dj agencies !

[dj ray]

god - where do i begin ?
is the title even spelt right ?

this could be a long one .....

i know there has been many threads here before about the agent thing , but i feel this needs a new one !

for about 4 or 5 years now i have been working for an agency , the first 3 years or so were so enjoyable (that comment will make sence soon)

to cut a hell of a long story short the agency was run by two guys , one of whom i have the height of respect for , and yes, im covering my ass here , for two reasons ,
1. the man whom im about to "give out" about is not the guy i respect , obvious i know but just want to make that clear .
2. without the guy im not going to "give out" about i wouldnt be in the postion i am today , and by that , i mean , i wouldnt be working as many nights as i am ..............

also , at this point i will point out that previous posts would reveal that i obviously work in barcode (but not for much longer huh ?).....it is NOT i repeat NOT that agency im going to rant about below ...........

i suppose i should say this thread is all down to pay , or , lack of it .
i am only one of at least 5 jocks (that i know of) that havnt been payed for work done ...... SINCE JUNE , one jock hasnt been paid since MAY !

i`m not talking about hudreds of euro , i`m talking THOUSANDS of euro , in one case , not mine , over 3 thosand euro ,

of coarse for legal reasons im not going to name the company or person , although if you think you know the name of the company, think again , cos it has been changed very recently .

[buzzbomb]

Over the years ive had a pop at agencies and justifiably so, another particular well known agency has also been guilty of not paying their dj's and have changed their company name , they used the dj's money for other adventures , owing one dj i know thousands. Along with this , they treated their dj's like 10 year old school kids & had absolutely no respect for anybody .
A few years ago i had a a rant here with Star dj's , but i'll give them full credit for running their company professionally and i've never heard of anybody not getting paid and their money is usually on time .

The individual your talking about Ray is not only a failed business man , hes also a failed dj . He's also threatened people with blackmail if they hassled him for money . Im amazed he's got away with this for so long . It has to be made public , not here obviously , but other people , including venues need to be warned about him because he'll carry on operating and some poor kid starting out will become his next victim.

Talking to most of my collegues over the last 48 hours its been agreed he'l never have any of us working for him.

[jolishan]

This could turn out to be one of the most interesting and bravest threads ever put up here. The person in question has done severe damage to a lot of people over the last couple of years and has the morals of a snake. With sincere apoligies to snakes everywhere. He doesn't owe me a penny for gigs because I never let any agency build up a bill and while its a different situation I know for a fact that another agency owes more people more money and the people I respect in that particular agency have left leaving it in the hands of an ego driven cretin. Once again to admin I would point out no names are being used here but this thread could and hopefully will lead to guys starting out who will be tempted to go to an agency to remember that they have a right to be paid weekly or at the very very least monthly and that any crap about the agency not being paid by the venue etc is not the DJ's fault or concern. The agency acts as a conduit between venue and jock and if they cant supply BOTH sides they shouldn't be there.
Jim

[dj ray]

Im amazed he's got away with this for so long . .
not for much longer - i hope

the people I respect in that particular agency have left leaving it in the hands of an ego driven cretin. Once again to admin I would point out no names are being used here
Jim

jim , i also have respect and highly admire the person that left the agency - having spent years building up a damn good business its such a shame that it was left to a complete and utter cretin to ruin , and i have a [good] feeling that this time next week , or next month that we`ll all be here on this thread commenting on how the cretin has nothing left , not even his self respect , not that that ever existed , and only his big ego as his friend.

[Ronan Devitt]

Good thread lads I know the person involved and fell out with him a few years ago(like a lot of guys i know).Hopefully all the dj's involved will get the money owed to them.There's no place for him in this Industry.

[thestorm]

I also had dealings with this " Cretin " who a couple of years ago i would've considered a good mate and a fella that on a night out you could really have the crack with him, Then his massive ego took over and started to spill out of his hat :) Anyway as i said to a lot of people about two years ago about said person is that its a hell of a lot tougher on the way down than it is on the way up and i hope now that he is down he gets a severe kicking so he can never get up again and walk all over people the way he has done , good people who have given up there time to make money for themselves and to line his pockets for doin sweet fa but people who have now fallen foul and will probably never get the money they are owed , Lads i wish you the best in getting paid but don't hold your breath, The only solace in all of this is that most of you will get to keep your gigs in the venues in which you worked agency free

[leggo]

Good thread lads. I don't (think I) know this guy you're talking about...but I've avoided agencies like the plague for the most part for reasons like this. Of course I've taken a few gigs from them but, despite numerous offers, I've steered clear of tying myself to any particular one's.

Having worked in pro-wrestling for years, I know a cowboy when I see them. And wherever you have independent guys, doing something they love, with big money potentially to be made...you'll have someone looking to piggyback on their success.

I venture that if 75-80% of talented DJs who use agencies had the energy to make the calls (and the hard neck to take 20 no's in order to get one yes) then they'd end up doing just as well as they are today without losing a % of their fee.

If agencies were run correctly (and, don't get me wrong, I've encountered several who are modelled and run EXCELLENTLY) then they could be an asset to both clubs and jocks. Unfortunately it's the cowboys that ruin it for everyone. But such is the nature of the game.

[Tommy gun]

So whats the plan guys, all meet in the village with flaming torches at midnight and let's go burn his castle down.

On a serious note , I don't really know the guy we are speaking of and although I did do some work years ago for the agency. At the the time I was dealing with the other partner and had no problem getting the mula. Just wondering what happened , did it all go tits up for the lads . Pretty sad because he seemed an ok bloke that I was dealing with at the time and if anything he called me and requested the invoice and sent me the cheque for the gig.

So how much and how many people are owed money and what's the solution to these guys getting paid. Im led to believe this fruitcake has no money , so what's going to happen. I think the best way to deal with the guy Is not too work for him and if nobody works for him , well then he's snookered. The problem is you guys won't stick together on this one, so it possibly won't work.

Reel all your buddies and all your dj friends , that nobody is too work for him and if you all stick at it , it will hurt his pocket. The down side to that is that you might never get paid.

From what I can see it seems he lots of work going on and if so where did all the money go? . It's a simple business model , organise djs and get paid from the venue and then pay the djs and stick the rest in your sky rocket . What happened the money he was getting , and why did guys let the bills run up . How much money is owed ? Why not go to the venue as a group and tell them and get him removed and work directly for them


Tom

[buzzbomb]

My advice to anybody currently caught up in all this is , go see a solicitor , all of you together and make these peoples lives a living nightmare .

One word for them , B****RDS.

[Caretaker]

Have no Idea who you are talking about .. chase them in the small claims court ..?

Have heard the one agency is being chased for a large amount from a law suit against them recently ..

I will not let anyone owe me for more than 1 month of payments .. have been stung twice in my life for €250 each time ..

[Admin]

Have no Idea who you are talking about .. chase them in the small claims court ..?


Unfortunately some users are giving out some indisputable clues regarding the identities of some people so this needs to stop.

[HammerJ]

Unfortunately some users are giving out some indisputable clues regarding the identities of some people so this needs to stop.

Well I have an idea who it might be, but like caretaker I don't know who it is.
We have not worked for agencies since the days of the beer promotions so we would be well out of the loop.
All we can do is sympathise with those who have been affected.

John.

[dj ray]

Unfortunately some users are giving out some indisputable clues regarding the identities of some people so this needs to stop.

i have absolutly no wish to annoy the admin guys , i did read the posts that were removed and it would appear that there are two companies who owe lots of money to dj`s .......

my gripe , and as i said in the thread starter , i am one of at least 5 , well , .................... it turns out to be 9 dj`s............ is with only one of these .
and i so wish i could enlighten everyone , but unfortunatly its not possible .

[HammerJ]

I wish we were able to enlighten other djs too ray.
My guess was very wide of the mark,and if this guy had called me I would have had no suspicion at all. This is becoming a big problem,we all think that everyone knows,but as you can see everyone dosen't.

[buzzbomb]

Do you want to know the reality of all this ?

These people have no shame , no morals and no regard for anybody in fact i dont think they even care .

They have put a lot of dj's in a finincial mess , guys who only want to survive , pay their bills , live and provide for their family .

[HammerJ]

Do you want to know the reality of all this ?

These people have no shame , no morals and no regard for anybody in fact i dont think they even care .

They have put a lot of dj's in a finincial mess , guys who only want to survive , pay their bills , live and provide for their family .

Thats for sure Buzz,and its not like these lads are sitting around looking for hand outs. All they want is to be paid for the work they have done.

[mini-fanatic]

They have put a lot of dj's in a finincial mess , guys who only want to survive , pay their bills , live and provide for their family .

100% agree, I missed the deleted posts so I'm in the dark on this one.
I do some agency work myself and I'm waiting months to be paid at the moment, they are not being nasty or anything and I know it's because they are having trouble getting paid themselves.

If this agent has already got paid and is not paying out then this is a very serious situation.

[jolishan]

Dear God don't tell me people are still believing that line about the venues not paying on time so we cant pay you etc. I have only heard this claptrap being used on two occasions and both times were in connection with the two "agencies" hinted at here. Act now before you are used and abused even more than you have been.
JIm

[Caretaker]

Dear God don't tell me people are still believing that line about the venues not paying on time so we cant pay you etc. I have only heard this claptrap being used on two occasions and both times were in connection with the two "agencies" hinted at here. Act now before you are used and abused even more than you have been.
JIm

Ask the venue if they paid as I'm sure they would like to hear about this messing.... be loyal to no one as no one will be loyal to you...

I once handed back a contract as they were so an*l with the invoices... if a party was a "21st" and I wa told it was a "30th" by the girl in the office .. the invoice was returned to accounts who then would leave it lying there til I rand asking why payment did not arrive .. delayed payment by up to 12 weeks in some cases...

And to top it they wanted only top end DJ (no djs on work experience) and full public liability insurance...

[HammerJ]

Dear God don't tell me people are still believing that line about the venues not paying on time so we cant pay you etc. I have only heard this claptrap being used on two occasions and both times were in connection with the two "agencies" hinted at here. Act now before you are used and abused even more than you have been.
JIm

Jim,

It's not as easy as that,I have one corporate entertainment company that owe me money going back to the start of the year. They pay in installments,but what can you do? You have to work with them or risk not getting paid at all.
I sympathise with anyone who gets screwed,but its a catch 22 situation.

John

[jolishan]

John I can understand that your position is slightly different to the agencies in question who are claiming that every pub and club they are dealing with are not paying for months and while I have no doubt there are venues who will play it like that but to expect people to swallow that EVERY venue is at it is asking a bit much
Jim

[HammerJ]

I know what your saying Jim,but all of these lads are caught in the dilema of whether to stop working for this agency and not get paid or keep in with them.I think that the best plan of action would be to take the contract for the venue off the agency, then take the agent to court for payment.
In my case,I am getting my money but far less frequently than before.

[mini-fanatic]

I think that the best plan of action would be to take the contract for the venue off the agency,.

Is this possible...?
Would it be better to stage a strike..?
Go in on Friday / Saturday night and only play love songs for example.

[HammerJ]

Striking is a bad idea,it only hurts the venue and your relationship with them.
I still think that if the regular djs get together and approach the venue,stating the reasons and showing proof that they can take over the contract themselves.

[mini-fanatic]

Striking is a bad idea,it only hurts the venue and your relationship with them.
I still think that if the regular djs get together and approach the venue,stating the reasons and showing proof that they can take over the contract themselves.

It was just a suggestion, but I agree in hindsight probably not the best one.

Talking away the contract from the Agent would be far more benificial all round. :)

[leggo]

Striking is a bad idea,it only hurts the venue and your relationship with them.
I still think that if the regular djs get together and approach the venue,stating the reasons and showing proof that they can take over the contract themselves.

^^^

That sounds like a great idea. And, while you're informing the boss about the agent's indiscretions, offer the venue the fee minus the agent's cut. So they're actually paying less. All they'll need to hear is "Agent = wanker. You = pay less." and you're onto a winner. If it doesn't work...what do you lose? You're not being paid as it stands.

They're also more inclined to trust the resident DJ than the agent because they see the DJ on a week-to-week basis.

If you're dealing with a good, reliable agency, it's a great way to find yourself out of work, fast. But with arseholes like this...do you really have another option? The alternatives are to continue to work unpaid, or just stop working for the venue and let some other poor sap come in and do the work for free.

[Red Room]

Striking is a bad idea,it only hurts the venue and your relationship with them.
I still think that if the regular djs get together and approach the venue,stating the reasons and showing proof that they can take over the contract themselves.

I would doubt that it will work for several reasons.


Who decides who does what night?
Who gets to cover you if you are away or even sacked? And if the screw up, who gets to carry the can?
Who liaises with the venue if, say the sound needs adjustment or a new image/music PR is required?
Who chases up new venues for the lads if it's closed or whatever and agrees fees with same?
Who does the monthly invoices and chases and cuts up the money from venues?
Who takes overall responsibility for the arrangement and making sure it works and flows well


These are all jobs that many agencies do on our behalf and while a band of individual can do it, it's effectively what an agency does (Well, meant to) on our behalf and would be extremely difficult to work as a co-op or collective.

[leggo]

If it's just the one venue (sorry, I'm not too familiar with the specifics here...just going on what's been posted) then it can be easily done with a bit of time and co-operation on all parts. Keep the status quo as far as nights go, if someone can't make a gig make sure he's got cover, invoice them per gig etc. Tons of places work off independent DJs. In fact, a lot of places prefer it. It's all about how they sell it to the nightclub boss. If they're clear on all issues and are positive about why this is in fact a better move for HIM (not them), then it's very doable.

If it's a bunch of venues then, yeah, you'd likely need to set up a mini-agency yourself to have any chance of making it a success.

[HammerJ]

Pretty much how I see it too,


In every venue there will be one dj who is a leader,usually he is the one that the owner goes to if there is a problem.Seldom is it the agent !
You are missing the point here though.What we have here is a situation where these djs have not been paid in months.

Who decides who does what night?
You do the same night you have always done,there would be no change.

Who gets to cover you if you are away or even sacked? And if the screw up, who gets to carry the can?
If you screw up ,then you are responsible in the same way it is right now.
If you need cover you talk to the other djs in the circle and get covered.

Who liaises with the venue if, say the sound needs adjustment or a new image/music PR is required?
The dj who will be the one nominated as leader.

Who chases up new venues for the lads if it's closed or whatever and agrees fees with same?
You don't,I'm not talking about becoming an agency yourselfs I'm talking about self preservation.

Who does the monthly invoices and chases and cuts up the money from venues?
Each dj submits their own invoice each month,you agree terms with the venue
bank details,sort codes etc and they are paid each month.T
This is already the done thing in the pub where I work every Thursday.

Who takes overall responsibility for the arrangement and making sure it works and flows well
The dj who is seen as the leader.


These are all jobs that many agencies do on our behalf and while a band of individual can do it, it's effectively what an agency does (Well, meant to) on our behalf and would be extremely difficult to work as a co-op or collective.

No its not at all difficult,in fact it could not be easier and it usually means that you have a much closer working relationship.

[dj ray]

hi guys ,

first off , thank you for the replies to this thread , secondly a big thank you to all who private messaged with support / ideas / phone numbers and suggestions , a lot of the suggestions have been taken very seriously and i will post more about that when i can ......

i have now been paid in full , followed by a samrt ars*d comment (by text ) along the lines off , "you are now paid in full , stop writing about me on that site and get your facts right"

ok , he obviously reads this site ,
so read this...........

yes i have been paid in full , why ???????
i mean , why me and nobody else ? ,
because i post here?

when are you going to pay the rest of the jocks ?

when are you going to pay the guy who all but ran your company for you ?

when are you going to pay the guy who did your accounts for how long ?

when are you going to pay the guy who lives in drogheda ?

when are you going to pay the guy who`s name begins with KE

when are you going to pay the guy who`s name begins with FE (he is owed since may , yes MAY)

when are you going to finish off paying the guy whos name begins with JO

when are you going to pay off the guy who`s ringing you every second day , you know , the one whos a bit behind with his morgage , name begins with AL.

when are you going to pay that guy who does the radio talk show ? - ohhhhhhhhhh sorry , my mistake , you paid him when he said he would expose you on his talk show .............

i look forward to the next text !

[HammerJ]

Well thats good news Ray,now lets hope the other djs get sorted too.
Keep in mind what has been said here,because you don't need this guy.

[Caretaker]

Maybe all of your DJ friends should log on and start talking about said person ...

and if all of the other DJs are not paid the venue should be made aware of the situation especially if the venue has paid the monthly invoice...

[mini-fanatic]

first off , thank you for the replies to this thread , secondly a big thank you to all who private messaged with support / ideas / phone numbers and suggestions , a lot of the suggestions have been taken very seriously and i will post more about that when i can
!

I echo what the others have said..
Good News and hope the plan works out.

[buzzbomb]

A Dublin based DJ agency approached a venue im currently working in and offered them dj's for a Friday and Saturday night for 150 euro . Some people in this industry have no self respect . Im thinking to myself , this excuse for an agency would have to make say maybe 30 euro , that leaves the dj with 120 euro . What kind of dj would a venue get for 120 euro ? They are obviously desperate for business if thats the level they would stoop to .

For every action theres always a re-action, and there will be a re-action , i can guarantee that.

[dj ray]

[QUOTE=dj ray;158881]hi guys ,

, a lot of the suggestions have been taken very seriously and i will post more about that when i can ......
QUOTE]

just to let everyone know this is still an on-going problem for some of the dj`s that used to work for the company in question ,

as i said , i have been paid in full , but there are still jocks that have not .

i will still post on this subject when i can , but at the moment things are still "on-going" and when its sorted i hope to be able to post more information then .

again may i say , thank you all for the messages of support , :notworthy

[dj ray]

[QUOTE=dj ray;158881]hi guys ,


i will still post on this subject when i can , but at the moment things are still "on-going" and when its sorted i hope to be able to post more information then .



well , what a few months it has been ,
and whats the old saying ? "look after the people you meet on the way up , cos you meet the same people on the way down"

the person in question is certainly on his way down now !
he wont be getting any help or get well soon messages from this household .