Would you pay money to DJ?

[Terpit]

Superb post

Should big it up imo

[Riddles]

setting up a night requires a lot of preparation though.

will you do it on your own or with a team? who's gonna be doing what? how do you ensure there won't be any fighting over money etc.?
what's your concept? what sound do you want to play? are international bookings an option? which club might fit your general demands? out of these, which ones already host similar nights? what managers are stnuc, which ones are decent? what kind of deal will you get cut (payment modalities, promotion, dj fees...)? what's the club's reputation?
what kind of audience do you
want to reach? how do they communicate? what are their expectations? is the infrastructure (sound system, geographic location, ambiance, toilets, smoker's area, security, general layout) sufficient?

all the answers to these questions influence eachother. there are A LOT of external factors to consider as well (uni breaks? exam phase? other nights, other promoters? weather? season? holidays?), you can't do anything about most of them, but if you don't prepare they are likely to fuck your night up on a regular basis.


food for thought.

really great post, thanks. I've been looking at some small venues around me and it is still in its infancy, but it is something I want to put my energy into. I've got a long way to go i know for certain but I want to make it happen.

[the_disconekt]

setting up a night requires a lot of preparation though.

will you do it on your own or with a team? who's gonna be doing what? how do you ensure there won't be any fighting over money etc.?
what's your concept? what sound do you want to play? are international bookings an option? which club might fit your general demands? out of these, which ones already host similar nights? what managers are stnuc, which ones are decent? what kind of deal will you get cut (payment modalities, promotion, dj fees...)? what's the club's reputation?
what kind of audience do you
want to reach? how do they communicate? what are their expectations? is the infrastructure (sound system, geographic location, ambiance, toilets, smoker's area, security, general layout) sufficient?

all the answers to these questions influence eachother. there are A LOT of external factors to consider as well (uni breaks? exam phase? other nights, other promoters? weather? season? holidays?), you can't do anything about most of them, but if you don't prepare they are likely to fuck your night up on a regular basis.


food for thought.

That said, if you can find a good venue and get a good team with you (djs/promoters/logistics) you can and will make it happen. Everything else is just ironing out the kinks. Also want to add: PROMOTE PROMOTE PROMOTE

[particle-jim]

setting up a night requires a lot of preparation though.

will you do it on your own or with a team? who's gonna be doing what? how do you ensure there won't be any fighting over money etc.?
what's your concept? what sound do you want to play? are international bookings an option? which club might fit your general demands? out of these, which ones already host similar nights? what managers are stnuc, which ones are decent? what kind of deal will you get cut (payment modalities, promotion, dj fees...)? what's the club's reputation?
what kind of audience do you
want to reach? how do they communicate? what are their expectations? is the infrastructure (sound system, geographic location, ambiance, toilets, smoker's area, security, general layout) sufficient?

all the answers to these questions influence eachother. there are A LOT of external factors to consider as well (uni breaks? exam phase? other nights, other promoters? weather? season? holidays?), you can't do anything about most of them, but if you don't prepare they are likely to fuck your night up on a regular basis.


food for thought.

really great post, thanks. I've been looking at some small venues around me and it is still in its infancy, but it is something I want to put my energy into. I've got a long way to go i know for certain but I want to make it happen.

I'd be happy to lend a hand in some small way if possible, I'm actually planning to start promoting something too... not necessarily in this country though

[Today]

i don't dj i just play folksy songs on guitar. but in that little scene you see a lot of singers going out and asking to book themselves an hour or two here or there. which is something i'd never do. I'll hit a couple open mics, and if someone asks me to play, i'm flattered and happy to play. but i don't ask to book myself, much less pay to perform lol. no.

[Johnlenham]

In terms of nights, do you just start of booking a room or something?
Im just curious as Im surprised that nobody has setup a dubstep/130/grime type night (that im aware off) in Crosicas room 2.
The system is heavy, its not huge so you could fill it pretty easily and the venue is pretty central.
Probably a million little things I havent thought of that would explain why it hasnt happened though haha

[jrkhnds]

just a word or two I'd like to add to my previous explanations:

don't forget that you will have to deal with agents at some point. most of the ones working for bigger agencies are a bit on the sneeky side - that's why they're successful in the first place. their job is to rake in as much money as possible. this applies especially to better known artists. since there is a high demand, they can push the fees. however, there are a few agents that do a really sloppy job and aren't exactly compliant when it comes to organising flights or even preparing accurate riders. an agent once demanded I pay the whole booking fee for an artist we didn't end up booking (this was two months prior the date and no contract had been signed, mind you)because the agent failed to mention the guy already had a booking a week later 50km east. he noticed I was fairly new to the game and tried to take advantage. he also sent me an outdated rider for another act, failed to mention a third one was lactose intollerant and knowingly sent me a wrong contract and invoice. I appreciate them being busy, all I'm saying is be as careful as you would be with a life insurance.
I've resorted to setting up a personal blacklist and sharing experiences with other promoters. also, if an agent tries to screw you over or simply sucks at his job, tell the artist. most of them are really friendly and understand that they're in a symbiotic relationship with the promoter;
shit agent = bad rep = less bookings = less money.

most clubs have individual ways to handle their nights. some just pay you a small salary for your work and pay the artist, the flights, the meals etc. out of their pocket - ideal for beginners, since there isn't any financial risk involved. some give you a share of the bar's business figure, some leave all the entry fee to you, some only a third... most of the clubs expect you to cover all the external costs, some charge you for using the club in the first place but will pay you the bar's profit aswell as the entry fee. for the club this is risk free, for the promoter it's a high risk to take, but also a good opportunity to get a high reward. most of the clubs take multiple approaches and mix them up to their personal taste. CONSIDERING THE DEAL THEY OFFER YOU IS CRITICAL WHEN LOOKING FOR A LOCATION TO SET YOUR NIGHT UP!

finally, when your club night has a lot of success, club managers may try to get you to move your night to their club. life advice: loyalty always pays off. however, if your current manager is a dickhead or the club simply isn't up to your minimum requirements anymore, feel free to explain the situation to all the parties involved and take the opportunity to work in a new (better) environment.

if you have any questions or seek advice with setting up a club night, feel free to send me a message.


please excuse all the mistakes, english is my third language.

[Terpit]

I don't think ive seen anyone mention sponsors yet, a lot of the nights here are 'brought to you by Tiger Beer' or something, I'm starting a night with some mates (hopefully starting in Jan) and we plan on getting Red Bull to sponsor us or maybe an alcohol company. They tend to cover flights and the DJs pay

[jrkhnds]

hm, sponsoring isn't really a thing in switzerland I guess. I know of one crew that was sponsored by Monster; they were pushing jump up & bro but now switched to trap with the odd clownstep night thrown in now and then. they've lost their residency though and only manage to put something up every three or four months now.

wouldn't want my night to be sponsored by some multinational big money corporation. doesn't fit the spirit.

[Terpit]

wouldn't want my night to be sponsored by some multinational big money corporation. doesn't fit the spirit.

Yeah I see what you mean, people over here don't seem to mind and it means I'll never have to risk losing my own money and we'll get good drinks deals