Who do we most want to please?

[Excalibur]

If I can remember how to do it, there'll be a poll along shortly.
Right, who is more important, the client( s) or the punters? Do we play six hours of " The Pan Pipe Orchestra plays Motörhead's greatest hits", or do we sling on the full cheeseboard and pack the dancefloor to overflowing despite the death glares from the man/woman/couple with your cash in their pocket?
Or heaven forfend, do you simply play what you fancy listening to that night? Fire away Lads and Lasses. It's not mutiple choice, and it's not public.

[Shaun]

A mixture of all the above, with a heavy lean to towards the paying client.

[Benny Smyth]

Client.

Beforehand, offer your knowledge and experience but when push comes to shove, they are the ones that are paying. If they stick to their guns after talking to you, then that's their call.

I did a wedding a few months ago for a chap who wanted unsigned music all night long. I offered what I have experienced and suggested how we can incorporate unsigned stuff, but that's what he wanted, so that's what he got.

[Excalibur]

A mixture of all the above,

Which part of " it's not multiple choice" confused you Shaun?

OK, since my Scottish friend has given a reasoned and reasonable answer which doesn't address the question as posted, may I point out the word "MOST" in the title of the questions.

Do you remember that " he who pays the piper calls the tune", or do you decide that one cheesed off client pales into insignificance compared to three hundred folk who have blisters from non stop dancing for six hours?

Goodbye Victor Kyam, hello Blondin.

[Shaun]

Which part of " it's not multiple choice" confused you Shaun?

OK, since my Scottish friend has given a reasoned and reasonable answer which doesn't address the question as posted, may I point out the word "MOST" in the title of the questions.
.

The client is the most important for me, which I what I voted for.

[funkymook]

As many people as possible.

This is where managing clients expectations is vital - ideally you want to have all the must play/must not play talk long before the night itself. I've found you sometimes have to tactfully introduce the idea of a more varied playlist and then withdraw and let it sink in.

[Shaun]

ideally you want to have all the must play/must not play talk long before the night itself. I've found you sometimes have to tactfully introduce the idea of a more varied playlist and then withdraw and let it sink in.

Indeed.



That said, even by tactfully withdrawing, some clients still want it 100% their way when it comes to the music. Whilst my main concern is the client receiving the service they want, I also want to please as many people as possible on the evening. It's the reason why I limit the amount of 'must plays' prior the the evening. There has been instances many moons ago where the client were very dismissive about their guests and instructed me to work from their strict playlist and ignore what the guests want on the evening. Which ended in a less succesful night. Introducing a must play limit lets them have a say on the musical structure without it being too limiting. If they still want a DJ to play from a strict playlist, then I'm not really the DJ for them.

[DJColsie]

You would like to think that if you pleased all the second group you would please the first anyway!

[Jim - Scotland's Party DJ]

I would argue that by gearing your music towards the guests you're not only catering for them but also the client as 99 out of 100 will accept that a night of maybe what they didn't quite want to hear was still a success.

i don't entertain the other 1% who have the "play what I want and nothing but" attitude. I'm not a superstar DJ but you're not hanging over the driver telling him how to make a 3 point turn or advising the cake maker on how many eggs to put in the bowl so you either leave me and my experience to it or you find someone else.

[funkymook]

I would argue that by gearing your music towards the guests you're not only catering for them but also the client as 99 out of 100 will accept that a night of maybe what they didn't quite want to hear was still a success.

i don't entertain the other 1% who have the "play what I want and nothing but" attitude. I'm not a superstar DJ but you're not hanging over the driver telling him how to make a 3 point turn or advising the cake maker on how many eggs to put in the bowl so you either leave me and my experience to it or you find someone else.

Do you have meetings (or some communication) and discuss the music with your clients beforehand?