This is for all the DJs

		What type of DJ are you? Well, as I was the DJ on 4 different cruise ships over a period of 10 years this is my area of expertise so I may surprise you by saying that no matter how versatile you are, you can never be versatile enough. The problem with being a cruise ship DJ is that everyone assumes you are an idiot, with no knowledge about music and all you do is push a button to make music play. Anyone can do it right? All musicians hate you because they think you are the cause of the death of their careers and everyone outside entertainment thinks you have it easy and are jealous. officers envy the magnetism your job has to gain female admirers, yet they still think you are stupid. To tell the truth, over the years there have been DJs who fit the idiot bill and often add arrogance to that list. It's a constant battle for those of us who know better. Here's the thing; The idiots never last! Anyone can be a bad DJ and I'm not being unfair in saying that most so called DJs are! To be a good DJ you must: Have skills in reading a crowd, and be able to think on your feet. You must also understand strategies that can boost bar revenue, make your support band look good (or bad if they disrespect you) and get crowds out of the room happy at the end of the night. Be able to know the difference between repetition and regularly flaunting songs that work. Being thick skinned enough to ignore idiots yelling at you because you won't play a song you know will offend everyone else in the room whilst at the same time avoiding complaints. Have a knowledge of music from every country in the world and build play lists you can use with individual nationalities. You must have different vocal techniques for all occasions, from nightclub DJ techniques to radio interviewing and running game shows. You must be exceptional at mixing. Don't listen to anyone who rubbishes the importance of this (usually they are bad at it). This technique builds your dance floor and maintains it regardless of age group or nationality. Not being able to do this only makes a hard job more difficult. Obviously, party style chop mixing must also be spot on during party sets to keep the energy. Must have a good knowledge of sound and lighting as you are reserve for sound and lights in production shows (nobody tells you that until you are needed). Must be able to set up the whole disco/ lighting system from scratch if necessary and make it sound and look better than ever before. Be able to run a whole karaoke night without dominating your stage and still be able to sing a few songs. Have a totally flexible attitude which allows you to turn your hand to anything from setting up bands to compering shows without notice or fuss.

		If you think you can do all that and you haven't worked on a ship yet, I think you may be lying to yourself about something. A lot of these things you can only learn by experience and being a Cruise ship DJ is totally different and in many ways harder than any other DJ situation, if you want to be good at it. Sure, if you want to show how lazy you can be, you probably can for a while but you won't last for more than a few months and your reputation will be shot. Even worse, you won't have any fun. Long nights trying to send everyone to bed are long nights. Get in there and make it happen and then the fun starts! There is no better feeling I have experienced in life than when you are in total control of a large crowd and have your room shaking with a full dance floor. You are the hero! Greg's tip- If you are making it happen and your back up band are doing it too, this makes you look good as you run the entertainment in the nightclub. Their success is not yours if you can't match what they do with dance floor. You will look like a failure. The band will think you are great but you won't be there to enjoy that. Remember, you must work round thair pad and make it work for them but you were booked separately so do your job first and foremost.

		DJ positions are often cruise staff positions which can involve other duties but you will still work short hours compared to most and earn more than most. If you want to get into this I advise you become a gold member of 'Greg's Cruise Club'. I'll tell you all about life at sea, what to expect, how to avoid the pitfalls and be a success as well as give you pointers as to how to get a job as a DJ on a cruise ship, or any other position on a cruise ship. I've done it successfully and it was the adventure of a lifetime. Now it's your turn. See what you can do! Find out more about Gold Membership Here. Related Links: Entertainers home Gold club home Home