The spots are turned off, the decks have stopped spinning and the ball no longer shines. The discos are closed, the bouncers are turning to the inch, and the dancers on Saturday evening, went to sleep. For three months, the world at night fell asleep. Good-bye to " Saturday Night Fever, another fever has plunged the dance floor into the black. The DJ, whether they be in bars, clubs, festivals and weddings, have all been impacted. A decline in activity that is just beginning to reverse.

Nathalie Leduc, marketing director for the site 1001DJ, observes that the activity, at a stop until the beginning of the summer, start slowly, notably thanks to the marriages. The marketplace, which makes a connection between the musicians and the customers, has two other sites for the organization of evenings : 1001Salles and 1001Traiteurs. On its platforms, the group recorded a decrease of 40 % of the visits to the music activity during "the period Covid" compared to the same period last year.

difficult Recovery

In an environment where teleworking is impossible, the confinement soon became complicated. DJ Eddy, which occurs in private events, has experienced a difficult period : "No income, lots of cancellations, so morale was at half-mast. "But the recovery looks difficult also. With only three dates from the end of the restrictions, Eddy resumed very gradually. "I really had the impression of returning to school ", lance-t-il, about his first event. And, even if the concerts are on again, little by little, the atmosphere has changed in the rooms. Hadone, young DJ of the techno scene, has returned to the concerts in Switzerland, while most of his dates had been cancelled until December. But the pleasure to play again in front of an audience is also added to this strange feeling of find themselves surrounded by 300 people. "It is not as comfortable as before, it is not known if this is a good thing. "

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The DJ Shlømo, well-known in the world of techno also, and that occurs especially in the club, has also found its audience last weekend, at an event of the collective Possession, which he is a member. "It's been really good to find the scene. "The future looks sobering :" a Lot of DJ's have only one or two dates scheduled per month during the summer, " he says. All are suspended in the evolution of the health situation, at the discretion of the clusters and of the openings of borders.

When the music is not enough

During the confinement, the DJ's are moved from one shot to a total lack of income. And their remuneration should not return to a normal level immediately. "DJS need a lot of work during the summer to make their cash and then live for the rest of the year," explains Nathalie Leduc. "It's going to be complicated in the coming months. "If some have been able to benefit from the aid granted by the State, others have had to rely on their relatives or to spend their savings. Or a combination of these three options. "I received financial aid of up to € 1 500 per month, but I still had to dig into my savings. But I am part of the privileged, " says Shlømo. And, in fact, not all of them have been able to benefit aid for autoentrepreneurs. Moving between France and Belgium, Hadone had no official status at the time of the confinement and was not able to get this boost. It is, therefore, his savings allowed him to live. "I've been fortunate to have had a year quite prolific before, but fortunately it's starting to take it back because it was becoming just a bit. "Same thing for Loïc Badoux, of the association Animation Paca, who works for big concerts and private parties. "It really hurts, especially as I had a full agenda. "He has been able to rely on his family, him avoiding too much spending. It is now waiting for his dates for the month of August, of the marriages which have not been cancelled, to be a little more paid.

To cope with the crisis, it is therefore necessary to find alternatives. Shlømo has opted for option merchandising : to sell products bearing his likeness or that of his label. "It has helped me to cope financially. "The livestream, the performance filmed and broadcast on the Internet, is a solution of the short-term, according to him. Its only live in the containment, in partnership with Arte, it has nothing reported. Same thing for Hadone, who earned a little money through merchandising and master class online. It also has only a single live during the containment, for which it has not been paid : "this is not something I will repeat. "The Sacem, which manages the copyrights of the artists, has recently announced that it wants to pay for live, but the pay system seems to be based on the number of views and the time to live, which requires them to have been very active on the social networks.

If all the DJS have been affected, it will probably be easier to bounce back for those who have some fame, or a loyal customer base. Eddy, which occurs in the evenings of businesses, some of which belong to the CAC 40, has received messages of support from his regular customers during the confinement, promising to call on his services once the health crisis has ended. It is therefore rather optimistic. In September and October, her diary is almost full. But Eddy is concerned, in addition to a resurgence of the virus, a change in the relationship of customers to the service. In fact, at this moment, these last have tended to focus on services less expensive, he says. "They have less money to spend, so they compete. "

people want to dance, have fun, it lacks !

In Dams-Event, a company that organizes parties and provides DJ's for different types of events, we focus on private events, which have often been deferred, contrary to public events, which are cancelled. Positive Point : 70 % of marriages have been postponed, according to Nathalie Leduc. For corporate events, activity is expected to resume from October. Just before the end of the year, which represents important months for the industry, much less governed by seasonality.

Then at the beginning of the week owners of nightclubs were protesting for the reopening of their institutions, the DJ's are still a little dubious in the face of the situation. "It is very complicated, we advance to the blind, everything is a blur," says Hadone. He could understand those who do not wish to reopen as long as the crisis is not over, leaves to wait longer. "A club, a concert, it is a place where one is completely loose, so wear masks, it is the opposite, it is a little sad. "Shlømo has a position a little different because it is rather favourable to the port of the mask so that the recovery takes place in good conditions. "After my concert for the Possession, I had to thank, because I was wearing a mask. "In short, lead by example.

Loïc Badoux criticizes the hypocrisy of authorities. "When we see what happened to Nice (a concert of The Avener has created controversy because the gestures barriers were not respected, editor's NOTE), so that it cancels our event, must stop the bullshit!!! People want to dance, have fun, it lacks ! "For him, it is possible to party with masks and respecting the security barriers. Waiting for the return to normal, Loïc dream, therefore, a mask that would let the air to breathe properly, while protecting microbes...

" we need to make the night concludes Shlømo. There are a lot of people who live on it. And, in general, it must not neglect the culture, and the world of the night is part of it. "