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Filed Under: News by Rhymefest on Apr 07, 2010
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DJ Booth Crew  Total Ratings: 263 |
..and that's the damn truth. The differences are unbelievable when it comes to college and commercial radio stations. Thanks to Fest for some good insight.
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| Posted on Apr 07, 2010 |
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DJ Booth Crew  Total Ratings: 5540 |
Unfortunately, I think it all has to do with risk prevention. If a DJ plays a record that is considered a "risk," they could lose their job, their fans, or their regular gig (amongst other things). If a blogger features a record - lets say that is less than favorable amongst the reading populace - he will still have a built in audience as long as most of the material featured is good. Thus, there is less risk for the blogger. Just my two cents... I could write a novel and a half about this topic.
Glad to have you on board Fest!!!
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| Posted on Apr 07, 2010 |
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DJ Booth Crew  Total Ratings: 616 |
Whatup Fest,
You brought up some good points here. When I was DJing at bars/clubs it was extremely difficult to balance top 40 hits with the tracks I wanted to hear. Its a balancing act and really only the most skilled DJs can mix in a relatively unknown track and keep the crowd moving. Unfortunately I agree with you that this type of DJ is becoming a rarity today. Its a shame because the internet has given DJs access to a wealth of new artists and tracks for them to spin.
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| Posted on Apr 07, 2010 |
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DJ Booth Member |
so true.
people need to be real. playing one song that some people won't like is not going to end your career. I don't think anyone expects mainstream radio to start playing dilla and madlib all day but damn! play some variety. surprise me with some @*#$! that's not being played for pay.
DJs need to remember the history of what it means to be a DJ and be leaders.
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| Posted on Apr 07, 2010 |
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DJ Booth Member |
As far as record breaking goes, I think the bloggers have it in the bag, for today's day- but the radio still pretty much dictates what's cool or vibe-worthy for the public, en masse. And agreeing with DJ Z and D Mac, it is a crazy tightrope when it comes to breaking out unheard or little known stuff. I spin at a local bar and unless I have a steady headbop going with some "radio-charted" singles i cant sneak in anything new without groove-suicide being eminent, and if people ungroove and leave the bar thats a potential red flag for my steady gig.. I do get a break here and there, but unless you have some open-minded/open-eared patrons you gotta mimic the radio.
Nice piece 'Fest, its a good look.
@Ampero
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| Posted on Apr 07, 2010 |
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DJ Booth Member |
great piece fest...it's crazy at times what some stations will play and some that won't. great for you to shed some light on the subject, great insight there
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| Posted on Apr 07, 2010 |
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DJ Booth Crew  Total Ratings: 53 |
If DJs were to step up to the plate and break new and innovative music, I know I would listen to the radio a lot more than I do currently (which is very rarely, to be honest).
Thanks for the insight, 'Fest!
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| Posted on Apr 07, 2010 |
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DJ Booth Crew Total Ratings: 5540 |
@aziza - I think your "DJs need to remember the history of what it means to be a DJ and be leaders." comment is really a lost cause. I feel like the newest, current wave of DJs don't care about the foundation that the DJ was built upon. The history just doesn't appeal to them. Its sad, but it happens in almost every major industry; the past is ignored with an eye only toward the future.
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| Posted on Apr 07, 2010 |
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DJ Booth Crew  Total Ratings: 116 |
I love how this made a bunch of questions start to swirl around in my head: "Why are some DJs so quick to assume that just because a particular song isn't on EVERYONE's MP3 player that it won't be well-received?" But now that I think about it, Fest already gave us the answer - some DJs can only play what they're *required* to play. But I wonder how often that isn't the case...
This is great! It's really insightful and helps readers to have a better understanding of something that may seem like a "behind the scenes" problem.
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| Posted on Apr 07, 2010 |
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DJ Booth Member  Total Ratings: 2 |
I agree with everyone 100%, especially Z. This is just a bi-product of what alot of hip-hop music has become, safe. Anytime mass amounts of money become involved in any artform, it limits the creativity because most people are going to only do what's going to give them the greatest return on their investment. So rather it be yourself, the label, or an investor, the less risk you take the more the probablity of reaching your financial goal goes up. As a DJ, if you play what people want to hear and rock the party, that will eventually turn into more gigs and maybe something even more lucrative down the line. It used to be about artistic freedom and playing whatever you thought was a "dope record". Now its about survival which = Money + Control for the powers that be.
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| Posted on Apr 07, 2010 |
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DJ Booth Member |
Good article, its true blogs are the first sources to get new material to the masses but the majority of people that hear them are all hip hop heads, like you if you're reading this. Theres the rest of the population will never hear the good music that deserves to be heard because thats not what normal radio plays. Its true that DJ's may be nervous to play an unknown artist because of feedback but isn't it their job to get listeners hip? I think people would praise a DJ for showing them something new and hot rather then be upset because they don't already know all the words.. Now the club DJ is a different situation because you NEED to keep poeple moving, so i'm gonna stick to radio and reiterate/alter what fest said, "the (radio) DJ must take back his courage and begin to not only play records, but break them."
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| Posted on Apr 07, 2010 |
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Professional  Total Ratings: 45 |
Great article Rhymefest... Djs need to step up. We do have a lot of power at times.. but are also restriced when dealing with big radio corporations. Look at Exhibit C by Jay Electronica.. great record. It got not radio attention until Dj Enuff made blog post, questioning himself on why isn't he playing it on his mixshow. After that (and he did start playing) other Djs fell inline and started running it. But it took his co-sign on the record to bring it to the attention of other djs...I have very limited time on my mixshow.. when ever I have the space/time, I run joints that I'm feeling...
DJ Sandman (WBTP 95.7 The Beat -Tampa, FL / BumsquadDjz / 1200Squad / RapattackLives.Com / Dynasty's Dj / Laws Tour Dj / I Am Hip Hop Dreampusher Mixtape Dynasty [The illest Femcee in the Game] |
| Posted on Apr 07, 2010 |
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DJ Booth Crew  Total Ratings: 89 |
Great Article..
I always get a chuckle every time I hear the drops on the radio that say "We play new hip-hop first!" Like, Really? Seems like songs that are in the rhythmic top 40 aren't too new.
When it comes down to it, DJs are like anything else in life.. adapt or perish.
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| Posted on Apr 07, 2010 |
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DJ Booth Member  Total Ratings: 1 |
Thad and Z make great points. Eventually its not just the dj who has to change but the structure in which the DJ operates. If the radio programmer isn't re-evaluating the playlist then what can we do? I think realistically the stronger the blogs get the weaker radio becomes. radio is still the go to to break records to the masses and the mainstream in order to move units but i think the role of the blogger now is to make that unsigned, inventive hip-hop artist i.e. Drake popular enough so that he and they become the face of what radio is to become. And before ya'll nail me to the cross for the Drake reference I'm using him as a model. I'd rather hear a Skyzoo or Jay Electronica record any day over OJ Da Juiceman
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| Posted on Apr 07, 2010 |
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DJ Booth Member  Total Ratings: 46 |
This was a great blog.It is terrible that the industry has evolved this way.Unfortunately money rules the world.I understand radio DJs being stuck and only being able to what the Program Director tells them but club DJs and mixtape DJs can play new records and most don't.I have been in clubs and the DJ has played the same record 3 times in one night that is not acceptable
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| Posted on Apr 07, 2010 |
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DJ Booth Crew Total Ratings: 5540 |
@Dj Sandman - You mentioned that DJs only have power "at times." This is spot on. However, there are ways that DJs can support artists and co-sign their work without necessarily spinning their records or playing them at a gig. With the invention of social media, promotion costs are low and the audience reach can be very high. This minimizes the risk I discussed earlier and allows creativity via non-traditional means (podcats, free mixtapes, etc...)
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| Posted on Apr 07, 2010 |
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DJ Booth Member Total Ratings: 1 |
again Z spot on. I see Dj Ready C all the time on twitter posting stuff on cats like fashawn or other emcees who aint getting their shine. Even with mixtapes, Green lantern can go out and cosign an Emilio Rojas and totally put him in places that may not have known of him before. I think the worry is that all of this is, as Thad Reid said, a lucrative business. You got dj's charging an unsigned 9 to 5 emcee a truckload of dollars for promotion and a name. Not to say you do whatever it takes to further your career but its scary when anybody can get fill in the blank popular radio dj to host a mixtape or mention a name with the right amount of money. I feel like popular radio dj's now look at what's hot as opposed to looking for what could be.
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| Posted on Apr 07, 2010 |
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DJ Booth Member |
I believe Rhymefest hit the nail on the head! A couple of years ago when we was shopping around songs for a few artists here in Naptown, we ran into the issues Fest talks about! This is one reason why we created a platform for the up and coming artist, giving them an opportunity to be heard locally and internationally! This is also the reason why we rallied until we got our own program on a FM radio station! It may be a community radio station, but we can play what ever we want, as long as we stay within the FCC regulations! And it's FREE!
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| Posted on Apr 07, 2010 |
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DJ Booth Crew  Total Ratings: 424 |
Honestly, you could write a novel about this topic. If the question is whom breaks the majority of records to Mainstream America the answer is simple. iTunes. That's Fact. Poll 100 random [NOT You & I] people in the street, and ask them where do they hear "New" music first.
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| Posted on Apr 07, 2010 |
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DJ Booth Crew Total Ratings: 424 |
Which leads us to the question at hand of whom breaks more records Bloggers vs. DJs. I have yet to have a Radio/Club DJ introduce me to a song that I wasn't already familiar with in the last ten years. The majority of "professional" DJs either lack the skill set to play anything but crowd friendly favorites or have their hands tied. Disagree? Turn on the radio. Visit a local club this weekend. My personal motto has always been "Make Hits, Don't Play Them", but unless you have a HUGE following [Household Name] you can't pay the bills as a "Profesional DJ" with this method.
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| Posted on Apr 07, 2010 |
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DJ Booth Crew  Total Ratings: 1789 |
Radio uses this completely bullshit logic to justify its playlist. They play a song over and over again until it becomes popular (ex. Bedrock) and then point to its popularity as the reason they're forced to play it (as if they played no part in making it popular in the first place. They're living in a bubble, and in the internet age they're finding that bubble's getting increasingly hard to keep intact.
Adapt or die radio.
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| Posted on Apr 07, 2010 |
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Professional Total Ratings: 45 |
@DJ Z.. exactly. I agree with you on that. There are definitely other means to help promote artist. I spin on a Clearchannel station (Mixshow) We just dropped a station mixcd with all of our mixers.. on my section I put Jay Electronica, Joell Ortiz, Buckshot & Krs One, ect... I can hit records like these on the air but only from time to time.. Have no control of daily rotations...but rocking them on a few 1000 free mixtapes that we put out helps (atleast I feel that way...) So right now.. I'm breaking Dynasty... look out for her soon...we are going hard with no budget... And props to the Booth for helping to break my man LAWS!!!
DJ Sandman (WBTP 95.7 The Beat -Tampa, FL / BumsquadDjz / 1200Squad / RapattackLives.Com / Dynasty's Dj / Laws Tour Dj / I Am Hip Hop Dreampusher Mixtape Dynasty [The illest Femcee in the Game] |
| Posted on Apr 07, 2010 |
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DJ Booth Member  Total Ratings: 0 |
I think the issue right now is a lack of respect between both music artists & DJs that's causing these issues to go down right now.
Some DJs who for temporary fame or to feel a part of the in crowd made themselves nothing but living iPods for the record labels.
Likewise, some music artists think a few website links or a mainstream offshoot channel video spin (MTV Jams) makes them stars & not need DJs.
Music artists DO get broken: on the web + indie radio outlets (college, community & 'net radio + podcast) + indie minded DJs + indie media.
That's where people (more often than not) have a GENUINE love of music & want to expose the people to talent. They keep people's careers alive while the mainstream sleeps until they feel like biting.
Even Rhymefest uses these outlets to get shine (college radio keeps him alive on any airwaves in the U.S.).
Music artists better start respecting & using those resources right otherwise they're hurting themselves.
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| Posted on Apr 08, 2010 |
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DJ Booth Crew  Total Ratings: 327 |
What about Dj''s playing songs that they don't really like/enjoy but they play them anyway just because the artist may be hot at the time (Talent or Not)...*Cough*Gucci*Cough*
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| Posted on Apr 09, 2010 |
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DJ Booth Crew Total Ratings: 327 |
Is this in the same argument???
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| Posted on Apr 09, 2010 |
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DJ Booth Crew |
Bloggers are the true record-breakers...over in my home radio station (V100.7), we're owned by a big syndicate (Clear Channel), so we can't play much local stuff, only radio hits...The most intelligent song I ever heard there was Sade's "Soldier of Love"-and while I DO GIVE PROPS TO THEM FOR SPINNING THAT, I wish they did more!
Great to have you on the Booth Fest! I'll tell the homie Scott Knoxx you said hi (remember "What Up"?)
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| Posted on Apr 09, 2010 |
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DJ Booth Member  Total Ratings: 12 |
Fantastically article! I live in the DMV (DC tri-state area)and it is nearly impossible to get on the FM radio out here (hell,even Wale, Tabi, and Likeblood can only get so much airplay. Many DJs require ALOT of work out of artists. Promo on social networks, drops, the dub plays, the special remixes and buying 'em drinks at the club. There are a few brave Djs who dont cater to the trends tho, and will BREAK records. But yes, the blogosphere has become the safety net for most.
I think that artists owe the DJ more than the DJ owes us because they don't have to play our songs. They can get someone elses at the touch of an Iphone. Also, artists will always outnumber DJs-so we must engage in the age-old "courtship". Point is- if you can't get a spin on FM, and a blog doesn't offer enough credibility to your resume, there is nothing left to do but wine and dine your local DJs and hope they break your records.
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| Posted on Apr 16, 2010 |
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Resident DJ  Total Ratings: 268 |
Good to see artists voicing their opinions. I strongly agree with you and I hate the state that the radio's in. None of my friends know the artists I listen to because I get most of my Ipod from this site. It's like K. Sparks. Do you think K. Sparks will get any mainstream radio play with any of his current jams? Hell no. Does that stop him from being one of the best lyricists and artists in the game today? Once again, Hell no.
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| Posted on Apr 18, 2010 |
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