DJ BRINGS MUSIC TO THE MASSES THROUGH MOBILE STUDIO
DJ brings music to the masses through mobile studio
BY TIA CAROL JONES
What do you do when you’re a DJ and your main revenue stream of playing for events is down due to cancellations because of COVID-19? You pivot!
That’s what happened to Eric Sampson, owner of The DJ Firm, who decided to create TDF Mobile as a way to bring the joy of music to people in the midst of the pandemic.
“Our business is solely based on people gathering [together], so when COVID-19 hit, it was really tough,” he said, where between April and June, between 25 to 30 events “got wiped out.”
Sampson said while they were shocked, in deciding to pivot, the business wanted to figure out how to bring music to people and give them something they’ve been missing – live music.
He said while other DJs have been doing sets on IG Live and livestream, the heart of being a DJ is performing in front of people.
Sampson said The DJ Firm wanted to capture the idea of deejaying in front of people and seeing the “real happiness” that takes place when a deejay is playing a “great song” live. At the same time, however, they wanted to keep social distancing in mind.
To do that, Sampson collaborated with grocery stores, like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, to play 20 to 25-minute sets. He said he just walked into the grocery stores and pitched the idea of playing music from their mobile van.
He said the grocery store managers loved the idea of the van playing music in the parking lot.
“One of the first initial ideas was we definitely wanted to play for the first responders and essential workers and provide some joy,” he said. “And then, we noticed grocery stores would be a great idea, just because people are waiting in line. And, we just thought playing music for those people waiting in line would be a great idea because it would be providing some joy, giving them something to do and also enhancing their shopping experience as they’re waiting to go in the store.”
In addition, TDF Mobile, headed by Sampson, has played for birthday and graduation parades, where people drive past another person’s house using a caravan of cars to help people celebrate their birthdays or graduations, a trend that has become popular during COVID-19.
Sampson said TDF Mobile has been receiving a lot of calls to bring the van to parades. They also have been playing at parks on the weekends, randomly popping up at places throughout the city.
He said while there are currently nine DJs on the roster at The DJ Firm, it is Sampson and his business partner playing music through TDF Mobile.
“The niche of the DJ Firm is that all of our DJs are nightlife DJs that play within the city. So, we bring that edge and that club element to events. That’s what sets us apart,” he said.
Sampson still does a DJ stream set through Twitch on Fridays at twitch.tv/thedjfirm and Feel Good Tuesdays at 5 p.m. on twitch.
“Through those two streams, we’re still catching those same vibes, providing the same type of element [but] the environment has changed since we’re streaming. This [is] all online,” he said.
For more information, visit thedjfirm.com.
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