Yesterday's Handbag Designer Is Today's DJ
Have you noticed that more and more social scenesters, models, and offspring of the rich and famous have morphed into DJs? It's a trend, as W points out:
DJing—and the visibility that goes with it—has replaced handbag designing as the go-to profession for It girls and boys. The flock of hobbyist DJs for hire includes A-list models Jessica Stam and Agyness Deyn, actor Leo Fitzpatrick, artist Nate Lowman and rock-royalty spawn Alexandra Richards. They work fashion shows and store openings and have residencies, or regular gigs, at nightclubs—often based on the fact that a promotable name brings press and the right crowd to a venue.
Real DJs aren't too happy about any of this, not surprisingly. It doesn't help that these amateurs are making serious money, too. Richards (above), the 23-year-old daughter of Keith, is now charging $10,000 a gig, believe it or not, compared to a non-famous DJ who might only get a few hundred bucks for his or her services.
The downside? In many cases it doesn't last. Sure, hiring Jesus Luz to spin at your next event might make sense now, since there's a decent chance Madonna will show up, too. But as soon as Madonna moves on to the next pretty young thing, Luz may be spinning in exchange for a couple of drink tickets. Just ask Samantha Ronson. She was asking for more $25,000 when she was dating Lindsay Lohan, but has been forced to cut her rates by half since the two split up.
