middle aged djs........

Read this from trackitdown.net, I found it interesting........

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Sven Vath Calls Last Orders for Middle Ranking, Middle Aged DJs :: Skrufff.com Reported by Trackitdown on 05-03-2005

Germany’s legendary superstar DJ Sven Vath chatted to Skrufff this week and sparked controversy by claiming most 30-something DJs should find other careers.

“If you haven’t made it as a DJ by the time you’re 35 you should quit,” Sven suggested, “Because the young ones are waiting.”

“What I mean by ‘making it’ is making it to the big time,” the 40 year old techno pioneer explained. “What I see happening right now is that the
market for middle class (middle level- Ed) DJs in particular is diminishing; the top class DJs and the low class DJs will still be around, but it’s going to be increasingly hard for the middle class DJs to survive,” he predicted.

“If you’re a middle class DJ and you’re 33 or 34 years old and you can’t see the light at the end if the tunnel, ie that something is going to explode in the next two or three years, then you should think about having another job as well,” he added.

As well as DJing, producing and running various record labels, the massively successful star runs Ibiza superclub Cocoon and has also recently opened a Cocoon club in his hometown of Frankfurt, and stressed that he believes diversification is essential for DJs hoping to survive.

“Some DJs out there are only DJs and it’s important to do other things as well as DJing,” he advised.

“If you’re only DJing the day will come when it all finishes and- phew, it’s not that easy. This is my opinion,” he concluded.

Sven Vath in the Mix- the Sound of the Fifth Season, is out now on Cocoon Recordings.

http://www.cocoonclub.net

Jonty Skrufff Skrufff.com)

interesting

Came across this the other day......

made me think!

bold but necessary statement to shake-up a few trees and let the rotten fruit fall. its a big call though and will get a few peeps a bit angry at Sven.

don't care about numbers, it's all about how old you are in your mind.. :)

sven is getting on himself. imagine, i in afew years 17 year olds will be celebrating 50 year old djs birthdays, coz there's no way they will retire.

kinda like the rolling-stones-phenomenon.

“If you haven’t made it as a DJ by the time you’re 35 you should quit,” Sven suggested, “Because the young ones are waiting.”

Don't agree with this notion at all. Age is completely irrelevant. I don't see anything wrong in somebody take up DJing for this first time at the age of 5 or 50!

Anyone with enough determination has a chance of "making it" in the music industry (whatever that means!), but surely this opportunity is open to everyone, no matter what their age or how long they've been playing.

this just proves that djs (like many humans) just arent really that smart.


Svens theory is entirely based on the notion that middle age djs want to make it 'big'.

his theory totaly discounts the fact that manymiddle age djs have families and real day jobs that pay much more money than even beign a 'big' dj would pay. i dont know any big djs with a 401k plan. and i like mine.


his statement was a foolish as sayign 'if you are a golf player and havent made it to the big time you might as well step aside'.

wow i might not goto his party in miami now :cool:

Perhaps Sven doesn't realise that some people do it just for a love of it, rather than as a career.

I agree, the idea of someone aged 30-40 playing the odd gig, sitting around waiting for their "big break" to come is a little sad. I'm not sure how realistic this scenario is however.

Clarification: I mean someone who has been doing it for years, rather than someone new to it. If you're new to it at any age... enjoy! Good luck.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Internal Error Records

his theory totaly discounts the fact that manymiddle age djs have families and real day jobs that pay much more money than even beign a 'big' dj would pay.

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i think that's kind of missing the point he was trying to make. he's not addressng the djs with day jobs. he's addressing the ones who without. he's saying that if you're that middle aged dj supporting your family on a mid-tier career alone you should consider getting another source of income if you're not going to bust ahead of the pack. doesn't sound like bad advice to me. but to each their own...

i guess he's right in a well and he does now the bizz. i think he's just tring to be realistic.

i still wonder about the fact lots of our stars are so far in age from the one's listening?

i wouldn't retire either coz who should pay my rent (if i was in that situation, that is, what else should i do) but isn't that still a little odd?

isn't he talking about middle-of-the-road djs who make the cash but have lost the plot?

still...the older i get, the less i care if someone plays or not. if i don't like them, i just won't go see them.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by loopdon

i guess he's right in a way and he does now the bizz. i think he's just trying to be realistic.

i still wonder about the fact lots of our stars are so far in age from the one's listening?

i wouldn't retire either coz who should pay my rent (if i was in that situation, that is, what else should i do) but isn't that still a little odd?

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sorry, wuz just going to correct some evil spelling mistakes...

ego if you ask me

Yeah, who is he to say what people should do with their lives, not everyone does it to be the top earner.
The arrogant fop haired fool.

quite a silly and, ironically, niave thing to say from one of the oldest, still gigging djs around...

success can come at any age, doesnt Vath watch Xfactor??!! ;)

Well I disagree in that a local dj I know who worked in the same two clubs here on the Isle of Man for about 20 years, and must be in his mid forty's now, got a big break about four years ago whilst warming up for Judge Jules. Jule's manager liked what he was doin and put him on their agency.

This guy plays prog and trance, but musical taste aside, this agency put alot of work his way, all over the world, and now the dude's got his own national dance music show on the island's best (there's only two) radio station, and still dj's all over. And he was actually sayin to me once this started kickin off that he was past it etc, but my reply was you're playin the tunes and people like it, so go with it.

Ok the guy was and still is a posty as well, but in my eye the guy's break came along, regardless of his day job status (he could ave been sittin round doin nothin all day and still played well before Jules that night).

Not everyone makes it in accounting, or art, or filmmaking, or acting, or any other profession really, and alot of people are happy being middle of the road anyways, horses for courses.

Anyways, music is timeless innit, so why should age come into the equation for the performers? It just takes good taste, a bit o' nouse, and some hard work imho.

And I'm only 27 anyways, so I'm not in denial yet...



at all...



honestly....


:lol:

You guys are all f*cking hostile. Take a minute, read what he is saying aloud and think about it for another minute.

Sven is simply saying that there is more to life than DJing. He's also saying that some people need to let dreams die. He's not saying "Quit DJing and being a fan of the music" altogether, he's just saying you should start focusing on a backup plan, which if you ask me is some good advice judging the current state of the industry. He could have summed it up easier and avoided confusion by saying "Middle-aged DJs should consider getting their priorities straight."

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sven Vath

“If you haven’t made it as a DJ by the time you’re 35 you should quit,” Sven suggested, “Because the young ones are waiting.”

“If you’re a middle class DJ and you’re 33 or 34 years old and you can’t see the light at the end if the tunnel, ie that something is going to explode in the next two or three years, then you should think about having another job as well,” he added.

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I think what he is trying to say about the youth is a couple of different things. They have new ideas and different ways of looking at things. It's also obvious that the younger generation obviously has more time to play with since it's so young in their lives. Add to the fact that if you mess up a dream or get caught in a slump when you're young, it's a lot easier to pull out of than when you're 35+ and have a family to worry about.

What Sven is talking about is no different than any other hobbies in life. Younger males and females always want to be sports stars, astronauts, political figures, etc. as they go through school but as time goes on most realize this just isn't possible. I know a ton of 20-40 year old "Rockers" who are still trying to make it big or rely on music and it's kind of sad. People need to start accepting that for 99% of us, things like this need to be a hobby and if you make it big...you're extremely lucky.

I reckon that's the problem with the techno industry to this day, everyone is too preoccupied with making the next techno crossover anthem so they can start playing at Awakenings, Fabric, or whatever the hell else is a popular party destination at the moment. It has to be a fun hobby because if you're not enjoying the music then the outcome will be shit. I get emails and IMs everyday from people who complain and are upset because they can't make a huge track or get another record deal, that shouldn't be the goal for an artist! I'm busting my ass with the music thing right now but I'm also smart enough to keep it as a hobby and have a backup plan so I can raise a family or do whatever I want to do in the future.

in the mid 1990's there was a 65 year old hardcore dj in toronto. everyone called him 'Grandpa-Hardcore'.


we need more of him.


The benefit of Svens statements is that he has a certain perspective.
The negative of Svens statements is that he has a certain perspective.

moving along. . .