If I was DJing your 12 year olds birthday party....

motown13
motown13 Posts: 688 Member
in Chit-Chat
I own a mobile DJ company and I turned down an event this morning.... a birthday party for a 12 year old girl. Here is why...... well, wait, let me preface this by saying, I have NO ISSUES with R and X rated lyrics for MYSELF, but when I am running my business, I only play clean, radio edits, or edits that I make.

OK, so today, I told a potential client that is what I do, and she said, "No, it's OK to play all the unedited versions".

To which I replied "M'aam, I think you are missing my point. My company doesn't play songs with explicit lyrics; that is the way I run my business."

She then said "It's OK". I give you permission to play them."

And I said, "You aren't listening. I will not play songs with explicit lyrics, especially with 12 year old kids there. Besides, how do you know that all the parents of all the kids would be OK with that?"

To which she replied " Look do you want to work or not?"

I said, "Thank you for calling me, but no thanks."

If I was DJing your 12 year olds party, would you think it OK to be playing songs with explicit lyrics? I know they have probably heard it all before, but that doesn't mean - to me - that I need to play them for them.

I am no prude..... I use explicit language among my friends. My wife and I watch adult movies..... but I'm not about to play explicit stuff for my business, but especially for pre-teens.

What do you think?

Replies

  • ACepero79
    ACepero79 Posts: 711 Member
    Avoid the drama. She may be ok with her kids listening to X rated lyrics, but that doesn't make every parent ok with them. And, I've been there. Those parents won't go up to the parent who organized the event, they'll go to YOU first and voice their complaints.
  • pattya925
    pattya925 Posts: 398
    bravo to you for sticking to your principles!
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    Well it depends on the song I as client would not want the edited versions but that would be for a wedding or adult party. What would your playlist look like for a 12 year olds party?

    *Not to diss your business because I think it sounds like so much fun, but I cant help but think how spoiled is this kid a DJ for a birthday party. Shoot when I was growing up it was cassettes and a boom box radio with all your friends.
  • motown13
    motown13 Posts: 688 Member
    Haha..... no lie.... I once DJ's a 10 year old boy's party.... I bet they spent $10,000 on it...... my cut was $400.
  • GurleyGirl524
    GurleyGirl524 Posts: 578 Member
    I think you did the right thing. Even if she was fine with those lyrics for her own child, other parents may not be. I am 43 years old and I am turned off by some of todays unedited lyrics. Those songs are just fine and just as fun without the explicit language. I really would not want my 12 year old hearing such.
  • logicman69
    logicman69 Posts: 1,034 Member
    You did the right thing... bravo for sticking to your policy. :drinker:
  • leed12345
    leed12345 Posts: 21 Member
    I'm a teacher and you are straight up smart. The other parents will complain to and about YOU, not the parents of the 12 year old. Keep doing what you are doing and stick to your principles knowing you are doing the right thing for those children. What idiot parents! I would be horrified were my child at the party and I am no prude either. You can have a perfectly acceptable and fun playlist without resorting to crudities. At the end of the day you can rest easy.
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    I think you did the right thing. You have a company policy, you are adhering to your own policies. That being said, you could have just told her that's your policy and then let it go at that, permission or not . . . bet you no one would have noticed.
  • Im_NotPerfect
    Im_NotPerfect Posts: 2,181 Member
    I think you did the exact right thing. And you're correct...if my child was attending that party, I would NOT want him/her hearing those lyrics. Bravo to you!!:drinker:
  • motown13
    motown13 Posts: 688 Member
    Thanks all.... that has been my policy for literally 35 years of DJIng.... but lately I feel like I am out of touch.

    Anymore, even at adult parties, it seems like there is much more of an "Anything Goes" attitude.... I don't know if anybody knows the song "The Rodeo Song", but I was asked to play it at a wedding a few weeks back. The crowd was filled with 70 year old people among the younger folks..... I actually have that song, but have never added to my DJ library, just so that I can say, "Sorry, I don't have that song in my library."
  • _Krys10_
    _Krys10_ Posts: 1,234 Member
    You did the right thing. My husband DJ's as well. I close friend asked him to Dj for her daughter and of course he did so free of charge (really close friends). It was her 16th birthday. He kept the clean edits playing but the songs being requested by the teens :noway: Some of them wouldn't even know the exact names of the songs or artist, they would just come up and say "will you play that song My Neck My Back" :noway: :noway:

    Hopefully 12 year olds would not even ask for that type of music
  • scarrletti_girl
    scarrletti_girl Posts: 479 Member
    I think it is great that you stuck to your principles. I think children are now a days are being showed this kind of x/r rated stuff to early and it effects who they become later on in life. If I was a parent of one of those kids I definitely would have complained to everyone about that. And you don't want to have the record of being the DJ that play inappropriate music to children, your business would be cut in half, in my opinion, sorry for the rambling, but the point is, It is great that you stuck your ground and did what you thought appropriate, that is respectable and people like hiring others they can trust and respect. lol
  • alittlebitdaria
    alittlebitdaria Posts: 13 Member
    Uhhh if I went to a party for a 12 year old and heard explicit music I would LOSE. MY. MIND.

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