Question about Producers who dont spin?

[Agent Orange NYC]

Do you not purchase (pay for) other producers music? Do you expect other producers to buy your music?

Most producers that I know that don't spin, wont even go out to support dj's when they come to town. Do you expect dj's that you dont support to buy your music

or

Are you happy just promoting your own shite to do live sets of your own shite?

[xfive]

Parev! :)

Yeah that's pretty sad..

I'd like to see some responses to this as well. Good topic :clap:

[dirty_bass]

Are you happy just promoting your own shite to do live sets of your own shite?
That`s unnecessary.

Ok, well, I get a fair few promo`s in the mail, but I also buy a hell of a lot too.
I`m a music addict, and whether it be online or in a record shop (I tend to go to mad records in London these days) I probably buy way over my budget whenever I go on a vinyl spree.
I don`t play vinyl out that much these days, mostly doing my live PA, but I listen to vinyl at home a lot, plus I get a certain pleasure knowing I`m throwing some cash back into the scene.

My appetite for vinyl, and music in general, far exceeds the size of my wallet.

Do I expect DJ`s I don`t support to buy my music?
I don`t expect anyone to buy my music, but I am greatful to anyone that does.

[dan the acid man]

producers and people who love the music, will buy the vinyl because they love it, i bought 3/4 of my vinyl collection before i even attempted to start dj'ing

[davethedrummer]

i didn't spin a few years ago but i was producing.
o.k. the scene was different then , we were all selling records for one.
its a bit of a witch-hunt this question really.
i mean no one goes into the studio saying to themselves :

"aha this'll fool the stupid bastards into buying my records!!!!!"
(rubbing hands with glee)
"and i don't even buy anybody elses records hahahahahaha!!!!"
(like a james bond supervillan)

i think i can speak for most of us and say that we all make our music because we love it , and that's about it.
one way or another whether it becomes your job and a neccessity or whether its a hobby this is underground music and most people get into it 'cos they really enjoy listening to it
even the most serious of german producers will admit this and that's something.
keeping up to date is important and most people i know buy records to do that , but you have to accept that over the years the format has changed and now people use c.d. if they want to listen just at home.
vinyl has been a dj market for about 5 years now and the market is still shrinking , and that pretty much the size of it.
people jst generally don't have a turntable at home any more.

long answer sorry
i'll get my coat

[heavy beats]

I miss the days of rollin' up to the local record store every weekend, stoned and listening to the latest releases. those days are long gone here. Our local shop hardly carry the hot off the press shit.... Shit they hardly even carry techno! :doh:

[heavy beats]

oh and about supporting parties and other techno djs.. It's kind of hard to support other techno in this city when we're the only guys doing such things. Atleast the techno *scene here is somewhat closely knit.

[The Germ]

Yeah Henry ****ing Ranting! :clap:

[Jimfish]

I have to say i dont buy many records, but i do like to go to clubs and gigs whenever possible - not much in the way of techno out here though - i think the last 2 nights i went to were indie clubs :cry:

I dont really listen to techno musch as i hear enough of it for one lifetime by making it so of course i dont buy many records.. maybe every few months ill go and buy a heap just to see whats about but they only get listened to once and then sit on the shelf..

I do buy a lot of cds though and dont really download music so i am doing my bit to support the wider industry i like to think :)

[The Overfiend]

i think i can speak for most of us and say that we all make our music because we love it , and that's about it.
:clap:

[Joseph Isaac]

Are you happy just promoting your own shite to do live sets of your own shite?

I don`t expect anyone to buy my music, but I am greatful to anyone that does.

Quote of the week. Well put, DB.

[Joseph Isaac]

I miss the days of rollin' up to the local record store every weekend, stoned and listening to the latest releases. those days are long gone here. Our local shop hardly carry the hot off the press shit.... Shit they hardly even carry techno! :doh:


OMG, I fcking hear ya! I literally have not gone in the local "dance" music record store in my city in over a year. No bullsht. From what I hear they have Primate records, but nothing off of Mafia (not complaining, just making a point...)

[thetonewrecka]

Any of the small $ I may get from a gig here and there gets funnelled back into my music hobby. Whether I go out and buy some records, or cds, or buy some piece of kit, or repair something broken from a previous live pa done.

I can compare buying music/going to shows with my history in skateboarding and snowboarding in that it is always fun to be off riding by yourself but when your are sessioning with others and feeling their energy and creativity, it pushes you to try different, or harder "tricks". When I buy records/cds/ go to shows and hear others playing/creating, it always jumpstarts my own juices to get moving too.

I love putting on a record in the shop either from an artist I know, or someone I've not heard, and standing there with a stupid grin going "aww shit, that is SICK!" Makes me grind my teeth with the groove and go up to the counter feeling happy to support that person/label.

[markus]

I pretty much stopped DJing after I started doing Live PA because I enjoy doing Live PA's much more than DJing. I still buy records just like I did back when I was DJing all the time. Mainly because I like to listen to new records, I like to collect good records and I want to support the music that I love.

There's just something about having the music in finished form that an mp3 will never do for me.

You don't have to DJ to buy records. If you like it, then support it, or what you like just might end up going away forever.

[AcidTrash]

I've all but given up spinning at the moment because techno is sooo subject to fad and fashion it's becoming another consumer rat race. I produce more than spin these days purely because I can't afford records and since the big name artists have their own little production cartel I'd rather make my own stuff than stick to the same limited artistic pallette as all the rest of the DJ's.

I'm finding more and more records are the same few presets with little variation and most record labels have realised that they can get away with it so thery keep on doing it. Hardly the spirit of techno rave.

Techno is about ideas not just who's got the poshest equipment for sound production and I'm not hearing much in the way of ideas recently. Live PA's are more experimental these days and certainly more likely to break from genre than DJ's as DJ's only really buy what they can mix. That usually means th same stuff we've heard for ages.

Who wants to hear an hour of the same stuff at the same tempo repeated by every other DJ on the bill? (However if I did a quick hypocrisy check I'm sure I'd find my meters well into the red.))

Sure there's a lot of skill in DJ'ing but most people aren't that deck savvy and don't really know that much about what the dj's doing and so to them all these minimal DJ's are playing seemingly just kickdrums and high hats for their own personal amusement and don't really give a **** what the crowd is doing. Ive seen some very talented DJ's lose crowds this year because they're too busy indulfging themselves with their skills and forgetting they're there to entertain the full spectrum of people in the audience, not just the DJ anoraks and promotors. That's why many techno parties I've been to recently have been somewhat lacklustre..

If a DJ is playing their own stuff then fair enough but I'm just not that bothered about going to see joe bloggs playing a bunch of records I've already got. I'd rather go and see what joe bloggs makes himself.

I really love DJ'ing but I'd rather take my own stuff out to play and promote other artists on the web via my home mixes I do for my own pleasure.

Live PA's of new stuff is always great because you get to see what people do with kit you havent even seen or thought about using. It's educational and fun.

I will probably always buy records to support producers I like and respect if they continue to make high quality music but given the opportunity to play I'd choose my own stuff any time.

We all support producers who make records by showing up to see them countless times which is as good as buying their records. After a while if you work as hard as they do there comes a time when you have to support and promote yourself as much as you have others who've inspired and entertained you.

"There's just something about having the music in finished form that an mp3 will never do for me. "

agreed. You aint got it until you've got it on vinyl.

[AcidTrash]

"vinyl has been a dj market for about 5 years now and the market is still shrinking"

My theory is that if cutting a record wasn't so hideously expensive I'm sure this wouldn't be as much of a problem. Decks are outselling guitars these days and more and more people are procudcing all the time so the market must still be alive. The problem is there isn't enough in the way of different stuff coming from new places and so DJ's are switching off the decks in favour of production

When you have all the limited numbers of new records and you've tanned them to death you got to look elsewhere for inspiriation.

On the other hand, as you say, keeping up to date is the most important thing and many of us just can't afford to. Techno isn't exactly high class music for rich folk and it's daft to think we can all keep forking out for it. Eventually you have to step off the rat race and make your own stuff.

How many of you have skipped the odd gas bill to buy the latest batch of techno? A fair few I'll bet. You can only do that so many times before the wolves start asking questions.

Personally I think that when final scratch technology becomes smarter and more accesible, records will be a thing of the past. Decks and DJ'ing will go on for a long time still using that technology but so long as record production capability lies in the hands of just a handful of people it will continue to decline.

I bet there's hundreds of unknown wicked tracks out there just begging to be on vinyl. I look forward to the day when anyone can press them to the standard we're used to.

[tocsin]

I hate the word "support" because it is so subjective. I also see the idea of "support" being misued and transformed
into something which is just a euphemism for "politics." For people who play politics, I am probably viewed as being
entirely unsupportive and that is fine with me. I don't run around saying "support the scene" because I Think
actions speak louder than words. I generally do not buy music nor can I even say that I've bought most of the tools
I use to make it. It's not because I don't want to "support." Rather, it's because I don't have the spare cash. I
share all the music I've ever worked on myself and encourage others to do the same in any way possible. That is how
I get most of the music I play and, as a result, I don't have to wait a year or two for a label to release it in
order to play it out.

What it comes down to basically is this: if I do not like the music you spin or produce, it is highly unlikely that I'm going to buy it. At the same time, the idea that someone playing or producing music that I really don't like that much would be buying and playing mine is highly unlikely. But, even if that were not the case, I wouldn't be there "supporting" most likely. Unfortunately, I already miss enough artists that I do enjoy when they come through town just due to my own life responsibilities. I'm not about to waste my time with music I don't like. As for hearing new music, the internet has been the best connection for me especially over the past few years when distance, work responsibilities, and cash situations have all been a factor in making visits to sources of music less frequent. I have the greatest respect for all the artists who share their work with anyone willing to listen on the internet. I look forward to the day when those of us who aren't looking to make a dollar find an even more
efficient means of mapping the nodes on this network that engage in and encourage the free distribituion of new music.

[markus]

I hate the word "support"

I think you're reading into that word a little too much my friend. :lol:

[tocsin]

I think you're reading into that word a little too much my friend. :lol:

Quite possibly. But, Agent Orange plays in the same backyard I do and, all too often, "support" is a hollow term. It comes down to politics. The way it's often brought up, it completely rubs me the wrong way. Hell with myself and others into the same sounds, **** supporting us. Show up because you enjoy it. Buy it because you enjoy it. Unlike other market forces that truly need "support" to continue fucntioning, underground music doesn't rely on that because the main motivation for production is based on enjoyment.

[xfive]

Yeah if you're coming out just to make the room look a little more full...
That's not the "support" I'd want.... I'd rather have 20 people who came because they genuinely want to hear the music.

Well put tocsin :clap:

[The Overfiend]

Yeah if you're coming out just to make the room look a little more full...
That's not the "support" I'd want.... I'd rather have 20 people who came because they genuinely want to hear the music.

Well put tocsin :clap: :clap:

[Internal Error Records]

:twisted: let me stoke the flames a little :twisted: - -

techno has nothing to do with djing ;)


im a dj and producer/label owner, but as a label owner i figure every gig i spin is one less gig a potential customer of mine can be spinning.

[DJAmok]

:shock: ouch



Ontopic: I personally make a point out of buying every record I spin (and many more :doh: my poor wallet). Because there is no honour in playing pirate copies.

To the discussion about the word 'support': It is used becuase it evokes emotions, not for politics. Nobody asks for donations when they ask for support, as well as no one will ask for anything else, than that people buy the music they love. Nobody say you gotta buy music you don´t enjoy or which you think is generic, etc. But if you enjoy a track, get the original.

[AcidTrash]

I like a few supporters to help soak up some reverb in big venues.

[tocsin]

To oversimplify it, in NYC, "I'm here to support" usually translates to "I just did something for you and want something in return." That's not support. That's politics.

[Joseph Isaac]

To oversimplify it, in NYC, "I'm here to support" usually translates to "I just did something for you and want something in return." That's not support. That's politics.

I think that's nationwide with maybe a few exceptions...And its not just in techno, or electronic music, but in business in general.

[Internal Error Records]

To oversimplify it, in NYC, "I'm here to support" usually translates to "I just did something for you and want something in return." That's not support. That's politics.


dont get too much more clear than that.

i like support from people that come out, bring loads of friends, dance, drink alot and vomit in the corner.

[g]

To oversimplify it, in NYC, "I'm here to support" usually translates to "I just did something for you and want something in return." That's not support. That's politics.
too true.

as for the original question, i can't help but buy records/cds/mp3s/books/magazines/computers... it's what i love. i do buy a lot of other producers' stuff often knowing i could get it elsewhere eventually for less or for free. as long as records exist, i'll support those trying to get by with them. well, support those who do stuff i really like anyway. i'm not some kind of vinyl evangelist. as a format, it's a complete pain in the ass.

...to say nothing of my belief that i should be able to buy uncompressed audio files straight from the artist or label.

[viagratek]

To oversimplify it, in NYC, "I'm here to support" usually translates to "I just did something for you and want something in return." That's not support. That's politics.

I think that's nationwide with maybe a few exceptions...And its not just in techno, or electronic music, but in business in general.



PREACH!!!!! (and i aint talkin about the dj) :clap:

[GothamGrooves.com]

I hate the word "support" because it is so subjective. .

I don't think he meant do you all go out and throw your money at anything that has techno written on it... There are plenty of artists I dont like and I do not support them, in fact I have told them in some cases how they are fukin bullocks for pumping out shit music! lol, but for those I respect, I try to do my small part, be it buying a record of theirs that sounds good or paying for a party when they come to play( if I have some loot). We all for the most part are not rich where we can go and spend 1000's every week on music and parties. But big name or not it does take money to keep things going...

Just my lil opinion..

[GothamGrooves.com]

To oversimplify it, in NYC, "I'm here to support" usually translates to "I just did something for you and want something in return." That's not support. That's politics.

Umm that usually means come out to hear me play.. Whats so bad about that? Its called keeping the scene alive! I know soo many kids who sit in their basements, make great tunes & do nothing but bitch and moan about the scene. Yet when theres a good techno party they don't go out? That's what I call not supporting and hypocrisy...

[Internal Error Records]

techno needs more partiers and less soldiers.

back in 1992 if there was 100 people at a party, 1 was the dj and 99 were partiers. today if there are 100 people at a party 1 is the dj, 95 are dj's in waiting and 4 are partiers. and the 95 waiting djs are making fun of the 4 partiers outfits.

[GothamGrooves.com]

I completely agree, but thats also the U.S. scene...

[gary_human]

I miss the days of rollin' up to the local record store every weekend, stoned and listening to the latest releases. those days are long gone here. Our local shop hardly carry the hot off the press shit.... Shit they hardly even carry techno! :doh:

hehehe!!!

gosh . . how I miss them days too . . . the local shop(s) I first started to use now dont stock techno or just dont exist and it's a long trek to my nearest record shop and I dont wanna drive stoned anymore as I got paranoid and (is it) sensible?!!!

It's a lot easier to get records for me directly form the source or from the net.

Im just a DJ anyway (wanna be producer!) so not really relevant to the thread, I just wanted to answer back to that quote as memories came flooding back.

Sorry to stray from the topic :oops:

[The Overfiend]

techno needs more partiers and less soldiers.

back in 1992 if there was 100 people at a party, 1 was the dj and 99 were partiers. today if there are 100 people at a party 1 is the dj, 95 are dj's in waiting and 4 are partiers. and the 95 waiting djs are making fun of the 4 partiers outfits.

:clap:

[reality]

Ara you couldnt have picked a better issue to converse/debate about..

BRAVO!!! :clap:

[Komplex]

I don't get the thread title. WHY would producers/musos need to spin? I thought disc jockeys spin music.

[xfive]

Heh.. the majority of producers also spin.... granted, not all, but a lot do.

How does that not make sense?

[Komplex]

Thats cool but asking them why they dont spin is kinda strange. Who cares why. They can do whatever they like. Maybe they don't like spinning records or they're too busy shagging Beyers mum or something. It's irrelevant really.

[Rizage]

I hate the word "support" because it is so subjective. .

... but for those I respect, I try to do my small part, be it buying a record of theirs that sounds good or paying for a party when they come to play( if I have some loot). We all for the most part are not rich where we can go and spend 1000's every week on music and parties. But big name or not it does take money to keep things going...

Just my lil opinion..

This part reflects my opinion as well. Most parties in my neck of the woods I am either a part of, or I definitely try to make a contribution...even if I'm on a guest list of some sort. Every little bit helps.

The hard part is getting friends who aren't into the techno scene to stray outside norm...and come with me to an event. Rap music's got a strong hold on Houston, Texas. It's awful.

[Agent Orange NYC]

Thats cool but asking them why they dont spin is kinda strange. Who cares why. They can do whatever they like. Maybe they don't like spinning records or they're too busy shagging Beyers mum or something. It's irrelevant really.

I care why, that's why I asked. Irrelevant? I think not.

[The Overfiend]

Everyone has a right to ask questions and present opinions here as long as the other people here are respected.

Carry on Ara.

[koma]

why producers become djs and spin?

money - everyone needs it. if they play, they are getting money right away. with only producing, they have to wait that money for weeks/months. its ok if u have enough money in family or regular job, so you produce music in free time.. but if u dont hmmm..

spinning is the fastest way for them to promote or test their music..

on the other hand, djs are becoming producers because its opening lot more doors.. you can be greeeeat dj, but after you start producing and youmake good stuff, you will be noticed more and you will get more gigs, specially in other countries..