I don't need to be shown the door, I know where it is.

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Mike Burke

Mike Burke

The DJ Dude
Dec 29, 2016
82
42
Colonial Beach Virginia
www.michaelburkeentertainment.com
Over the last 17 years I have tried to make being a DJ work, spent thousands upon thousands of dollars on a lot of stuff that was sworn by that turned out to be a crap shoot at best for me. I have always been a firm believer in investing what you have and not what you don't. I made a lot of sacrifices, VERY large ones up to and including my family to try to make being a mobile DJ work. On paper, it's looks very lucrative and could even be successful but the real world has proven to me that's not interested in me or what I have to offer it. It doesn't care for a minute. It's just not anything that can be done with me applied to it. Being short the many more thousands of dollars needed to make it work, I have had to stop and re-evaluate my life and the future of me trying to be a DJ.
Trying to be a DJ for me has been the number one source of conflict for me the past 17 years. Everyone has said do this do that , tried that, it failed now what? The what is, is that I am going to have to let it go. I just simply can't deal with the heartbreak and the conflict anymore. The time is gone and I'll never be able to replace it. I'm not going to be able to have peace in my life until I let it go. Everything has been a constant struggle and even a fight for me. I've decided that I no longer need that or want that. With my health beginning to fail, because I do not have the many thousands of dollars necessary to see a real doctor with, at this time I just have to draw the line right here and decide what is fantasy and what is dreams and histrionics.

The people on this discussion have been most kind, gracious and professional to me, more than I can say about the other discussion forums I have been involved with which will remain nameless. As I lay this hot mess down and bury it, to you all here I just wanted to say thank you and good night.

Mike Burke
 
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Best of luck Mike and you don't need to be a stranger here feel free to drop by anytime
 
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I've gotta wonder what went wrong. I agree that advice I've been given on DJ boards wasn't always good. Just because some things work for someone doesn't mean they'll work for me or you. I believe luck is a factor too, sometimes a big factor. Looks like you need to close that door and open another...
 
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Another One Bites the Dust!

Don't be hard on yourself Mike. It is a tough market, and it's more likely your actual location, and not just you. Lots of DJs have been retiring over the past 6 years or so, and there are only more to follow. I have a DJ on my roster who really isn't interested in being a mobile DJ any more. He likes doing a podcast as a hobby, but he is pretty comfortable with his $20 an hour job he has had since last Summer. He doesn't care to DJ any more. He has been a DJ since 1985, and he is just done with it at this point.

To be honest, the main reason I still pursue my DJ career is because I don't have a nice paying job during the day. When my bookings suffer a major yearly decline, I'll be in trouble financially.
 
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DJ Ricky B said:
To be honest, the main reason I still pursue my DJ career is because I don't have a nice paying job during the day. When my bookings suffer a major yearly decline, I'll be in trouble financially.
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I had a friend of mine (and my mentor) tell me many years ago never depend on the DJ business to pay the bills it's much more fun when you don't need the money. He could have lived off his business and I have on a couple of occasions but the more I think about it the more he was right
 
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Not only don't I depend on DJing to pay the bills .. it's one of my biggest expenses each year .. :)
 
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steve149 said:
Not only don't I depend on DJing to pay the bills .. it's one of my biggest expenses each year .. :)
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I made a very SMALL profit this year (first time since I started). I did't start this business to make a lot of money. I needed something to keep my mind and body active after I retired. DJing certainly fills that bill, but it costs money. I'm working on my taxes today, and it seems my expenses the past year were not too bad, but that also means minimal deductions. When I hear guys talking about how it's SO easy for cheap DJ's to get into the biz, this thread should be a reminder that not many will be able to sustain it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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DJ Bobcat said:
I made a very SMALL profit this year (first time since I started).
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If I didn't feel obligated to replace everything before the warranty is half over, I might at some point.
 
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I've been full time for over 30 years now, DJing longer. I was in the heyday of DJing when I could do a regular school dance on a Friday night and make a grand, those days are gone and it has gotten harder. If I had any other skill set that could pay me what I am still making as a DJ, I might also retire. The hard fact is that when I work, I make good money and even as little as I am now working, it's still more than I could make 40 hours a week saying "Welcome to Walmart"....

It is sad now that staring a DJ biz is so easy and cheap now and the respect from the general public is so low. It can still be done and I am doing it, but I am relying more and more on other DJs in my area passing on events to me, or just hiring me to go out as their company and also agents/wedding planners.....

I took a huge hit when we moved to Maui. I was set here after being in the biz for 19 years, but when I moved, and then moved back after 8 years, I lost all those contacts. Guys that are here now, that were here when I moved are doing pretty good. It is the power of networking and being good at what I do that keeps me afloat. I am not the best DJ around and I am by no means a Randy, Peter or Mark. I am a Chuck and good or bad, that's how I roll.

I am sorry to hear about how hard it has been for you Mike. I understand and can relate to everything you said and the only advice I can say is that life has to be fun. That doesn't mean making a ton of money, but if life isn't fun, it's time to change something. I am hoping that you can make your life fun once more...
 
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For the past however many years, many were complaining about the MP3 dj's that blew up the industry and saturated the market. I'm not going to lie, but from the many that I met that came into business after 2007/8... I probably think only a handful are still doing it in some hobbyist or /partfull time kind of way. People don't realize that it's a lot of work to survive in this industry, and you have to always strive to offer something different than the competition. If you're like everyone else, it'll always be based on price... if it's based on whose the lowest... you can't have a successful and profitable business.

Funny thing is that I think demand for dj's will increase over the next 5-10 or so years for Weddings and other important formal events, as many Dj's that got into the business in the 70's and 80's are phasing out, and soon the dj's that got their start in the 90's will be phasing out.
 
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Jeff Romard said:
..never depend on the DJ business to pay the bills it's much more fun when you don't need the money.
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DJ Bobcat said:
When I hear guys talking about how it's SO easy for cheap DJ's to get into the biz, this thread should be a reminder that not many will be able to sustain it.
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Chuck The DJ said:
It is sad now that staring a DJ biz is so easy and cheap now and the respect from the general public is so low. I am a Chuck and good or bad, that's how I roll....life has to be fun. but if life isn't fun, it's time to change something.
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djtaso said:
People don't realize that it's a lot of work to survive in this industry, and you have to always strive to offer something different than the competition.
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A few nuggets that deserve to be highlighted...well said AND food for thought.
 
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Jeff Romard said:
I had a friend of mine (and my mentor) tell me many years ago never depend on the DJ business to pay the bills it's much more fun when you don't need the money. He could have lived off his business and I have on a couple of occasions but the more I think about it the more he was right
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djtaso said:
Funny thing is that I think demand for dj's will increase over the next 5-10 or so years for Weddings and other important formal events, as many Dj's that got into the business in the 70's and 80's are phasing out, and soon the dj's that got their start in the 90's will be phasing out.
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I agree. I foresee a lot of older DJs continuing to quit the business over the next 5 years. I don't think it will take 10 years...I see 4 to 5, maybe 6 or 7 more years, and A LOT of DJs are going to retire or quit the business. I also don't see a lot of 20 somethings today that are interested in the DJ Business...at least not to the point of making a solid go at being a mobile DJ and sticking with it for more than 2 years. So, for people like me and you, it could be a healthy, in demand market in 5 to 10 years.
 
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DJ Ricky B said:
I agree. I foresee a lot of older DJs continuing to quit the business over the next 5 years. I don't think it will take 10 years...I see 4 to 5, maybe 6 or 7 more years, and A LOT of DJs are going to retire or quit the business. I also don't see a lot of 20 somethings today that are interested in the DJ Business...at least not to the point of making a solid go at being a mobile DJ and sticking with it for more than 2 years. So, for people like me and you, it could be a healthy, in demand market in 5 to 10 years.
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I plan on being that old annoying DJ that just won't go away ;)

My mentor was 61 when he died and still a top level DJ and probably the busiest in the market. if you have the talent age is just a number
 
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Jeff Romard said:
I plan on being that old annoying DJ that just won't go away ;)

My mentor was 61 when he died and still a top level DJ and probably the busiest in the market. if you have the talent age is just a number
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Age is just a number until a DJ breaks their back trying to left a speaker. My Dad still performs. He is 73 years old. I think Cap is 73 too.

My Dad is having leg trouble though. He has to sit on a stool most of the night now. I also got him Alto TS110A speakers that weigh 27 lbs each. He can't lift anything over 50 lbs any more, and he isn't suppose to be lifting anything over 25 lbs since he had his Quadruple Bypass Surgery. He still does the American Legion, and Elks Lodge down near him. I don't know how much longer he will go though. He doesn't do weddings or any private events any more. (He will do a wedding if it's at the legion or Elks though since he is their house DJ...if their client wants him to do it). He doesn't use Subs, or even set up a light display any more. He still loves to DJ though. It keeps him busy.

The Elks down near him has another DJ who is more of a Country and Karaoke DJ that comes in 1 night a month. The guy is 75 years old, and has said he is officially retiring next year. They guy didn't get into the business until the mid 90s.

There are 3 DJs that were on the Talent Agency Roster that are not there any more. They were all older guys. One guy was "fired" from the agency, and the other 2 decided they were done with being a DJ after 25+ years.

I guess time will tell. We will have to come back to this thread in 5 years and see what has changed. Assuming ODJT is still around.
 
DJ Ricky B said:
Age is just a number until a DJ breaks their back trying to left a speaker. My Dad still performs. He is 73 years old. I think Cap is 73 too.

My Dad is having leg trouble though. He has to sit on a stool most of the night now. I also got him Alto TS110A speakers that weigh 27 lbs each. He can't lift anything over 50 lbs any more, and he isn't suppose to be lifting anything over 25 lbs since he had his Quadruple Bypass Surgery. He still does the American Legion, and Elks Lodge down near him. I don't know how much longer he will go though. He doesn't do weddings or any private events any more. (He will do a wedding if it's at the legion or Elks though since he is their house DJ...if their client wants him to do it). He doesn't use Subs, or even set up a light display any more. He still loves to DJ though. It keeps him busy.

The Elks down near him has another DJ who is more of a Country and Karaoke DJ that comes in 1 night a month. The guy is 75 years old, and has said he is officially retiring next year. They guy didn't get into the business until the mid 90s.

There are 3 DJs that were on the Talent Agency Roster that are not there any more. They were all older guys. One guy was "fired" from the agency, and the other 2 decided they were done with being a DJ after 25+ years.

I guess time will tell. We will have to come back to this thread in 5 years and see what has changed. Assuming ODJT is still around.
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Everything is getting lighter though that might keep a few in the game. I bought my JRXs they were 60 some pounds but slightly lighter than the CV's I had before that. I dropped down to the NX55 and LS200 subs and I couldn't imagine then getting much lighter. really the only option then to be lighter was Bose. There are a dozen or more now that are under 40 Lbs and many under 30. I suspect there will be even lighter as technology advances. If you can keep yourself in even reasonably good shape you should be able to handle 30 Lbs
 
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