Nifty, But Could Spell More Trouble for DJs

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Generally speaking - Automation is happening now and will continue in the years ahead. The more music playback becomes automated the less work there will be to go around. At this point there are people that would rather hire a DJ to take care of all aspects of music for their party. But there are also those that will cut corner where they can.

I know I'm getting old because a dancefloor full of people with their mobile devices voting on songs to play seems absurd. Do we have to mess around with phones while dancing now? Seems to take away from the enjoyment of dancing to me.
 
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I know I'm getting old because a dancefloor full of people with their mobile devices voting on songs to play seems absurd. Do we have to mess around with phones while dancing now? Seems to take away from the enjoyment of dancing to me.

I've been doing this, in a different form, for 7 years. Whenever we have a Live-Pic setup, we always take song requests via text message. It actually works very well and I like it, as it gives me a really good (and immediate) feedback on what the dancers are wanting.
 
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As long as it's not ME who is getting blamed, I couldn't care less what the guests request. I'm not saying that this automation is perfect, just that it's getting scary close to being "good enough" and it likely WILL help diminish demand for our services. If you're a "music specialist" then I think it gives a big cause for concern. If you're an event producer with multiple services (one of which is DJ), then you're much more safe.

I will add this, IF I ever do manage to build a venue, I can assure you that I will be looking at this option. If the software will take care of 80% of the music programming duties, I can hire a much cheaper help to sit in the booth (probably raised and inaccessible to guests) and babysit the system. I sure don't mean to offend anyone here, just talking real-world business decisions.

I don't take any offense to it. I'll be the first to admit that some parties don't need a DJ. Plugging in an iPad and playing Spotify is a wonderful idea for some events. But if someone is hoping to have a lot of dancing, this thing has great potential to be a train wreck. When technology can read a crowd and MC an event, I'll gladly walk away and applaud the technology as I find something else to do.
 
When technology can read a crowd and MC an event, I'll gladly walk away and applaud the technology as I find something else to do.

I won't gladly do it. I'll do it because of being FORCED to because I conclude I no longer can earn money booking events as a DJ. I'll be a pissed off, broke guy that talks about the good ol times of being a Mobile DJ when it happens, and try to find a job, but of course everybody will be working minimum wage jobs at $15 per hour part time at that point, and higher pay will be almost impossible to get. ...Not to mention at that point the people who even have jobs will be grateful to just have one due to automation, and all the immigrants piling into the USA looking for work... work force participation will fall rapidly when all these changes take full effect. Give it 12 - 15 years...maybe quicker.
 
I won't gladly do it. I'll do it because of being FORCED to because I conclude I no longer can earn money booking events as a DJ. I'll be a pissed off, broke guy that talks about the good ol times of being a Mobile DJ when it happens, and try to find a job, but of course everybody will be working minimum wage jobs at $15 per hour part time at that point, and higher pay will be almost impossible to get. ...Not to mention at that point the people who even have jobs will be grateful to just have one due to automation, and all the immigrants piling into the USA looking for work... work force participation will fall rapidly when all these changes take full effect. Give it 12 - 15 years...maybe quicker.
Sounds depressing. I'll choose to remain positive that I'll be able to add value to some company. If I can't, I'll start another business. I've owned some type of business since I was 22. I'll be OK.
I believe I became a good dj because I liked it and worked at it, not because of something I was born with. I'll have no problem finding something else I like.
 
I'm only going to use two words: "licensing agreement". Better read the terms of license regarding Public Performance. I'm sure the wording is in there somewhere. If venues are adding this feature, someone should ask whether they are paying all the royalties regarding Public Performance. That includes SESAC, BMI, and ASCAP, as well as SoundExchange. Lots to consider for sure. For private parties, things are different. You may be able to skate that issue. Does anybody know more about this?
 
I've been doing this, in a different form, for 7 years. Whenever we have a Live-Pic setup, we always take song requests via text message. It actually works very well and I like it, as it gives me a really good (and immediate) feedback on what the dancers are wanting.
Are you using one of the texting services for that ?
 
When technology can read a crowd and MC an event, I'll gladly walk away and applaud the technology as I find something else to do.

If I'm not mistaken, even Softjock was working on a predictive software that would make selections based on past preferences. Spotify by itself is pretty darn good already. If that same type software can add the ability to take guest requests and tally votes for particular song(s), how is that any different than "reading a crowd"? I'll be interested how this thing is going to shake out in the next few years.
 
If I'm not mistaken, even Softjock was working on a predictive software that would make selections based on past preferences. Spotify by itself is pretty darn good already. If that same type software can add the ability to take guest requests and tally votes for particular song(s), how is that any different than "reading a crowd"? I'll be interested how this thing is going to shake out in the next few years.

I think it's considerably different. There's a difference between reading a crowd and taking requests. A good dj should know what to play next even if the crowd doesn't request it.

I can predict what people will dance to based on past performances. But playing those songs in that order at a different event won't go over well, based on past experiences.

Plus often, it's WHEN you play the song, not if.
 
One issue that has caused such things to become a bit popular is seeing a DJ using a laptop, CD players or controller to DJ with and a pair of powered speakers. Some see our job being to easy these days. So why spend a lot of money say on a DJ to do a wedding when it looks like they are barely working at all. What I mean by a lot of money is $500. I know to most of us that's not a lot of money to do a wedding. It may seem like a lot to a potential client when they see how a modern DJ does their work. So why spend money on a DJ and you can save money with a different option.

What they don't get to see is how long it has taken some of us to become a polished professional that will have them and their guest happy they went with a DJ instead of something else. Some say I'm a gear head and yes I am. I like having good professional gear to work with. It will sound great and rarely do I have an issue with something breaking down on me while working. I normally get plenty of compliments on the job I do. What they don't realize is there are also complimenting me on the gear I'm working with as well.
 
There is a big difference between guests making requests, and guests actually choosing songs.
You still need someone to "police" it, otherwise, all the idiots will program stuff like the "I-95 A**hole Song"...
and get all their friends to vote for it.
It begins with a default playlist set by the user, and I'm sure you can set parameters regarding genre, the specific playlist, certain collections, or the catalog at large. I imagine it has a "do not play" list as well.
 
I'm only going to use two words: "licensing agreement". Better read the terms of license regarding Public Performance. I'm sure the wording is in there somewhere. If venues are adding this feature, someone should ask whether they are paying all the royalties regarding Public Performance. That includes SESAC, BMI, and ASCAP, as well as SoundExchange. Lots to consider for sure. For private parties, things are different. You may be able to skate that issue. Does anybody know more about this?

The EULA and Performance Royalties are not linked. Use of the program is not what triggers liability for performance royalties. Nothing changes with respect to copyright and public performances - if it's a restaurant, night club, or bar it's still the venues responsibility to be licensed. The type of player (source) is not a factor..

Private events (U.S.A.) are always explicitly exempt from performance royalty, and again the type of player (source) is not a factor.

The success of this (if any) will be due to the underlying reality that made Mobile DJs possible in the first place - people's desire to have their music choices played in their preferred order. This is why the record changer was invented, so you could stack up 45rpm singles in the order you want and have a non-stop dance party. Since then new devices have come and gone (cassette & mix tapes, CD-R's, iPods, Spotyify. etc.) but nothing has really changed including the addition of a person to Jockey the Discs - they are all just variations of the record changer.

DJs can and will be displaced by automation in a lot of areas but, perhaps not all. Before automation can flourish the architecture of the venues has to be renovated to include the required Audio/Visual support systems. That is already happening in new construction however it proceeds much more slowly with respect to renovations of existing and older venues. This has been happening for the last 20 years. I used to do AV for trade shows at Gillette Stadium, until the operators of the new high tech stadium realized outside support was redundant. They were so focused on broadcasting the first few years that they didn't fully appreciate the site-wide capabilities that had been built into every corner of the space.
 
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True, but it's worrisome to me. I have a high-end venue here in town, where I used to work fairly often. One of their girls on staff convinced the house she could DJ. My understanding, the girl is mediocre, at best. Yet, guess who is DJing all of the events at that venue? If a venue finds a way to eliminate us, they will.

SO at so called venue if the bride has already got her entertainment picked she has to use the venues one
 
I can see the dance floor failing in some situations with these apps. There will be people punching in songs that aren't danceable. Being able to hear your favorite song isn't the same as picking a song that's good for dancing.
 
Have you ever DJ'd an event where someone requests an awful song that you know the majority of the crowd will hate? So you don't play it it, so he/she sends a friend up to request that same rotten song?

That's what I picture. Some People dancing, and a group of people not dancing enjoying "voting" their songs in to kill the dance floor. Because I doubt the people dancing are going to be watching their phones for requests.

Again, I can see this for a passive entertainmen event. If it's just background or some dance songs sprinkled in and a few people dancing here and there, this will be fine, just like an iPad/iPad, whatever. I'm all for automation where it makes sense

But this is just like the disposable cameras at each table that would save brides a bunch of money by not having to hire a photographer. How could it fail? With everyone taking pictures, we are sure to get some greats ones, right?

How does the "request a song" on the invitation thing work?
 
Have you ever DJ'd an event where someone requests an awful song that you know the majority of the crowd will hate? So you don't play it it, so he/she sends a friend up to request that same rotten song?

That's what I picture. Some People dancing, and a group of people not dancing enjoying "voting" their songs in to kill the dance floor. Because I doubt the people dancing are going to be watching their phones for requests.

Again, I can see this for a passive entertainmen event. If it's just background or some dance songs sprinkled in and a few people dancing here and there, this will be fine, just like an iPad/iPad, whatever. I'm all for automation where it makes sense

But this is just like the disposable cameras at each table that would save brides a bunch of money by not having to hire a photographer. How could it fail? With everyone taking pictures, we are sure to get some greats ones, right?

How does the "request a song" on the invitation thing work?

Of course this is going to happen and yes, it's part of the "bad" of using this kind of "automated DJ". I would think that the host is going to designate someone who operates the software, be it a friend or a venue person. That person is tasked with nuking any kind of stupid requests. If you think about it, it's not a whole lot different than what they do with us. You have some annoying person and their posse who pesters you until you relent. You let it play about 15 seconds, you starts hearing boos from the guests, then you punt it (and often make some mention about that person being banned from other requests for the rest of the night).

To me the real question is in how well the software actually works in meshing its own predictions with the phoned-in requests. Like I said, we've been using spotify at the front side of our mitzvahs and it's remarkable how good of a job it does.
 
What's the big deal? The app isn't a secret ballot. The cue list appears on the video screen - so there's more than enough time to delete the crappy songs and block out any offending users. Who wants to be the as$#ole at the party? The crowd will descend on you and toss you the hell out (or worse!)
 
I will say this, I've often considered putting my cell phone number out on the tables in the venue, with a note to text me requests, but I've never done it. I don't want to open Pandora's Box! :laugh:

We do this and it works really well. We give the bride and groom the option to have the cards and they are always excited to have them. We also put the their hashtag on them. Most requests come during cocktail hour and dinner. The key is know if, when and how to play those requests.