I don’t get a lot of oppourtunity to observe other entertainers since mostly I’m busy playing at events. It’s always interesting to hear observations about disc jockeys from the guest’s point of view. One of the common complaints I hear is that people feel that they can’t get a DJ to play their reqeuests. I thought I’d offer some advice from the DJ point of view of how to mostly likely hear your songs when you go out dancing. Most of this applies to if you’re at a wedding, company party or out dancing at a club.
1. Be nice.
2. Don’t act like you know what’s going to “get the party started”. Assuming you know how to read a crowd of people better than the DJ is insulting (even if you do). Just politely ask for your song.
3. Asking for a song by the same artist that is playing is most likely going to result in not hearing your song for a long time, if at all. Try asking for a similar artist to one that’s playing and likely you will get your song played very quickly.
4. If you want to hear a song completely differently than what’s playing (say you wanna hear some country music during a big set of rap music), be patient and tell the DJ you understand that you’re asking a lot. (especially if there is a large group of people dancing – it may be a bit of a wait)
5. If there are people dancing, ask only for songs that you can and will dance to. Don’t think a DJ is going to clear a dance floor so that people can sit down and listen to your favorite medium tempo song.
6. If you’re at a wedding, the bride rules everything. Getting her to ask for your request should make it happen immediately. Only use this in extreme cases, no bride should have to run to the DJ all evening for YOUR songs.
7. Guys, ask a girl to come ask for your song. This makes it sounds as if DJs are sleezy guys, but actually it’s not for the reasons you may think. Girls are mostly likely to actually dance to the songs they request, and it’s the DJs just job to keep the dance floor full.
Just remember, that when you see a DJ somewhere, he’s doing a job and not being paid to simply act as a jukebox. It’s their job to filter through all the requests and play only those that will fit the mood and astmosphere they were hired to create. If you approach the disc jockey with a fun and friend attitude, you’ll mostly likely be able to negotiate with him to get on some selections quickly and get back to dancing.
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