Two legs x iPod = Dead DJ and a Bar Tab

Once upon a time I commented on a local DJ's blog regarding competitors taking gigs for less money than he felt they should. His frustration, being a well established local DJ playing in the "hottest" mainstream clubs, was that he was being undercut by newer DJ's seeking to make a name for themselves and willing to take gigs at a much smaller price tag than he was, in order to do so. At the time my reaction was, "Tough luck. It's the nature of the capitalistic beast." You know, you have about as much chance of stepping on a DJ as you do stepping in a puddle here in the rainy Pacific Northwest. Of course there's going to be competition!

My comment to his blog, however, was that, though he may have a valid point in the market that he operates in, the electronic music scene is an entirely different thing. DJs in Portland, OR that are wanting to play any form of underground music are lucky to see money at the end of the night. Why? Because, unless you're bringing a Big Name DJ to town, this isn't a genre of music that is a money-maker. Despite the progressive, forward-thinking nature of this city, it just isn't large enough to offer enough of a market for that kind of music. So if you're a DJ wishing to play any form of underground electronic dance music, be prepared to be payed little to nothing.

I'm not saying that it's not possible to make some money at this. I'm not saying that I run around town taking gigs for free. Far from it. I am fortunate enough to be among the few that play anything but the mainstream, on a regular basis, and get paid to do so. Now, if I were in a much larger city, I'd probably be getting paid more than I am. And that's fine; I'm not here for the money. But after 11 years of blood (I may have bled on a record once), sweat, and tears (ok, I do cry often), I damn well deserve some return on my investment. Besides, I'm good at what I do.

Tonight I have experienced the frustrations of that DJ who blogged his frustrations of being undercut. But my experience was his, multiplied by... well, the money I would have made tonight. Now, you may be saying to yourself, "Tough luck. It's the nature of the capitalistic beast." Familiar words, right? But here's the thing: he was playing for free.

How does one compete against that?

The DJ who wrote his blog made the valid point of "you get what you pay for." True enough. The DJs that are charging more are (hopefully) doing so for a valid reason. And, granted, you can probably find some decent talent for less than what the upper echelon may be asking. But you have to ask yourself, what kind of quality are you getting for free? This guy, the one who took my night from under my nose, that's what he was charging: nothing. And to make it worse, he's not even bothering to mix his music. He's playing directly from his laptop (something that I normally would take no issue with), but he's not bothering to do more than to hit play on the next track at the end of the proceeding track.

He's an iPod with two legs and the ability to drink your booze.

If he were charging less, that'd be fine. He would then just be competition, and competition I'm used to. I know my value, and those that book me tend to know this too. But a man with a laptop full of decent music who is charging nothing is hard for me to compete against. I could toot my own horn in front of the owners of the place until my horn was blue in its...face? But, for a business, it always comes down to one thing: the bottom line.

That damned bottom line has got me sitting on my ass tonight.