Why do DJ's get paid soooo much?... and are they worth it?

[DJam]

So are they worth it? My answer most of the time is NO.

 

I can see a DJ getting paid $300-$500 for a 2-4 hour set. I can even see a big name getting $1000, but when I hear of DJs getting tens of thousands of dollars to just come in and play...it annoys me...especially when that DJ cannot mix to save his/her life...although he/she has some hot selling CD or made the cover of Mixmag.

 

The big names nowadays are what they have become...celebrities, and people run out to see them not really because that DJ can throw a wicked set, but just to say "I saw so and so" or worse off, because they are afraid of new things, and will safely run to the names they recognize.

 

Here in Chicago, I am noticing that even the "big names" are becoming more of a rotation rather than a "showcasing the best talent". Genrally, there are about 10-15 names that are here literally every 3 months, while 12 others are brought in over the year to break up the monotony. Do I go to these shows? No. I don't bother going to most of them. I will not shell out $20 at the front door for DJs who do not show me a good set and mad skills. I have seen guys that promoters have paid $10,000 to get drunk and completely trainwreck all night. That's not getting your money's worth in my book.

 

So why doesn't anyone say anything? Most of the time it's because the musically-minded people are either not really musically-minded, but more sheep who flock. Other than that, a lot of the rest of them don't want to say anything bad that could make the promoter end their night and thus no more big names. It's rather sad.

 

So I usually spend my weekends at smaller places where I see unknown locals play their hearts out for little or nothing at all. I still get a better night out of seeing DJ No-Name play a kickin house set rather than fall asleep to DJ Big-Name's dark set that he could have phoned in, or worse off, DJ Big-Ego who tosses on a mix CD and points to the crowd all night like some kind of god.

 

I agree with the point made earlier that the superclubs will never die. I don't think it will ever die either as long as people will flock like sheep to them. What has to die though, at least in Chicago, is the oversaturation. We need to see a lot of these fly-by-night cheese DJs get fed up and quit. We need to see some of these whack dime-a-dozen venues go out of business, and we need to see the Superclubs and their promoters dwindle from several to one. That's how the scene will strengthen itself in my book. When the true clubbers, DJs, and promoters come out and the weekend warriors all give it up and go back to their boring suburban lives.

 

Just my $0.02

 

 

 

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