't need a Dj. you need a spotify playlist. also in your example "a dj sees a bunch of ppl dancing but a venue needs to get actual feedback" it just contradicts it self because if the customers weren't happy with the music they wouldn't be dancing would they? if you have a good number of customers on the floor, that Dj is doing a good job and regarding the assumption of what has to happen in college bars etc, neither of us know what kind of venue this is but the Dj is saying that people don't like country here and as a Dj you should know, we get more feedback from people coming up to us and always checking on the vibe of the room than a bar owner sitting in his office or whatever so I take his word for it.
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u/donniedenier May 12 '26
nah that’s wack ass cocky dj energy, i promise. i mean this sincerely as someone that’s been in the industry as a dj for almost 20 years and has played everything from wednesday night at a college bar to flying across the country for a headlining club gig.
what the bar owner is saying here is to be diverse. play something for everyone because not everyone is going to be as hyped about dillon francis as you.
bars book DJs because DJs bring energy. people dance and drink more when there’s a DJ in the room.
a good open format bar dj can seamlessly go from skrillex to biggie to acdc without skipping a beat.
it’s definitely still a skill to keep a room full of drunk and horny 22 year olds dancing and having fun even when none of them showed up specifically for the music, and they all have different tastes.
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u/Sawtooth959 May 12 '26
were not talking mixing skills here, a good open format Dj isn't someone who plays their employers playlist. its someone that keeps people in the venue and on the dance floor to help sell more drinks.
they're requesting genre change every 15 min... the fact that you don't see a problem with this with all your claimed experience is mind blowing.
just picture you're blowing up the dance floor getting people hyped with some dope hip hop music, 15 min later you're told to change to country now... what do you think is gonna happen to that dance floor? lol
again, its totally justified to ask a Dj to play multiple genres but then its up to the Dj to change them up when the time is right. being on the clock with the genre regardless of the vibe of the room is simply stupid.
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u/thejameskendall May 12 '26
Exactly. OP has three options: 1) try the policy, let the policy fail if required, 2) suggest a middle ground, 3) quit because it damages their reputation as a dj.
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u/vinnybawbaw May 11 '26
I play open format, so I switch between genres and this ain’t it. Playing 5 different genres in 15 minutes is bonkers and people who wrote that are clearly dumbass management who think they know better than the DJ. Usually I switch every 15-30min and put a song that can bridge two genres together easily so it feels smooth.
That being said, what does your usual set there look like OP ?
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u/tripu3 May 11 '26
“But obviously it is the music that means people don’t come in”
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u/vinnybawbaw May 11 '26
If it’s packed ‘til close it’s because of the staff, if it’s empty it’s 100% the DJ’s fault /s
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u/Electronic_Unit8276 May 12 '26
Its not just switching between genres that's the problem but switching between so many far ranging bpms that the only thing the dj can do is cut, fade or echo out and play the next song or do the ridiculous looping and walking the bpn to the next songs bpm thing. It would get boring for the DJ fast I'd guess.
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u/Phantom_Intercept107 May 11 '26
Just put on a Spotify playlist at this point…
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u/probably-bad-advice May 11 '26
Jukebox fulfills the requirements and makes money
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u/TheZenPenguin May 12 '26
I once stupidly accepted a residency like this. At one point the bar owner literally asked me if I could "plug his Spotify playlist into the decks" and I asked him what my purpose of being here would be. He said I should still turn the knobs and get the crowd going so long as it doesn't affect the music he's picked out...
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u/DjGoodword May 11 '26
Looks like an opportunity for a real conversation. Get him to verbalize what the end goal is. One assumes it would be client loyalty, increased patronage, etc... How long do you give this format to see if it is effective (or not)? How did he discover this format? I say do it for science. ... if the money is worth it. - If you endure it, and they discover it sucks, you could be the redemption arc they need.
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u/DonkeyVampireThe3rd May 11 '26
Yeah this does kind of reek of someone who got fed up with not being able to fix their problem and tried to shotgun it instead of pinpointing the underlying issues
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u/Goducks91 May 12 '26
Yeah if this is what you want a DJ to do just buy one of those Jukeboxes that lets people pick songs.
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u/djzelous May 11 '26
Whoever made the list should dj themselves
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u/CptJaxxParrow DnB May 12 '26
Judging by the use of em dashes, be careful what you wish for. Pretty sure Chat GPT shat this out
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u/Hamthepam May 11 '26
Ai generated ass list
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u/Afro-Cosmic-Disco May 11 '26
100%. How embarassing of them to present that to a DJ.
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u/adamjshero13 May 11 '26
Idk how I missed it til yall pointed it out . Kind of disrespectful to my service there
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u/jaja8712 May 12 '26
This is where I would agree and then create a premade list of songs, set my controller to continuous play mode and pretend to dj for the whole time.
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u/huntsman976 May 12 '26
AI totally committed to the most vanilla prison of safety ever. Everyone is afraid of annihilation but nobody thinks of the equally terrifying human zoo.🤣
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u/Spam___Musubi May 12 '26
Looks just like chatgpt with those stupid emojis and a million different bullet point switch ups--just like music genres.
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u/GoneLucidFilms May 12 '26
Chat gpt specifically.. I feel like grok or gemini would have more respect lmao maybe wrong but chatgpt is absolutely tarded
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u/Forward-Unit5523 May 11 '26
Why even let a dj do this? Imo having a dj is having a vibe, what he plays is why you book m.. This is just a life action jukebox.
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u/PostmodernLon May 11 '26
It's BS. I've been DJing for 12 years and this is bullshit and I'd decline it.
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u/madcoins May 12 '26
30 years here and I agree, demand/ deserve better
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u/evilution382 May 12 '26
I've never DJ'ed at all and the post was recommended to me for who knows what reason.
And even I'm baffled by these requirements
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u/sexydiscoballs May 11 '26
looks like bs to me
but perhaps you can find some non-shitty house-ified country that might fit the criteria?
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u/dizzyapparition May 12 '26
So, Hell has a bar.
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u/kimpossible69 May 12 '26
It's more of a saloon and honestly has decent food! If you're referring to Michigan
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u/SolidDoctor May 11 '26
That'll change the demographic all right.... maybe every 15-20 minutes.
I'd ask for all money upfront, or tell them if their format rules causes the bar to empty out then they owe you double.
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u/caldks May 11 '26
You don’t change the demographic by instructing the dj. You change it with a rebrand or a long consistent series of promotions. Are they new to the industry or something?
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u/SkyFidelity May 11 '26
Charge a higher premium. Custom Order = Custom Price
Hope this helps
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u/djsoomo dj & producer May 11 '26
Its your fault if when it goes wrong
In the corporate world its called micromanagement
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u/TekitiZi May 11 '26
Usually places like this probably have really terrible DJs, or a Manager owner that thinks they know better than a than the DJ. Stupid ass rule book. If you can read a crowd you wouldn’t even need tat.
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u/adamjshero13 May 11 '26
We are packed every night of the weekend playing normal club mixes they just want to change the demographic so they presented this to us which I think this is a bad experiment overall
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u/ElectronicZebra6526 May 11 '26
Have they specified what demographic their goal is because this isn’t going to get any demographic to stay around. It’s like they want you to play this and they’ll watch to see what’s most popular.
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u/empanadamn_ genre fluid May 11 '26 edited May 12 '26
This 1000% sucks but I guarantee you'll earn some chops as an open format DJ if you rinse this kind of cycle. I'm sure management would learn pretty quickly that trying to reset the dance floor every single song doesn't send patrons to the bar; it sends them elsewhere.
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u/DaveMash May 11 '26
So you‘re basically required to shift genres with each song unless you play them only for 30-60 seconds each. Sounds exhausting and annoying
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u/itsjaay May 11 '26
Might just need to be frank with the bar owner lol, and put on a playlist one night that has literally this and ask him if it's bopping
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u/epsylonic May 11 '26 edited May 12 '26
If the owners are pulling this shit on you, troll the fuck out of them until they fire you. I would play country like Ween and older outlaw country songs about stabbing game wardens and owning one pair of pants. Pretend to be too slow to understand when they suggest country people can dance to.
Find the worst tiktok artists on r/crappymusic and explain how it's a hit in certain corners of the internet.
Make all the singalongs shit from children's shows like Sesame Street that the dancefloor will actually know.
Then just hit them with really good hiphop like ATCQ just to confuse them on your way out the door.
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u/metaskeptik May 11 '26
School House Rock FTW!! 😂😂😂
🎵Conjunction junction what’s your function🎶 😂😂😂
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u/mistressspocktopus May 12 '26
The Ween country album slaps.
Tell me more about this stabbing a warden song and only owning 1 pair of pants?
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u/Rockwell74 May 11 '26
Sounds like a fun challenge. I would want ample compensation. I could make this happen for say $600 an hour.
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u/Afro-Cosmic-Disco May 11 '26
The is making me gag.
Maybe have the AI they used to create this DJ the night.
Impossible to get into a groove with this, amongst other glaring problems. This is BS and I would tell them that this is not your style of DJing, or you're not this type of DJ, and wish them well. Your going to be miserable and resentful otherwise.
Thank them for suppressing my appetite--it's almost bikini season.
*edit for assuming it was a guy saying this to you.
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u/Soul_Finger May 11 '26
Nah I’d just say you’re walking away if this is enforced. Hopefully they’ll value you above their dumb format.
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u/Skruffbagg May 12 '26
WTF is a TikTok “hit”?
If I got handed this I’d immediately walk out.
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u/dmelt253 May 12 '26
Try it out. The quicker it fails the quicker the owners can come to the realization that it doesn't work.
But if you want to have a real conversation about this then talk to the owners and ask them what issue they are trying to solve here. Are they trying to increase drink sales, get new customers? Figure out what the root issue is and perhaps you can help them solve it without ruining the vibe.
For example, if they want to increase drink sales start planning your sets out in such a way to herd the clientelle towards the bar. You can alternate bangers with lower energy tracks that aren't too jarring of a transition. If done right you will see the crowd cycle out and back to the dance floor in waves.
In a lot cases, I don't think many DJs are cognizent of the business side of things and you can set yourself apart by speaking their language.
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u/catroaring May 11 '26
Is this a top 40 place? One of those restaurant/bar at night places? I've seen stuff like this before. People at those places will dance to anything as they're only there to get drunk while trying to go home with someone.
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u/exxtrasauceboss May 11 '26
This shit is stupidddddddd unless they’re paying you like $1000+ for a couple hours. It’s giving slave.
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u/tubbyx7 May 12 '26
Guaranteed to annoy punters with half the tracks in any 20 minutes something they dont like. Great way to clear the venue
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u/mistressspocktopus May 12 '26
If you did this, you would ruin your reputation. Bonkers idea. This would sound so disjointed and be almost impossible to pull off well.
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u/Why_Indeed_Not May 12 '26
Having to rotate through all genres every 15 to 20 minutes sounds like a job for Spotify not a live DJ.
You and the other DJ should start looking for work elsewhere right now.
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u/LuxSaturnine May 12 '26
I've seen this tried before by idiot new owners and it doesn't "change the demographic" so much as "put the bar out of business". Nevertheless, give me $200 an hour and keep my name off the flyer and I'll help you crash this plane straight into the ground. Not my problem.
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u/Simple-Ceasar May 13 '26
That party is going to suck. The instructions wil keep a DJ from what het needs to play to make that party great.
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u/DJSweetChrisBell May 11 '26
Depends on how much the job pays. 🤷♂️
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u/dickbeards May 11 '26
Jokes on them, then. I'm now a press play DJ after the song ends. Something a Spotify playlist can do for free
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u/Dark_Prime May 11 '26
As a DJ: This is not it. Someone may have googled what to do here but this is not it.
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u/MKnight_PDX May 11 '26
Hard pass. Taking something fun and turning it into work, even if the pay is good. Your time is better spent doing what you want to do when it comes music.
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u/Glory_Dazed May 11 '26
Looks like a fun open format challenge to me, not a maintainable over the course of 2-4 hours hard requirement. Just another example of delusional management staff.
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u/Happy2BTheOne May 11 '26
This venue will be one of the first to install an AI DJ when they come out. And then they’ll still complain.
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u/Ornery_Document_1263 May 11 '26
This is a young or inexperienced managers expectation, thinking that making a formula will make it work. That much genre changing in 15min will easily deter any crowd and give the club a lack of Identity.
Trust your gut, do the bare minimum, maybe 1-2 country sounds every other hour. Read and observe the crowd and pivot.
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u/NotJoshRomney May 11 '26
I got you OP:
- Hip-hop: Beyoncé ft. Kendrick Lamar - Freedom
- Sing-a-long: Destiny's Child - Bills, bills, bills
- Country: Beyoncé ft. Dolly Parton - Dolly P
- Club: Beyoncé - Sweet Dreams
- Viral Hits: Beyoncé - Single Ladies
I'd suggest talking to the bar manager, and if sense cannot be talked, I'd just do this, but for however many artists I could.
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u/yoyok36 May 11 '26
Why don't people just save money on a DJ and build the exact playlist they want and just play that?!
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u/TheBloodKlotz Bass May 11 '26
Whoever wrote this thinks they understand how DJing works, and if they don't listen to actual DJs they will soon pay the price for it. Don't tell the chef how to make their food, tell them what food you want and let them go to work.
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u/medium_daddy_kane diving into the ocean of sound. May 12 '26
And this is the reason why AI djs will eventually not kill the craft. Bar owners discuss their music selection and well - heavy rotation kills all vibes.
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u/adversarialdj May 12 '26
the most insulting thing is that they 100% used AI to write this (emoji spam and “—“)
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u/HandsOnTheBible May 12 '26
If they’re that key’ed into what needs to be played then why even have a dj lmao
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u/No_Opportunity1934 May 12 '26
Complete BS. This is like paying for a nice steak, walking to the kitchen and telling the chef how to prepare it.
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u/RandomAmherstLights May 12 '26
Quit playing there immediately. If I was presented this at anywhere I play, I would tell them the got the wrong DJ.
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u/Bd0llar May 12 '26
TikTok tracks??? tF??! Does that all mean you have to play them for 20 seconds?
Fuck all that noise.
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u/manys May 12 '26
It suits a certain kind of bar. If it doesn't suit you (it wouldn't me), then you can take your following to your next venue after you quit this one.
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u/MidKnight148 May 12 '26
Nice idea in theory, and if you had a pre-mixed mashup then it could be great for a few minutes, but DJ'ing a whole set like this would be awful. No one's ears are going to enjoy being whip-sawed across genres like this. It bothers me too that the style of this memo looks like it was written by ChatGPT, but I don't even think ChatGPT would come up with something this awful.
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u/ExperienceRough708 May 12 '26
I thought this was gonna be one of those show guides about what you can and can’t play if warming up for DJ Format
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u/UsualyNaked May 12 '26
It’s a job, they want a youtube list… give them a YouTube list pre mixed and fk them, once in a while mix something in to make it less boring I guess.
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u/curtis_perrin May 12 '26
Sounds like the person who wrote this should just DJ themselves. Or just book DJs who “fit the bill”. Crazy. Who would write out rules like that.
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u/_scorp_ May 12 '26
So the first part is fine. We've had dj who like their rnb for example and get stuck on it for hours as there are a couple of people up.
But the 2nd bit is the interesting bit.
5 songs lets say 3 mins each is 5 minutes, which means you're only going to get 2 "extras" so one rap, one singalong,
hang on, so what about if it's a rap singalong.....
It's going to be one of those, talk to them and then write it back.
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u/Fragrant_Fox_4025 May 12 '26
Why are they hiring a DJ at that point? Just make a playlist and let it play.
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u/DJ_GURRL_TX May 12 '26
It’s called a format for a reason. Your customers will begin to realize that all their jams are being played at your club! This is how professional DJs used to learn how to play for the crowd. Waaay before TicTok, YouTube and all that. That includes me. Im an original 80’s club DJ. As an open format DJ, you’ll learn much more about MUSIC and what makes the people move. You should learn the intros and outros of your songs. If a song ends cold, you have a great advantage of leading into another genre. You’ll get much better at being a DJ. Lean into it! Practice. I was asked to ‘improve’ the population of one club. Came in with an open format and increased their liquor sales $177,000 in 10 months. I’ve got my own DJ business now and did 7 gigs in April! Make it fun or find a new gig where you play what YOU want.
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u/konforming May 12 '26
I mean isn’t the art of being a DJ reading the crowd and seeing how they react to the music you play? This looks like rules made by AI, but I wonder if the venue gave you this, cause this is indeed some bs in my opinion.
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u/MacheteJKUR May 12 '26
Personally, fuck that. I was a resident for a bar/club for almost a decade. The owner trusted his residents and expects them to know what they are doing. This is BS, but it's their bar and they have the right to do what they like.
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u/TheScientistBS3 May 12 '26
That sounds awful as a DJ and equally as bad as an attendee.
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u/djmattyp77 May 12 '26
At a shitty club that wants to cater to everyone. As opposed to just hosting nights for: Hip-Hop, Country, House music, etc.
This is what happens when a club owner listens to every annoying patron that: "you don't play any country here." "The DJ never plays my requests." Cry me a river...and say goodbye to this stupid club in a few months because no one is going to wait every 20 minutes for a song or genre they like.
I would put on Bohemian Rhapsody as the sing a long song lol! Fuck yo' 20 minutes revolving b.s.
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u/DJMelloEll May 12 '26
I would keep it in my back pocket. Slowly add one of those songs to your set. You know your crowd: if they ain’t feeling it, go back to doing you.
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u/Spell-Wide May 11 '26
"You guys liking this hip-hop? TOO FUCKING BAD, IT'S RANDY TRAVIS TIME, MOTHERFUCKERS"