Is Pop Music Dead?

Is Pop Music Dead?

(October 2018) It’s a subject that I’ve heard discussed in the halls at some of the Mobile DJ gatherings I’ve been to in the last couple of years. It’s one I’ve seen brought up on the social media sites repeatedly. It’s been a subject of frustration and conversation among many of my colleagues. That subject?

Is pop music dead?

I can only address this from a perspective a

wedding-focused Mobile DJ – and in the case of a radio or club DJ it may be different – but for those of us that specialize in matrimony celebrations and are dealing with a demographic that ranges from 2 to 82 week in and week out, finding something that has a mass appeal to such a wide variety has been a challenge these past couple of years. Is this a trend that signifies the end of pop music as many of us have always known it? That’s a conversation that I had with my good friend and author of Billboards Book of Number 2’s, Chris Feldman.

“I don't think anything in music is ever "dead." It just recycles and comes back in a slightly different form.” Chris says. “Take rock music. Is the rock of Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis the same as the rock of the Beatles and Rolling Stones, and is that the same as the rock of Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd and is that the same as the rock of Journey and Styx, and is that the same as the rock of Poison and Warrant, and is that the same as the rock of Nirvana and Pearl Jam, and is that the same as the rock of Green Day and Blink 182, and is that the same as the rock of Linkin Park and Limp Bizkit, and is that the same as the rock of Creed and Nickelback, and is that the same as the rock of Shinedown, Hinder, Papa Roach, and Halestorm? It's all "rock," but it's all different as time goes on.

“Basically, to everything there's a  season."

“Pop has been the same way. The 50s and 60s had your Bobby Darin and Fabian and Frankie Avalon, the 60s had the Beatles and the Monkees, the 70s had the Bee Gees, Shaun Cassidy, Andy Gibb, Donny Osmond, the Jackson 5, the 80s had New Edition, Tiffany, Debbie Gibson, and New Kids on the Block, the 90s had the Spice Girls, Hanson, N Sync, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera, and it hasn't been that long ago music had Katy Perry and Kesha and One Direction and Miley Cyrus and "Call Me Maybe" and "All About That Bass." and "Shut Up And Dance" and "Cake By The Ocean." It might be taking a back seat right now to Drake and Cardi B, but that could just be cyclical. People get tired of hearing the same things for too long.

“Billboard noted recently that rap has been at #1 on the Hot 100 for 32 straight weeks and Drake has been at #1 27 weeks this year. This seems to be a hip-hop phase of music. I recall a year or so ago reading an article wondering whether hip-hop was fading out because the chart-topping songs weren't hip hop anymore. 

“And if you look at music as whole, has anything ever "died"? Swing music was dead after the 1950s, until Jive Bunny came along, and then the Brian Setzer Orchestra and Cherry Poppin Daddies in the 1990s. Easy listening standards died out with Frank Sinatra in the 1960s, until Linda Ronstadt comes back in the 80s with her "What's New" albums and Natalie Cole hits with "Unforgettable," and Tony Bennett does a duets album with Lady Gaga, not to mention Harry Connick and Michael Buble. Even disco got reborn as the dance acts of the 90s like C+C Music Factory and Black Box and Real McCoy and La Bouche. Are they really that different from Chic? Daft Punk even added Nile Rodgers to their song to make it more disco.

“Basically, to everything there's a  season. The 1940s had Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters, which gave way to Bill Haley and Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis, which gave way to Motown acts like the Supremes and Temptations, which gave way to the Beatles and Rolling Stones, which gave way to experimental bands like early Chicago and Blood Sweat & Tears, which gave way to the singer/songwriter like Carole King, John Denver, Simon & Garfunkel, and James Taylor, which gave way to a brief "God music" phase, which turned into rock bands like Bad Company and BTO, which turned into pop acts like Debby Boone and Andy Gibb, which turned into disco like Donna Summer, the Village People, and the Bee Gees, which turned into country/pop like the Oak Ridge Boys, Juice Newton, and Kenny Rogers, which turned into new wave music like the Human League and Duran Duran, which turned into the superstar pop era like Michael Jackson, Prince, Madonna, and Brice Springsteen, which turned to pop music like Tiffany and Debbie Gibson, which turned into hair bands like Bon Jovi and Winger, which turned into dance music like Paula Abdul, Snap, and C+C Music factory, which turned into grunge like Nirvana and Pearl Jam, which turned into Grunge-Lite like the Spin Doctors, Gin Blossoms, and Counting Crows, which turned into the hip-hop acts like 2Pac, Notorious BIG, and Puff Daddy, which turned into pop acts like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, which turned into the Latin and Swing revivals of Ricky Martin and Enrique Iglesias and the Brian Setzer Orchestra and Mighty Mighty Bosstones, And that's just getting to 2000. But even during those eras, other acts in different styles charted--Mariah Carey was probably the biggest act of the 1990s, and rose to success during "the grunge era." Female singer/songwriters were big in the late 1990s during the "Lilith Fair" years, when hip-hop was the main musical style.”

True enough, I’m sure the lovers of of Big Band  and the swing music of the 40s were aghast when the likes of Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis took over the music scene in the 50s, and the do-wop fans of the 50s & 60s truly thought the music had truly died when the music of the late 60s becme politically charged. Even the Beatles had joined the fray by vacating their She Loves You, ya,ya,ya; I Want to Hold your hand sound for Revolution and come Together.

Those political music fans must have been pulling out their hair when the sounds of bubblegum and disco dominated the seventies. And each decade since has had their own dominant sound, yet some of their favorite genres are still available today [swing of the 40s: Big Basd Voodoo Daddy, Bryan Setzer Orchestra].

 The Way I see it, it was just a few years ago (2015) when we were reveling in the pop dance floor fillers like Shake It Off, Uptown Funk, Honey I’m Good and Shut Up and Dance. Maybe we’re only another year away from another gold rush of pop music.

Until next time,

 Michael

Things Are A Bit different

Things are a bit different

(November 2018) We’re beginning to put the wraps on the current wedding season, which in our locale along the banks of the Mississippi River in the upper Midwest usually is considered from mid-April to the end of October. We still have weddings this month and next but the busiest part of our 2018 schedule is behind us.

As we approached the end of another season—the 27th

one for me personally—I had a conversation with one of our local banquet managers, who have been in the wedding business at least a dozen years herself, and we discussed some of the subtle changes that we have seen in 2018. Have you noticed any of these in your locale?

●Receptions in our area have gotten longer. Whereas maybe just five years ago receptions—in our area at least—were typically five-hour, maybe six-hour affairs. About a dozen this past year have been seven hours or more. Although more than half of those worked out fine, there were still a handful that from my perspective fizzled out. Our standard packages allow up to six hours of continuous music and entertainment, so toward the end of the season we started advising our couples, when the banquet hall allowed, to stick with the six-hour package. I informed these couples that if, during the event, it appeared that no one was ready to go home when we approached the last half hour or so of the evening, we could add onto the night after that. At least two couples came to me at the end of their day and thanked me for that offer, after realizing that a six-hour celebration was plenty. Some others never pressed for the extended time. “A party should end when it shouldn't end, not when it should,” says Michigan DJ Dan Nichols in his video 17 Tips That Make A Difference. “Ending a party before it dies down leaves everyone with the impression the floor was packed all night. It just feels better when people are left wanting more versus being completely burned out.”

Recurrent music now apparently consists of primarily songs from the 2000s,

●I was surprised to see so many classics still on our music list. Tunes like “Sweet Caroline,” “Brown Eyed Girl,” and “Fishin’ in the Dark” have popped up on our lists much more than I would have anticipated, considering most of our couples can now be considered “millennials.” I find that somewhat amusing, considering that if the bride and groom are somewhere around 25 some of those songs are twice as old as they are. We did have some couples who filled their request lists with their favorite current hits of today, but I felt that, after we played some of those early in the night to very little fanfare, then segued into some of the guests’ requests that brought many more people to the dance floor, the picture was painted for the couple and they were much happier seeing that a fun time was being had by all rather than insisting all of the songs on their list were played.

●Recurrent music now apparently consists of primarily songs from the 2000s, which seems about right. If you consider the average age of today’s couple is 25 to 30, during the mid-2000s they would have been between 12 and 17, the coming of age period when people seem to become most attached to “their music.” Although some ‘N Sync, Backstreet Boys, and Spice Girls songs from the 1990s still resonate well, we found that those chart toppers from the 2000s,[C2]  such as “Party in the USA,” “Hey Ya,” and “Stacy’s Mom” have found an eager audience.

●The garter toss is joining the Chicken Dance and the five-tiered wedding cake with a waterfall as a thing of the past. I would venture to guess that at fewer than half of our 80+ weddings this year the groom tossed his wife’s garter. There were some weddings where the bride still tossed the bouquet, but the garter was nixed. We had a few couples come up with creative alternatives, though. In a couple instances, the groom placed a garter on a football and tossed it to the guys. One groom, an avid hunter, purchased a kid’s bow & arrow set and placed a garter on the arrow and shot it out to his group of hungry wedding souvenir collecting men. Then there was the couple who told me that they met at work and discovered they both were avid fishers. So, after several months of telling fishing stories to one another the groom-to-be finally got brave enough to ask her if she’d like to go fishing with him on his boat that weekend, and you can guess how the rest of the story turned out. It was only fitting then that a garter was placed on a fishing pole (with a clothespin, not a hook) and it was cast out to the eager fellas. That suggests the garter toss is fading away, and maybe it’s time for a new tradition—or at least a different spin on an old one.

●More and more of our couples are telling us they initially met online. I still have to chuckle a bit to myself when those couples kind of hem and haw before sheepishly telling me that is how they found each other, but then I assure them that this is the way we socialize in the 21st century and that many of our couples tell us the same thing. What I never hear anymore are the couples who tell me they met at a bar. If the drinking and driving laws weren’t enough to kill the bar business, sites like match.com are probably adding the final touches.

●Strapless dresses are becoming less and less common, which to me is a good thing. What’s the saying: “If I had a dollar for every time I saw a bride or bridesmaid have to pull up her dress . . . .”

●First there was the wedding cake, then we had the dessert bar, then we had the candy bar, and increasing in popularity this year was the doughnut bar. I’m still trying to figure out how doughnuts fit in at a wedding.

What trends or traditions have you noted in the past year?

Until next time,

~ Michael ~

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Persistence Pays Off

Persistence pays off

  (February 2017) 

Story Time.

In 2008 I decided to say goodbye to the 8-5 job and pursue my mobile DJ  business as a full-time career. I knew when I did that I was going to need something more than the weekend wedding to make a viable living. An associate of mine, Bob, had at about

the same time, made a career change that didn’t work out and he too decided to concentrate on making a living as an entertainer. Together we looked at some of the options (karaoke shows was an emphatic no for both of us) and stumbled on a new and upcoming trend called Trivia nights. Bob immersed himself in the research on the venture and I began marketing for more weddings. When Bob felt he understood how the program worked we together approached some establishments and non profit organizations and made our pitch. To our pleasure some of those were willing to give Trivia Nights a try and we were on our way.

The program became a success but truth of the matter is I was not real thrilled doing it. Maybe if we had subscribed to one of the established programs out there like DJ Trivia it would have been different. But just starting out as a full-time entertainers and working on a shoestring budget made that impractical so we resorted to researching and writing our own questions which, to me, made it more time consuming than what it was worth. That and the constant people approaching you with their smart phone to argue a question after a round made it, to me at least, a pain in the backside.

I told Bob to go ahead and run with the program and if he needed any help I’d be there for him. I’m happy to say he is doing exceptionally well with it. He’s averaging 3-6 shows a week and does well enough with it to make a living.

That of course still left me with the initial problem of doing something else besides weddings to derive income from, especially during the off months.

For every successful booking I had the next one would be a disaster. 

In 2013 I attended the Mobile Beat Convention in Las Vegas. While shopping around the exhibit floor I came across a program from Digi Games called Extreme Bingo. It was a cross of trivia and bingo. The software would take any questions, songs, pictures and even video and scramble them and make up to 199 unique bingo cards with the answers on them. I thought this might be the perfect solution. Not only could I market it to some of our corporate clients who are always looking for cutting edge entertainment, it may also be used as a substitute for trivia nights and as a fundraiser. When I returned home from the convention I downloaded the demo program, did some experimenting with it and coerced my teenage daughters to let me test it out on them and their friends. I then approached our county fair. I had been doing a different program with them every summer for the annual fair and asked if I could slip the Extreme Bingo in a couple of times to see what the reaction would be. They were happy to give me the opportunity and the response I got while testing it out was more than positive.

I experimented with it a couple of more times and purchased the product the following year. I decided to name the program Trivingo, which I thought was a bit more of a definitive name. I put together a website and facebook page and had some brochures printed up and went to visit some of my contacts who I thought might benefit from Extreme Bingo. It took me a few months but I finally had a couple of bookings and I was on my way. Or so I thought.

For every successful booking I had the next one would be a disaster. Our local Hospice chapter used it for a fundraiser and we had nearly 80 people in attendance and it was very successful. One of those in attendance there was a member of a non-profit organization and signed me up for their annual fundraiser. One of their members was a manager at a local radio station and he blistered the upcoming fundraiser on the airwaves. I worried I would not have enough cards. 200 was the maximum.

33 people showed up.

And that was just the way it always was. For every success I had, whether that was a fundraiser or an attempt to get it into a bar and grille as a weekly event, there was another that just bombed. More than once I came to the conclusion that this wasn’t the answer that I thought it would be back in Vegas, but for some unexplainable reason, maybe lack of common sense, I pushed on.

Finally in January of 2016 I received a call. It was from a former groom of mine. His wife and he had recently bought a bar and they were looking for some ways to increase their income during the middle of the week. Could I come in and do karaoke, he asked? No, I told him, karaoke is not one of the things that we do, I explained. I told him about this other product I had and made an appointment to come demonstrate it to him. I gathered up my laptop, a brochure and a couple of Trivingo cards and did a demonstration for him. He was willing to give it a shot and booked me for every other Thursday. Things went so well that after only two months he asked if I could do it weekly. The crowd slowly grew, but we took the summer off because wedding season was in full swing for me and most bar and grilles in our area lose a lot of their patrons when the weather is nice and the days are longer. We picked it up again in September and the crowds returned. In a matter of a couple of months a couple of other nightspots called me. Could I come do Trivingo at their place? Then some of the regulars went back to their employees and told them about this thing that would be great for their holiday party. Finally the phone was ringing.

Next month I will begin my fourth weekly program. I’m currently doing it on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evening and now will be doing it on Sunday afternoons as well. I also have two fundraisers scheduled for it this month, another in March and have just talked to someone about yet another at the end of April. By the beginning of May, though, I’ll put it away in anticipation of a busier than usual wedding season.

So an endeavor that started in 2013 is finally paying off in 2017. William Eardley IV once said “Ambition is the path to success, persistence is the vehicle you arrive in” and I guess I have found that to be true. The way I see it, in today’s world of instant gratification it’s way too tempting to throw in the towel too early on some of our attempts at something new. Stick with it just a bit longer.

Until next time,

~ Michael ~

Requests

Requests

(June 2017) This is a subject I touched on in October of last year and I wanted to revisit. It deals with requests in the modern era and some of the solutions I have found in handling them.

BEFORE THE MP3

Unlike the not so distant past, when DJs had the largest music

collections in town and were by and large viewed as the experts on how to make a party sizzle, the general public now has the ability to have musical libraries that are just as impressive thanks to iPods and MP3s, and with that expanded library often comes an expanded feeling that they should be the ones directing the way the music is programmed--overlooking the DJ's experience and treating him or her more like a human jukebox to play what's demanded without consideration of how the music flows or blends together. As our 2017 wedding season began, I started pulling together some suggestions for dealing with these types of requests and maintain control of the music. As it seems to be a frequent issue among DJs, I'd like to share my ideas with you now.

TAKING BACK CONTROL

I’m going to be talking most specifically about weddings here since this is predominantly what I do. I know that school dances are a whole different can of worms that I do not profess to be an expert in.

For weddings it starts with the art of the consultation. My routine is typically to review the contract with couples, then go over the itinerary of their reception and get those songs for their special moments. Then we talk dance music. I typically, before talking about specific songs, ask to review the different genres with the clients and ask them to let me know which ones are most likely to inspire their guests to dance. Note I did not ask them which genres they would like to hear. Like it or not, we are judged on how much fun people are having at their event. And the tell-tale sign of that is how many people are dancing. I also preface the genre list by saying “as we go through these genres you can say yes, no, maybe a few of those, or that’s okay if someone requests it,” thus planting the seed that—even though they may not be a big fan of line dances or a certain genre—they may not want to deny their guests the pleasure of hearing the song if they ask for it.

"What they like to listen to and what people will dance to is not always the same thing.”

Next we get into specific songs. As I look at the list that the couple may have e-mailed me or filled out on their virtual planner I look for any notes or any songs that would seem odd to me and ask about them. I always then ask if, on their list, there are any songs that have a special connection to any certain group, like a sorority or team song or a certain family connection, thus knowing that we have to know that those people are present and, hopefully, on the dance floor when we hit it. It has happened before that we went to a client’s list, pulled off and played “Sweet Caroline,” only to find out that the song was requested for Grandma—whose name was Caroline—and she was not in the room at the time.

Before wrapping up the conversation I ask if there are any specific artists or tracks are that are absolute DO NOT PLAY’s before I circle back and ask about requests. “Is it okay—with your permission,” I ask, “if I screen out the requests to make sure that they fall into two criteria: One, that it is within the genres that you have selected, and two, that it is danceable? Sometimes people don’t realize what they like to listen to and what people will dance to is not always the same thing.” I’ll then give them an example of a song that may be popular but not deemed a good dance song—like something from Adele. I also let them know up front that I will not be able to use any YouTube links because of legalities and I will not be allowing anyone to plug their phone into my system to play something that I may not have. Do that once and see what a Pandora’s box you have just opened. Suddenly you’ll see a half dozen guys scrolling through their phone deciding what obscure song they have that they think will woo the crowd.

By doing this I have established with the clients:

I will be playing their key requests.
I will not be playing music they definitely do not want played.
I have been given permission to take the suggestions that I deem will work, but have permission to nix the ones I think will not.

AT THE EVENT

Armed with a specific direction by the client and permission to pick and choose which requests you deem will be the best fit for their event once again puts you in control. Now on site is where you need to exercise your customer service abilities. Inviting requests is still a must, but the wording on how to do so will help determine which type of requests you will get. Instead of saying “If there is something you would like to hear tonight let me know what it is,” try “If there is something that absolutely makes you want to dance, come talk to me,” thus planting the seed that you are looking for dance music tonight. Treat those that come with a request with respect, but, if you are apprehensive about a request, let them know that your first obligation is to the couple.

“I’m working on the bride and grooms list right now, but I’ll write that down,” is something I often say to my askers.

I’ll sometimes make that list visible so they can indeed see what specific songs the client has asked for. I’ll also quite frequently, after surveying the crowd or picking up on some cues during dinner or toasts, right down some of my own ideas that may work with this crowd.

TAKING A CHANCE

Still, with all of the years of experience we may have it does not mean we know everything. Some of the quirkiest requests that I have gotten in the last year have been Boom Boom Boom  by The Venga Boys, Someday I’ll Be A Saturday Night by Bon Jovi and Jane Fonda from Mickey Avalon. They’ve all worked, but only with that specific group.

The way I see it—we are still hired for our expertise and knowing what and when to play a tune, and that will be a large determining factor in how a couples wedding day is remembered.

Until next time,

~ Michael ~

Michael J. Lenstra is celebrating over 25 years in the Mobile DJ industry, is a full-time DJ/Entertainer, and is owner of Alexxus Entertainment in Dubuque, Iowa.