Join Phil Morse of the Digital DJ Tips DJ school as he answers another batch of student questions about their DJing.
Is DJing over? A listener wrote in with a question so good it became this entire episode: DJing feels like it's lost its value. The barrier to entry has collapsed, new DJs appear daily willing to work for nothing (some venues even expect DJs to pay to play), music is essentially free, a pocket-sized controller now outperforms a club setup that once cost thousands, and streaming apps will auto-mix a playlist for any occasion at the tap of a button. So where does that leave the professional DJ?
In this episode we tackle the big questions head-on: Is AI and technology actually killing DJing, or just changing it? Why does the craft feel devalued - and is that perception or reality? And most importantly, how do we protect the craft and position DJs as skilled artists who create experiences, not people who press buttons?
We get into what's really driving the oversupply of DJs, why "free music" changed our identity as DJs, what still separates a great DJ from an algorithm, and the practical things you can do - as an individual and as an industry - to make the profession respected again.