But is DJ-ing 'playing music'? Or is it 'playing a CD'?

Because the second can be done by anyone with a CD player, and the first only by a well trained few.

Look, I'm not trying to put down what you do, but simply to point out that as you use more and more entertainment tools that ANYBODY can do, eventually you put yourself in a position of FAR greater competition and struggle to keep jobs that, if they were kept 'musician only' would keep that food on the table for a lot longer.

And then, there's what do YOU want to be? A DJ, or a musician. No amount of spin or self justification can make those the same thing. You can do BOTH, but they are NOT the same thing (or I really hope you don't think that!).

The trouble I see is, that as you train up the audience to accept DJ-ing as part of a 'live musician' show, you are setting the venue up to go ALL DJ. If the audience no longer cares WHAT you do, as long as they are having a good time, you open the venue up to the LEAST expensive alternative that offers that alternative.

You have probably heard a LOT of 'entertaining' DJ's. Do you really want to go toe to toe with them? They don't need to buy thousands of dollars worth of arrangers, in addition to the lights and sound system you have in common. They don't need to have external harmonizers, practice for hours, learn new tunes.

I'm not saying this is where your show is, now. But as technology makes it possible for you to do HIS job, you start to get into getting HIS rate of pay. Again, I don't know your area's financial layout, but down here, the DJ's (other than radio and HUGE dance clubs) make LESS than musicians. Hence less food on the table for THER kids. If you are going to make a move into a market, why one that makes even LESS?

You train the audience to blur the line between 'musician' and DJ, you blur the line about what the venue will be willing to pay you...

But at least, if this ever happens, we will be able to look around and say we only had ourselves to blame... The DJ's certainly didn't learn how to play, did they?