Day 2 of the four day DJ Expo conference would see me attend four different seminars and/or panel discussions over the course of the day.
Moderator Cary Vance of Promo Only Promotions led an eclectic panel of industry experts ranging from program directors, music directors, record label reps, and mixshow DJs as they converged for Tuesday's, August 12th, high-noon discussion, Dancing On The Radio: Mixshows & More. Cary also noted the fact that for such an "early" panel discussion, not only was his panel in full attendance but the room was packed as well.
Cary wore an interesting t-shirt that day that read: 'Make Music Not Enemies,' a wise quote to uphold in any endeavor, not just in the dance music business. In short, don't burn any bridges especially since the companion quote, 'What goes around comes around' usually rears its Karmatic head.
Part of the focus of the hour-long discussion was directed towards awareness as well as educating people about what and why dance music is important. Not only is it feel-good, uptempo and just plain good for the soul, lyric-wise, dance music is positive and accepting of everyone. But one part of the problem is convincing middle-America, who chooses other formats such as country music, which is fine but it also accounts for more than 60% of U.S. radio stations.
This in turn brought up another topic: how radio is both controlled and focused. It was surmised that listeners always have to be known, established and defined in order for a radio station to sustain itself and this has to be achieved on a daily if not weekly basis.
Someone asked how a song makes it on the air: call-ins, votes on the radio station's website, and club charts are the three biggies (as well as from Sirius and XM satellite radio).
One particular funny moment towards the bottom half of the hour occurred when an entertainment lawyer, who was in the audience, asked a question pertaining to whether most if not all radio stations would be going HD (high-definition) by a show of hands. Two people, including the lawyer's, went up (probably the dude's assistant). Cary then asked the room who was relying on internet radio and half the room's hands shot up (including mine), but when Cary asked how many people were using satellite radio, a little more than half the room's hands stood at attention, followed by chuckles and giggles. The lawyer quickly took a seat.
Three of the week's most sought after words used to describe ways one should go about getting into the industry: persistence, perseverance and patience. They are all intrinsically linked and vital to making it in any one way or endeavor, in the industry.
Vic Latino instilled pressing people, albeit politely, who you may be trying to impress in the biz either until s/he caves or flat out says 'No' to you, but then you don't lose sight of your objective. You need to hang back, assess your next move(s) then work on seeking out other ways to market and promote yourself.
By this point, I thought that if mobile DJing isn't in the cards for me, perhaps looking into being a mixshow DJ on the radio could be. As I sat attentively in the audience, I felt like William Miller, the character from one of my favorite films, "Almost Famous," written and directed by Cameron Crowe. I diligently took notes, every so often wringing my right hand to free it from cramping up. While I learned a great deal about everything, across the board, I felt like I was totally out of my element; that if I had come to the DJ Expo with any one previous notion, direction or aspiration to become a better mobile DJ outside the confines of the wine bar business, it's only taken less than a day for me to realize that 'the pen is mightier than the sword,' and writing is the direction I want to take.
And as far as Mixshow DJs is concerned, because radio in general is dealing with various mergers and potential acquisitions, the state of radio, although on the rise, is still experiencing job hiccups but if that's what someone wants to pursue, then by all means, pursue away and be creative but be realistic about it as well.
