A Day in the
Life of
a Disk Jockey
Whether you're a disc
jockey for a radio station or a nightclub, the best aspect of the
job is the creativity it allows. Radio disc jockeys play music,
chat, deliver news, weather, or sports, or hold conversations with
celebrities or call-in listeners. Club DJ's mix music, sound
effects, and special effects and occasionally provide time-filling
chatter between songs. Each must be in command of their
specialty--genre of music or demographic of audience--and sensitive
to listener responses. A radio disc jockey must be able to spin off
on an item in the news or a hot new song. "I think about how
things connect," said one. Being extremely organized and
synchronized is critical to the radio station. Songs must fill a
certain span of time; commercials have to be aired during specific
blocks. Disc jockeys must be able to coordinate what plays when
within time and audience constraints while on the air. A radio DJ
must build an audience. Most specialize in a specific musical genre,
have a consistent approach, and field calls and requests from
interested listeners to develop a consistent, loyal listening
public. Since only one person is usually on the air at a given time,
the DJs get lonely. Over 75 percent of our surveys mentioned
"isolation" as one of the biggest drawbacks. A club disc
jockey keeps regular hours, usually working from 8:00 p.m. to 4:00
a.m. Most DJs don't socialize regularly with those who do not keep
the same unusual hours. Isolation, again, creeps in. A club DJ must
keep the crowd interested in dancing, so she must know a wide
variety of styles and songs which appeal to different groups. Record
promoters and agents try to flood high-profile DJs with new albums,
hoping to provide exposure for their acts. Over 40 percent of all
DJs work part-time and find it difficult to land regular,
reasonably-paying gigs. Many club DJs move to large urban centers to
find a market which will support their services, but it's still
difficult to get hired initially without a following that you can be
expected to draw to the club.
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