wildcountryclub
this is the actual link: http://www.discjockey101.com/jan2004.html
and this is the text:
Leave the DJ Alone
by Rob Wegner
January 2004During the 80's, I worked at a popular Phoenix nightclub called Zazoo. During its first two years, the club enjoyed an international reputation (i.e., a sister club was opened in London) that even lured Madonna to its Phoenix dance floor. However, like many nightclubs, the numbers started to decline over time and the owners were starting to ask questions.To determine the cause of the club's decline, the owners hired a well-known nightclub consultant. In addition to his consulting fee (which ran into the thousands), the owners paid for the consultant's hotel and transportation.The consultant spent one week analyzing every segment of the club and its employees. He spent a considerable amount of time in the DJ booth; often looking over our shoulders and taking notes. As far as the DJs' performance, he never indicated an opinion. In fact, we were rather concerned that he was going to criticize the DJ's in his final report.After the week passed, it was time to hear the consultant's report. The owners, managers, DJ's, and department heads (such as head bartender, head bouncer, etc.) attended the meeting. After discussing other departments, it was time to hear the consultant's opinion of the DJ's. It went a little like this:
"You have great DJ's and they do a good job. The problem - as far as they're concerned - is that your managers come into the booth and talk down to them. It puts them in a bad mood and it's reflected in their performance. If the DJ's are not into it, then your dance floor is not going to be into it. Tell your managers to save their remarks [to the DJ's] for after the club closes."
In other words, the club's owners paid thousands of dollars to be told (among other things) "leave the DJ alone."
DJ TemperamentOn the flip side, there are temperamental DJ's that might misinterpret the consultant's opinion. In clubs, our job revolves around pleasing patrons/dancers, managers, and owners (and in some cases other employees). If there's anything to be learned from this month's tip, it's the knowledge that our state of mind is reflected on the dance floor. Do not allow petty criticism to disrupt your mood and/or performance.(It should be noted that sales improved after the consultant's recommendations were implemented).
It's been a bad month people. attendance is down, money is down, the party atmosphere is disappearing, my other DJ/MC is probably quitting, and he still won't listen. and yeah, he HAS seen and read that article before.
and this is the text:
Leave the DJ Alone
by Rob Wegner
January 2004During the 80's, I worked at a popular Phoenix nightclub called Zazoo. During its first two years, the club enjoyed an international reputation (i.e., a sister club was opened in London) that even lured Madonna to its Phoenix dance floor. However, like many nightclubs, the numbers started to decline over time and the owners were starting to ask questions.To determine the cause of the club's decline, the owners hired a well-known nightclub consultant. In addition to his consulting fee (which ran into the thousands), the owners paid for the consultant's hotel and transportation.The consultant spent one week analyzing every segment of the club and its employees. He spent a considerable amount of time in the DJ booth; often looking over our shoulders and taking notes. As far as the DJs' performance, he never indicated an opinion. In fact, we were rather concerned that he was going to criticize the DJ's in his final report.After the week passed, it was time to hear the consultant's report. The owners, managers, DJ's, and department heads (such as head bartender, head bouncer, etc.) attended the meeting. After discussing other departments, it was time to hear the consultant's opinion of the DJ's. It went a little like this:
"You have great DJ's and they do a good job. The problem - as far as they're concerned - is that your managers come into the booth and talk down to them. It puts them in a bad mood and it's reflected in their performance. If the DJ's are not into it, then your dance floor is not going to be into it. Tell your managers to save their remarks [to the DJ's] for after the club closes."
In other words, the club's owners paid thousands of dollars to be told (among other things) "leave the DJ alone."
DJ TemperamentOn the flip side, there are temperamental DJ's that might misinterpret the consultant's opinion. In clubs, our job revolves around pleasing patrons/dancers, managers, and owners (and in some cases other employees). If there's anything to be learned from this month's tip, it's the knowledge that our state of mind is reflected on the dance floor. Do not allow petty criticism to disrupt your mood and/or performance.(It should be noted that sales improved after the consultant's recommendations were implemented).
It's been a bad month people. attendance is down, money is down, the party atmosphere is disappearing, my other DJ/MC is probably quitting, and he still won't listen. and yeah, he HAS seen and read that article before.
Posted Sat 08 Mar 08 @ 3:39 am
blazemonger
Back when I was resident DJ at a club here in Amsterdam the owners wife would often come into the booth to try and get me to play soandso or go into a certain direction music wise. After a few times I simply handed here the headphones and walked away saying something like 'you seem to have a good idea of what people want so do it yourself'.
Needles to say after about 20 minutes the dancefloor was empty and people stopped drinking and started to leave. She never bothered me again. I actually got a raise from the owner who was very happy his wife finally kinda understood why he did nit want here around on a saturday night..;).
Needles to say after about 20 minutes the dancefloor was empty and people stopped drinking and started to leave. She never bothered me again. I actually got a raise from the owner who was very happy his wife finally kinda understood why he did nit want here around on a saturday night..;).
Posted Sat 08 Mar 08 @ 4:57 am
Tear Em 'Up
It was the early 90s and the club I worked at was called Cedric's in Harvey IL. The owners decided it was time to roll our customer base over. We had two large groups of people who would come in, active, young, attractive, dancers who would spend very little of their money. And old affluent people watchers, who would spend a great amount of money on the young dancers and each other. I was told from now on play nothing but rock and roll. We want to keep the older customers and loose the young dancers. One week into this experiment we had neither group of customers. I was told not to look un-happy in the DJ booth and see it that helped, it didn't. Three weeks later I was told to just do my thing. We had both crowds back in under three days. If it aint broke, don't fix it.
Posted Sat 08 Mar 08 @ 10:01 am
dj-e-lectric
WOW what a small world I actually worked at Zazoo's during the 80's & early 90's including the backroom they had that played 50's & 60's called the "Kool Kafe"......I can tell you first hand what caused the demise of that club and it was NOT the owners talking down to the Djs, while the mood of the club did change for awhile the main problem was they put a very nice club in a socialogically and economically declining area and tried to attract the affluent Biltmore and Scottsdale crowds (the owners had previously had a club in Scottsdale) which they were able to do initially on reputation, heavy advertising and it's "newnest".
That lasted only a year or so and then the bad neighborhood and the fact the entertainment scenes was quickly moving away from the Camelback Corridor (which they were just west of) into Scottsdale caught up with them. To "save" the club and generate revenue the club began to cater to a low income, west and south phoenix minority clientele (at the same time phoenix went through a terrible gang proble period from about 1988 through 1996) and at the time the Racist Phoenix Police were "targeting" that type of club and harrassing customers as they left with excessive dui stops, jay walking tickets, parking violations and the like. Add to that the 8 police officers the city made them hire for security due to continual violence and thrust me NO amount of positive influence on the Djs was going to solve the problem.
Zazoo had some GREAT DJ's during this period including myself, AL III, Tony Bear and Ashley Mider to name a few but the outside influences just became too much to overcome and I don't think the consultant realized all that (especially since he was only there for a week!).
Sometimes the consultants don't really want to tell the owners the truth, or they don't spend enough time eveluating the situation to find out the truth.
That lasted only a year or so and then the bad neighborhood and the fact the entertainment scenes was quickly moving away from the Camelback Corridor (which they were just west of) into Scottsdale caught up with them. To "save" the club and generate revenue the club began to cater to a low income, west and south phoenix minority clientele (at the same time phoenix went through a terrible gang proble period from about 1988 through 1996) and at the time the Racist Phoenix Police were "targeting" that type of club and harrassing customers as they left with excessive dui stops, jay walking tickets, parking violations and the like. Add to that the 8 police officers the city made them hire for security due to continual violence and thrust me NO amount of positive influence on the Djs was going to solve the problem.
Zazoo had some GREAT DJ's during this period including myself, AL III, Tony Bear and Ashley Mider to name a few but the outside influences just became too much to overcome and I don't think the consultant realized all that (especially since he was only there for a week!).
Sometimes the consultants don't really want to tell the owners the truth, or they don't spend enough time eveluating the situation to find out the truth.
Posted Sat 08 Mar 08 @ 9:40 pm