In today’s music industry, your success depends not only on your talent as a producer/DJ, but also on your online reach. Nick Kraft vents his frustration on Instagram about DJs who haven’t put in the hard work required for the profession: “When is something still a profession, and when does it become marketing?”
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Kraft is transparent with his followers: “I know that I am still not where I would like to be, and I know that times have changed, but… More and more often, we see people with a large online following who suddenly become ‘DJs’. Not because they have spent years developing their sound or working their way up through small clubs or fun parties, but because their name sells tickets.” According to Kraft, it’s a logical choice for organizations: “Reach equals revenue, and revenue equals security.” Still, he wonders: “What does that do to the value of the profession?”
“When DJ sets are booked based on social media algorithms rather than musical vision, the focus shifts,” writes the DJ. “It becomes less about craftsmanship and more about visibility. The booth becomes an extension of a brand. The set becomes a piece of scenery.”
Accessibility is different from superficiality
Kraft is not at all opposed to influencers becoming DJs: “It’s great that more people are getting the chance to share music. But accessibility is not the same thing as superficiality. Reducing a craft to ‘being present’ undermines the people who invest years in it and perhaps have that little bit extra talent.”
“What is good… The public feels the difference. Maybe not always immediately, but in the long run… Thank God.”
For Kraft, the question is not whether influencers should be allowed to become DJs. “Of course they should. The question is: when is something still a profession, and when does it become marketing? If reach becomes more important than skill and talent, we have to ask ourselves what we are actually celebrating: music or visibility?”
