One of the joys of social media - in particular social networking sites - are the various links and clips that when shared by a friend, show up in your news feed. As I was scrolling through mine today Sam Hill, a long standing Auckland DJ and Promoter, had shared this article - from on inthemix.com.au -which I found very interesting. Basically what it talks about is the apparent demise of the Club scene at the hands of the new age promoters. It highlights a trend where DJ’s are being booked based not on their skills and talent, but on their ability to inflate the guest-list. It raises examples that show just how far this trend goes, and brings forth instances where DJ’s were given quotas as to how many paying friends they must bring along. In response to these claims Sophie Page - ‘Home The Venue’s’ - argued by saying:
“Sublime was hammered on ITM for having quotas, but it was taken somewhat out of context,” she says. “We are all about our DJs promoting the brand, as well as themselves, so we can build something bigger than a local dancefloor. What we did put in place was a bonus pay scheme so we could get some more dollars into their pockets and motivate them to really push themselves further than through a new event on Facebook.”
What its basically saying is that from a business and marketing perspective, social media and the ability to utilize it effectively is a hugely valuable and important skill. It is a trend that is not just confined to DJing and the club scene either; it applies to many businesses across a wide array of industries. It highlights, in no uncertain terms, the effectiveness of social media as a promotional tool and the unfamiliar scenario in which young people have the upper hand.
The fact of the matter it’s the young up-and-comers that are making the most noise in the world of social media, and because of that they are generating large followings and securing more sets. Clubs and events want to become bigger than local dancefloors, and they recognise social media as one of the key mediums that can get them there. The DJ’s who can offer them the greatest exposure are the ones with the greatest online presence. And as it appears they are more often than not the young up-and-comers.
This is the idea that interests me the most. In times past it was the older generations that were looked up to. They were seen as wise and knowledgeable and they represented the top of a fairly ridged working structure that saw young people having to work the ranks before earning a place atop the ladder. The Information Revolution however, has seen the “wise and knowledgeable” factor whittle away. The rise of the internet gave young people an infinite source of knowledge that they could tap whenever they wanted. This resulted in the role reversal we see today; young people, after growing up with the Internet are proving to be the experts in the field of social media and as such are leaving their older counter parts confessed and frustrated in their wake.
A movie I saw recently which illustrated all of this perfectly was the superhero film Kick Ass. The movie as a whole was decidedly average but it dealt with this particular scenario well. Without regurgitating the whole plot it was about Dave Lizewski, a geeky teenager who decided to dress up in a costume and become the super hero Kiss Ass. A serious car crash, a public brawl and a YouTube video later and Kiss Ass had become the new web phenomenon. As Dave put it; “[his] MySpace: 38 friends, Kiss Ass’s MySpace: 16,000 and counting.” This did a great job of Illustrating the speed at which information flows through social media, and its power as a communications medium.
As the movie progressed the evil mob boss villain was revealed. Enter Frank D’Amico, an aging mobster with a geeky 17 year old son. When D’Amico’s attempts at canvassing the streets looking for Kick Ass failed he reluctantly decided to enlist his son Chris’s help. Chris, upon transforming into another superhero Red Mist, effortlessly utilized the power of social networking sites to track down and meet up with Kick Ass. This particular segment illustrated the extent to which the pendulum has swung and transferred to the power to the younger generation. Frank D’Amico was a feared and powerful mob boss with years of wisdom and knowledge behind him. In many respects he was far more skilled than his son, but his refusal to embrace new technology caused him to hit a brick wall when looking for Kick Ass. A wall his son was easily able to climb.
A scene towards the end of the film summed it up nicely; Chris had captured a gun fight on a teddy bear nanny-cam and had burst into his Dads office to show him. Frank, not knowing what the teddy was or how to use it was quickly told to sit down on the couch while Chris plugged the bear into the TV and showed his Dad the video. In a picture that resembled a teacher teaching some pupils we the audience were shown the power that the young geeky teenagers now posses, as well as the dangers that can become of refusing to embrace new technology.
But I Digress. Going back to the article on the clubbing scene from the beginning of this post; when reading it I asked myself is this trend a good thing? It has obviously led to a scenario where DJs with average mixing skills are landing gigs ahead of their more skilled counterparts. From a strictly musical perspective it is definitely not a good direction to be travelling, and to be honest I find it concerning. However, to dismiss these young up-and-comers as punks with no talent is in my opinion short sighted. Their ability to successfully navigate and manipulate the world of social media is in itself an amazing skill. While the older more experienced DJs can manipulate and control a crowd from behind the decks, the new age promoter/DJ can do it from behind a computer. Their ability to build a brand, and inspire a drove of “friends” is at the end of the day a far more desirable talent from a business and marketing perspective. This is something that the older generations definitely need to look out for as a refusal to embrace social media will surely put them at a disadvantage.
Sorry for the length, it’s been a while so I had a lot of pent up opinion to get out. I’m currently working on a social media experiment for an upcoming post, so make sure you stay tuned. When it’s all done it should be a good read.
- Jake
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