probably NYC seeing there are endless amounts of clubs.

Better then LA?

LA or NYC I would say...

I never been to LA, but from being in many time NY I would say that, but I am sure they are very comparible.

how is miami ????

Miami is awesome... ton's of clubs, lounge, "Music Festivals" which are really raves, etc...

What kind of crowd is in miami?

San Francisco.

I thought LA clubs pay there DJ's $75 a night. At least that's what somebody reported he was offered that on this board.

Best place for a DJ to live? Probably *in* the club

I think living in a non metro area with less clubs is better because there are way less DJ's.
The DJ's that live in small markets do very well because there is no competition.

Pigsville, USA ....
The DJ's pay is better than the Mayor and Sherrif combined in most cases

thats true but the down fall to that is far less places for dj's to spin

I heard LA shuts down at 2am?? Or did I hear wrong.. cuz if it does I dont think thats much of a scene.. Chicago rocks Sunday through Monday and most clubs have 4 am licenses throughout the weekend.. which starts on Wednesday..

So my vote goes for NYC and Chicago.. not necessarily in that order.. but Chicago rocks... and its overlooked very often.. I mix four nights a week and I had to let my sundays go cuz I have a day time job.. Plus other promoters/clubs want rotating DJ's every week.

Pay is mainly by the hour.. depending on how you rock the crowd..

I think its more along the lines of 200 a night. Bars are usually less. I used to dj at a bar and they payed me 50 a night for 4 hours. (IT WAS A HOLE IN THE WALL) lol

Boston is by far the lamest place for nightlife. Most places are 2 but ANYWHERE just outside of the actual city ie somerville and such are 1 AM..wack!!!!

Yeap your right, LA clubs cut the DJ @ 1:30 and everyone is out of the club by 2am. I wish they would stay open later till @ least 2:30 or 3. No really even gets to the club till like 11:30 anyways thats like 2 hours only? WTF...........

Damn in nyc, i member stayin in sound factory or exit till like noon the next day nevermind anything in the AM.

yeap the public clubs in LA sucks...u need private ones they go on all night till everyone passes out or goes home haha

Toronto isn't bad for closing time (3am). Plus we have tons of after hour spots that you can hit up. It's hard to market yourself here though without some serious ass kissing.......lol.

In regards to Boston, I went there last year and was shocked that the clubs shut down at 2am. It was kind of a bummer saying how we got to the club at 12. Add on $20 to park next to Fenway Park.

What's cool about Boston is that the club district is on the other side of the infamous "green monster". I had tons of fun with Boston chicks. They loved me and my boys...I guess the though we were still Colonial (check your history books) or something cause had the stick on us those nights.

New York. Anyone that wants to make a living djing there, from some dude with two ipods to world champions there is a gig for anyone willing to hustle.

St. Louis shuts down at 1am- some spots have 3am licenses though. If you head over to East St. Louis some spots can stay open 24-7 (mostly strip clubs).

im gonna say vegas or miami.... if we talking about the US

man you guys have to come to germany. yesterday I left the club at 6:30. generally I´d say NY, Barcelona!! or Berlin to keep it international

ibiza!

The best place to live for a DJ?

In a sound proof rent free apartment. You can live off the small amount of money you make off starting out as a DJ and can practice all you want without bugging the neighbors.

;-)

aah Ibiza is so squeezed out... overkill. but yeah there´s a great demand for djs

ibiza yeah the commerical side but you can still find those amazing beach parties and mambo savannah bar m some still really cool spots still a magical place .
ohhhhh the memories......

NYC or miami, maybe japan

Vegas, no question. The money out there is retarded.

Chicago. Maybe not the best, just my fav.

lots of peeps are headed to asia, japan kinda areas lately...aparently they are dieing to have that good urban ish.

not detroit!

Yeah like 5or6 $hit will still be pumpin...

vagas? Wouldnt it be hard to get a gig out there i mean the dj's in the clubs are all the top dj's in the game

Eww, what do they eat?

eat? more like pop.

like dr bob said. ny. anyone can earn a living here djing.

NY is ghetto

Ghettofabulous to be exact :D

Ghettolicious bish

San Fran is ok... Alot of competition but there are clubs, bars and spots just about everywhere... even your coffee spots and clothing shops got DJ's now.

Everyone and there mother wants to be a DJ in Miami and LA. Doesn't it sound like the perfect life???

Most of the places I do (I'm in T.O. too) last until about 4, sometimes later, unless it's a bar then it's 3 on the dot. But you're right, this city is full of politics and ass kissing in regards to club gigs.

pretty much dj'ing the high end clubs in any large city is full of politics.

True dat, but it's just that we're known as "Screwface Capital" and "Hater City" for a reason.

hahaha never knew that

I'm a livin' in a box
I'm a livin' in
a cardboard box
I'm a livin' in a box
I'm a livin' in a cardboard
box
I'm a livin' in a box

the closet techno junkie! hes here!

when u guys say the clubs r open till 4 some places...does that mean they sell drinks till then???????

Last call here is 2, drinks off the table by 3. 4 is when they try and have people out by, depends though. Some places tell me to wind it down at a certain time (3:30 start playing "get the fuck out" music, last song at 4). Some let me keep going until the last person is still standing so it depends on how tired I am by that point (and how much extra they're throwing in). Every now and then I'll find myself leaving the club around 7am.

woa

NYC & LA are too overpopulated....150 DJ's, 15 of them spin every week. Very tough to get inside the circle w/o knowing ppl, take it from me.

Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, & Dallas are all dope spots where there is a lot less competition and really like 1-2 superstar djs per area. Im not referring to House music, I meant like Hip Hop/Rock/Mashups & now B-More club, the current trendy shit pretty much.

The nyc clubs stop serving liquor at 4 but some stay open all night serving sodas n juices (usually places with heavy drug use sell more waters and juices than liquor or so ive heard)

100 % NOT TRUE

there are gigs for everyone who wants one in NY. It helps to know people, but anyone with the drive can break in and work.

what is B More Club?

Yes, in Chicago there are many places with 4am liquor licenses = drinks till 4am, DUI @ 5am.

I live in LA, well OC to be fair. For anyone who says LA is a good place to live for a DJ, you're on crack. Unless you live here and gig somewhere else. Here's the major problems: too many djs, not enough clubs, PROMOTERS!

Some cities, the club owners hire djs. This is good. This does not happen in LA. Every single club that I know of, the promoter hires the DJ. Promoters are shady. The next promoter I meet who isn't shady will be the first promoter I've met who isn't shady. Second problem, clubs close at 2am,.. well 1.30AM is when they cut the music at most clubs, just about the time the party gets crackin! Finally, there are more djs in LA than actors. Seriously, this is why you're lucky to be getting 2-300 dollars a night at a high end club. 2-300 a night at a high end spot in other cities is pretty regular.

I just did gigs in 6 cities back to back and yes, Chicago was one. Miami was another and NYC was another. I'd rate all three as better than LA, from a DJ perspective. I'd also rate Las Vegas better than most cities from a DJ perspective.

Its like more then half the force comes out @ 5

What about Dubai? DJ for the sultans! hahah.

That's how it is here.





Which is about bare minumum/standard here.

250.00 to 300.00 is the pay around the clubs in San Jose,Ca

Not Detroit, that's for sure.

Is Detroit lower or higher?

Put your hands up...Put your hands up for Detroit!

Atl is very difficult. I've DJ'ed a lot of clubs, but most clubs and promoters don't last.

So it sounds to me like LA is out..

CHICAGO!!
Miami
NYC
San Fran
Detroit...

Isn't Detroit super ghetto?? Is 8 mile a true representation.. If it is, damn!

I would say that's about right ($250-$300) for the bigger clubs here. Now if you're spinnin' at some bar, well of course it'll be lower. I haven't had a residency at any of the big clubs here, but when I've Dj'ed at them that's what I've got. And my pay was thru promoters too (not the owner). I also know a couple Dj's who fairly often spin at bigger clubs and make more than that. And they aren't even radio djs.

I love this city.....

Yeah, however there's hardly any places to play around the city that don't feel that it's necessary to pay that kind of money to DJ's that aren't on the radio.

Matt Dears worst track.

In fact, Ghostly won't even repress it.

That's no knock on Matt, however, as he used it to springboard to where he's at now.

b-more = baltimore

LA is A grind but what they all fail to recognized isssssssssssssssssssssss........ step your game up! I play It smart by posting up a website and through my space by showing where I'll be, the thing is is that i have a good following, so its not just me showing up its a mob of at least an extra 50 peeps. you see, some people have no idea where the LA gems are so you gotta take them there, and it helps if your connected with peeps who love bottle service but thats the type of i hang out with, they really let loose. so by giving them a lil special treatment and rubbing the owners the right way, your name becomes embedded in their heads.
this method has always helped me catch a residency and filleres for the OWNERS that need a DJ. Fuck Promoters, Staright Shady and i will use thier connects to benefit. so when they are out and I am still in, that my friend is the greatest feeling in the world.
LA by Far but be aware that every DJ out here has thier own version of just about evry song so what makes you different?

I agree. But there are places in the burbs that will pay that. I can't seem to get into them tho! But I do know a few spots tho. I have a friend who spins mainly oldschool r&b, some jazz,a few ballroom songs and he get $300-$400 a night. No bullsh*t. With what I spin (hiphop, top 40 stuff) it's very hard to find that. There was a bar in Taylor I was pullin' $200 every thursday. And it's not even a club! But people couldn't behave and f*cked it up for me... now all they have is acoustic music there (wtf).

But I will say, most places will only throw you $100 if they're in a good mood. Just find places that aren't ghetto as hell, and you can squeeze $200 out of 'em.

I know some of the LA dudes are prolly laughin' at this, but that's just how it is here.

You were playing at the Trolley Stop, weren't you?

Yessir!

Yeah, I used to see your name on the sign outside whenever I was headed to Malarkeys

I heard Malarkey's be off the hook. Try to get in there.

I used to go there on Thursday nights when the Sports Inferno would do their Thursday night thing there. The guy they had djing wasn't all that.

Sounds to me like you need to make a trip! I've never been there before, but alot of people seem to like the place.

Well, I wouldn't be a good fit to DJ there.

I live in Palm Beach County. Bout an hour and a half north of Miami. Some bars serve till 4:45am. And some spots in the MIA still serve till then. Not South Beach anymore.

Thing is, people just dont resepct DJ's that much anymore. At least here anyway. Even know a few places that just put on satellite radio. Sad...

What a nite...I'm still drunk. Anyway, why don't u think you'd be a good fit?

I met a dj once in big bear, a ski resortish area near la. he was the only dj in small town to be split between a highschool and nearby areas. the business runs itself, just pick up your phone and tell them how much they're paying. no one talks back or says they're going to get someone else or tries to bargain at the end of a night. after hustling and being confused for a promoter many times in la, im happy to get 300-400 a night from a residency where im only playing music. ive had owners / promoters call me the day before a gig and tell me to bring 30 people. i'll usually settle for 200 + whatever else they give me. LA is way too saturated with djs, but it also has the most potential as a mobile dj if you're in the mood to hustle.

was at 96 BPM, guy asks for make it rain, i politely say no. he has 200 one dollar bills, wanting to make it rain on the crowd. dude pulls a 2 inch stack of c-notes. he offers me a bill if i play it, i say how about 2, he gives me 200 dollars, so, brake, drum scratch, make it rain. LOL

I would have done the same thing skeetz. F*ck 96 bpms at that point!

haha!
i would have done it to!
just to let everyone know detroit is probably the worst spot to get a gig!
alot of people leave detroit just to get a steady gig.
(i know it's like that everywhere)
all the club owner's-manager's hate rap music.but right now it's the hottest thing you have to play it to make the majority happy.........but as soon as a fight break's out (it's because of biggie and 2pac) and then your gig is gone!
i never lost a gig because of this (yet) but i know alot of dj's who lost there residency because of this.if your not on radio your not getting paid right here in detroit.
and i hate to say this there 3 major radio station's here and there a hand full of dj's that are good.
dj wax-tax n dre is the best dj in michigan.
i would put him against any dj in the world. (all around!)

for 200 dollars, i would have passed him a mic and made it karaoke night.

my philosophy is to make whoever is paying me happy. at a club, thats the manager, promoter or owner, depends on whose paying you.

I'd have to put Dre 2nd best. Don Q is a beast on them turntables.

AMF im sorry!
but don q is not a all around dj!
scratching he is sick (i battled him i know)
but as far as going into any setting dj waxtax n dre can rock any crowd! with different genre's and turntabilism...
BUT DON Q IS SWEET!

CHICAGO!!! Been hot since 92! Damn i've been doing this a long time..Yo...Vegas is hot...If you can get a gig?...LA is coo-Only gigge'd there once...
Don't know about NY?

Whats the scene like there?

I've only seen them both in club settings before, so I dunno what either one of them can do outside of urban/club settings. Both of 'em are very good at it. I also haven't seen or heard Dre spin in a while, so I guess I'm biased with what I've most recently heard. lmao.

i've played in new york, toronto and come 2007, dc.

i love spinning in new york, made tons of $$$ and toronto was just for caribana, but the crowd was great and the $$$ was too.

i've made my best $$$ traveling to other cities. i currently live in dc and am currently looking for a home. at this point it looks like love (formerly dream).

since i just moved here, i'm not sure how much club djs make.

p.s. i moved from columbus, oh to dc because i good dj couldn't get into a club to save his life. f@!k columbus!

i need some help! i am a dj frm india and i am tired of the club systems and da music they want out here !! so i was planning to shift to dubai......do u think i should go there or can i get better options please ! because all that people like to listen to is bollywood music and oldies!and i am more fasinated about hollywood and latest hits .....please help

Uh... No.

Japan.

Mexico!

+1

a house?

+1
apartments suck for dj's