The Global DJ Federation was founded by ƊJ Ɲfιηιтι ℱαℓℓєη (razor.popstar) in October of 2014 and was formed for one sole purpose: to bring the best music from the Virtual World to a Real-World audience, consisting of the some of the best DJs in Second Life. We caught up with DJ Ɲfιηιтι ℱαℓℓєη to learn more about GDF and what type of services it offers to DJs and Venues in SL.
Interview with ƊJ Ɲfιηιтι ℱαℓℓєη (razor.popstar)
You are a DJ in the real world. Can you share with our readers what got you started in the DJ industry and how the journey has been for you?
ƊJ Ɲfιηιтι: The reason I got into The World of Live mixing was the simple fact that I just am passionate about music in general. I love listening to different styles of music and being able to sniff out the gems hidden in popular songs and recreating a new song based on the information I gather. Coming from a musical family, my parents--both in the same band--played for local clubs and pubs here in Georgia and Florida. My father played the organ and my mother played the drums; it was this passion that sparked my interest in music. The journey has been a challenge for me, but rewarding as well because I have met some interesting DJs along the way who wanted to share their knowledge with me. It’s really expensive to be a DJ with buying different types of music and staying on the cutting edge of turntable technology; it can be stressful, but it’s the roar of the crowd that drives me to see people dance and having a good time with the music I create. It is just a feeling you cannot describe.
What are the most important traits DJs should have to be successful?
ƊJ Ɲfιηιтι: The most important aspect of DJing, in my opinion, is the passion for music; anyone can turn on an Ipod and spin music for a crowd, but it’s the creativity and giving people something extra that makes the artist. DJs, in fact, are artists creating unique sounds that no one has heard. Every DJ is different; if you put one song in front of 20 DJs and say remix this you will have 20 different variations in which the artist perceives it . Without passion for creating such things, you will never tap into your soul to find out what creative spirit lies within you.
What inspired you to create The Global DJ Federation and your decision to bring it into Second Life?
ƊJ Ɲfιηιтι: There are so many talented musicians out there who want nothing more than to be heard to see if they can catch an ear of some top ranked talent scout. But with all the expenses involving such a task, the average person cannot afford it . It was this idea that sparked GDF. We offer a bridge to over 11k audience members so the average person can be heard and start their own fan base and in turn a word of mouth scenario to catch the ear of a big time promoter.
When I came to Second Life, I noticed a lot of talent. There were tons of clubs and tons of DJs and the more I got to listen the more I noticed there are some really talented people in this virtual world--people who are just begging to get discovered so I offer a way that can be both beneficial to both GDF and the DJ in who we represent.
GDF offers a great incentive to DJs who want to get their name out there as well as the venues they represent, can you explain how this works?
ƊJ Ɲfιηιтι: Yes of course. We have talent scouts that do nothing but go out and look for hidden talent; if we find a DJ that we like or we know will do well we offer them a chance to be a part of it. What we do for them in return is feature them on our website and post an event which means now both DJs and the club they are spinning in can be exposed to a wide variety of audiences. People ask me all the time where do you find these people. I said I go listen to them; exposure for clubs is important because the increased traffic to their club can open the door for selling clothes or apparel for their region as a partner of GDF; all we ask is to put a banner up in their club to tell the people about GDF because they are doing us a service for next to nothing.
The Music Industry has an interesting pay scale that varies from entertainer to entertainer. How do you feel about the current fees DJ’s are being paid in SL for their service?
ƊJ Ɲfιηιтι: I think it's sad really; the fees that Djs are currently being paid for is really really low compared to all the man hours a DJ has to put in to come up with a perfect set and all the money the spend on equipment and the electricity to run it--not to mention the money they spend on music alone. In real-life clubs, DJs are paid from anywhere to 25 to 50 and hour. If you’re really good, the payment is the cover fee which can range from 100 – 200 an hour and if you’re top-notch or even epic as an Event DJ, the Payment can range into the 1000s. I see these clubs all over SL and they pay DJs in tips. If you’re a new club, for example, how can you expect a DJ to work on tips alone. Tips are for the DJs artist’s bonus and not their payment. Payment should be paid by the club equivalent to what DJs get paid in real life and the tips from the patrons should be their bonus.
Is there a way to find out where featured DJs are performing?
ƊJ Ɲfιηιтι: We have several ways of doing that. First, we put them on the Calendar on our site with place and time for the event. All times on the site are Eastern time in the US and not SL time, but we will likely change that soon. However, for now we have them post on our site and notices inside of Second Life. Once you post your, set we will send out a Twitter post 30 minutes before your air time so that we can catch the ears of real-life as well. For the month of September, we were averaging 4300 listeners every day and it continually grows so much that we had to update our servers to accommodate the people.
Can visitors to your site tune to hear the featured DJ live at an event?
ƊJ Ɲfιηιтι: Yes, on the site there is a little box to right side of the home page where it says GDF radio--that’s where you will find the live performances and when there isn’t a live DJ on the auto DJ continues to play which is updated monthly. Ultimately, we want non-stop live performances so people can enjoy it wherever they are in the world.
What else can our readers expect to find on the website?
ƊJ Ɲfιηιтι: Well, there's a lot of news and updates about what's going on in GDF. There are also bios that DJs make themselves to grow their fan base; we have different forums and training tabs if you're interested in becoming a DJ so there is something for everyone to enjoy. We also have a chat on our site for people who want to sit and talk to get to know each of our DJs so it can get wild at times but we do have moderators to keep it mature.
Is there talent screening for the Featured DJs in your federation? If so, what do you look for?
ƊJ Ɲfιηιтι: Yes, if we catch a DJ performing and want to inquire about his talent, we offer them a chance to do a private screening; we want to know what their weaknesses and strengths are and test whether or not they are a real DJ so we put them through a series of tests. What we look for is engagement , mixing capabilities how well they can pump a crowd up or down if needed, and overall originality. That’s not to say we only do live mixers; that’s not accurate. If they are a SAM BC DJ, meaning that the only thing they do is play music with no mixing, we want to see how well they engage a crowd and how to talk to them how to take requests and thank them for their patronage.
Do you offer DJ training to those who want to DJ in Second Life and Real Life?
ƊJ Ɲfιηιтι: Yes, we offer training in both arenas now, but this isn’t cheap either because the software alone is expensive enough whether you're learning SAM or VDJ and to pay for the trainer’s time is something that is negotiated by the trainer and the student. In real life, you're talking about decks music and mixing classes which can get expensive, but once you complete the training you are armed to become a mentor in which you get that money back from mentoring and DJing professionally.
What tips do you have for DJs on how to engage a crowd and keeping things upbeat?
ƊJ Ɲfιηιтι: Always read the crowd; some people say it's impossible to read a crowd in Second Life, but I disagree. Look how the people are dressed and what theme the club you're spinning is based on. For instance, if they are a Latin club play Latin music; if they are a Greek club the same rules apply. If a crowd decides to leave the dance floor while you're spinning, you only have a small window to get the crowd back. Start playing with different types of music until you see different people saying I love this tune. Once you see that you know you are on the right track and begin to build your set. Remember different cultures represent different music. Get out of the mind set in which so many DJs fail; they want to play what the DJ wants and not the people want to hear.
Streaming music without a streaming license can get DJs in a lot of trouble. What do you suggest DJ’s should do to avoid being sued? And does this Law Apply To Second Life?
ƊJ Ɲfιηιтι: I get asked this question a lot. This is a very tricky subject because Djs who spin music without a license when streaming are opening the door to significant fines and/or prison time due to Copyright laws. I don’t know how it is in other countries, but in the US if caught pirating or streaming music illegally it's 5 years in prison with a $10,000 fine. All it takes is a pro to hear his music being played and there goes your career. Luckily, as a GDF DJ, you will never have to worry about such things we are fully licensed company that pays its dues every month to make sure the royalties are paid. The payment fees are expensive, but it is well worth the return so as a DJ for The Global DJ Federation DJ. You can spin with the peace of mind that everything is covered and backed by the Verification Seal on our Website. Now this does not apply to Second Life. Because Second Life is interior, which means that the outside world will not hear it unless of course they actually go to the site; but most of the time people don’t bother. The real world knows that these type of performances exist but don’t do anything about it because they can’t sue an Avatar. The International Sound Exchange and FCC internet radio is cracking down on this so it may affect it in the future with Second Life so it's better to go ahead and get licensed to avoid such unpleasantries.
Is there anything else you want to share with our readers about Global DJ Federations and what's to come for the new year?
ƊJ Ɲfιηιтι: Yes, we are now in the process of dealing with some major sponsors who see GDF as a tool for a whole new world.
It is estimated that in February of next year we will get the final plans for Music World Club Amusement Park where Second Life DJs can be or will be spinning to a real life audience. This type of atmosphere has never been tried and we are hoping this is the change that everyone needed to get recognized. I am really excited about this whole aspect although nothing is set in stone. It is a positive movement that GDF is making a difference in ordinary people's lives. This is all based in Orlando, Florida and we will know more as time gets closer. I want everyone to know who is reading this. If you know a friend that you think is GDF quality please, don’t hesitate to contact me or anyone in the GDF staff so we can research or investigate the talent of rising artists.. Thank You Second Life Enquirer for Talking with me and I look forward to discover the next rising artist in The Global DJ Federation.
Additional Information:
Join Our Group: GLOBAL DJ FEDERATION
Twitter: @GlobalDjFed
Other: Skype at dj_hellrazor_
For more information visit :
www.globaldjfederation.com
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