Why Strip Clubs Need DJs
trixxi
former stripper is now an internet slut
Sunday, July 13, 2014 12:00 AM
I have worked in clubs with and without DJs and ultimately there can be many positives to both sides, I personally think a DJ presence is better than none.
My club recently changed from a dancer run free computer that allowed dancers to select their own songs for their stage sets. Well as dancers do love to be independent in every way, the dancers loved this. Even if it meant listening to the same song SEVERAL times because multiple dancers repetitively selected it (at PP that song is Kelly Rowland Motivation BTW). When a dancer did'nt preselect her song and it was her turn and she was called to the stage she danced to whatever was next on Winamp.
Well the club manager bought a Rockola jukebox and payperplay songs. When a dancer wants a song for her stageset she now pays .50cents to $2 per song. (Michael Jackson Rock With You is .50 / Ted Nugent Cat Scratch Fever is $2) Dancers at PP who do not want to pay Rockola have to dance to whatevers playing on Sirius Lithium. Pitiful Princess dancers do not like this lack of song control and lots of forced dancing to Alice in Chains. The customers do not identify with the music (Pearl Jam / Soundgarden) and they do not like that the dancers are unhappy. The club manager likes opening Rockola and seeing the money. Most of the money is from dancers who want to dance to what they want during a stageset. In this truly neighborhood dive, where dancers already pay stagefees daily, they now also pay for their songs individually.
A good DJ would resolve the problems of song repetition, getting dancers to stage, and paying attention to the club needs: happy customers and happy dancers.
My club recently changed from a dancer run free computer that allowed dancers to select their own songs for their stage sets. Well as dancers do love to be independent in every way, the dancers loved this. Even if it meant listening to the same song SEVERAL times because multiple dancers repetitively selected it (at PP that song is Kelly Rowland Motivation BTW). When a dancer did'nt preselect her song and it was her turn and she was called to the stage she danced to whatever was next on Winamp.
Well the club manager bought a Rockola jukebox and payperplay songs. When a dancer wants a song for her stageset she now pays .50cents to $2 per song. (Michael Jackson Rock With You is .50 / Ted Nugent Cat Scratch Fever is $2) Dancers at PP who do not want to pay Rockola have to dance to whatevers playing on Sirius Lithium. Pitiful Princess dancers do not like this lack of song control and lots of forced dancing to Alice in Chains. The customers do not identify with the music (Pearl Jam / Soundgarden) and they do not like that the dancers are unhappy. The club manager likes opening Rockola and seeing the money. Most of the money is from dancers who want to dance to what they want during a stageset. In this truly neighborhood dive, where dancers already pay stagefees daily, they now also pay for their songs individually.
A good DJ would resolve the problems of song repetition, getting dancers to stage, and paying attention to the club needs: happy customers and happy dancers.
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17 comments
Personally – I hate DJs – can’t stand them for the most part.
I tend to concentrate on the dancers and the music being played is a secondary – personally I have never wanted to leave a SC b/c of the music but have wanted to leave b/c of an annoying or inept DJ – and in some of the black clubs I’ve visited; they sometimes have had a MC which makes it unbearable for me personally (although MCs are rare and I have not seen one in a while).
My pet peeves w/ DJs:
+ very few are funny but most think they are
+ talk over the music – talk before a song and hold up the start of the song – even stop a song midway to talk his shit (most of these things are more of the exception than the norm but it happens in dives and particularly in black dives I visit)
+ cutting songs short (this I assume in on the direction of the manager or owner?) – but I would think this is not an issue with a computer or jukebox sound system
So personally I don’t care very much for DJs – but I think what works for custies are often not the same things that work for the dancers.
Luckily, locally on the DJ front things aren't too bad. At one local club DJ behavior has actually improved -- less yelling and cajoling of PLs; at another nearby club the DJs GENERALLY attend to announcing dancers and specials. Bring in a speciality act or porn star or bachelor party and all bets are off. Thankfully, those occasions are LESS frequent than several years ago.
The owner had the audacity to say that the songs are useless and radio is good enough. Lap dances and stage sets are all based on song length. Sirius / Rockola's downfall lies in taking money whilst not playing selected songs, has annoying commercials, song length is extreme, and cuts songs inbetween others. For these reasons a Dj could be beneficial.
Having been a former college radio DJ and still one who dabbles on occasion in the industry, I do stick up for DJs but I have noticed a lot of earlier complaints mentioned in earlier comments. My experience in clubs in my area today is that DJs also double as managers or lieutenants of some type, so I just look at it as a necessary but cumbersome evil.
But on the other hand, I have been "blessed" that DJs where I frequent generally treat dancers well enough that when they focus on the music they play exactly what the dancer wants and mostly have the same tastes as customers like me.
A good DJ in my experience NEVER lets his voice be heard to annoy customers or dancers, plays music that everyone in the club likes, and only makes sure to be heard when it deals with something management needs announced. I do hate DJs that try to become part of the show, so again I get what other comments are addressing. I guess I am the only one who has had good luck with DJs in strip clubs.
One of the DJ's at Kahoots in Columbus has to be one of the worst idiots I have ever heard. Here is just a short list of the issues I have.
Mangles many of the dancers names.
Makes up bogus information about a dancer, that changes every few weeks.
Talks and laughs, and makes stupid sound effects with his voice almost every song, including an annoying Scooby Doo like He'He'He laugh, and Brr-Brrr-Brrr sound every time a dancer puts her tits in a guys face.
Comments about a dancer or fakes talking to a customer, whenever a dancer does a "trick" on the stage or with a customer.
Sings along to a song, often purposely mangling the wording.
Often, re-mixes or alters songs.
If the dancer isn't ready he will repeatably call for her to go on stage. It should be the manager / owners job to make sure she is on stage.
Purposely chooses the wrong songs for several dancers, then switches to the correct song a few seconds later.
It wouldn't be bad if he does only one or two of these every so often, but this idiot constantly does this. One night he did all the above I mentioned and more on song. I often don't even know what the song was for all the DJ's antics.
An idiot like that has got to be driving away business. I know that I wouldn't stay for long with a guy like that at the mike, and I would never come back knowingly during his shift.
The DJs are an extra piece of overhead and eventually will start playing their own games to squeeze more out of the dancers, either in tipouts or sexual favors. All this does is cause more dancer problems.
As far as introducing the dancers. Let the dancers do there own shout-out 'Hi everyone I'm (name)' That is going to be far more fun than the DJ saying the same dumb routine over and over again.
As far as announcing specials. That is completely counterproductive as customers will know to sit on their hands until the special is announced. So don't announce specials at all. Instead have small signs at the front desk and on some of the tables saying 'ask your dancer about the secret special'. That gives the customer and dancer a reason to talk beyond 'wanna dance' and that will certainly result in more business than the DJ saying something over the PA system goes.
So what else is there? Nothing really.
What you do want is consistent song length, but most live DJs have limited ability to do that. Instead pick your song list and have a skilled audio editor create consistent length versions of each song, adding branding voiceovers at the end of songs shorter than the standard length (say, three minutes) That way you can have a consistent pricing and revenue model and customers don't have to wait for a 'long song special'.
Don't get me wrong there were some clubs that left the DJ to finding his or her own money but those were typically the smaller clubs with smaller budgets.
I worked from some of the worst clubs to some of the best over the years, and some people always had an opinion why DJs should or should not be a part of the club.
Pros:
No Dead Air- nothing lets a shift go from a good vibant energy that has everyone in a fun mood then that awful dreaded silence save the conversations in between girls.
A Fluid Transition- girls have a lot going on as they try to make their money, and having someone not dealing with management aspects to remind them they are going on stage for the next song helps everyone out.
Ever Changing Specials- some clubs run the same thing day in and day out, and are find with that. The clubs that have evolved over time however, have paid attention to what the clientel has as its wants and needs. a jukebox cant do that.
Another set of eyes- Some clubs on smaller budgets just are safer when another set of eyes can aid the manager in situations, as most DJ booths are in a position to see the entire club.
The Show must go on! - A DJ keeps the flow moving forward in case the manager has to deal with an emergency, that without a DJ would have everything just stop in its tracks.
Cons-
Dancer interaction- Some cannot keep it as business. yes this is a major no no, and it should cost you your job
Abuse of anything- drugs alcohol etc can be an issue without proper guides in place
Poor Guest interaction- the DJ may just be awful with his interaction skills. yes this is the damn why doesn't he shut up category, for going way overboard, to what the hell does he even say when he does talk category. A skilled DJ should be able to mix songs, make his mandated announcements in a clear voice, and move the whole show along from the -10 second mark of the song end to the +15 second mark of the next song beginning. Yes that's 25 seconds and its plenty of time to do everything and keep the energy high without skipping a beat.
Song length - this is a dispute in small and large venues if there I not a rule set from the opening day. They range from 3-4 minutes depending on what state or city, I have worked both, and even some who don't care how long a song is. 3-4 is the norm now for a good reason. there is no such thing as a long song special, and how some girls really don't perform well on stage knows she is on a3 song set for at max 12 minutes before she gets back to making her money the way she does best.
To the Advisor, your advice seems to be coming from a outside or customer standpoint that really doesn't understand how the behind the scenes actually runs in a club. This isn't to offend, but having a DJ who takes his work serious, is worth well more then what he actually makes in the long run and you don't have to keep paying that expensive commercial sound editor every week when a new song hits.
My two cents.