6 Reasons Local Clubs Are Shutting Down

Why are local clubs shutting down – and why it matters

Local clubs – clubs that open every week, usually for a few hundred people with good resident DJs, a solid music policy, somewhere people can go week in week out and become regulars at – have been the bread and butter of the DJ journey for a long time.

These are the places where you learn your craft, these are the places where you learn how to programme music week after week, these are the places where you learn the job of performing, as opposed to just the techniques of DJing. They are a springboard into the higher world of the touring DJ, the DJ/producer, the “career” DJ.

Yet from what we’ve heard increasingly from our students over the last few years, this kind of club is becoming an endangered species. Whether it’s changes to the social structure with people dating online and using social media more, or changes in the economy with the cost of living combined with the cost of running a nightclub conspiring to make the whole thing more expensive, or even something as crazy as the ban on smoking leading to “strange new smells” which put people off these public spaces, the downturn is real.

Whatever is causing it, it hurts, as the reaction to this live show from our community demonstrates. We covered some of these reasons in the show, but more importantly we let you also share your experiences. From the hundreds of live comments through to the thousands of comments on the recording, it’s clear that this matters to DJs – a lot.

Maybe there’s hope in the fact that things do tend to swing like a pendulum from one extreme to another, and maybe events and festivals will go out of fashion with small nightclubs becoming the trend again at some point soon. Who knows?

Two things I know for sure: One, people will always want to dance to music, and two, the underground will always survive, being insulated from the swings in the economy and in fashion due to being small enough to weather them.

If you’re dedicated enough as a DJ and especially as a DJ/promoter, I think you’ll probably always be able to find an audience. It won’t be easy – but then again, it never was.

Enjoy the show.