It has been reported this morning that American producer/ DJ and vocalist Anthony Moore passed away on May 7th at his home in Austin, Texas.
Moore, better known as Romanthony is best known for his iconic vocals on French duo Daft Punk’s track “One More Time” which peaked at number 2 in the UK charts in 2000. His death was first reported on his sister Mellony’s facebook page on May 9th but it remained largely un-noticed and unconfirmed until the last few hours. The cause of his death is as yet unknown.
Romanthony owned his own record label “Black Male” which released singles including as Let Me Show You Love and Make This Love Right in the 1990′s and his first album, Romanworld in 1997. He collaborated with Daft Punk after meeting the duo at the 1996 Winter Music Conference.
He is reported to have been working on a new track with German producer Boys Noize at the time of his death. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time of their loss.

Form more info these products or if you want fantastic deals! Check out our friends down at UDM DJ Store. Dont forget if you use the code DJBUSPROMO you’ll get an instant nice little discount.

Chauvet Core 3×1 - http://www.udmdj.co.uk/chauvet-core-3×1-led-wash-panel

Chauvet Core 3×3 - http://www.udmdj.co.uk/chauvet-core-3×3-led-wash-panel

For The DJ Business though we covered the entire both floor’s looking through a variety of new products and getting an up-close look at current products on the scene. With a large number of well known manufacturers there including EV, ADJ, Audio-Technica, FBT and Prolyte there was something for all in the industry. The stands were on a smaller scale compared to some shows however a recurring feeling of a more personal show was had by both visitors and traders at the show. We found it was easy to spend more time in depth with each vendor and in return they had more time to discuss products and features.

So what was a highlight for us there. Apart from an astounding Large LED Visual screen from Elation which not only captivated but added a splash of color to one corner. We chatted with Guy from FBT about both the ProMaxX and Vertus range of speakers systems that is turning peoples heads. With a punchy sound that contains clarity and power they are increasing a share in the active and passive market within the UK alone.  ADJ had a more modest stand than they usually have at shows, however the reps were much more open with time for people to discuss lighting that was displayed including the “Inno”, “Matrix Beam”, the super fast “Vizi Beam” and new micro effects. Twinning there stand with Globaltruss showed off new formations and combinations of trussing from tri to quad and ladder truss including some variations on finishes to the truss such as the new red finish. Electro-Voice were on hand to give us a closer look at the new active ZLX range of speakers which were impressively light. TDJB will be having a close look at them very soon.

All in all as Nigel (TDJB) said “great show, perfect combination of manufacturers”. Check out the gallery for some pictures from PLASA Focus.

Itunes received one million downloads in its first week and that has steadily increased to the point now where they have had over 25 billion downloads since they launched and with the technology moving forward rapidly and internet speeds increasing we are now able to download movies, podcasts and audio books on the go.

I tunes has also enabled the independent labels to have a platform to sell their music. Anyone can now have their own label and release music through the service. This has launched the career of many artist we see and hear today and has also changed the way our weekly charts are compiled. Now an artist can write a track in their bedroom on a Wednesday, upload it on a Thursday and have a number one hit with it on a Sunday.

Like it or loath it Itunes is here to stay and the DJ’s that are still championing that they like “the physical product” and to hold a CD in their hand are going to fade as even the old school entertainers are embracing technology.

Today I was treated to a video entitled “Worst DJ Ever!!”. The video was of a fifteen year old DJ recording himself practicing in his basement. The guy obviously had minimal skills with the equipment but was very confident on the microphone and ultimately seemed to be enjoying himself.

This got me thinking “is this what the next generation of teen customers want?” After a little investigation I discovered this young guy who self proclaims himself to be “the number 1 teen DJ worldwide” apparently runs a number of successful nights in America and has video footage of him on stage to prove it, admittedly with an over dubbed soundtrack. The teen crowd of almost 500 seem to be really enjoying themselves to his performance. Throughout the video our DJ is seen to be wearing sunglasses everywhere, getting out of hired limo’s and counting his piles of one dollar bills. Parts of the video look very similar to a stereotypical modern hiphop video that I can comfortably say has been this thin, white, glasses wearing DJ’s influence.

He openly admits he has learnt his skills (I use this in the loose term) online via youtube by watching music videos and tutorials on “how to be a cool DJ” and also loves the “celebrity” that comes with being a DJ! In my personal opinion he didn’t actually get further than the first 30 seconds of each video but he is still filling venues where some of us more seasoned promoters and DJs would struggle to get half the amount or paying customers in.

So I ask you, is this what the next generation of paying customers want? Are they not interested in the skills of the performer but in the celebrity DJ? Is this what the next generation of DJ’s are happy with? We would love to hear your feedback on the facebook page.

Is B-stock for you?

The conversation of B-stock is repeatedly being banded around by the industry. With the financial situation still being tight maybe its an option to consider when budgets are tight. We at The DJ Business (TDJB) totally understand the need for quality at affordable prices and yes we love gear and new tech as much as anyone (maybe a little more if we’re honest).
So B-Stock what is it…. well simply factory b-stock is already used merchandise that comes with a new warranty. It is not refurbished and may have significant cosmetic blemishes or missing accessories. Factory b-stock may also be an item that was loaned out to say broadcasters for a special event, like the olympics. A dealers b-stock is already used merchandise that was returned by the customer. It does not come with factory warranty, and the reason it was returned could be that it was broken, not required or the person simply changed their mind. Most dealers add a warranty to these and check and test them regardless.
Options are always available to the consumer regarding check the products first and to be fair your dealer cant sell you a product that is faulty as per Trading Standards.
We at TDJB had a chat with Neil Stamp a friend of ours who owns UDM DJ in Hoddesden about this and he said ”as a dealer B-stock items represent good value for money. Most B-stock is either ex-display, unwanted re-packaged returns or it can have slightly damaged outer boxes etc. We provide warranties on all b-stock items so good savings can be made” -Neil UDM DJ store owner.
We will do a video review on this shortly to investigate further for you peeps!

p.s. Neil @ UDM Dj store said he’s happy to offer a discount to us using promo code ‘DJBUSPROMO’. So if your looking for saving some money on new gear then check out www.udmdj.co.uk on behalf of all our DJ Business followers cheers UDM DJ!

Stanton released at Musikmesse the details on their new cartridge. Turntable purists will not be dissapointed in the continued quality of the 2 models in the V.3 & SM V.3. For tech spec the Trackmaster features high-output, low-cue burn and a four coil pick up. Perfect spec for scratch turntablists and yet it is also perfect for use with DVS systems and for playing or archiving vinyl.  Stanton continues to up the game in turntablist hardware. We will be looking forward to reviewing these very soon giving “The DJ Business” closer inspection details on them. Stanton say these cartridges will be standard on all there new models of ST.150 and STR 8.150.