DJing And Capitalism: A Brief History

 

Fifty years ago, Disco King Mario, Pete DJ Jones, Grandmaster Flowers, Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, Jazzy Jay, Grand Mixer D.ST and a handful of other DJs birthed and helped cultivate a DJ movement powerful enough to become the nucleus of a culture called HIP-HOP.

When you chew on that for a second or two, nothing could be more tragic than to stop and consider the economic inequality which exists within the billion dollar industry that DJing has become.

DJing, I’m referencing “quick mixing,” “needle dropping,” “scratching,” “beat juggling,” etc., are techniques that were stumbled upon and created out of struggle. That is to say, a certain set of socio-political conditions in 1970s New York City provoked what us DJs do and our fans see, on social media day in and day out in 2023.

Today, according to an analysis by ZipRecruiter, a person who manages or books DJs can make an annual salary upwards of $70,000 minimum. When you compare that to the $48,000 average annual salary of the DJs doing the heavy lifting, I can’t help to conclude the math ain’t mathing right!

It’s time DJs take a hard and critical look at the impact of capitalism and economic exploitation on their art and the culture that birthed it. DJs need to stop accepting pocket change for 6 hour DJ shifts while the industry that pays them fills their pockets! Consider this article another reminder from me that DJing is now a billion dollar industry and therefore no DJ should face poor pay, job instability or ongoing under appreciation. When the DJ work force’s wage rates are lower than the people who sit behind cubicles and desks with their feet up, someone has to speak up.

Let it be known, I understand well the connection between art and capitalism. Moreover, my willingness to beat the exploitation drum that’s taking place as a result of that relationship can make me controversial in some mainstream circles. That said, in this glorified, corporate, commodified Hip Hop world we currently live in, I think it important to impart knowledge beyond how a “Flare” scratch is executed at Brolic Army DJ School. It’s important to learn about the destitution that birthed what so many are exploiting for currency, the social and the green kind, today! Unfortunately, most Hip Hop, specifically DJing, platforms don’t speak out and instead keep their mouth’s shut as a means to keep the truth buried over the past 50 years in order to protect their bottom line.

But “the truth shall set you free” and there’s an implication within that saying that confronts us DJs at the very core of who we are as people. If my DJ brethren are too scared to demand more than $200 for a 6 hour shift at a nightclub, if we as DJs aren’t properly credited for our studio work, etc., we are slaves. We are bound. We aren’t creatively free!

Click here to watch my full Interview on DJ Mathematic’s THE MATH FILES.

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