[Dynagroove] promoters: one word - collaborate

[Ami D.]

Word up Carrie! Though I am in Orange County and spend most of my time
down here these days, I have recently run into a problem too. It seems
that yes, people are in competition and don't care about much besides
themselves. It's almost like those DJ's who have a SICK ASS track and
don't want to tell you who it is, like it's their little secret. Little do
they know that they are limiting the real artist (the producer) from
getting paid and supported. Because why you ask? They want to be the only
one who has this track going on. The same goes for promoters. They want to
be the only one featuring a certain DJ to gain all the profit themselves.

Let's use this as an example, if someone like myself or another OC
promoter collaborated with a promoter in LA and/or SD with different
nights to work together instead of against each other, we could reduce
costs for flight, hotel (or offer more couch space if the DJ is down), and
maybe even price for performance by offering more gigs. 3 gigs on the West
Coast might seem more appealing to an artist than flying out for a night.
Thing is, people are afraid of competition. Being that, well, if they go
to OC, then they won't come to LA, etc. Personally, I think that more
people from OC go to LA and SD than LA and SD come to Orange County, even
some OC people would rather go to LA to see someone, so I've never really
seen it as a threat for LA or SD business. If the DJ played well at an OC
gig, half of those people would drive to LA or SD to see them again. It's
just the way it is. Also, different clubs pull different crowds. Some
people go certain places for the ambience or vibe of a particular event.
If people want to kick it mellow style on a Thursday night, you come to
Our House or Soul Titanium (very intimate events *self promotion*), if you
want to have a guaranteed good Saturday or Sunday night and prefer a club
environment you go to Balance or Deep (which I love, even though I don't
get to LA much). If you want the underground vibe, go to Tropical or
Dynagroove, ya dig? If we're all doing the same night, well then, this
whole paragraph is irrelevant.

On the other hand though.... it's really hard for promoters to find other
promoters you trust to work together. I'm speaking from experience. I've
had 3 different partners with the "same intentions" help me out with
nights. One who "wasn't into the money" and as soon as we re-invested into
new equipment for the club and business died (9-11), we were all out, and
this person was pissed off. "Where's all the money?" I told this person to
take home a speaker, but they weren't satisfied. Now I know what the "true
intention" was and I'm still paying interest on the other half that I
threw in on my CC. On another occasion, a person named the party, called
all the shots and was just plain excited. We promoted together and had a
great party. We decided to throw another party, but this time this person
couldn't invest, so I threw down 80% of all the costs and we said we would
work out the, what I assumed to be 50/50 would be, details later (this
party was quite a bit more expensive than the first). Well, as luck would
have it, another promoter decided to have some sick DJ's for FREE and
guess what? It was a ghost town at our party. Honestly, I would have
chosen the free party too. Who wouldn't? Well, we bombed, and guess who is
still paying interest and doesn't even speak to her good friend and
"partner." This person all of a sudden forgot my phone number and had the
audacity to blame me because their voicemail (the party line that I was
paying for) didn't work anymore. WTF?? And my 3rd experience, well, they
were down to help out and talk, talk, talked. When it came down to
actually hauling the gear and doing the work. Where was this person? I
chalk it all up to EGO and laziness. They can't handle the fact that when
you take a risk, there is the chance of failure and that yes, IT IS HARD
WORK!!

So that being said, it's hard to go and find other promoters that are down
to work with people they have never worked with before. Everyone has "good
intentions," but actions speak louder than words, and sometimes, that's
the only way to find out if you're working with the right people. That
alone, is a risk by itself.
________________________
Ami D.
www.OurHouseMelodies.com

> Ok, when I opened my email this morning I was overwhelmed by the influx of
> dynagroove posts.  After I finally got through all of them I was amazed to
> find that 6 different Wednesday night weeklies were posted . Am I the only
> one that sees this as more of a hindrance than a boost for our little
> House community?
>
> By definition, a community is a group of people with shared interests
> working towards a common goal.  I believe that all of us whether we are
> Promoters, DJs, Musicians, or Dancers are tied together by a common bond:
> to experience and spread the peace, love and understanding that House
> Music promotes.  We unite for the sole purpose of celebrating life in a
> carefree environment.
>
> There have been many threads lately where people have expressed their
> dissatisfaction with recent parties/djs.  Although I try to maintain a
> positive attitude when I go out, I have noticed that the unity has been
> lacking.  I feel that most parties are missing the vibe of yestur-year
> primarily due to a lack of attendees.  Rarely, do I find myself at a venue
> packed with all the familiar smiling faces I've grown to love over the
> years.  I believe that its simply because there are numerous events going
> on at the same time spreading everyone out all over the city.  Although I
> am not involved on the production end of clubs or parties, as a dancer I
> have been affected by L.A. promoters' inabitlity to work together.  Not
> only are people loosing money when they throw poorly attended events.
> Ultimately, its the party-goers that suffer the consequences of too many
> people trying to cash in or shine in the spotlight.
>
> So I'm left to wonder why is it so hard for people to collaborate?  Is it
> an ego or a clique thing?  How hard could it be to pool all resources
> together in order to provide a quality event?  Wouldn't that contribute to
> the sense of community that we are trying to maintain?  If anyone has a
> little insight to offer, I would appreciate it.
>
> Carrie
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