Clubs are there for profit. It follows that the most fruitful and opportunistic area to look at are where you, the DJ/promoter, can bring in a new type of music or experience and make the club money.

Networking is the single most important thing you'll do as a DJ/Producer.  I CANNOT stress this enough.  Networking is something you do 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  The best thing about networking is the fact that it is so simple and natural to do.

Well, this turned into a rather packed issue. I’ve got a ton of editing to do so I’ll keep my usual rant short this time. Let’s get this thing rolling.

Well, it’s been two months now since the launch of the new Tastyfresh.com site. With that system we are FINALLY able to allow people other than, well me, to directly enter and edit content on this site. For this, we have to thank the Joomla! Content Management System that the site is now built on. I cannot begin to stress what a blessing this CMS is concerning my restraints on time. Now, what I really need are some people who are willing to help write new material for the site.

It's often the hole in your heart that drives you.  Some of the best artists were driven to create their greatest works out of their tragedies and some of the best music is made out of heartbreak and yearning for healing.  A person who understands the pain in others, because of what they have been through in life, are often the most qualified to communicate to others in music and in words; sharing the insights they've learned along the way, the truths that kept them here and kept them going each day, that kept them reaching for their highest aspirations and goals, and persisting against obstacles large and small all along the way.  No one is immune to problems and struggles, but those who reach for healing often find they have a voice, and something to say about the problems in the world and in the human soul, as they reach for and find answers in their own lives and in the world around them.

The first article in this series seemed to have raised some hot bottom issues. I knew that some of what I said would not go over very well, but it did what I had hoped it would and sparked a very productive discussion on the forums. The main concern that evolved in the discussion over last months article circled around one issue… a fear of inflexible central control. Let me assure all of you that such a thing was very far away from anything I was considering when I wrote the article. It has been a fear that I have been aware of for years now and it is one that I believe has kept us from growing and developing as a scene. In fact, you could make a very strong and convincing argument that there really isn’t a Christian EDM scene… there is seemingly only Tastyfresh when it comes to a global movement.

In this series, we’ve primarily dealt with business aspects of electronic music.  We've covered contracting, marketing, and networking.  This time, I’d like to say a bit about something not normally covered along with business, and that's providing value.  See, value is when someone makes an investment that returns more in reward than the initial cost.  How do you provide value as a DJ/Producer?  What can you provide to make your potential services more attractive?  This can be summed up in three simple words; promotion, performance, and networking.

This article is about providing you with information about how those clubs and venues operate, where their income comes from, what the crowd is there for and how DJs successfully program for those audiences.  If you feel called to take one of these gigs, you need to know what the game is.  You don’t have to play the game, but hopefully this helps you with the “shrewd as snakes” part.

In September 2000 The Christian Herald published an article that began with this statement: "This past summer, Toronto's mayor, city counselors and law enforcement officers debated how to clean up the city¹s rave scene. A group of Christians are one step ahead of them, throwing dance parties with no drugs, no weapons, no drinking, no smoking, no sexually provocative clothing and no one being wheeled out on a stretcher." We didn't just not invite drug dealers and gangs in - we actively kept them out.

The following is an archive of the discussion regarding part one of the Unity series. As I strongly believe that these discussions on this series are just as vital as the articles, I’ll be archiving each one with the rest of the series. I hope you find this helpful. Some edits were made to assist in readability and grammar. Thanks to everyone who took part in this.