How To Deal With (Unfriendly) Promoters 101

DEALING WITH PROMOTERS 101

If you've played in a club and ever encountered a promoter or two you know that often times the interactions can  be messy. As a DJ you want to play your set, steal the crowd and walk away with a smile on your face feeling fulfilled. The promoter wants momey. Often times these two ways of perceiving a perfomance can cause conflict. A promoter is given the task of making sure everything that can go right in the club will. And with a large amount of pressure on their back they will be repremanded if  everything doesn't. But regardless promoters and DJs have to coexist so I am going to outline some tactics in an attempt to help you stay out of the promoters hair and keep them out of yours.

      DO NOT MAKE THINGS THAT DO NOT NEED TO BE COMPLICATED: COMPLICATED. Examples are asking endless questions about drink tabs, guest lists,  asking about setup/ breakdown and whether you'll be on the bill for promotion. Its important to realize that these guys do this every weekend and they know how to make them go smoothly. Often asking too many questions can make them feel unsure about your knowledge of the club scene and or club you are playing in as well as creating problems that may not even arise. If the promoter has personally picked you to play or you are friends this rule may not apply but whats important is that they feel that you are sure of what is going on. They'll tell you everything you need to know.

       DO NOT ASK THEM WHAT MUSIC YOU SHOULD PLAY: This is especially important if you got a hook up through a friend. Go to the club before the gig and check it out. First off if you don't know what kind of music they play at the club you will play at, you shouldn't play there. Secondly if the promoter has a problem with the music you are playing they will probably put on the next dj whos on the bill. If you don't believe this can happen look at this video of DJ Shadow being kicked off stage by a promoter. Figure it out for yourself or visit the club.

   BE ON TIME: This may seem obvious but I've seen DJs show up 5 minutes before their gig when they were supposed to be there an hour before. Whether its sitting down to talk, going to play your set, or going to collect your money. Dont Be Late! Not only does it reflect poorly on you, but you also will lose big points that go towards being able to play the next gig. No matter how good you are don't make people wait for you. The promoters have tight schedules and it makes it easier for everybody. (Good article below on time management for dj's from DJTechTools)

http://www.djtechtools.com/2013/02/11/productivity-hacks-time-management-for-djs-and-producers/

  HAVE EVERYTHING READY: Dont show up at the club with your laptop expecting to update your rekordbox, traktor, controller, playlist or anything. Make sure you have every cable you need, every connection, adapter, headphones, usb sticks whatever. They won't cater to you. This is something you can ask the promoter about, cables. If you have a specific setup, try to twine usb cables together to get organized, have your laptop stand ready, backup all of your music on usbs and cds, and have backup cables and connectors.

   DONT EXPECT CATERING: Whether its a free drink or being able to bring your traktor s4 controller, dont expect the club to cater to you... the one dj who doesnt know how to do something. Find out what kind of equipment they have and prepare to use theirs. If you need to go to guitarcenter to practice on a pair of cdjs and a pioneer mixer then do it! Having expectations for catering makes you look self indulged and the promoter doesnt have the time in a night to deal with minute problems.

 DO BE FRIENDLY NO MATTER WHAT: The promoter may be screaming at you but you have to keep your cool. They have a lot more on the line than you so don't take it personally, just keep being polite and responding to all requests. A smile can mean everything in the business. So if you wanna play again, smile and wave ;)

  BE WILLING TO CHANGE: Often sets go too long or the last DJ is super drunk. and cant play. Dont blame the promoter if he cuts your set short or asks you to play another half an hour. Prepare fpr these situations and have them in place. Make set up and break down quick so that if something like this happens you can end your set at a moments notice. Prepare an emergency set in case for genres in case you play longer!

CONCLUSION

 These are the most important points I can think of, though not all of them. Keep your head up and stay open minded. These are the keys to avoiding conflict. Remember this is your profession and with everything there are obstacles. So dont get down when your set gets called off or they decide to end your set early. Its all part of the grand scheme of a club. You have to sacrifice some things to gain others. In addition these shouldn't scare you, I have met a fair amount of nice guys who have gone above and beyond to make my night great. Hope you enjoyed reading! Cheers