here is an article i wrote a long time ago that i couldnt find in our news section anymore... i figured i would post it here so you can understand what it means to DJ... its not just about equipment. mainly, its about not becoming "toast"...
The Laymans Path to Virtual Metal Stardom
Every metalhead out there seems to have their own story. A story of how metal became a huge part of their life. Admittedly, just like most of the rest of you, I wasn't born with a Flying V guitar sticking out of my ass, so I only knew what was on the radio or what my parents had on at home.
Around age eleven I was whipping it with Devo, waxing my red corvette with Prince, and chasing Rio on the beach with Duran Duran. Then in 1983 it happened. My headbanging pilgrimage began with a band by the name of Def Leppard. Their singles from Pyromania were sweeping the Top 40 charts. I didn't know it was called "metal", but i knew I liked it. I knew it was not like the other stuff on the radio. I knew my parents would switch the station whenever it came on. I liked that. A lot.
There was no one I knew who knew or liked "metal", so I was forced to stick with my Def Leppard. It took me nine cassettes before i began to hunt for something new. Of course, there was no internet, so looking for information on my own was pretty much impossible. But soon I became a weekly attendee of the local rollerskating rink. I had stumbled into the seedy, testosterone fueled, world of metal. Ozzy, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and all the other heavyweights of the day were on the rink menu every weekend. Like a fish, with hook in the mouth.
From that point I had the typical ups and downs in teenage life, but the music was there through all of it. With my dishwashing career I got together enough cash to buy a brand new BC Rich bass, because its what Nikki Sixx used, and also picked up two beat-up old drumsets, which I combined into the ghetto version of a Neal Peart kit. I then learned everything I could and started down the path to rule the world as a metal god.
Reality arrived in 1989. I wasn't going to be a rockstar. I had graduated high school and needed work. Luckily, or maybe unluckily, I was able to get a job loading and unloading trucks for bands at a club in Washington DC which earned me twenty-four fabulous dollars per day. So I struggled to get by making about $4000 a year and worked about 18 hours a day. I got to meet metal bands out the wazzoo. A typical day was as follows. I had a pack of ramen for lunch, but I had just met George Lynch or any other number of my heros. That somehow made it all okay. The fact was, unless I wanted to live on the road being a roadie or try to hook up with a band that probably wouldn't stumble into making it big, my career in music was indeed over. So like most metalheads seem to do, I got a real job and threw music to the "hobby" slot. It bothered me everyday since.
Do you have a story similar to this? Most metalheads do. It took me about 15 years to figure out how to get back into the scene and spread the "Gospel of Metal". If you are longing to cherish your music again, learn what's new, and revisit the old, then being an internet DJ might be the answer to your prayers. If you know your music, can entertain your peers, aren't shy behind a mic, are a little tech saavy, can follow a few rules, and can tollerate people feeding you their opinions, then you might have the makings of an internet DJ.
Now before you become delusional and think you are going to be a superstar who changes the world, let me lay down the facts. You won't make any money. It will probably cost you at least a few hundred bucks to get started. Is it possible you will be discovered and get a paying DJ job? If you are one of the best, I suppose it's possible but even in that rare case you will fall under full control of the "company" and probably lose most of your creative control, which doesn't sound very fun to me.
Now even though your broadcasts would be "worldwide" using the internet you will not be entertaining tens of thousands of listeners. Many new DJ's seem to think their blessed vocal chords, sharp wit, and 100 gig music collection will pull in listeners like rats to the pied piper. The reality is, if you can get into a station that pulls in a few hundred listeners, you have found a goldmine. There is a glut of internet stations which over time will probably consolidate like all "industry" does, but the reality is that hardly any internet DJ's have the power to pull listener numbers in the thousands. It takes the "station" large amounts of money to pull in listeners and it also takes a good team of DJ's to make them come back. I would surmise that 99% of internet only stations lose money. Most have no revenue. So always keep in mind the true reason for the station. It is run by and for people who love their music. That is the number one goal.
Now that you understand that you would be fortunate to have hundreds of listeners let me explain why you don't necessarily want a few thousand. Listeners want what they want and they want it now. Remember the "show" is not about you. It is about making people want to stay and making them want to come back. You will have to play songs and bands you don't like. You will have to be polite or ignore people in the chatroom who complain about a song you chose. You will have to adhere to station rules. You will have to figure out how to get the music played that you want to play and play the requests. You will have to be a true team player with the other DJ's. You will have to avoid playing politics at all costs. You will have to keep your music collection updated. You will have to make sure your equipment is up to the task and you will have to pay your broadband bill every month. The list could go on and on, but the fact is it is very hard to do all of this with a few hundred listeners, let alone a few thousand. The bigger the listener numbers, the bigger the responsibility.
If you are still reading at this point you are probably as crazy as all of the rest of us internet DJ's and you have not been scared away. You recognize there is a silver lining to all of this. You know that for a few hours a night you can "try on" your dream of being a metal god. For those few hours you will hold, or lose, your audience. You are in control. You "spread the disease" in any manner which you please. You will learn lots of new, killer music. You will learn old music that you never knew existed. You will be able to kick back with a beer and relax at your "gig" while rocking out. You will be able to teach people about the music and facts you know. Nothing feels better than playing one of your favorite bands and someone tells you that they have never heard the band before and that they love it. You will meet tons of people who are just like you, which seems to be something that is hard for lots of metalheads to do. You will make friends and meet people who over time become family. And probably the funnest part of all, you will have groupies... Really, I swear... Ultimately if your passion is the music you play, then you will exist in the world you have always wanted to be in.
For all that I have spoken about to become a reality, you need the most importand ingredient. A good, solid station, with good, solid people. It seems that I have stumbled upon that here. If you want to see what I am talking about come into chat and talk to the DJ's. Tune in and listen to the shows. Learn about what we have going on here and when you think you have what it takes, shoot for the stars and launch yourself into one of the DJ spots on one hell of a good station.
Peace and Metal Grease,
Berube
(Host of "Berube Stew" @
www.BrainGell.com) You can email Berube at:
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