Jeez - I thought I'd start a thread about some interesting new technology that may give some of us a few more creative options, but instead it turns into a podium for the techophobic among us. Why aren't you guys bitching about how arranger keyboards have put corner organ-grinders out of business? If you want to race head-first into obsolecense then God speed... I see the opportunites that technical advances provides and think of how I can use them, not how they'll threaten me.

But if you want to moan about how DJ's are conquering the world, maybe you should ask yourself why people would prefer DJ's over live music in the first place. And it isn't just cost - maybe people are sick of the poor quality of live entertainment they've been stuck with in the past, and the overbearing volume, and the egos of those who have little else to offer as entertainers. I make it a point to go out and see live music every week and most of it is lacking in musicianship, entertainment value, and sheer effort. Why? Because musicians who are after a quick buck have allowed their musical standards to drop to the lowest it's been in my lifetime. Most of them wouldn't even have been considered professional musicians had they lived 60 years earlier. As a result, audiences have become less discerning and less caring. Why not hire a DJ when you'll get a sound that is more or less predictable over what you might wind up with if you hire some guy to hold down a couple of notes on a keyboard while singing? If you're not more skilled and more interesting as an entertainer than a DJ, should you really be blaming the DJ?

If a DJ gets hired over me then I am solely to blame, and it means that my marketing and performing skills need more work. The march of technology hasn't got a damn thing to do with it. Sorry - I'm fresh out of warm blankets for you guys to hide under.
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Jim Eshleman