Colin Gingell-Good, who goes by the name DJ Pressplay, has implemented a set of fines for club-goers who repeatedly request overplayed songs at the Coda nightclub in Colchester. Gingell-Good said he has put up “tongue-in-cheek” signs at his DJ booth to deter people who “don’t take no for an answer”. He explained that the majority of people request songs they personally love, but that occasionally these songs don’t fit the vibe of the night or the crowd.
Gingell-Good has produced a “song price list” of some of the UK’s most “overplayed” tracks, including Kings of Leon’s Sex On Fire (£250 per play), Oasis’ Wonderwall (£500) and The Killers’ Mr Brightside (£1,000). A second sign outlines “song request prices” for “good songs that fit the night” (free of charge), “songs that do not fit the night” (£100), “insisting you know better than the DJ” (£500) and “birthday requests” (£50, “unless it does not fit the night”). The DJ finished by saying that enjoying the night and the music playing is free for all club-goers.
During an interview with BBC News, Gingell-Good said: “A lot of people are great, they’ll come up and ask for a song that fits the night, but other people… they’re very demanding and don’t take no for an answer.” Gingell-Good also said that since he put the sign up, he has not had one single person request Mr Brightside, one of the most frequently requested songs.
The Killers released Mr Brightside as their debut single in 2003, appearing on their first studio album Hot Fuss (2004). Despite the song not reaching Number One, it recently broke a record in the UK as the nation’s biggest single of all time to have never reached the top spot. Mr Brightside also recently surpassed 260 non-consecutive weeks in the UK top 100 and became the UK’s most-streamed song in Spotify history.
Gingell-Good is trying to rid his club of overplayed songs and encourage his audience to enjoy new music. By enforcing this rule, he has stunted people from taking control of the booth and brought a set of rules to the forefront so everyone knows that overplayed tracks will cost money
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