Are you taking the .........

[Penfold42]

Is it me or am I being a tad sensitive. :o

Some people say 'I hear you do Dj'ing as a side line?' and then seem to mock you in a way that is taking the :Censored: ....and you know it's taking the :Censored: but they do it in a nicey smiley way that a retaliation of words means they win....sort of way.

I can take a dig and give it back....but sometimes.....i just wanna say ':Censored: off' :) :D

Is this a reflection of what we do?
DJ'ing ......yeah, yeah....

[rob1963]

Is it me or am I being a tad sensitive. :o

Some people say 'I hear you do Dj'ing as a side line?' and then seem to mock you in a way that is taking the :Censored: ....and you know it's taking the :Censored: but they do it in a nicey smiley way that a retaliation of words means they win....sort of way.

I can take a dig and give it back....but sometimes.....i just wanna say ':Censored: off' :) :D

Is this a reflection of what we do?
DJ'ing ......yeah, yeah....

The reason people act like this is because they have a low opinion of DJs.

:(

[Penfold42]

The reason people act like this is because they have a low opinion of DJs.

:(

I know what you mean.
I don't want to sound my own trumpet but the last three months i've earnt from 4 days (Saturday's) in the month, what I would take home in a month sat behind a desk and yet still DJ's are slated because 'We just play music.'

Sucks.

[Corabar Entertainment]

...plus, when was the last time you were anywhere with 'new' people where there wasn't at least one person who says "Oh I used to be a DJ".

It's one of those things that everybody thinks they can do, and many try it for 5 minutes, but very few keep at it and make a success of it.

[DeckstarDeluxe]

Next time say your a traffic warden...........................

THen it wont seem so bad :P

[Penfold42]

Next time say your a traffic warden...........................

THen it wont seem so bad :P

:lol:

These are so called friends at work....:eek:

It's one of those things that everybody thinks they can do, and many try it for 5 minutes, but very few keep at it and make a success of it.

...and yes you are right....but it does make my blood boil. :)

[rob1963]

...plus, when was the last time you were anywhere with 'new' people where there wasn't at least one person who says "Oh I used to be a DJ".

It's one of those things that everybody thinks they can do, and many try it for 5 minutes, but very few keep at it and make a success of it.

Very true, Angela.

[NKR]

Jealousy manifests itself in many ways, but the most popular way is mocking people. You do get people mocking you, but as they say its a dish better served cold, so leave the war of words till later. I have found many subtle ways of getting the dig back in especially now everyone is moaning about how skint they are - shame they haven't got some silly Ray Von side line to help out.

I paid the deposit on my first house and bought most of our first furniture from DJ money. It pays for our familly holidays each year, etc, etc.

The fact is everyone would like to be a DJ, the truth is only a limited number of people can do it properly, so in true UK fashion people mock you.

The really great one I have had is someone who was on the fringe of some friends took the P loads over the years and then saw us in action at another friends do. His fiancee was 'thats who we are having for our wedding' - Afraid you will be wrong there!!!!!! COLD DISH!

[Dynamic Entertainment]

The worst one is what i got a couple of weeks ago when i went out round cockermouth for a few beers.

Bumped into someone who used to visit a venue i done every night.

First thing out of their mouth:



You USED to be a DJ


Used to...bloody used to.... cheeky cow.

It hacks me off that DJs have a lowly status...but the industry is its own killer.

Theres one local pub/club dj who i know of that was apparantly great. I heard him for the first time a month ago and he's terrible. He cant beat-mix...but tries...and it just makes it worse. he cant he heard clearly on a microphone either so doesnt use one too often...and this guys getting work because hes the best of a bad bunch :bang:

[Corabar Steve]

I've never really felt any put down from comments about being a DJ.

Other than one time when somebody really did try & have a go to which my reply was something along the lines of "This is my full time job, I only work 2 or 3 days a week & I play music for a living that I can afford to live off, & you're telling me I should get a proper job???"

Oddly enough he didn't have an answer to that.

[rob1963]

my reply was something along the lines of "This is my full time job, I only work 2 or 3 days a week & I play music for a living that I can afford to live off

Funnily enough, that's very similar to my reply when asked if I regret giving up the day job.

:D

[Javlingames]

If someone slates you for being a dj come back with something like 'I must admit being a dj i only earn £750 a week, i really need to get a 9 to 5 like you and earn £300 a week'.

[rob1963]

If someone slates you for being a dj come back with something like 'I must admit being a dj i only earn £750 a week, i really need to get a 9 to 5 like you and earn £300 a week'.

Indeed.

When asked about this, I often tell people than I work 75% less hours than I did in the day job...but earn over 50% more money.

I think that helps them to understand why I do what I do & why I'm so happy!

:D

[Jonny Boy]

What annoys me the most is that SOME people think you're stupid because you don't conform to a usual career path.
Some :Censored: in my office once told me "a monkey could DJ" as it was just pressing buttons. So I said something along the lines of

"Well that may be in your opinion, but this monkey has to work one night for what your office job pays for 14 days. Who's banana is bigger, Einstein?"

People also forget that YES it CAN just be pushing buttons, but good DJs are also entertainers, MC, master or ceremonies, and running our own businesses we are also bookkeepers, sales dept, marketing department, design department, IT department, PR, purchase deptartment, consultants and executives, all rolled into one.

Personally I feel proud to be earning money for something I (most of the time) love doing. Personally I feel proud that I have the power to decide how much I work or not. Now I have started to say "no" to gigs I don't want to do, I feel very empowered. I can't say no to delegated work in the office!

(And one day, I might be able to give up the desk-monkey job for good!)

OOOGA- BOOGA!!

[Shakermaker Promotions]

I don't think the majority of the general public realise that we are skilled professionals, just like a plumber, electrician, mechanic etc etc... If you want your car fixed you go to a mechanic, if you want a DJ then you go to a DJ...simple as that. The problem is, everyone THINKS that they can do the job. I had one person say to me a while back that he didn't think it would be possible to make a living out of DJing as he had tried it many moons ago. He was wrong.

I have a couple of 'friends' who find it funny to take the mick all of the time. They mean it in jest but at the end of the day...why say it? One of them introduced me to his new girlfriend the other week and said "This is Gary, he presses buttons for a living..." I laughed and said "It's a bit more than that actually but it's good money". He works from 7.00am - 4.00pm everyday in a warehouse doing manual work and hates it but he says the money is good. I always say to him that it would take me 5 hours to earn what he earns.

Now, before anyone else says it - Yes, I know our comeback is "But I work 2 days a week..."etc etc but that isn't strictly true is it if you are a full timer because you are doing stuff like Admin, taking enquiries etc during the week. Ok, it's not hard work but it's still work and I would'nt change it for anything.

There's also the 'other DJ's' who think that us mobile DJ's are just cheesy. Generally, round here it's the guys who stick to one genre of music and do club work or promote their own nights. A good story is this - There's a DJ round my way who runs his own Techno night. He promotes it at the same place where I do my Alternative Nights. He has 4 or 5 DJ's on his nights sometimes doing an hour set each. They are mostly bedroom DJ's (that's not an assumption, I know it's true as I know them), and all of them work daytime jobs too. At my last night at the venue a couple of weeks back, one of the DJ's was at the venue when I was setting up and came over for a chat. He said he would love to do it full time as he hated his job and loved music. I told him how I got started and the range of functions that I do and he seemed very interested but then spoilt it all by saying that there was no way that he could play some of the stuff that we all play because (a) He hated it and (b) He would get the mickey taken out of him by his mates etc..

I laughed and said "Do you really think that I like playing half the stuff I play at weddings & birthdays etc?"...I said that at the end of the day you have a choice. You can go into a job you hate everyday just to pay the bills etc and live your life like that or you can go for it, start your own business up and do something you love which is music. Work every day if you like and earn a decent wage or work weekends, have the day time to yourself and earn just as much, if not more. He wouldn't have it and I thought "Fool". I doubt it very much if he wouldn't take the chance because his mates would take the mickey, it would probably be because he hasn't got the skills to play a whole range of music to a whole bunch of people of all ages who he's never met before, week in, week out and on his own. That's where WE, us lot should not take the flak that we sometimes get because at the end of the day, we could do what they do but they can't do what we can do!!!

Phew!

[DazzyD]

I've been thinking about this while reading the thread and I can't remember a time when anyone took the mickey for me being a DJ. Perhaps, when I first started out working for others, my dad wasn't too chuffed. But one day he say me working, said to my brother "He's good, isn't he?" and then offered to fund the business start-up! He's now my business partner!

[BeerFunk]

It's interesting that a few have posted on this thread saying that as a DJ you can earn £XXX for working one night... conveniently forgetting the other efforts that have to go in on the other days to make that possible. Something which is often highlighted to 'justify' prices on other threads.

[Shakermaker Promotions]

Didn't I mention it in my reply?

[Jonathan Ford]

This thread really made me think - and I noticed that when I introduce myself to new people (not clients), I almost apologise for being a DJ. Something along the lines of "I know it's really cheesy, but I've got a mobile disco". How odd....I wonder if subconciously I'm trying to get my retalliation in first?

[BeerFunk]

Didn't I mention it in my reply?You did Gary - sorry, I should have mentioned it. I was talking in terms of the thread in general :)

[rob1963]

This thread really made me think - and I noticed that when I introduce myself to new people (not clients), I almost apologise for being a DJ. Something along the lines of "I know it's really cheesy, but I've got a mobile disco". How odd....I wonder if subconciously I'm trying to get my retalliation in first?

How strange!

I feel much more proud telling people I run mobile discos & quiz nights than I did telling people I worked in a bank!

[Danno13]

It's interesting that a few have posted on this thread saying that as a DJ you can earn £XXX for working one night... conveniently forgetting the other efforts that have to go in on the other days to make that possible. Something which is often highlighted to 'justify' prices on other threads.

Glad someone else picked up on this, I've been thinking the same, as well as the fact that just because you take £XXX amount for a gig, it doesn't mean it's all profit! On busy weekends this summer it's added up to working over 50 hours, when all the prep, travelling etc. is included, and thats not including what I call "casual" office time when it's just waiting for calls/emails and browsing the forums :D

[rob1963]

Glad someone else picked up on this, I've been thinking the same, as well as the fact that just because you take £XXX amount for a gig, it doesn't mean it's all profit! On busy weekends this summer it's added up to working over 50 hours, when all the prep, travelling etc. is included, and thats not including what I call "casual" office time when it's just waiting for calls/emails and browsing the forums :D

(Oh, and I'm now an "events organiser" according to my car insurance :D)

While this is true, there are also expenses involved when you have other jobs, the main one being travelling costs.

Apart from that, I probably have a better profit margin than many, partly because I probably spend less time in total on the average disco than the majority of people and partly because a large part of my income comes from pub quiz nights, which have virtually no expenses and involve no preperation at all.

[NKR]

There must be some prep Rob. You can't just make the questions up on the night.

Question number 11 - what colour are the bar maids pants?

[Corabar Steve]

It's interesting that a few have posted on this thread saying that as a DJ you can earn £XXX for working one night... conveniently forgetting the other efforts that have to go in on the other days to make that possible. Something which is often highlighted to 'justify' prices on other threads.
Being as I was the first to go down that road on this thread, I feel emphasis should be shown on certain points

"This is my full time job, I only work 2 or 3 days a week & I play music for a living that I can afford to live off, & you're telling me I should get a proper job???"

In total it really doesn't add up to much more than that, 4 days at a push in total & I never said there weren't expenses, I said I could afford to live off DJing. As in I can live off what I earn, ie my wages. Not gross, not net, but what I actually earn.

[Happy Jack]

I don't think the majority of the general public realise that we are skilled professionals, just like a plumber, electrician, mechanic etc etc...

Sorry, I would have to disagree with this statement. This is not directed at anyone in particular.

There is, as far as I'm aware, no 'course' of any real merit, nor any formal training or benchmark that one has to have hit before they can be allowed into the real world and charge a fee. The first obstacle being PLI, PAT and Produb (if neccessary). I believe there should be stricter guidelines, a single governing board or agency responsible for the enforcement of these things, making verification mandatory, not optional. It would effectively act as a deterrent to those who wish to dabble (the Soundlabs can stay in the front room for now), while simultaneously widen the market with fewer wannabes on the circut, keep prices - and standards - up, and increase turnover for those full-timers who need and deserve a bigger slice of the pie. I'm sure at the end of each financial year, having seen profits inevitably rise, you wouldn't mind a small percentage of that to go back into the system to fund this sort of policing? Maybe such a body exists?

Regarding a DJ as a 'skilled professional', I wouldn't flatter yourself...An electrician must obtain his 17th Edition, practice the IEE Wiring Regs to BS 7671 and prove that he or she does so, for example. You sign off sloppy work, it could injure or kill someone. A good sparkie justifies his hourly rate and call out fee in this regard. A bad DJ can go for many years pulling work away from others, having decided one night, on a whim, that he thinks he can do it better. Even worse, he can project the illusion that he, infact, does know what he's talking about - the very worst kind. The standard has improved generally, but I can certainly see why many think it's easy pickings; that every poor showing is another invitation to Joe Average, transformed overnight, or as soon as his been to Maplins. Another charlatan in the midst, then, fueling this negative image. Again, this is not directed at anyone in particular.

I've lost count the number of times I've spoken to a fellow DJ with his own rig, unaware of the differences between an unbalanced and balanced interconnect. The same group who are unable to isolate a ground loop or talk intelligently about the why it exists and how to prevent it. The same group who cannot understand why they keep blowing drivers, or why their amp keeps on going into protect, some real school boy physics here...and there are many who do not know the 'correct' way to coil a cable. Surely there should be an exam for that, before you think about buying a new DOTLED1000! This isn't 'Blue Room' stuff, and doesn't even begin to scratch the surface on what a 'technician' should be capable and competent in doing.

Yet, these same people can fling a few parcans around a room, set them to sound to light and charge £200 for the privilege. Please explain to me how that is just when you say you have your clients interests at heart. Maybe I'm just jealous I'm not cashing in on a trend that looks set to stay. Maybe with the current climate there is more success in breaking up a package and having these add-ons. Easy money? Laughing all the way to the bank? I should think so!

Real fundamental stuff should be respected, to continue to widen the gulf between those 60 quid Sid's and those who really understand their craft and care to deliver the very best experience possible. The balance between technician, jukebox and sales rep - for some - is one that can never be struck. Jack of all trades, master of none if you like. And no you don't have to spend thousands on equipment, an argument that doesn't really stand up if you, like me, are young and poor. If the money is there...well, your equipment represents a sizeable chunk of your business, especially if you dry hire. Those DOTLED1000's are beginning to look like a sound investment, moving with the times and all that.

The point - if I've remembered to make one - is that if you are happy with what you do, then you should be proud. Perhaps you could contribute to changing this 'image'. Maybe you are doing that already. If you shy away, have that strange feeling of self-doubt and embarrassment creep up on you from time to time, perhaps you should start looking inwards. Get your head down, maybe, and study. Read the forums. Get out. Meet the customer. Work on your craft. Pick up some books. Raise the bar. Or maybe you should stop worrying about what others think of you!

Oh, and this 'I make x much more than you in a day than you do in a week' business. The image that paints in my mind is a picture of a massive :Censored:

:beer1:

[wensleydale]

Does it really matter how much you make or someone else makes?
Everyone has a choice and its up to them what they do with it?

Some people will earn more , some less.

[DJ Jules]

I feel much more proud telling people I run mobile discos & quiz nights than I did telling people I worked in a bank!

Yeah, I wouldn't tell too many people you worked in a Bank at the moment (especially if you were a stockbroker!)

Julian

[NKR]

keep prices - and standards - up, and increase turnover for those full-timers who need and deserve a bigger slice of the pie.



I find that quite offensive as a part timer. I work bloody hard giving customers what they want and had a full dance floor all night again last night. My rig is safe and I have spent and still spend a lot of time with a sound engineer understanding how my rig works and how to wire it correctly and safely. (My OHM RW3's have been playing out for 7 years now and have not blown a single driver and I have never put an amp into safe mode - Why they are powered by a sufficient Crown Amp that delivers the correct power at the correct level - OHM's law anyone).

We provide consultations prior to each event and even provide experience of how timings can work best, etc. On the night we take over the organising role and liaise with kitchen staff, etc to ensure everything is running like clock work. We provide a bloody good service for the fee.

As for professionally qualified I have a Royal Charter to operate in my day job and I have to manage the so called professional trades you talk about. And believe me they need managing!!!!!

Why am I not full time, because I find my day job thrilling and its well paid. Very well paid.

So stick your tar back in its tin and stop flinging it at all of us. :soapbox:

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Sorry, I would have to disagree with this statement. This is not directed at anyone in particular.

There is, as far as I'm aware, no 'course' of any real merit, nor any formal training or benchmark that one has to have hit before they can be allowed into the real world and charge a fee. The first obstacle being PLI, PAT and Produb (if neccessary). I believe there should be stricter guidelines, a single governing board or agency responsible for the enforcement of these things, making verification mandatory, not optional. It would effectively act as a deterrent to those who wish to dabble (the Soundlabs can stay in the front room for now), while simultaneously widen the market with fewer wannabes on the circut, keep prices - and standards - up, and increase turnover for those full-timers who need and deserve a bigger slice of the pie. I'm sure at the end of each financial year, having seen profits inevitably rise, you wouldn't mind a small percentage of that to go back into the system to fund this sort of policing? Maybe such a body exists?

Regarding a DJ as a 'skilled professional', I wouldn't flatter yourself...An electrician must obtain his 17th Edition, practice the IEE Wiring Regs to BS 7671 and prove that he or she does so, for example. You sign off sloppy work, it could injure or kill someone. A good sparkie justifies his hourly rate and call out fee in this regard. A bad DJ can go for many years pulling work away from others, having decided one night, on a whim, that he thinks he can do it better. Even worse, he can project the illusion that he, infact, does know what he's talking about - the very worst kind. The standard has improved generally, but I can certainly see why many think it's easy pickings; that every poor showing is another invitation to Joe Average, transformed overnight, or as soon as his been to Maplins. Another charlatan in the midst, then, fueling this negative image. Again, this is not directed at anyone in particular.

I've lost count the number of times I've spoken to a fellow DJ with his own rig, unaware of the differences between an unbalanced and balanced interconnect. The same group who are unable to isolate a ground loop or talk intelligently about the why it exists and how to prevent it. The same group who cannot understand why they keep blowing drivers, or why their amp keeps on going into protect, some real school boy physics here...and there are many who do not know the 'correct' way to coil a cable. Surely there should be an exam for that, before you think about buying a new DOTLED1000! This isn't 'Blue Room' stuff, and doesn't even begin to scratch the surface on what a 'technician' should be capable and competent in doing.

Yet, these same people can fling a few parcans around a room, set them to sound to light and charge £200 for the privilege. Please explain to me how that is just when you say you have your clients interests at heart. Maybe I'm just jealous I'm not cashing in on a trend that looks set to stay. Maybe with the current climate there is more success in breaking up a package and having these add-ons. Easy money? Laughing all the way to the bank? I should think so!

Real fundamental stuff should be respected, to continue to widen the gulf between those 60 quid Sid's and those who really understand their craft and care to deliver the very best experience possible. The balance between technician, jukebox and sales rep - for some - is one that can never be struck. Jack of all trades, master of none if you like. And no you don't have to spend thousands on equipment, an argument that doesn't really stand up if you, like me, are young and poor. If the money is there...well, your equipment represents a sizeable chunk of your business, especially if you dry hire. Those DOTLED1000's are beginning to look like a sound investment, moving with the times and all that.

The point - if I've remembered to make one - is that if you are happy with what you do, then you should be proud. Perhaps you could contribute to changing this 'image'. Maybe you are doing that already. If you shy away, have that strange feeling of self-doubt and embarrassment creep up on you from time to time, perhaps you should start looking inwards. Get your head down, maybe, and study. Read the forums. Get out. Meet the customer. Work on your craft. Pick up some books. Raise the bar. Or maybe you should stop worrying about what others think of you!

Oh, and this 'I make x much more than you in a day than you do in a week' business. The image that paints in my mind is a picture of a massive :Censored:

:beer1:

I think you are a very rude and patronising individual and you are on the wrong forum.

[rob1963]

There must be some prep Rob. You can't just make the questions up on the night.

Therer is some prep, but not for me...as a friend compiles the quiz for me.

The whole thing is delivered to me in a cardboard box each week, complete with question sheets, a disc containing the music round and the answer sheet of course.


Does it really matter how much you make or someone else makes?
Everyone has a choice and its up to them what they do with it?

Some people will earn more , some less.

Of course it doesnt matter what people make, Rich.

You're missing the point.

This is something mentioned by some of us to people who suggest we don't have a proper job and who try to take the mick out of us.

When told this, they usually shut up...as they realise that we're not so stupid after all!


Yeah, I wouldn't tell too many people you worked in a Bank at the moment (especially if you were a stockbroker!)

Fortunately I got out & sold all my shares 5 years ago when the going was still good!

[NKR]

Fortunately I got out & sold all my shares 5 years ago when the going was still good!

In best Monty Python Life of Bryan accent 'Lucky Barsteward' :D

The actual phrase has been changed to protect the innocent and impressionable.

[Corabar Steve]

The whole thing is delivered to me in a cardboard box each week, complete with question sheets, a disc containing the music round and the answer sheet of course.
:soapbox: Copyright:soapbox: ProDub:soapbox: MCPS:soapbox: :whome: :devil: :sj: :sj: :sj:

[rob1963]

:soapbox: Copyright:soapbox: ProDub:soapbox: MCPS:soapbox: :whome: :devil: :sj: :sj: :sj:

:rofl:

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Joking apart, the person making the CD would need a Produb licence.

[rob1963]

Joking apart, the person making the CD would need a Produb licence.

It's not a CD, it's a minidisc, and he does...as he's also a digital DJ.

[beaumont118]

Sorry, I would have to disagree with this statement. This is not directed at anyone in particular.

There is, as far as I'm aware, no 'course' of any real merit, nor any formal training or benchmark that one has to have hit before they can be allowed into the real world and charge a fee. The first obstacle being PLI, PAT and Produb (if neccessary). I believe there should be stricter guidelines, a single governing board or agency responsible for the enforcement of these things, making verification mandatory, not optional. It would effectively act as a deterrent to those who wish to dabble (the Soundlabs can stay in the front room for now), while simultaneously widen the market with fewer wannabes on the circut, keep prices - and standards - up, and increase turnover for those full-timers who need and deserve a bigger slice of the pie. I'm sure at the end of each financial year, having seen profits inevitably rise, you wouldn't mind a small percentage of that to go back into the system to fund this sort of policing? Maybe such a body exists?

Regarding a DJ as a 'skilled professional', I wouldn't flatter yourself...An electrician must obtain his 17th Edition, practice the IEE Wiring Regs to BS 7671 and prove that he or she does so, for example. You sign off sloppy work, it could injure or kill someone. A good sparkie justifies his hourly rate and call out fee in this regard. A bad DJ can go for many years pulling work away from others, having decided one night, on a whim, that he thinks he can do it better. Even worse, he can project the illusion that he, infact, does know what he's talking about - the very worst kind. The standard has improved generally, but I can certainly see why many think it's easy pickings; that every poor showing is another invitation to Joe Average, transformed overnight, or as soon as his been to Maplins. Another charlatan in the midst, then, fueling this negative image. Again, this is not directed at anyone in particular.

I've lost count the number of times I've spoken to a fellow DJ with his own rig, unaware of the differences between an unbalanced and balanced interconnect. The same group who are unable to isolate a ground loop or talk intelligently about the why it exists and how to prevent it. The same group who cannot understand why they keep blowing drivers, or why their amp keeps on going into protect, some real school boy physics here...and there are many who do not know the 'correct' way to coil a cable. Surely there should be an exam for that, before you think about buying a new DOTLED1000! This isn't 'Blue Room' stuff, and doesn't even begin to scratch the surface on what a 'technician' should be capable and competent in doing.

Yet, these same people can fling a few parcans around a room, set them to sound to light and charge £200 for the privilege. Please explain to me how that is just when you say you have your clients interests at heart. Maybe I'm just jealous I'm not cashing in on a trend that looks set to stay. Maybe with the current climate there is more success in breaking up a package and having these add-ons. Easy money? Laughing all the way to the bank? I should think so!

Real fundamental stuff should be respected, to continue to widen the gulf between those 60 quid Sid's and those who really understand their craft and care to deliver the very best experience possible. The balance between technician, jukebox and sales rep - for some - is one that can never be struck. Jack of all trades, master of none if you like. And no you don't have to spend thousands on equipment, an argument that doesn't really stand up if you, like me, are young and poor. If the money is there...well, your equipment represents a sizeable chunk of your business, especially if you dry hire. Those DOTLED1000's are beginning to look like a sound investment, moving with the times and all that.

The point - if I've remembered to make one - is that if you are happy with what you do, then you should be proud. Perhaps you could contribute to changing this 'image'. Maybe you are doing that already. If you shy away, have that strange feeling of self-doubt and embarrassment creep up on you from time to time, perhaps you should start looking inwards. Get your head down, maybe, and study. Read the forums. Get out. Meet the customer. Work on your craft. Pick up some books. Raise the bar. Or maybe you should stop worrying about what others think of you!

Oh, and this 'I make x much more than you in a day than you do in a week' business. The image that paints in my mind is a picture of a massive :Censored:

:beer1:

I do agree with your general point that us DJs cannot automatically say we are a skilled worker simply because of what we do, as your right, there is no standard or benchmark such as the City and Guilds for construction, or Corgi for gas, for which we could show as proof of our skills and experience.

But the fact that there are the 60quid sids out there doesn't mean we all are like that (and the fact that the DJs on here are using a forum and discussing their 'craft' shows that these aren't the bedroom twenty-somethings who have just been down to Maplins). The only way to avoid the kind of mocking that some people seem to experience is to knowledge up and drop a bit of it in every now and again.

They'll soon realise there's more to know than just pressing buttons, if you care to learn it (not saying that everyone here hasn't :attn: ). I studying A levels at the moment, and the fact that mine include Computational Science, Music Technology, Electronics and Maths (all in some way linking to DJing), helps my retorts ;)

[Happy Jack]

I find that quite offensive as a part timer...

Well you really shouldn't. The fact remains that those who decide to operate a full-time business need to pull in more work in order for it to be a sustainable and worthwhile venture. There is no other income, no safety net. You kind of missed the whole point of that passage. I would certainly agree that being able to command a reasonable fee and provide a decent level of service as a part-timer is no mean feat...

I never doubted you, I don't even know you. That rant wasn't directed at anyone in particular, it's just I didn't agree with the comparison Shakermaker made. There really is no need to get on the defensive, if you are proud of your work, proud of your service and image, then you don't need to worry about what anyone thinks!

I tried to make a few points, staying on topic. If you agree or disagree with anything I've written, then do say so and say why. This is a forum after all, and with that sentiment, Solitaire, I would've hoped you'd have a little more to say.



...(and the fact that the DJs on here are using a forum and discussing their 'craft' shows that these aren't the bedroom twenty-somethings who have just been down to Maplins)...

Sorry I missed this. Exactly. I am very, very grateful to those who choose to discuss ideas, share stories and communicate. Please don't ever get that wrong. If my comments serve as a point of discussion with some sort of meaningful reaction, then I'd be doing my bit, no? Right or wrong...



The only way to avoid the kind of mocking that some people seem to experience is to knowledge up and drop a bit of it in every now and again

...and I would have to agree with this, wholeheartedly.

[NKR]

Well you really shouldn't. The fact remains that those who decide to operate a full-time business need to pull in more work in order for it to be a sustainable and worthwhile venture. There is no other income, no safety net. You kind of missed the whole point of that passage. I would certainly agree that being able to command a reasonable fee and provide a decent level of service as a part-timer is no mean feat...

I never doubted you, I don't even know you. That rant wasn't directed at anyone in particular, it's just I didn't agree with the comparison Shakermaker made. There really is no need to get on the defensive, if you are proud of your work, proud of your service and image, then you don't need to worry about what anyone thinks!

.

Okay there is no offer hand of friendship smiley, but if there was then one would be added. I think I may have read it and taken it personally, which is why forums never quite have the same emphasis as a pub chat :beer1: there simley added. Nicely balanced response from you though and respect for that.

You clearly know your shizzle on kit, but my point was some of us part timers are almost full timers and operate as effectively. I do go out for lesser fees than some full timers and I can see how that can annoy the monkey cheese out of someone making a living out of it and I do apologise for that. I do get the drift that sparkies don't have that sort of competition as you don't get a lot of folk wiring for the love of it.

12 years under my belt and with 52 bookings in 2009 I am probably not far off full time (considering I only have Fridays and Saturdays to play with).

Apologies if I flew off the handle, but I felt lumped in with Mr Maplin and his £20 glitter ball.

Maybe DJ's are a touch sensitive and prone to a bit of divaness - going back to the very very very first question!