I often get into this argument with old dudes, who hate DJ’s and only like Pink Floyd, that DJ’s can absolutely be musicians. Obviously there’s a sliding scale - but probably the correct term for DJ as musician is Turntablist - and turntablists can often just be called DJ’s, and hence labelled as non musicians, which i don’t really agree with.
see - Turntablism - Wikipedia
Many people seem to think making electronic music means sticking loops together. Like already production-ready loops from a DAW library. You pull a drum loop from the library, add a bassline loop, add a percussion loop, synth loop and then maybe some effects. That appears so similar to what they think a DJ does and thus, it is no different for them.
At least I’ve heard it many times infront of club, so that’s my conclusion why the term DJ is used.
What also could have played a role was the use of DJ in artist names in the 90s. DJ’s that kept their artist name when they started to release original material, or artists that thought it sounded cool to be DJ XYZ.
Wait… are you saying that some of you actually make music content yourselves?!
A producer is someone who seeks a share in an artist’s music because they have helped that artist finish or embellish their music - there is a creative part in any case, it is not just engineering. However, they are also not taking the artist’s spot. They act as an enabler or a coach, not as an artist. Their goal in life is not to write or perform songs but to live on the royalties produced by an artist’s music. So in the end, producers produce royalties by producing songs.
I just recorded my first DJ mix, but i produce music as my main objective - i started this making my own tracks thing - because i love dance music in the first place, and DJ´s got me into it. Without them making me dance, i would not create music myself. I see it as a side hobby where i can concentrate on other peoples music, and have the incentive to find great reference tracks.
Ultimately, the greater community will define for themselves what constitutes a “musician” or “producer”; as it pertains to their personal goals and ambitions, the company they wish to keep, and whatever audience or clique they choose to pander to.
As such, I’m not going to argue or disagree with what anyone else has said above.
What I can add to the conversation, however, is a reality-check of sorts.
The bottom line is, if you aspire to be a paid professional, within the context of the music business, you will be required to demonstrate a level of proficiency that many music hobbyists might find intimidating or discouraging.
A real music “producer”, not unlike a composer or conductor, is typically the most proficient musician and engineer in the room. That’s why they get the job.
And no “musician” gets to be a session player or hired gun without having mastered an instrument; and that includes having a thorough academic understanding of music theory. To which end, real-world credentials are often required.
But that should not deter anyone from making music and finding joy in it; regardless of their approach, skillset, or level of proficiency.
Cheers!
I’ve never found a need to label myself. And I couldn’t care less what others label me as.
I think those who stress and worry about labels are often an older generation. Like in many other areas roles are becoming more blurred in recent years with access to technology and information making it easier to fill multiple roles. I guess how I see it is
DJ - mixes songs together as a performance
Producer - creates music either solo or for/with others
Musician - plays an instrument
And you can often and easily blend these roles, especially with technology broadening the idea of what an instrument is and production software being accessible on a phone in an app.
My only divergence from the broad consensus of the above, is: if you have a producer, who has created a piece of music without input from others, then they reasonably qualify as a musician because they have reached a level of proficiency on their instruments (being, Digitakt, Hapax, Ableton, whatever).
That’s what I mean by technology has broadened what is an instrument for example a turntable or renoise could be used to create music.
So all 3 become more blurred
I think those labels are applied by others to music makers more than music makers seeking to label themselves. As others have said media in all its guises wants to pigeon hole people into simplistic categories and the way lots of electronic music makers work doesnt fall into the more ‘traditional’ categories of someone who makes music and someone who plays music. (‘Musician’ vs ‘DJ’)
I do think a lot of this is based in the historical disrespect that elements of the establishment have shown to electronic music makers. On a personal level It’s one of the reasons I stopped buying NME as a teenager, you were only worthy if you had a guitar slung around your neck and you fitted into an image of their creation. It’s prob a lot better these days but those archaic views still persist. I still hear them from guys who play in bands (and lots of non music makers) who seem to honestly think that we somehow ‘cheat’ by ‘just pressing a load of buttons’ we all laugh at the family guy cutaway of the guys in the studio but that is symptomatic of a lot of thinking. (Key? No no no)
That was what prompted my original question, yes, I didn’t make that clear when I posted. Not at all “what’s the name of my role when I perform activity X” … but rather “why does that creator of original music get called a DJ (which to me implies replaying someone else’s music)”
Originally, this acronym refers to disc jockey, the rest is whatever you want him or her to be. Funnily, that same acronym also stands for dust jacket 
And dinner jacket!
it all literally fits!
A distinction that has not been addressed so far, I think, concerns the difference between music making as a process of performing on an instrument, a sampler, turntables, etc., and the production of a track, ie. a recorded, mixed, mastered - fixed, transferrable - ‘piece’ of music. Following this distinction, the term ‘producer’ would emphasize the production of tracks, whereas musician would emphasize the performance aspect. (But we need to keep in mind that all definitions only make sense with respect to the context/question/issue they seek to address.)
And thers this ghost producing thing ie Djs who gets popular but cant produce or play nothing hire someone who can and the Dj puts his name on it and hey Im a producer now.
IMO it’s possible to be more original and artistic by combining other ppls music in new ways than coming up with a generic pile of riffs, chord progressions and beats and calling it yours.
However, I find Henry Rollins’ definition of DJ “a record player player” quite funny bcs there is a lot of truth to that.
In the end these terms shouldn’t matter all that much.
Some great insights in this discussion.
There’s more to being a musician than just a "label. "
I could call myself a hippopotamus, and insult any large semiaquatic mammal by saying hippopotamus is just a label.
But I would just be insulting hippopotamus’.
Nothing?
Preferred skillsets, ability and how you see yourself, proficiency in sound design, how much session musicians you wish to utilize, perhaps persons who come from a less traditional background can still see their skills as extensions off their original path (many DJs transitioning into original music, for example.)
I think the public understanding can be “inaccurate” in what a person is and does, but that’s really beyond any of our control.