It takes balls and self confidence to freely discuss what you don't know, and how and when you learn. The more I watch Nicks video's the more I respect him as a genuine accomplished professional. He's the real deal.
Humility is a trait that is often overlooked and underestimated as a DJ. I respect you putting this out there. Having humility is a sign of strength, wisdom, and maturity. This will be a tremendous opportunity to keep pushing like you do towards your other goals. Everything happens for a reason. 💯
As someone who has navigated the bar/club scene for almost 20 years with a major local following I have had this happen more times than once. What I've usually experienced is arriving and another DJ is setting up, "Oh we had a promoter rent the venue out & brought his own DJ, here is some money for your time & travel"...usually nowhere near your full rate. So you are already ahead if they paid you in full for a 2 hour gig. I've been doing this so long I dont care just as long as I'm paid, I leave the ego at home I got trophies and awards on my wall to know I'm the sh*t.....So This is where you become the warmup DJ, and being the warmup position is just as crucial as the "closer" DJ. you can easily solidify your relationship with the bar and outside promoter if you rock it. Done that many times where the promoter said "stick around" and the closer DJ is sinking the party faster than the Titanic. "I'll pay you to get back on the tables". Yes you were humbled, but its a learning experience. The Bar/Club scene is a completely different beast than weddings.
say that fam real days solidified there positions by becoming great warmup djs you really can set the tone without even messing up the headliners set im a dj outta Nashville TN too fam been djaying with my own equipment since 2007 djaying off borrowed equipment since 05-06
That's a fact about being the "Opener". Make sure whoever follows you won't want to. Set the bar high. Reminds me of playing "Battle of the DJ's" public dances and 3 DJ Car Club dances back in the day. Fun stuff, made some great friends with several other DJ's. Whatever you're doing, burn it down... And yeah, always remember to check Ego at the door, pick it up on way out.
Man so much respect for you. You’ve inspired so many things that I have carried into my sets. Don’t let this knock you back at all. You’re a phenomenal dj and bring from Louisiana if I could afford a trip up north I would pay to come see you
Wow this really touched me, mad respect to you Nick, I’m just going on a year of getting back in the game from the 80’s and figuring out which way to go. Thank you for sharing! Blessings to you always young brotha!
Hey Nick, we met last year at the DJ expo. I was a club DJ for years and changed over to doing more weddings than clubs around 10 years ago. To keep relevant in the club scene find a spot locally that you can do a monthly in that is like a dance club and see if they will do it as a themed night to where you go in with a certain theme whether it's 90's hip hop or disco and funk etc that way you can get some good footage and have 3 weeks or so to promote each one. I do one in my area and it's on Tuesdays which doesn't interfere with my weddings and I make them themed once a month, first Tuesday of the month. Just a thought.
I'm having the opposite problem where I've played clubs and festivals and have a radio show all focused on experimental electronic music. I had to start a second instagram for my wedding business just because the branding made zero sense all together
It’s funny I was wondering about this as well - for Nick to build a following for bar/club work, does it make more sense to have a different name/brand/social media accounts and build that up from zero? I’m no expert but I can see the logic in it from a marketing point of view.
I appreciate your honesty in sharing this. There's a Marketing 101 lesson in there somewhere🙂you get what you show. Your followers might be real but they may not be interested in going to a club. From what I can gather, you are a Wedding DJ who plays at clubs, not a Club DJ who plays at weddings, not that there's anything wrong with either one. I've been both and I can tell you that the money that you are making doing weddings is only made by club DJs who can pack 1,000+ capacity venues consistently. Not easy to do... but it is doable. It looks like you've set your mind to crack the club market, go for it brother, I'll be cheering you on! Godspeed!
Im glad you told this story! I have said this so many times don't box yourself in just as a wedding Dj or club DJ. Expand yourself by not categorizing yourself under one type of DJ.
DJing is truly about having fun while learning. That's what I've learned in my first year at the local Venue I play in on the weekends as in-house DJ. I'm not really skilled at DJing yet. I realize it. I take all sorts of criticism and take it with gratitude. There are some songs people suggest...that when I'm pre-listening in the cue, I get AMPED to play it. I'm all about requests, but not only playing those requests. That's why we have that little cue-to-headphones option haha. Great stuff Nick. I respect the professionalism greatly. Very few people digest the fact that it requires this in order to succeed. It goes hand n hand. Have fun, but be professional; no matter where you go!
We’ve recently started using “events” instead of “weddings”. I noticed I may be closing us off to everything else. Mic gigs, other detailed DJ gigs. Private and corporate. It’s a good way to get Monday through Thursday gigs too.
What up!! Much respect for getting into the club scene, complete 180° left turn, from weddings. Been there trying to make that left turn, I learned that night when it happened to me, I stayed and watched what songs pop off in their scene as opposed to what pops in a wedding. Once i got that down, i looked for my own residency, and now I have fri/sat/sun at the same place. And got my own opening DJ.
I've been a DJ 40 plus years. Played some great clubs in Omaha area. Great insight and show. I've opened for bands etc. Channel is very insightful. Wedding DJs pay pretty well. Keep up the good work.
Some other factors to consider are who follows you on social media: - DJs, who may not be located near your area, and even if they are, they're likely working - People whose weddings you played, who may not go clubbing much since they got married, kids etc. I feel like the DJs who draw crowds are either 1 young, with a large social network of people interested in going out a lot, 2 DJ turned producer who scored a hit (respect to those guys), 3 producers who made a hit track and decided to make money by touring as a DJ and most likely have a USB with 30 songs that they play in a pre made set and can't read / adapt to a crowd, or 4 celebrities who jump on the DJ bandwagon and have no clue WTF they're doing. This isn't meant as a knock on your skills at all. Just some things to consider.
Well I was hoping the story would go was... 1. When I realised I went for my primerime part of my set and light up the place. The crowd was sparse but the promoter and staff heard me play. 2. I stayed until 2am and listened the set. To see what the flavour is for this group of a select group of high value clients.
Hey Nick, that was totally kool that you shared your story publicly. I can certainly relate my man. Like you said, reflect, make changes and grow from the experience. Love your stuff, keep grinding!
You've said it many times before, always bring your "A" game, even if you're just playing for the staff. Cuz when you're on you're on. Reminds me of a ZZ Top concert in Dallas years ago, George Thorogood opened the show. He ran through his set, playing all his songs way up tempo - clearly just did a hit and run because he wasn't the headliner and didn't care - his set sucked bad. Being a veteran of the clubs in my early days, that's the hardest market to break into. I did both the DJ gig in clubs, some lease installs with hired gun DJ's working for me and about 4 years in moved to sound engineering for live cover and original music bands in the clubs and doing sound & lights for name acts in club concerts. Lots of work in LA area clubs, showcasing bands - mixed bands in many of the LA hot spots - Madam Wong's West, Madam Wong's, Troubadour, The Central and others I can't remember the names of. Did some club touring on the west coast as well. There's a universe of space between the club scene and doing weddings as you alluded to - much respect for sharing this Nick. It takes balls to bare it all. Take the challenge and conquer the club scene - it'll be good for you - the challenge, the growth and of course in the end, the victory. Doing club work isn't just the part in the booth, the crowd and your programming and style. It's about dealing with club owners, managers, bouncers, staff, promoters and such. It's a very different world from wedding receptions. I remember well the early days, club owners telling me to "Play for the women". That's a fact, where the ladies go, the guys will follow - so, music strategy needs to be different for a the target group, announcements, drink specials, upcoming event promotion and all that garb. The music program and mixing is worlds apart between a wedding crowd and a club crowd. There's a lot to learn there, not being arrogant and claiming to know it all because I only know a little - saying you will love the challenge. Go get 'em killer!
As a working musician, playing my first night club at 15, and playing for over 5 decades on the club circuits, completely understand about the humbling experience. As a band, we were always asked at any booking, how big is your following? Yup. Know the feeling all too well!!!
Daaammmn bro. That didn’t go how I thought it was going to go. Glad to see you learned something bro. Keep ya head up homie. I streamed your show the other day off Mixcloud. You’re awesome
I feel you, i can do it all but my followers know me as a event dj not a club dj also. but one reason i dont dj a regular bar or club is because the music is soooo repetitive that i will get bored with djing bars and clubs. But on the flipside.....just as of last year my peeps opened up this rental hall/bar and i came in a dj a birthday party for one of our mutual peeps on a regular bar night....and i went in played everything i could think of that i dont get to play at weddings. dirty versions, remixes etc. i took them on a musical journey and a whole vibe....and because i dont do bars mostly i was on edge. so i used that night as a 5 hr practice session and killed it so good they wanted to go past the quit time, gave my price they was like cool...keep the party going hit them with a closing hour of bangers. Just from that one night...i have been requested 4-5 more times to dj peoples events there just because i put on a good performance. so like you Nick i had to get out my confort zone and take the masses on the musical journey the best way i know how. Sorry for the long post but just watching this video resonated with me also, you made alot of good point and it does take some humility to see your own shortcomings. Appreciate the content keep it coming .
Great post! Look forward to the shift in content. Do you do any mall appearances or community/fundraising events? I do a fair amount of those in the DMV
Nick - it's taken a HUGE man to post this, but you're spot on. If thousands of people were following you then hiring you brings the crowd. Couple of ideas - Either start up a new brand for the clubs to differentiate between Nick the wedding the DJ and SpinDis the club rocker! As someone who made the transition from weddings/house parties to clubs I can confirm that you are MORE than prepared for that environment. Wedding DJs are the hardest working peeps around - trying constantly to keep the 8-80 yr olds entertained to really cement those memories. There are NO do-overs for those special occasions so you've got to get it right. Club DJs show up with certain genres only and get spinning - no requests thank you! Same with festival DJs. Hell - some of them pre-record their sets and hit play and fake mix the set (Yes I'm looking at you Guetta!). BTW - if you want to record content from the club, don't narrate it - just mix it (add subtitles if you wish DJ Carlos style). Your club audience is raised on festivals. They just want to hear the music. They want to see those sick transitions or awesome mashups or even your next edits that you made especially for the night. They will respond to the songs you drop far better than the wedding crowds. Keep going sir - you've got this! Besides - your wing man Santi will tell you where you f$$%ed up on the night if your ego gets in the way 🤣
I had exactly the same story last weekend. But this time I had a weekend off and I was just hanging out in a couple of bars and clubs in my hometown. At some point a visited a nightlub where I used to be a resident from 2018 - 2019. Then the owner of the bar at some point decided to refresh the club and renew the list of residents and equipment and appearance etc. When I was standing at the bar in this club where I used to DJ, I had stumbled upon a manager of this club. He told me a lot of bad sh*t about DJ-s in this club that nobody an properly play etc. I told him, that I can play for anyone :D But then he told me: well, I know that you can play and you are good at this, but you are a wedding DJ. We are not hiring wedding guys here. But the funny thing was that the DJ at the same time playing is also a wedding DJ as I knew him personally. The only difference between and him is that he does not not market himself so publicly and loudly as a wedding DJ. SO I learned that some club DJ-s still do weddings & corporate, but they are keeping it "under cover" for the sake of their club career. But you know what, Nick!? Forget about that "follower thing". You'll never become next David Guetta or James Hype unless you start DJ-ing regularly to your target audience and grow that audience. It's all about style, following and audience. It's a whole other story to work in that "category". I tried it and finance-wise, its pointless unless you make big hits. You won't make any living from all that "audience based" DJing at the end of the day. Trends come and go, and so do music producers. But wedding DJ-s remain :)
Love the story ❤ I'm keeping my fingers crossed for your new challenge and looking forward to see new content! To have a distance from oneself - impressive.
Ya know.. I've watched your videos on and off for a long while now and I gotta say, I have so much respect for you especially after this video. You keep it real and honest. And you're funny as hell sometimes. But this right here... Real as it gets. I hope you get your club pub game in full swing and wish you the best. No doubt dog, you deserve it. This hit home.
You get a follow for this one. Love the realness on this. I am a new DJ in rural Tennessee and find your stuff amazing! Watching you bro! Come to Memphis and let’s have some fun.
DUDE THIS IS GREAT!!! YOU ARE THE TRUTH NOT TO MENTIONED THIS IS FUNNY AS SHIT!!! NEVER BOX YOURSELF IN! I have been djing for 23 years and started out as a stand up comic, and this is all I do for a living. Some of my greatest moments of my career have been a dive country bars that to this day I can go back to in Kansas City Missouri, show up show out and be welcomed like a rock star!! I have made more money and have developed more networking situations than most in the backwoods of nowhere and wouldn't change any of it! I have seen plenty of entertainers/ DJ that don't have the balls to to admit that their ego is what's keeping them from moving forward! Great observation and I LAUGHED MY ASS OFF!! Keep it pushing my man! Peace! LC3
Yeah man... I used to be in a similar situation. I was known for playing at local burningman events, birthday parties and other stuff.. So when I booked a residency and white-trash bar in South St. Louis, it was extremely humbling to know that at the time I had thousands and thousands of Facebook people followers/friends, not a single one of them would show up to the bar the first couple of weeks. That shit really hurt the ego. I knew what my people wanted to hear... But my people weren't showing up. So I had to figure out how to read a bar crowd, in a bar I wasn't actually comfortable in... It took me a few weeks but I started getting the feel for the Thursday night crowd... It was pretty interesting. I was asked to play on a Saturday night for the bartender's boyfriend... Saturday was ladies night so I knew that general dance music would go over well.. and I was right.. I had every lady in that bar and several of the fellas dancing, and everybody was having fun except for two old racist fucking biker trash guys at the bar.. Evidently I was playing a song by afroman that mentioned rubbing little white girls on the ass, and the two races biker guys went fucking nuts and pulled out guns and laid them on the bar and told the bartender that if that DJ didn't "turn off the ni__er shit" that they would drag me out back... I'm no idiot so I know what that meant.. So I ended up tossing back to the jukebox and getting my gear and getting the fuck out.
Nick I feel you on this one, I had a similar thing happen but what made it more hurtful, it was family that did it, (nooooo), I have a niece throwing a baby shower, she asked me to DJ for her at another Nieces wedding last month, I do all my family events, (yes I charge them but not full price) spent weeks preparing a suitable playlist. She decided to go with an event planner who had her own DJ, (didn't tell me I found out last minute through her mom, I was pissed, you know what, screw it I'm not going) of course my wife talks me into going so I went. I wanted this guy to suck so bad, he turns up with is Bunn pedestal table evolve column array speakers, ape labs up lighting, and for the next 3 hours I had the pleasure of watching this guy totally suck. song after song, nobody danced, all the bangers, nobody danced, line dances, nobody danced. finally, I couldn't take it anymore, I whipped out my phone, went on UA-cam found ragga ragga, by Byron lee went to the guy and said "here play this", everybody jumped up and started dancing, This guy wasn't a bad DJ he just had one flaw, His music wasn't bad, he didn't know his crowd, he wasn't prepared, no one told him this crowd was Jamaican, Guyanese, Trini and Bahamian, they pretty much wanted Calypso, Soca and Reggae music, with a touch of R&B, so what does this guy do, go back to playing wedding music, everybody sat back down! that was so sad.
I don't think this was all you, but two things. Business is Business like you said. Also, you took a look at you and you are not alone, every day you (we) can do something different to improve many aspects of our life. Much respect to you that you look into that proverbial mirror and say, " What could have I done differently." Good for you, brother!
Yes sir , I do weddings but also do alot of clubs , bars , restaurants. This really grows your brand and you grow your local followers. I am glad you speak about this because alot event djs see club djs at a lower level but djing a club you have to keep the hype all night, no breaks like weddings for toast , first dance etc. Good topic to discuss
@djsmellnloud7246 yes sir and you bring club vibes to events which makes the party even more lit. Club djs have to keep getting new remixes and updates vs event where most time it's repeated music .
Hello Nick love your show! I totally get what you're saying, I took 25 years off to raise my kids. I was DJing in the club before that and loving every minute. When I took the time off all I focused on was DJing weddings and that's it that's all! Now my kids have grown up and moved out I want to get back in the club scene and it very hard challenging. But I'm going to keep working at it listening to new music practicing at home and hoping to get back in the club thanks for your words just shows that we're not all alone.
Don't feel bad about this. When a location converts to a private event for the night they often will turn away anyone not associated with the group. You probably had a number of people show up, but they couldn't get in unless another part of the bar is open to the public. Nightclubs are a whole other animal. Some think that the wedding business is cutthroat; try being a club DJ, and be good enough that people decide to go to your bar instead of the bar of another DJ. I was once DJing a wedding at a hotel when the guests at the nightclub in the same hotel were asking the couple if they could dance in our area. The manager told me it was the first time they had to remove security from the nightclub, and assign it to our party. That began the feud between me and that DJ, and every other DJ that DJ is buddies with. I would just say to not miss the opportunity to outshine that followup DJ. You should want the following DJ to come in, see the cool vibe, and just let you continue the set in order not to break the flow. In other words, make that DJ your fan that night, and let him experience the stark contrast when he takes over.
Hey brother.. just watching this now.. the transition from being a bar star to a wedding DJ/Musician was tough cause I had a bar/club mentality..which was edgier than catering facilities.. when it came to bars/clubs.. you can be the Beatles..if you don't bring anyone you're toast.. I had to learn what you learned in the reverse..
Much respect, because I told myself at one point that the bars can't afford me. I live in a rural community and there's only a few bars to go to. I'm in the city (New Orleans). I say that because they always want me to dj for cheap. I know now that I could be missing potential clients. Let me ask you this, should I take these cheaper gig?
I had kinda a mess up like that once, theres a local exclusive social club to me, and they watched me doing another disco at a soccer club presentation night, liked me, and hired me, the soccer club disco was like a working interview that i didnt know about So they hired me and i went to the social club, but the two owners had been arguing, one wanted to hire me because he had a scream at my soccer club disco, and he saw massive potential, but the other wanted a live band, the guy wanting the live band was the advertising manager, so that night didnt get advertised at all, one family came in that bar staff went and dragged in off the street So i played for 8 hours or so, to one family of 6, the bar staff and the two managers The manager who fooked the night up by not advertising, came over to me at the end of the night crying, he couldnt have been more sorry he didnt advertise, he told me the place would have been packed if he had advertised, more than the live band nights were, he admitted he made a massive mistake, but i didn't end up playing there again 🤷♂️
Same shit happened with me but in reverse. I started out as a club dj and got humbled when realized I needed to up my game as a wedding dj. I also realized that the older I got the harder it was to create a following. Simply because, I stopped going out and networking. If you want followers, you gotta be out several times a week.
Very good point Bro, I live in Old City and I saw that you were going to be spinning locally on Saturday. I didn’t think of going because I didn’t want to dance to a wedding or mitzvah set. Your on the right track. Also isn’t Room 112 where the players dwell?
When I was in my prime in the early 2000s I had a very good name and reputation from weddings. And lots of people would want to hire me from bars. And I did my fair share. But the point was bars I learned really fast that bars and clubs are hiring you for your name and expect you to bring the crowd. I did a few and after that I realized they were expecting me to bring the crowd. And it was tough to market me as the DJ when people knew me as a dancer 1st and a DJ second. I had one guy say to me where is everybody at? I told him if I had 100 or 200 people that followed me everywhere. I would not be here for $200 I'd be in the city for 5 to 700. Now let me ask you a question. What are you giving me to work with? No food specials no drink specials one bartender what did you expect.
Hi, I think you should review your audience, where are those are from. I follow you from Chile, and maybe there is a lot followers from outside your city. So, that may explain that supposed lack of traction on that specific venue..., I really appreciate all your work and everything that you share.
So much respect for you. Not only this is a very insightful video, but it shows me you can also self reflect and even talk about it in public.
It takes balls and self confidence to freely discuss what you don't know, and how and when you learn. The more I watch Nicks video's the more I respect him as a genuine accomplished professional. He's the real deal.
Humility is a trait that is often overlooked and underestimated as a DJ. I respect you putting this out there. Having humility is a sign of strength, wisdom, and maturity. This will be a tremendous opportunity to keep pushing like you do towards your other goals. Everything happens for a reason. 💯
This is the realest shit I ever heard.
As someone who has navigated the bar/club scene for almost 20 years with a major local following I have had this happen more times than once. What I've usually experienced is arriving and another DJ is setting up, "Oh we had a promoter rent the venue out & brought his own DJ, here is some money for your time & travel"...usually nowhere near your full rate. So you are already ahead if they paid you in full for a 2 hour gig. I've been doing this so long I dont care just as long as I'm paid, I leave the ego at home I got trophies and awards on my wall to know I'm the sh*t.....So This is where you become the warmup DJ, and being the warmup position is just as crucial as the "closer" DJ. you can easily solidify your relationship with the bar and outside promoter if you rock it. Done that many times where the promoter said "stick around" and the closer DJ is sinking the party faster than the Titanic. "I'll pay you to get back on the tables". Yes you were humbled, but its a learning experience. The Bar/Club scene is a completely different beast than weddings.
say that fam real days solidified there positions by becoming great warmup djs you really can set the tone without even messing up the headliners set
im a dj outta Nashville TN too fam been djaying with my own equipment since 2007 djaying off borrowed equipment since 05-06
That's a fact about being the "Opener". Make sure whoever follows you won't want to. Set the bar high. Reminds me of playing "Battle of the DJ's" public dances and 3 DJ Car Club dances back in the day. Fun stuff, made some great friends with several other DJ's. Whatever you're doing, burn it down...
And yeah, always remember to check Ego at the door, pick it up on way out.
Man so much respect for you. You’ve inspired so many things that I have carried into my sets. Don’t let this knock you back at all. You’re a phenomenal dj and bring from Louisiana if I could afford a trip up north I would pay to come see you
Man if you're a DJ you're definitely gonna go through a humbling experience if you haven't already...
Wow this really touched me, mad respect to you Nick, I’m just going on a year of getting back in the game from the 80’s and figuring out which way to go. Thank you for sharing! Blessings to you always young brotha!
Respect the honesty. No matter what, at the end of the day, you got paid for your time.
Hey Nick, we met last year at the DJ expo. I was a club DJ for years and changed over to doing more weddings than clubs around 10 years ago. To keep relevant in the club scene find a spot locally that you can do a monthly in that is like a dance club and see if they will do it as a themed night to where you go in with a certain theme whether it's 90's hip hop or disco and funk etc that way you can get some good footage and have 3 weeks or so to promote each one. I do one in my area and it's on Tuesdays which doesn't interfere with my weddings and I make them themed once a month, first Tuesday of the month. Just a thought.
I'm having the opposite problem where I've played clubs and festivals and have a radio show all focused on experimental electronic music. I had to start a second instagram for my wedding business just because the branding made zero sense all together
It’s funny I was wondering about this as well - for Nick to build a following for bar/club work, does it make more sense to have a different name/brand/social media accounts and build that up from zero? I’m no expert but I can see the logic in it from a marketing point of view.
I needed this today….don’t ever really listen from beginning to end, but this one hit me. Hit me hard! Thanks Nick, needed this today!
I love the long mixing but still in key line! Brilliant.
Thank you for being real and sharing what a lot of DJs need to hear to grow and learn. Respect!
Takes a big man to admit what you just did. Been on both sides of that spectrum. Props to you Nick! Btw, appreciate your content all-around!
Much respect for keeping things real💯. Sometimes we need that reset moment. Keep it up love your content.
I appreciate your honesty in sharing this. There's a Marketing 101 lesson in there somewhere🙂you get what you show. Your followers might be real but they may not be interested in going to a club. From what I can gather, you are a Wedding DJ who plays at clubs, not a Club DJ who plays at weddings, not that there's anything wrong with either one. I've been both and I can tell you that the money that you are making doing weddings is only made by club DJs who can pack 1,000+ capacity venues consistently. Not easy to do... but it is doable. It looks like you've set your mind to crack the club market, go for it brother, I'll be cheering you on! Godspeed!
Im glad you told this story! I have said this so many times don't box yourself in just as a wedding Dj or club DJ. Expand yourself by not categorizing yourself under one type of DJ.
I'v been following you since january 2023 and I litterally LOVE your videos and your personality, congrats bro, you are great!!!
Don’t take it too much to heart nick, you hella talented and I know it, just keep keeping on and you can succeed wherever
DJing is truly about having fun while learning. That's what I've learned in my first year at the local Venue I play in on the weekends as in-house DJ.
I'm not really skilled at DJing yet. I realize it. I take all sorts of criticism and take it with gratitude.
There are some songs people suggest...that when I'm pre-listening in the cue, I get AMPED to play it.
I'm all about requests, but not only playing those requests. That's why we have that little cue-to-headphones option haha.
Great stuff Nick. I respect the professionalism greatly. Very few people digest the fact that it requires this in order to succeed.
It goes hand n hand. Have fun, but be professional; no matter where you go!
That's real talk. 100%
We’ve recently started using “events” instead of “weddings”. I noticed I may be closing us off to everything else. Mic gigs, other detailed DJ gigs. Private and corporate. It’s a good way to get Monday through Thursday gigs too.
What up!! Much respect for getting into the club scene, complete 180° left turn, from weddings. Been there trying to make that left turn, I learned that night when it happened to me, I stayed and watched what songs pop off in their scene as opposed to what pops in a wedding. Once i got that down, i looked for my own residency, and now I have fri/sat/sun at the same place. And got my own opening DJ.
I've been a DJ 40 plus years. Played some great clubs in Omaha area. Great insight and show. I've opened for bands etc. Channel is very insightful. Wedding DJs pay pretty well. Keep up the good work.
Some other factors to consider are who follows you on social media:
- DJs, who may not be located near your area, and even if they are, they're likely working
- People whose weddings you played, who may not go clubbing much since they got married, kids etc.
I feel like the DJs who draw crowds are either 1 young, with a large social network of people interested in going out a lot, 2 DJ turned producer who scored a hit (respect to those guys), 3 producers who made a hit track and decided to make money by touring as a DJ and most likely have a USB with 30 songs that they play in a pre made set and can't read / adapt to a crowd, or 4 celebrities who jump on the DJ bandwagon and have no clue WTF they're doing.
This isn't meant as a knock on your skills at all. Just some things to consider.
An adage I lived by - you are only as good as your last gig. Stay humble.
Real Talk. You did some soul searching.Sometimes we have to do this. Thanks for sharing
Humbling moments in deejay careers is the best life lessons in the world.. and you bounce back better
As a fellow dj, thanx for keeping raw and for the teachable moment. Bless up !!
Well I was hoping the story would go was...
1. When I realised I went for my primerime part of my set and light up the place. The crowd was sparse but the promoter and staff heard me play.
2. I stayed until 2am and listened the set. To see what the flavour is for this group of a select group of high value clients.
Bro this really helped. Keep enlightening the culture!!!!
Good on you bro. The self awareness to realize in the moment and course correct. Dude you are a real one👏🏾💪🏾
I recently had a similar situation happen to me that ended up changing my entire life and DJ career for the BETTER.
Thank you for sharing this story!
Dude, I love this so much. If you've been humbled then I know I need to keep grinding because I'm trying to get to your level!!!
As a fellow DJ thanks for keeping it Real and transparent!
Thank you for sharing the learning experience. Looking forward to watching your future club/bar gigs. You have your own unique style
this is among the realest video I've seen on YT.
Very nice story, very moving...very true. The lesson is in the title, always stay humble and grateful
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Hey Nick, that was totally kool that you shared your story publicly. I can certainly relate my man. Like you said, reflect, make changes and grow from the experience. Love your stuff, keep grinding!
You've said it many times before, always bring your "A" game, even if you're just playing for the staff. Cuz when you're on you're on. Reminds me of a ZZ Top concert in Dallas years ago, George Thorogood opened the show. He ran through his set, playing all his songs way up tempo - clearly just did a hit and run because he wasn't the headliner and didn't care - his set sucked bad.
Being a veteran of the clubs in my early days, that's the hardest market to break into. I did both the DJ gig in clubs, some lease installs with hired gun DJ's working for me and about 4 years in moved to sound engineering for live cover and original music bands in the clubs and doing sound & lights for name acts in club concerts. Lots of work in LA area clubs, showcasing bands - mixed bands in many of the LA hot spots - Madam Wong's West, Madam Wong's, Troubadour, The Central and others I can't remember the names of. Did some club touring on the west coast as well.
There's a universe of space between the club scene and doing weddings as you alluded to - much respect for sharing this Nick. It takes balls to bare it all.
Take the challenge and conquer the club scene - it'll be good for you - the challenge, the growth and of course in the end, the victory.
Doing club work isn't just the part in the booth, the crowd and your programming and style. It's about dealing with club owners, managers, bouncers, staff, promoters and such. It's a very different world from wedding receptions. I remember well the early days, club owners telling me to "Play for the women". That's a fact, where the ladies go, the guys will follow - so, music strategy needs to be different for a the target group, announcements, drink specials, upcoming event promotion and all that garb. The music program and mixing is worlds apart between a wedding crowd and a club crowd.
There's a lot to learn there, not being arrogant and claiming to know it all because I only know a little - saying you will love the challenge.
Go get 'em killer!
As a working musician, playing my first night club at 15, and playing for over 5 decades on the club circuits, completely understand about the humbling experience. As a band, we were always asked at any booking, how big is your following? Yup. Know the feeling all too well!!!
This Was Very Informative. Respect For Sharing 💯👊🏾
Thank you
Daaammmn bro. That didn’t go how I thought it was going to go. Glad to see you learned something bro. Keep ya head up homie. I streamed your show the other day off Mixcloud. You’re awesome
I feel you, i can do it all but my followers know me as a event dj not a club dj also. but one reason i dont dj a regular bar or club is because the music is soooo repetitive that i will get bored with djing bars and clubs. But on the flipside.....just as of last year my peeps opened up this rental hall/bar and i came in a dj a birthday party for one of our mutual peeps on a regular bar night....and i went in played everything i could think of that i dont get to play at weddings. dirty versions, remixes etc. i took them on a musical journey and a whole vibe....and because i dont do bars mostly i was on edge. so i used that night as a 5 hr practice session and killed it so good they wanted to go past the quit time, gave my price they was like cool...keep the party going hit them with a closing hour of bangers. Just from that one night...i have been requested 4-5 more times to dj peoples events there just because i put on a good performance. so like you Nick i had to get out my confort zone and take the masses on the musical journey the best way i know how. Sorry for the long post but just watching this video resonated with me also, you made alot of good point and it does take some humility to see your own shortcomings. Appreciate the content keep it coming .
Eye opening! Thank you!!
Great post! Look forward to the shift in content. Do you do any mall appearances or community/fundraising events? I do a fair amount of those in the DMV
Nick - it's taken a HUGE man to post this, but you're spot on. If thousands of people were following you then hiring you brings the crowd. Couple of ideas - Either start up a new brand for the clubs to differentiate between Nick the wedding the DJ and SpinDis the club rocker! As someone who made the transition from weddings/house parties to clubs I can confirm that you are MORE than prepared for that environment. Wedding DJs are the hardest working peeps around - trying constantly to keep the 8-80 yr olds entertained to really cement those memories. There are NO do-overs for those special occasions so you've got to get it right. Club DJs show up with certain genres only and get spinning - no requests thank you! Same with festival DJs. Hell - some of them pre-record their sets and hit play and fake mix the set (Yes I'm looking at you Guetta!). BTW - if you want to record content from the club, don't narrate it - just mix it (add subtitles if you wish DJ Carlos style). Your club audience is raised on festivals. They just want to hear the music. They want to see those sick transitions or awesome mashups or even your next edits that you made especially for the night. They will respond to the songs you drop far better than the wedding crowds. Keep going sir - you've got this! Besides - your wing man Santi will tell you where you f$$%ed up on the night if your ego gets in the way 🤣
I had exactly the same story last weekend. But this time I had a weekend off and I was just hanging out in a couple of bars and clubs in my hometown. At some point a visited a nightlub where I used to be a resident from 2018 - 2019. Then the owner of the bar at some point decided to refresh the club and renew the list of residents and equipment and appearance etc.
When I was standing at the bar in this club where I used to DJ, I had stumbled upon a manager of this club. He told me a lot of bad sh*t about DJ-s in this club that nobody an properly play etc. I told him, that I can play for anyone :D But then he told me: well, I know that you can play and you are good at this, but you are a wedding DJ. We are not hiring wedding guys here.
But the funny thing was that the DJ at the same time playing is also a wedding DJ as I knew him personally. The only difference between and him is that he does not not market himself so publicly and loudly as a wedding DJ. SO I learned that some club DJ-s still do weddings & corporate, but they are keeping it "under cover" for the sake of their club career.
But you know what, Nick!? Forget about that "follower thing". You'll never become next David Guetta or James Hype unless you start DJ-ing regularly to your target audience and grow that audience. It's all about style, following and audience. It's a whole other story to work in that "category". I tried it and finance-wise, its pointless unless you make big hits. You won't make any living from all that "audience based" DJing at the end of the day. Trends come and go, and so do music producers. But wedding DJ-s remain :)
Respect Nick. Real talk.
Love the story ❤ I'm keeping my fingers crossed for your new challenge and looking forward to see new content!
To have a distance from oneself - impressive.
Ya know.. I've watched your videos on and off for a long while now and I gotta say, I have so much respect for you especially after this video. You keep it real and honest. And you're funny as hell sometimes. But this right here... Real as it gets. I hope you get your club pub game in full swing and wish you the best. No doubt dog, you deserve it. This hit home.
I think the real moral of this story is to "always" practice humility as a way of life....
You get a follow for this one. Love the realness on this. I am a new DJ in rural Tennessee and find your stuff amazing! Watching you bro! Come to Memphis and let’s have some fun.
Great story. Thanks for sharing because as you said, it is BUSINESS!
Thanks 👍🏾
Much respect, thank you..
Love this Nick! Appreciate you sharing. Good money in weddings but I dont doubt you'll be crushing the bar scene in no time!
Love the outlook on this experience
Good stuff man . Thank you
love it man can't wait
DUDE THIS IS GREAT!!! YOU ARE THE TRUTH NOT TO MENTIONED THIS IS FUNNY AS SHIT!!! NEVER BOX YOURSELF IN! I have been djing for 23 years and started out as a stand up comic, and this is all I do for a living. Some of my greatest moments of my career have been a dive country bars that to this day I can go back to in Kansas City Missouri, show up show out and be welcomed like a rock star!! I have made more money and have developed more networking situations than most in the backwoods of nowhere and wouldn't change any of it! I have seen plenty of entertainers/ DJ that don't have the balls to to admit that their ego is what's keeping them from moving forward! Great observation and I LAUGHED MY ASS OFF!! Keep it pushing my man! Peace! LC3
Good luck on your journey Nick!
Yeah man... I used to be in a similar situation. I was known for playing at local burningman events, birthday parties and other stuff.. So when I booked a residency and white-trash bar in South St. Louis, it was extremely humbling to know that at the time I had thousands and thousands of Facebook people followers/friends, not a single one of them would show up to the bar the first couple of weeks. That shit really hurt the ego.
I knew what my people wanted to hear... But my people weren't showing up. So I had to figure out how to read a bar crowd, in a bar I wasn't actually comfortable in...
It took me a few weeks but I started getting the feel for the Thursday night crowd... It was pretty interesting.
I was asked to play on a Saturday night for the bartender's boyfriend... Saturday was ladies night so I knew that general dance music would go over well.. and I was right..
I had every lady in that bar and several of the fellas dancing, and everybody was having fun except for two old racist fucking biker trash guys at the bar..
Evidently I was playing a song by afroman that mentioned rubbing little white girls on the ass, and the two races biker guys went fucking nuts and pulled out guns and laid them on the bar and told the bartender that if that DJ didn't "turn off the ni__er shit" that they would drag me out back...
I'm no idiot so I know what that meant..
So I ended up tossing back to the jukebox and getting my gear and getting the fuck out.
Wow. That’s a crazy story and sorry you had to go through that. Good move on packing out there.
Never done a wedding. People expect waaaaay more than I can deliver as a performer.
Nick I feel you on this one, I had a similar thing happen but what made it more hurtful, it was family that did it, (nooooo), I have a niece throwing a baby shower, she asked me to DJ for her at another Nieces wedding last month, I do all my family events, (yes I charge them but not full price) spent weeks preparing a suitable playlist. She decided to go with an event planner who had her own DJ, (didn't tell me I found out last minute through her mom, I was pissed, you know what, screw it I'm not going) of course my wife talks me into going so I went. I wanted this guy to suck so bad, he turns up with is Bunn pedestal table evolve column array speakers, ape labs up lighting, and for the next 3 hours I had the pleasure of watching this guy totally suck. song after song, nobody danced, all the bangers, nobody danced, line dances, nobody danced. finally, I couldn't take it anymore, I whipped out my phone, went on UA-cam found ragga ragga, by Byron lee went to the guy and said "here play this", everybody jumped up and started dancing, This guy wasn't a bad DJ he just had one flaw, His music wasn't bad, he didn't know his crowd, he wasn't prepared, no one told him this crowd was Jamaican, Guyanese, Trini and Bahamian, they pretty much wanted Calypso, Soca and Reggae music, with a touch of R&B, so what does this guy do, go back to playing wedding music, everybody sat back down! that was so sad.
I love your take on this brother
I don't think this was all you, but two things. Business is Business like you said. Also, you took a look at you and you are not alone, every day you (we) can do something different to improve many aspects of our life. Much respect to you that you look into that proverbial mirror and say, " What could have I done differently." Good for you, brother!
How did I miss this banger.
Yes sir , I do weddings but also do alot of clubs , bars , restaurants. This really grows your brand and you grow your local followers. I am glad you speak about this because alot event djs see club djs at a lower level but djing a club you have to keep the hype all night, no breaks like weddings for toast , first dance etc. Good topic to discuss
if you can dj the club you can dj anything and i mean anything
@djsmellnloud7246 yes sir and you bring club vibes to events which makes the party even more lit. Club djs have to keep getting new remixes and updates vs event where most time it's repeated music .
Such a good story teller and lesson🤘
great attitude to have man! truly inspiring, i would have deff came out to party at that bar for ya!
lmfaoo your story times are hilarious bro 😂
Hello Nick love your show! I totally get what you're saying, I took 25 years off to raise my kids. I was DJing in the club before that and loving every minute. When I took the time off all I focused on was DJing weddings and that's it that's all! Now my kids have grown up and moved out I want to get back in the club scene and it very hard challenging. But I'm going to keep working at it listening to new music practicing at home and hoping to get back in the club thanks for your words just shows that we're not all alone.
RESPECT!!! that was awesome my GUY ... we allllll have that moment LIKE whoa .. lol
Don't feel bad about this. When a location converts to a private event for the night they often will turn away anyone not associated with the group. You probably had a number of people show up, but they couldn't get in unless another part of the bar is open to the public. Nightclubs are a whole other animal. Some think that the wedding business is cutthroat; try being a club DJ, and be good enough that people decide to go to your bar instead of the bar of another DJ. I was once DJing a wedding at a hotel when the guests at the nightclub in the same hotel were asking the couple if they could dance in our area. The manager told me it was the first time they had to remove security from the nightclub, and assign it to our party. That began the feud between me and that DJ, and every other DJ that DJ is buddies with. I would just say to not miss the opportunity to outshine that followup DJ. You should want the following DJ to come in, see the cool vibe, and just let you continue the set in order not to break the flow. In other words, make that DJ your fan that night, and let him experience the stark contrast when he takes over.
😂😂😂This should be a comedian I love him
Hey brother.. just watching this now.. the transition from being a bar star to a wedding DJ/Musician was tough cause I had a bar/club mentality..which was edgier than catering facilities.. when it came to bars/clubs.. you can be the Beatles..if you don't bring anyone you're toast.. I had to learn what you learned in the reverse..
Much respect, because I told myself at one point that the bars can't afford me. I live in a rural community and there's only a few bars to go to. I'm in the city (New Orleans). I say that because they always want me to dj for cheap. I know now that I could be missing potential clients. Let me ask you this, should I take these cheaper gig?
Great video Nick 👏🏻
Good for you bro. Humble pie tastes like 💩but it’s good for growth. Excited to see what comes of this experience for you man. Thanks for sharing! 👊🏼
I had kinda a mess up like that once, theres a local exclusive social club to me, and they watched me doing another disco at a soccer club presentation night, liked me, and hired me, the soccer club disco was like a working interview that i didnt know about
So they hired me and i went to the social club, but the two owners had been arguing, one wanted to hire me because he had a scream at my soccer club disco, and he saw massive potential, but the other wanted a live band, the guy wanting the live band was the advertising manager, so that night didnt get advertised at all, one family came in that bar staff went and dragged in off the street
So i played for 8 hours or so, to one family of 6, the bar staff and the two managers
The manager who fooked the night up by not advertising, came over to me at the end of the night crying, he couldnt have been more sorry he didnt advertise, he told me the place would have been packed if he had advertised, more than the live band nights were, he admitted he made a massive mistake, but i didn't end up playing there again 🤷♂️
Same shit happened with me but in reverse. I started out as a club dj and got humbled when realized I needed to up my game as a wedding dj. I also realized that the older I got the harder it was to create a following. Simply because, I stopped going out and networking. If you want followers, you gotta be out several times a week.
*_Real Talk......Champ_*
RESPECT THE DJ! (NICK)
Executive Business Decision!
Very good point Bro, I live in Old City and I saw that you were going to be spinning locally on Saturday. I didn’t think of going because I didn’t want to dance to a wedding or mitzvah set. Your on the right track. Also isn’t Room 112 where the players dwell?
Excellent introspection!
Learning something every day!
We’ve all been there
Good day Nick Spinelli! Go for it
When I was in my prime in the early 2000s I had a very good name and reputation from weddings. And lots of people would want to hire me from bars. And I did my fair share. But the point was bars I learned really fast that bars and clubs are hiring you for your name and expect you to bring the crowd. I did a few and after that I realized they were expecting me to bring the crowd. And it was tough to market me as the DJ when people knew me as a dancer 1st and a DJ second. I had one guy say to me where is everybody at? I told him if I had 100 or 200 people that followed me everywhere. I would not be here for $200 I'd be in the city for 5 to 700. Now let me ask you a question. What are you giving me to work with? No food specials no drink specials one bartender what did you expect.
Very good reflection
I live in Philly, I would have LOVED to have seen you. I didn't know.
Great story
The same thing was happening to me with the Weddings. I’ve been at a bar now for the last 4 years. Now I want to go back to weddings 😂
Hi, I think you should review your audience, where are those are from. I follow you from Chile, and maybe there is a lot followers from outside your city. So, that may explain that supposed lack of traction on that specific venue..., I really appreciate all your work and everything that you share.
I've been waiting on this moment since the pandemic this what i been wanting y'all wedding djays to admit this
My undying respect my bro🙏🥂🍾