
British DJ Fatboy Slim plays at Carnival in Salvador in the Brazilian coastal state of Bahia, Feb. 20, 2007. A law under consideration would require any event involving foreign DJs to include 70 percent Brazilian DJs. (Paulo Whitaker/Reuters)
A license to spin
Brazil considers requiring DJs to receive formal training and government recognition.
SAO PAULO — Outsiders might associate this nation with samba, but Brazil likes its trance, electro-house and techno too.
Huge crowds turn out when big name disc jockeys come from abroad; in return, Brazil dispatches its home-grown DJs to the world.
Last year’s DJ Awards in Ibiza featured a category specifically for Brazilians, the only nation so honored; DJ Marky, a Sao Paulo legend who tours internationally every year, won out over seven compatriots.
Unlike the other DJs that won in Ibiza, however, DJ Marky may soon need a license to perform in Brazil.
Proposed legislation by Senator Romeu Tuma would regulate club and event disk jockeys in much the same way the law already protects— or hinders, depending on whom you ask — musicians, radio announcers and print journalists. This move in the Brazilian legislature has generated considerable buzz in DJ and nightlife circles recently; MTV Brazil even hosted a debate on the topic last Tuesday.
The bill — which is before the Senate’s education committee — would forbid nightclubs and event planners from hiring anyone without credentials. The law also spells out protection from unscrupulous employers, and would limit foreign DJs — who are exempted from the certification requirement — to 30 percent of the gigs at any event.
“It’s nonsense,” said Facundo Guerra, owner of Vegas, a Sao Paulo nightclub famed for its after hours party. “It would be like if a visual artist needed a license to make a painting. We have politicians who are removed from reality.”
Many agree, but the legislation was actually the result of lobbying by SINDECS, a DJ organization in Sao Paulo. Antonio Carlos dos Santos, the organization’s president of the union and a DJ for three decades, said that among the intentions of the law is to protect professionals from hacks who download music from the Internet, and to give DJs access to government retirement and health benefits.
“Clubs hire good DJs to attract a following,” dos Santos said. “Then, some friend of the owner or promoter appears, and takes the job away from the professional, working for 50 reais ($21) a night, or even in exchange for whiskey.”
Recent on Brazil :
Sign of the times
Seth Kugel - Brazil - October 16, 2009 09:31 ET
Sao Paulo’s clever new no-smoking symbol is so ubiquitous, it sometimes seems like it’s following you.
The "little country that could" didn't
Mark Starr - Sports - October 14, 2009 20:50 ET
In a World Cup drama, tiny Uruguay tried — but failed — to put Argentina out of its misery.
A World of Trouble: Is the nightmare over?
Thomas Mucha - Commerce - October 14, 2009 13:35 ET
With signs of economic recovery finally emerging, here's where things stand in 20 countries around the world.
2016 Olympics: Three funerals and a party
Thomas Mucha - Commerce - October 4, 2009 09:13 ET
Rio rocks. Chicago, Madrid and Tokyo mope.
The 2016 Olympics: The betting odds
Mark Starr - Sports - October 4, 2009 09:12 ET
President Obama is headed to Copenhagen. Will it matter?
Should internet campaign ads be against the law?
Seth Kugel - Brazil - September 17, 2009 16:55 ET
Brazil is trying to change laws that limit political speech. But it still wants to forbid anonymous blogging.
The only Ethiopian in Brazil
Seth Kugel - Brazil - September 13, 2009 09:12 ET
Alienated and out of hair gel, one woman struggles to hold on to her heritage.
The Ritz of movie theaters
Seth Kugel - Brazil - September 9, 2009 08:06 ET
Welcome to Sao Paulo's ultra-luxe theater, where wine is served and the popcorn topping is truffle-infused olive oil.
Need an Advil in Brazil? Not so fast.
Seth Kugel - Brazil - August 28, 2009 09:15 ET
Brazil wants to adult-proof its pharmacies.
Peering into the future with scientific arson
Stephan Faris - Global Green - August 16, 2009 08:02 ET
Scientists are setting fires in the Amazon to figure out how encroaching agriculture and climate change will affect forests.
Meet the economic gangsters
Mark Scheffler - Commerce - August 12, 2009 09:03 ET
Economic gangsters come in all shapes and sizes — they're Asian dictators and Somali pirates.
Will "civilized" Brazilians obey a new smoking ban?
Seth Kugel - Brazil - August 6, 2009 19:17 ET
A new law in Brazil's biggest city bans smoking in public places. Will it be obeyed?
Brazilian Senate scandals: a guide
Seth Kugel - Brazil - August 4, 2009 12:04 ET
Get caught in a scandal in Brazil and you might lose your job. You'll almost never go to jail.
A tale of two Lulas
Seth Kugel - Brazil - August 3, 2009 09:01 ET
International rock star or illiterate hick? You decide.
More than a tourist destination
Anil Mundra - Argentina - August 3, 2009 08:59 ET
Trafficked persons flow across the triple border of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay at the Iguazu falls.
Full Frame: Africans in the Americas
Sebastian Belaustegui - Worldview - July 31, 2009 08:27 ET
Full Frame: African rhythm to a Latin American beat
Sebastian Belaustegui - Worldview - July 28, 2009 08:35 ET
The slave trade dispersed Africans throughout the Americas. A photographic journey through the remaining Afro-American cultures.
Taiwan says goodbye to World Games 2009
Jonathan Adams - China and its neighbors - July 27, 2009 09:19 ET
VIDEO: How did your favorite korfballer do?
The sporting death
Mark Starr - Sports - July 24, 2009 13:10 ET
The murders of Steve McNair and Arturo Gatti stun the sports world, and underscore the complexity of the word "hero."
Watch GlobalPost videos:
Reporter's Notebook
There's no real need to write a story here. The headline says it all. But because convention must be followed, here goes: On Wednesday, Anvisa, the...Read more >
There are some people you look at and think: this guy has a story to tell. That’s the impression I got from the bushily grey-bearded guy in the...Read more >
I’m now back in Novo Aripuana (pictured), where the perfectly decent Hotel Tio Ze does not have perfectly decent beds for back pain sufferers....Read more >
Featured: Special Projects
After the Fall:
20 years since the Berlin Wall came down
Life, Death and the Taliban:
Videos and stories
Study Abroad:
Students report from the road
Living in the Shadows:
An intimate look at China's migrant workers
A World of Trouble:
The global economy in 20 hotspots
Global Blogs:








Comments:
No Comments.
Login or Register to post comments