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CasablancaDJ
02-27-2012, 09:29 PM
Well I'm just trying to get into this biz, but i've been DJ'ing for 20 years -mostly weddings- and I take home about $1500-2000 for my average wedding (more than most DJ's make).

I have my own music (2 Terabytes worth) and figure if I'm gonna promote a club on FB, work a full shift without breaks and hustle hard to make money for the girls at least 10% tip out should be expected -preferably more-

Whether I make the same or 10X what a regular dancer makes is irrelevant, its all about the hustle you are creating and the business you are bringing in. Dancers take breaks, can get drunk or high or whatever, the DJ has to be working non stop with no breaks.

Then I never get the thing about pay out and people bitching about what the pay out is ... at the end of the day it's what you are taking home ... Its better to pay 50% payout and take $1000 than 20% pay out and take $500 and its the same for the DJ, but some here don't get that.

I've spent 20 years collecting music and the DJ has to make everyone happy and work for everyone, dancers are only working for themselves and there's a lot fewer DJs than dancers and it seems like its hard to get into this business anyway -alot harder than a dancer-

That's what I think anyway

Kellydancer
02-28-2012, 12:15 AM
What BOTM said so beautifully. I never got high or drunk on the job (I don't really do those) and dancers should be paid more than a DJ, period for reasons mentioned. Btw, I have worked at clubs where I was lucky to get a bathroom break between going on stage or selling dances/drinks/VIP/etc. I have worked with DJs who were there to meet girls or were lousy DJs and they never should have made anything close to what I did and I was usually a high earner.

Btw, DJ, many dancers have their own music. You should see my music collection, it numbers in the thousands. I used to bring several hundreds CDs to work with me. When a DJ played my music and only for me he received a generous tip.

CasablancaDJ
02-29-2012, 12:12 PM
hey i was just kidding around, geese!!

DesuvsDeath
02-29-2012, 12:35 PM
Um. Ew.
I would never tip a DJ who told me to "pay my 10% and go grind some dick" ever.
I'd immediately put in a complaint with both management AND corporate instead of tipping... And encourage others to do the same.

kaiarose
02-29-2012, 12:41 PM
Pay your 10% and go back and grind ur booty on that dick

And here's an example of why some girls refuse to pay the DJ.

Laurisa
02-29-2012, 12:45 PM
$10 for me. Nothing if he's rude.

I have mandatory $20 tip at my current club, which is too much considering that DJ can't get my name right half the time and refuses to do anything about customers videotaping girls on stage--he doesn't even broadcast a warning. If I didn't have to I wouldn't give that loser a nickel.

CasablancaDJ
02-29-2012, 12:45 PM
LMAO, ok then how about 'You take care of me and I take care of you' ... is that better??

CasablancaDJ
02-29-2012, 12:54 PM
you ladies are hypersensitive, don't take your anger out on the DJ, he's there to hustle for you! i was just joking around

kaiarose
02-29-2012, 12:57 PM
you ladies are hypersensitive, don't take your anger out on the DJ, he's there to hustle for you! i was just joking around

You have to understand that we hear shit like this at the club on a nightly basis. We come to SW to get away from that. So when someone comes into our house and insults us, we're going to jump down your throat. So just keep that in mind when you post and everyone will be a happy camper :)

CasablancaDJ
02-29-2012, 01:02 PM
alright my bad, i'm totally new at this, its good that i'm learning now on a chat board and not at a real job situation

i apologize, i don't mean no disrespect

Djoser
02-29-2012, 01:55 PM
OK Casablanca, you are learning right away how NOT to get tipped well in this business.

:rotfl:

Unlike so many DJs and dancers I have seen, I NEVER drink at work, and I NEVER hustle the dancers for sex or make crude comments anything remotely resembling what the horny customers say. I'm no angel, but I also try not to even date them at my own club--wait until they go to another club for that. It can be hard to resist mutual attraction if they are coming on to you (which won't happen much if you make sexual jokes all the time haha)

If you want to make money in this business, you have to put yourself on an entirely different level than the customers. If you last, the longer you do it, the easier this will be. Trust me on that one.


As far as the DJ getting breaks. The bigger and busier the club, the less likely this is to happen. It's just something you have to deal with. Like trying to get the dancers to the stage--who are drunk, high, or just missing in action for any number of reasons--that's been more than half my job for the last three and a half years.

Which is why I emphatically, absolutely deserve to make the amount of money I have been making, whether or not it's more than the fattest, ugliest, laziest, drunkest, most drug-addled dancers in the club. The really hot hustlers will almost always make more, which is fine with me.

I certainly can empathize with Laurisa and the other dancers who are sick of dealing with drunk or just really fucking stupid DJs who couldn't help them make money if they tried--but don't seem to even try. Or some of them--the fucking cheesy ones, who actually seem to hurt the atmosphere of the club. No, your nasally, whining, irritating voice while you deliver the same trite, insipid jokes about wishing you were that pole, or 'What's 6 inches long with a head on it'. etc., is not helping anyone have fun or make money. I wouldn't want to tip them either--just as you might not want to tip some nasty ugly rude bitch onstage as a customer.

On the other hand, a really good DJ can and will turn a club around, if the potential is there and it wasn't being correctly utilized by the previous DJ (like if he was a drunken lecher haha). I've done it a few times. Sometimes it's harder than others. But if and when you do that, you deserve whatever the fuck the dancers are tipping you voluntarily above the minimum--just as they deserve whatever the fuck the customers tip them or pay them for dancing to the music you are playing in the club all night long.

Djoser
02-29-2012, 02:02 PM
$10 for me. Nothing if he's rude.

I have mandatory $20 tip at my current club, which is too much considering that DJ can't get my name right half the time and refuses to do anything about customers videotaping girls on stage--he doesn't even broadcast a warning. If I didn't have to I wouldn't give that loser a nickel.

In most of the clubs I've worked, I will go grab that fucker and throw him out myself. The club before last, I wasn't allowed to do that. But quite often a DJ who cares will wind up doing some bouncing as well. If I see trouble coming I will put on a longer song (just in case lol) and go check it out, unless it's really fucking busy in which case I'll call security.

I always take care of the women I work with, whatever it takes. Which is why I generally get tipped more than minimum. 20$ does seem high though, especially if the guy sucks. What's up with that?

CasablancaDJ
02-29-2012, 02:06 PM
I appreciate the feedback, I was a Top Wedding DJ in my industry for a long time because I figured out what to do and what not to do.

This is a completely new ballgame for me though.

Kellydancer
02-29-2012, 02:56 PM
Then don't think of dancers like that because you will not last long as a DJ, trust me. I got a few DJs fired who were unprofessional and as a professional always while dancing I expect the same in return. I don't drink or do drugs and never grinded dick. When a DJ was respectful, didn't try to ask me out, and played my music he got a larger tip. When he was a jerk he got nothing.

lol1337a
02-29-2012, 03:53 PM
Hate to break it to you Casablanca... but any income I've made from a DJ "hustling" for me has been infinitesimal in comparison to income made on my own. Nobody tips a dancer because a DJ tells them to. Unless you're playing the chicken dance nobody gives a fuck what she's dancing to either. Customers tune this stuff out. I tip DJs well because they also depend on tips for the most part and because I like getting along with coworkers... not because they earn me much more money than a jukebox would. (No offense to the other DJs here.)

Laurisa
02-29-2012, 05:10 PM
In most of the clubs I've worked, I will go grab that fucker and throw him out myself. The club before last, I wasn't allowed to do that. But quite often a DJ who cares will wind up doing some bouncing as well. If I see trouble coming I will put on a longer song (just in case lol) and go check it out, unless it's really fucking busy in which case I'll call security.

I always take care of the women I work with, whatever it takes. Which is why I generally get tipped more than minimum. 20$ does seem high though, especially if the guy sucks. What's up with that?
Well at this club we don't have a house fee IF we arrive before 7 PM. It's $50 per hour house fee if you are late. So you tip the DJ $20 and the housemom $10 and pay valet $5. So actually it's a really upscale club with a really low tipout and no house fee--actually not all that unfair. I would prefer to just tip the house mom, and honestly she deserves $20 and the DJ deserves $10. The housemom cooks us dinner, talks to us, watches our stuff, she's a great woman. The DJ is fucking annoying and him not caring about illegal videotaping really rubs me the wrong way.

So all in all I don't particularly care because the total tipout/house fee is so low at that club, but the club sucks and is dangerous and full of prostitutes and real sleazefuck customers.

I had one great DJ before and I tried to tip that guy as much as I could afford. He was fantastic. Now I should mention that while most of the time I only gave him $10-15, I also bought him dinner every night (along with 3-4 other staff members). This was at a Deja Vu that took 1/3 of my earnings. So I'd sell $1100 worth of stuff, be forced to wait until 4:45 AM--we closed at 4 AM--to "cash out" (horrible policy) but then I'd pay them $200-300 and then spend another $20 tipping out staff. On top of that I was spending $10-20/night on food for the staff, and $20-25 in gas! It was horrendous, a lot of money to be made, but a lot of money wasted too. So even though he only got $10-15 out of me he was also getting free food/drinks.

I just couldn't justify tipping more than I already was considering how much I was spending a night ($250-$400 total)!

Kellydancer
02-29-2012, 05:19 PM
Djoser, you are obviously not the normal dj so you should be tipped more than the normal dj. However, I still don't think there should be a minimum for dj as long as he is receiving his minimum wage. Its just not fair.

No it's not, especially when the DJ is awful and hitting on the dancers, and still makes more than the dancers. I think Djoser is the exception to the rule and deserves what he makes but have worked with so many who aren't. I have seen DJs make more than ALL the dancers because it was a slow night and that is wrong, especially if the DJ isn't good.

Kellydancer
02-29-2012, 05:27 PM
Laurisa where you forced to buy them dinner or just did it to be nice?

Laurisa
02-29-2012, 05:41 PM
I wasn't forced to buy them dinner per se, but me and the other top earning dancer would go grab food and staff just started piling in their requests for food. Within a few weeks people just expected it so it became normal. I guess no one stopped to ask if we were OK with it. Just because I was making $100/hour doesn't mean I had to share it, they just assumed. I've wasted so much money on that club, I hate them all.

Kellydancer
02-29-2012, 05:49 PM
And they didn't offer money? When I worked at clubs where someone did a run I always paid and so did others. Unfortunately many staff members take advantage of dancers.

Djoser
02-29-2012, 06:10 PM
Hate to break it to you Casablanca... but any income I've made from a DJ "hustling" for me has been infinitesimal in comparison to income made on my own. Nobody tips a dancer because a DJ tells them to. Unless you're playing the chicken dance nobody gives a fuck what she's dancing to either. Customers tune this stuff out. I tip DJs well because they also depend on tips for the most part and because I like getting along with coworkers... not because they earn me much more money than a jukebox would. (No offense to the other DJs here.)

They do sometimes tip when you tell them to--but you have to do it in the right way. Using the cheesy nasal running on and on method of announcing will never work. This impresses really stupid owners and managers, because their tiny pea brains think that's the way stripclubs DJs should sound, because that's what they are used to. Wrong.

Use a voice that commands attention. Tell them to tip when it's a hot girl trying really hard to put on a show. Don't waste your breath trying to get guys to tip a fat cow that's not even dancing, because not only will it fail miserably, but the guys will tune you out that much quicker. It's good to keep announcing occasionally that the girls are dancing 'for tips and tips alone', because some guys don't know that. I didn't when I first started going as a young dumb punk out of college!

Best of all--if there's a dancer up there really trying, and there's guys sitting there watching like sea slugs? Go up there with a fucking dollar yourself! DO NOT let her rub her tits in your face or whatever for it--that's not why you are tipping her--you are tipping her ONLY to set an EXAMPLE to the asshole customers. Better yet by far, send another dancer to tip her with your dollar and talk them both the hell up and mention the tipping, etc.

Not only will this work, but the cool dancers will appreciate the hell out of you for doing it, because very few DJs (who aren't trying to suck up and get tits in their face) will ever do this--most of them think they are too cool lol.

Of course, if it's a dancer who stiffs you regularly, tough shit for her. Do it for the ones who take care of you, or the ones who tip minimum but seem really cool and are easy to work with.


Also, what music you play as a DJ can make a HUGE difference in the atmosphere of the club, how happy the dancers are onstage (and thus how well they dance--which the customers often DO appreciate), what kind of mood is going n for private dances (this is why I will never play those fucking Southpark type joke songs some of these moronic DJs thinks are so fucking funny), and how long the customers will stay. Some customers don't give a shit, it's true. But for every customer that doesn't care whether you are playing shitty music, there's at least one who does care very much and will leave, or stay if you don't play shitty music--and another customer or two who will stay if you play kickass music that keeps the energy level high and people feeling upbeat and sexual.

This does not mean playing whatever all the dancers want every single time they go up. Because then you'll be playing the same cheesy fucking PopTop40 schlock that everyone has already heard 30 times in their car on the fucking radio, that all the girls want to hear every single time they go up. Or they will demand you play horrible, slow, weird depressing shit at midnight on friday night--or just really slow schlocky love songs that are big on the radio but drive the energy level right through the bottom of the floor. Or if you have a bunch of ghetto dancers, you'll be playing all hardcore rap all night, and nothing drives out customers with money faster than that. I've heard it said a zillion times 'Plenty of older guys with money like new rap!'. Bullshit. For every old guy with money that likes rap, there's 200 that would rather hear anything else at all.

I've been to jukebox clubs, and that's the kind of crap you hear almost every time. The notable execption being Mons Venus in Tampa--but Mons Venus also has nothing but Penthouse Pets working there, about 60 of them. In a club like that, yeah you can probably play whatever you want lol.

Djoser
02-29-2012, 06:17 PM
I wasn't forced to buy them dinner per se, but me and the other top earning dancer would go grab food and staff just started piling in their requests for food. Within a few weeks people just expected it so it became normal. I guess no one stopped to ask if we were OK with it. Just because I was making $100/hour doesn't mean I had to share it, they just assumed. I've wasted so much money on that club, I hate them all.

That kind of sucks that they started expecting it. I have had dancers take care of me with food, and even if they tipped me minimum I sure as hell appreciated it! Food costs money! Duh...

Plus it's the time, effort, and thought that counts.

And yeah, I never worked there, but if the club you are referring to is part of the huge giant chain club, the Walmart of stripclubs, I hate those places too. My ex quit that one place in disgust, even though she was actually making fairly good money.

DesuvsDeath
02-29-2012, 06:18 PM
LMAO, ok then how about 'You take care of me and I take care of you' ... is that better??

No. that just implies the threat that you're going to intentionally fuck us over should you decide you aren't being "adequately"taken care of.

Djoser
02-29-2012, 06:45 PM
Eh, he may have made the extremely bad joke about grinding, but I don't read the implied threat into that statement.

'You take care of me I take care of you.' is just a variant of the Golden Rule 'Do unto others...'

Now if you add an 'or else...' at the end, it's a different story lol.

crystalize
02-29-2012, 06:48 PM
Well I'm just trying to get into this biz, but i've been DJ'ing for 20 years -mostly weddings- and I take home about $1500-2000 for my average wedding (more than most DJ's make).

I have my own music (2 Terabytes worth) and figure if I'm gonna promote a club on FB, work a full shift without breaks and hustle hard to make money for the girls at least 10% tip out should be expected -preferably more-

Whether I make the same or 10X what a regular dancer makes is irrelevant, its all about the hustle you are creating and the business you are bringing in. Dancers take breaks, can get drunk or high or whatever, the DJ has to be working non stop with no breaks.

Then I never get the thing about pay out and people bitching about what the pay out is ... at the end of the day it's what you are taking home ... Its better to pay 50% payout and take $1000 than 20% pay out and take $500 and its the same for the DJ, but some here don't get that.

I've spent 20 years collecting music and the DJ has to make everyone happy and work for everyone, dancers are only working for themselves and there's a lot fewer DJs than dancers and it seems like its hard to get into this business anyway -alot harder than a dancer-

That's what I think anyway



Attitudes like this are exactly why we don't like tipping the DJ. We work hard for our money and all you do is play a couple songs for us a night. You don't sound like you fit into this business.

CasablancaDJ
02-29-2012, 09:04 PM
Well I tip my hat to DJoser who knows how to navigate through all the bullshit and always says the right thing.

I have a graduate degree but thought this town could use a high quality entertainer.

I already apologized for that really funny comment I deleted but cmon, girls saying that a DJ is fine if he's making minimum wage,
well maybe for some slob that can't do any better for himself but it seems to me girls either have been working with really shitty ass DJ's or they have not much respect for what a DJ can do for a club and for girls.

DJoser you can back me up any time here ... in my town there's probably less than a dozen clubs I would even consider working at and if I'm not making at least a certain amount then it's not even worth my time, as far as base salary from what I know they pay maybe $35 a night -that doesn't even pay for gas- and i think the minimum wage comment is just as offensive as the grinding dick one.

There are $300 DJs on craigslist but I average $1500 -$2000 for a Wedding, why is that?? Well I don't work for trashy people, I work for those who can appreciate a quality DJ and a quality service ... I guess the same holds true in this business, and I'll stop right there before I piss someone else off.

... and again I don't mean any disrespect but how about some real talk here $20 bucks a night for a good DJ that gets and plays your music and treats you well seems like a small price to pay, DJoser please back me up!

unbeleavable
02-29-2012, 09:29 PM
From what I've read you haven't even made it in a club yet but boast to spinning at weddings for $1500. Why do you want to be in the club?

CasablancaDJ
02-29-2012, 10:02 PM
I like watching girls dance and I love to play music and think I'd be really good at it ... not sure if the attitude is limited to this board or if I would get the same at a strip club, I do have friends doing it and they seem to enjoy it

some of the comments are way outlandish though like the one about if a DJ is making minimum wage he should be happy ... most good DJ's i know pull in a grand to two a week whether they be mobile or club so maybe that's why you get shitty ass DJs that just want to drink and grab ass and go through the motions and have little real talent

From about a dozen clubs I've visited in my area 'talent' ranges quite a bit from DJ's who can't enunciate properly and you have no clue what they are saying, distorted sound, monotonous music selection, boring voice, etc the better DJs were at the clubs where clearly a lot of money is being made but again you get what you pay for

I know one high end wedding DJ that works at a top strip club here in town and he's really good and is making bank, but maybe some of these girls are working at shitty bars with shitty DJ's and don't know any better

unbeleavable
02-29-2012, 10:12 PM
I see you like watching girls dance & that is the difference between you & Djoser..never in his responses did this come up. There is a reason why he is getting payed & respect at what he does. You come to a board of strippers & act like a customer...

CasablancaDJ
02-29-2012, 10:24 PM
someone asked me why i want to get in this business, well i love music and i like watching girls dance ...
obviously something attracted you to stripping as well, how is that offensive?? are all dancers this
hypersensitive
or is it just you??

notice i didn't say anything about lap dances or hooking up with women or anything like that

i get the part about being respectful to dancers but cmon, why else would a talented DJ want to work at a strip club??

certainly not to put up with shitty attitudes or women that think a real DJ should be happy with minimum wage

unbeleavable
02-29-2012, 10:28 PM
No the riding dick comment did it...lol PLEASE keep trying..you haven't even made it in yet. Looks like weddings are your thing...LOL

Djoser
03-01-2012, 12:09 AM
OK man enough with the grinding/riding jokes. I agree expecting a good DJ to work for 50$ shift pay and be happy is absurd, but you are not helping the case of DJs with the jokes.

Kellydancer
03-01-2012, 12:20 AM
Watching girls dance is NOT a reason to get into being a DJ. Dancer spot them a mile away and hate guys like that.

lol1337a
03-01-2012, 02:14 AM
If you're going to be watching the girls dance like the paying customers they deserve tips from you too. You can work at my club -- our tips will cancel each other out and I can save $$.

luscious sadie
03-01-2012, 02:29 AM
working in a club will also probably ruin stripclubs and watching pretty girls dance, as well.

Djoser
03-01-2012, 02:24 PM
working in a club will also probably ruin stripclubs and watching pretty girls dance, as well.

:rotfl:

Not quite, but close sometimes.

It's so funny, I was just telling some people that for the last 5 years I have been working in two different nude clubs, with a total of hundreds of dancers, and I know what maybe 2-3 of their vaginas look like--and not from fucking them either (though I wasn't always as careful about sleeping with co-workers I confess).

One night about a year ago one of the managers was pissed off that the girls weren't removing their bottoms at the 2nd song onstage, and told me to watch them carefully to make sure they did. I told him with all due respect--but rather forcefully--that no way in fucking hell did I have time to watch for that shit.


And a lot of these women I would never put on any stage anywhere, if I had a choice (especially at the latest club lol). Sometimes you'll accidentally look at the stage and the instant, automatic reaction to avert your eyes is so strong, it's like a slap in the face. Don't even get me started on the dressing room.


But thank all the gods, once in a while, you actually get to work with women who really love to dance and put on a show, and it works--to me this is Art, pure and simple. I try to watch them if there's any time for that--but usually there isn't.

mediocrity
03-01-2012, 02:31 PM
I've worked with many DJs who didn't get a base pay (only tips), and two that did get base pay: one was a minimum wage employee, the other was $50 a shift. I was always taught that 10% goes to the DJ, and have never had a problem with that.

Djoser
03-01-2012, 02:49 PM
...Also, most djs are NOT professional djs, as in have been djing at SCs for 20 yrs and have built up a fabulous reputation and have made their way to the better clubs. I think djs should expect the same as waitresses...starting out expect Denny's tips, move up and expect a couple hundred...and pay your dues and make $500+...but so many djs have this attitude that they should be making $500 minimum when most dancers don't even make that. And the reality is that very few djs actually use any of their money towards their job, whereas dancers and housemoms are constantly reinvesting in their job. Not to mention the sexual assault. I will most likely need therapy soon to deal with everything included in my job...djs don't.

The vast majority of the dancers I have worked with in the last 12 years were most certainly NOT investing their money back into their jobs. I can't tell you how many hundreds of women I have worked with apparently had ONE outfit, and quite often it wasn't what they should have been wearing (or taking off lol).

Whereas I have spent thousands and thousands of dollars towards laptops (only the best will do and it costs), music files and CDs (I won't download pirated shit), and all kinds of other equipment. And also clothes, I dress very well at work in order to try to present a good image for my club, from the DJ at least lol.

As far as most DJs starting off being unprofessional--no more so than the vast majority of dancers I have seen starting out--actually they usually had some kind of experience DJing somewhere for a year or two, or they wouldn't even get an audition.

As far as DJs deserving the same as a brand new Denny's waitress, are you fucking kidding me?

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Granted, I have seen the newbie DJs that didn't even deserve that, but I've seen far, far more dancers who shouldn't be on any kind of stage at all.

ETA--I agree, a DJ new to stripclubs should not expect 500$ a night right off, unless maybe he is some sort of natural strip club wizard type and everyone starts making more money when he works. Some guys take to it much faster and better than others--like some dancers.


I will most likely need therapy soon to deal with everything included in my job...djs don't.

Haha dealing with 30-60 demanding women all night, any one of whom can and will run screaming to the manager or owner they are blowing if you don't play the songs the same manager or owner told you never to play, but will then fire you for refusing to play the suckdick music for the crazy bitch? It's a whole different kind of stress...

Granted, you have to deal with some serious assholes, and the sexual assault factor is very bad. But the stress a DJ has to deal with is no easier, I think--it's just a different kind of stress.

What I really find ironic and amusing is this, some nasty skank onstage screaming at me because no one is tipping them even though they look like a cow and aren't even trying to dance...and then stiffing me for a tip at the end of the night. And it happens all the time in clubs where there is no minimum tipout!

The complete, utter lack of empathy in this bsuiness--going or rather failing to go in both directions--is astounding at times...

Djoser
03-01-2012, 02:56 PM
I've worked with many DJs who didn't get a base pay (only tips), and two that did get base pay: one was a minimum wage employee, the other was $50 a shift. I was always taught that 10% goes to the DJ, and have never had a problem with that.

Thanks for saying that.

I actually don't think 10% is really necessary, if (as has been the case with me) they tip the minimum 10$ with no fuss, and a sizable proportion voluntarily tip 15-20, or maybe more if they bank and I've always taken good care of them.

DesuvsDeath
03-02-2012, 12:20 AM
Eh, he may have made the extremely bad joke about grinding, but I don't read the implied threat into that statement.

'You take care of me I take care of you.' is just a variant of the Golden Rule 'Do unto others...'

Now if you add an 'or else...' at the end, it's a different story lol.

No. I assure you... I've worked with "many a dj".. "You take care of me; I take care of you" means "If you don't tip me above and beyond what's required I'll only put you on stage when I know no one's tipping and intentionally fuck up your music."

luscious sadie
03-02-2012, 05:30 AM
Djoser, we have all had stressful jobs before. I'm not saying you don't deserve to be compensated for it. But a high stress environment just does not come close to sexual assault.


I have to agree with this. I have worked some ridiculously hard jobs, including being a fine dining cook working for a chef who could have been Gordon Ramsey.

Nothing comes close to the complete lack of respect, the complete lack of attention to boundaries, AND complete... inability to know whether or not I will be able to make enough money to support myself on a regular basis. As a DJ you are able to hold some weight in the club. Management will listen to you, customers will listen to you, other staff will listen to you. I'm not saying that this isn't always the case with dancers but in most it is the truth. We are not given respect from most people - clients and coworkers - and when it comes to dealing with sexual assault, developing PTSD, the lack of stability that comes along with stripping.... there is no way that I can put that beside a stressful job and say that they are at all similar or relatable.

In my case, the DJ is the only one I tip out and for the most part, I tip really well (by the standards at my club). The DJ has us all in a locked rotation that we can buy out of if we want but otherwise, when you're up you're up no matter what you are doing or what anyone else is doing. We choose our own music, we all get respected on stage... tipping is purely 'if you want' and you will get no special treatment for tipping or not tipping.

Kellydancer
03-02-2012, 12:48 PM
Agreed. if a DJ is great and professional he gets a bigger tip. However the fact is he doesn't put up with the stress dancers do. Let's also be honest and say that while there are dancers who shouldn't be dancing and most of us have danced with them, there are DJs who shouldn't be working either. How many of us have worked with DJs who asked us on dates, who didn't know how to run the system, played the wrong song, etc? probably most. Now that's not saying I dislike DJs. Not at all, many have become friends, but the reality is many aren't professional and shouldn't be making as much as some make. A good professional DJ should make more than a poor quality one, and a poor quality one shouldn't even be working but so many times he's a friend of the owner, or part owner or just a guy hired off the street.

Djoser
03-02-2012, 06:10 PM
No. I assure you... I've worked with "many a dj".. "You take care of me; I take care of you" means "If you don't tip me above and beyond what's required I'll only put you on stage when I know no one's tipping and intentionally fuck up your music."

And I assure you...I've said it many, many, many times. I don't doubt you've worked with some selfish prick DJs that meant something else, but when I say it, it means 'We should have mutual respect, and if we do have it, we will be very happy working together.'


Exactly. Also...the club is paying you to keep good club music playing the entire time. You're not "taking care of me" when you play normal poppy music when I'm onstage...therefore, your default song for me shouldn't be this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cb6pJ4AEOoI) if I don't "take care of you back."

Djoser, we have all had stressful jobs before. I'm not saying you don't deserve to be compensated for it. But a high stress environment just does not come close to sexual assault.


I wouldn't play 'normal poppy music' for you onstage unless you asked for it. I'd play whatever you asked for that wasn't against management rules, & was upbeat when it was busy. But if you repeatedly stiffed me for a tip, I'd play whatever the crowd seemed to want, and tough shit. But I know that would never happen with you, so arguing about it is kind of pointless.

I would never, ever play the fucking Cha-Cha Slide or any other hokey, ancient, insipid joke songs that would piss off all the customers and all the other dancers that had no problem tipping a good DJ.

Granted sexual assault is about as stressful a situation as it gets. But a good DJ in a very busy club is dealing with a zillion different stressful situations all night long, with no fucking breaks (your boyfriend is lucky to get them, but I've never heard of a busy club that lets DJs have even one break a night). I have worked every conceivable job, including several extremely high stress jobs hat left me drained at the end of the shift. Nothing has ever come close to the utter exhaustion I have felt at the end of almost every shift in a busy club.

It's been compared to herding cats, with very good reason.

Look, I used to bash DJs as much if not more as anyone in this thread has. Of course there a whole lot of illiterate, willfully ignorant, delusional, arrogant, lazy, drunken, drug-addled, lecherous swine thinly disguised as DJs. But for every DJ like that, there's probably 10-20 dancers who are equally as bad in every respect--because of the ratios of dancers to DJs in the business. And the DJs have to deal with them all night long, every night. All it takes is 1-3 of them on a rampage to utterly ruin your night, trust me. Just like all it takes is one customer pulling some crazy shit on you to ruin your night as well.



Nothing comes close to the complete lack of respect, the complete lack of attention to boundaries, AND complete... inability to know whether or not I will be able to make enough money to support myself on a regular basis. As a DJ you are able to hold some weight in the club. Management will listen to you, customers will listen to you, other staff will listen to you. I'm not saying that this isn't always the case with dancers but in most it is the truth. We are not given respect from most people - clients and coworkers - and when it comes to dealing with sexual assault, developing PTSD, the lack of stability that comes along with stripping.... there is no way that I can put that beside a stressful job and say that they are at all similar or relatable.


Nothing comes close to the complete lack of respect, the complete lack of attention to boundaries, and the complete lack of any kind of professional work ethics of uncounted dancers I have had to work with. If you make them go onstage when it is actually their turn, or worse yet fine them for failing to show up (which happens at least half of all songs unless you go track them down most nights) they will run screaming to the manager and/or owner-- or if there is the slightest problem otherwise, telling them utter bald faced lies about you. And if they are sucking the owners and/or managers' dicks? You're fucked. Even if they aren't, you're generally still fucked. Because the owners and managers don't want to deal with whacked out, drug-addled, deranged bitches lying through their teeth about what's really going down in their clubs every night all night long. They want you to deal with it every night all night long, with no breaks. Or else.

There is no way I can put that beside any other kind of 'stressful job and say that they are at all similar or relatable.'


However the fact is he doesn't put up with the stress dancers do...the reality is many aren't professional and shouldn't be making as much as some make. A good professional DJ should make more than a poor quality one, and a poor quality one shouldn't even be working but so many times he's a friend of the owner, or part owner or just a guy hired off the street.

Poor quality dancers shouldn't even be working, but there are untold thousands of them, generally at least a couple dozen out of 80 or so total, in any medium to large sized club. They may not always be friends with the owner, but frequently they are instead sucking the owners' dicks which is, of course, much worse.

How would you know the DJ doesn't put up with equally high stress, unless you've been in his shoes? In fact a DJ in a busy club does indeed have to put up with equally high or greater stress--it's just a different kind. You have to deal with drunken, crazy, idiotic customers refusing to follow the rules. We have to deal with drunken, crazy, idiotic dancers refusing to follow the rules, who will vow on their mother's grave that the DJ was the one breaking the rules, after rubbing all over the owners and managers who just want their dicks sucked--and often get it.

And the DJ gets fired for trying to do his job and actually put women onstage when its their turn, dancing to music they swore they loved like life itself a week before.

ArmySGT.
03-02-2012, 06:31 PM
Here's your alternative. .25 cents a song by request.

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j218/ArmySGT_photos/Makes%20me%20laugh/Jukebox.jpg

Djoser
03-02-2012, 08:41 PM
^^^We've already been through this, ArmySGT, it's not 25 cents, but a dollar a song in most jukebox clubs, and almost invariably the customers are forced to listen to the same horrible slow, whiny songs and bad rap all night long, 8-10 times a night. You are still going to have to pay someone to make sure the girls get onstage--which is at least half the DJ's job in most clubs I've worked in. So the girls have to pay a dollar a song, more than they would a DJ in a small to medium sized club, PLUS tip out a guy who announces them or at least makes sure they get to stage before their two songs have finished.

Besides, bringing up 'The Jukebox Solution' is pointless, since 97% of stripclubs don't have them and won't use them. Until that happens (not likely anytime soon), this is no solution at all.

Kellydancer
03-02-2012, 10:41 PM
I'm aware the DJs have stress, especially the quality ones, but so does dancers. However I have no sympathy for the unqualified DJs who are out there because they add stress. As for the no quality dancers, I agree they don't belong there either. I quit a club because the dancers went from at least a 7 to 3's or so, which meant less customers, which meant less money for me. Ugly and fat dancers have no place in the clubs, but that's the clubs being greedy, same reason they hire unqualified DJs.

ArmySGT.
03-02-2012, 11:27 PM
^^^We've already been through this, ArmySGT, it's not 25 cents, but a dollar a song in most jukebox clubs, and almost invariably the customers are forced to listen to the same horrible slow, whiny songs and bad rap all night long, 8-10 times a night. You are still going to have to pay someone to make sure the girls get onstage--which is at least half the DJ's job in most clubs I've worked in. So the girls have to pay a dollar a song, more than they would a DJ in a small to medium sized club, PLUS tip out a guy who announces them or at least makes sure they get to stage before their two songs have finished.

Besides, bringing up 'The Jukebox Solution' is pointless, since 97% of stripclubs don't have them and won't use them. Until that happens (not likely anytime soon), this is no solution at all.

Oh, I am aware it is not a solution. Been to one or two clubs in Kansas that did not have DJs just a Jukebox. Most of the night the dancers didn't put money in it, just danced (or spun lethargically around the pole) to whatever played randomly.

Yeah, when the complaining got really bad, like when everyone gets on the complaint wagon, because everyone else is bitchin, bitchin, bitchin............ just rent a jukebox for a week. Sure everyone take a hit monetarily, then they remember that a club is a collaborative effort.

The likelihood of that happening is about nil, though.

Djoser
03-03-2012, 02:45 AM
I'm aware the DJs have stress, especially the quality ones, but so does dancers. However I have no sympathy for the unqualified DJs who are out there because they add stress. As for the no quality dancers, I agree they don't belong there either. I quit a club because the dancers went from at least a 7 to 3's or so, which meant less customers, which meant less money for me. Ugly and fat dancers have no place in the clubs, but that's the clubs being greedy, same reason they hire unqualified DJs.

I agree 100% that the lousy DJs add stress to any club--as if there wasn't enough of it already lol...

DesuvsDeath
03-03-2012, 03:19 AM
And I assure you...I've said it many, many, many times. I don't doubt you've worked with some selfish prick DJs that meant something else, but when I say it, it means 'We should have mutual respect, and if we do have it, we will be very happy working together.'

As much as you'd it to mean "I'd like to have mutual respect for one another" it's still a sleazy saying with sleazy implications...

Djoser
03-03-2012, 05:57 AM
As much as you'd it to mean "I'd like to have mutual respect for one another" it's still a sleazy saying with sleazy implications...

Only in your mind, not in mine. There is absolutely nothing whatsoever inherently sleazy in the saying. But there's no point in arguing about it, it's just a difference of opinion about a saying that has very little to do with the actual dynamics between dancers and DJs.

The bottom line is, there's got to be mutual respect, or things are not going to work well.