20/10/2026
We saw this topic on another page:
“DJs are NOT promoters. Let's get that straight. There's a big difference between performing at an event and being responsible for filling the venue.”
Our response: Unfortunately, the DJ industry has forced DJs to become things they were never supposed to be, but the industry itself needs to take accountability for creating this situation. The reality is that if a DJ cannot sell tickets or bring a crowd, many promoters simply will not book them. That is exactly what happens when an industry becomes so oversaturated that nearly anyone with a laptop, controller, and music collection can call themselves a DJ.
The industry commercialized DJing while simultaneously convincing everyone that the actual skills of DJing were no longer necessary. It removed the barriers to entry, flooded the market with performers who often have very little to distinguish themselves, and then wondered why audiences stopped showing up. We now have events where the flyers practically have more DJs listed than people attending. Promoters seem to believe that stacking ten or fifteen DJs onto a lineup will somehow produce an audience through sheer numbers. Instead of booking a few genuinely talented DJs who know how to build an atmosphere and deliver something memorable, they are gambling on each DJ bringing five or ten friends.
And what exactly are audiences being offered anymore? How many times can people pay to hear the same sounding music, the same predictable transitions, the same automated mixing, and the same performances with nothing particularly interesting or memorable happening? Technology was supposed to expand creativity, not become a substitute for learning the craft. Yet much of the industry has embraced convenience over individuality, performance, and actual ability.
The club and bar scene has suffered because of it. We are seeing empty dance floors, struggling events, and venues that cannot maintain the excitement they once had. There are certainly other factors involved, including rising costs, changing nightlife habits, and competition for people's attention. But the industry needs to stop pretending that the quality of the entertainment itself has nothing to do with declining interest.
People used to go out because they wanted to experience something. A great DJ could take an audience somewhere musically, build anticipation, create energy, surprise people, and make a night worth remembering. Those experiences created loyal audiences who returned because they knew the DJ could deliver something special. That is how DJs built reputations, not simply by having enough social media followers to satisfy a promoter.
Now the industry has created a situation where the DJ is expected to be the entertainment, the marketing department, the ticket salesperson, and sometimes practically the entire audience. Meanwhile, the promoter gets to call it a business model.
We agree that DJs and promoters are two different professions. But we also need to acknowledge how the industry arrived here. When you oversaturate a profession, devalue its skills, and replace quality with quantity, you eventually have to find another way to justify booking people. Unfortunately, that justification has become how many tickets they can sell rather than how well they can actually DJ.
The irony is that the industry spent years telling everyone that DJ skills do not matter because the crowd supposedly does not care. Now that crowds are increasingly difficult to attract, suddenly the same industry wants DJs to be responsible for bringing those crowds back.
Maybe the audience cared more than the industry was willing to admit.
Promoters should promote. DJs should DJ. But most importantly, the industry needs to give audiences something worth leaving their homes for again. Because putting fifteen names on a flyer does not create fifteen talented performers, and fifteen DJs playing forgettable sets will not magically create a memorable night.
The industry did not just oversaturate the DJ market. It oversaturated the audience with reasons to stay home.
