After nearly 40 years, Toronto-based Scott MacMillan is still a major presence on the DJ beat As a principle with MacMillan & Wife Music Services Inc., President of MacMillan Group Sound & Lighting, as well as a partner in ERG Music, Scott MacMillan has acquired a vast wealth of experience as a Mobile/Nightclub disc jockey and professional music programmer. It all began in 1962 when MacMillan became the hometown favourite for spinning records at local dances. The power of music turned what was a casual hobby into a lifetime of dedication to the craft.

His knowledge of music is now legendary in the Canadian disc jockey industry and he's had opportunity to work with such greats as Bob Segar, Ted Nugent and Lighthouse. Over the years he has played almost every type of function from schools to clubs to mobile parties.

Not only does MacMillan operate what is arguably the most complete music service in the country with a stable of DJs, cutting edge sound and light design facilities, and sales department, his team of specialists can provide essentially anything you need to get the party off the ground.

Even with all the administrative duties, MacMillan still prefers to be out spinning tunes for the masses. "Seeing people have a good time is a major career reward," he says, adding that the first time he got on stage he was so nervous he could hardly place the needle on the record. Looking back on a career that spans close to 40 years, the music still motivates him. "I prefer to concentrate on programming when I'm working as a DJ. I believe in playing to the crowds' tastes," he says, noting that there are many in the industry who like to play their own thing instead of playing for the crowd.

Indeed, programming for crowds is something that MacMillan has taken very seriously. In the 80s, as president of the Canadian Disc Jockey Association (he remained on the board until last year) he lobbied hard on behalf of the industry to establish special music licensing for DJs. Eventually, MacMillan was able to negotiate the AVLA (Audio/Video Licensing Agency) agreement, a watershed covenant between label and DJ that has since allowed firms to produce music compilation libraries and music subscription services that offer classic and current hits as well as allow DJs to be able to legally produce compilations for personal use only.

With value and selection in mind, MacMillan and associate Richard Gastmeier, pooled their resources to form ERG Canada to offer a music compilation service that features regular releases of six DJ music formats. Titles include Nu Music Traxx, Nu Dance Traxx, Nu Urban Traxx, Nu Rock Traxx, and New Country Traxx as well as Sizzlin' Pop and Sizzlin' Country Jukebox Hits.

MacMillan was the driving force behind the introduction of a complete CD compilation library entitled 'Knockout Hits.' The collection features 200 discs of must-have titles including hard to obtain classics and standards. Knockout Hits, a one-CD-per-month collection, first landed on the DJ market in June '93. "The popularity of the format was such that I had to speed up production because of requests," he says. "I completed the first box set of 40 CDs in March '94 and finished the last box set to make up the 200 CD library in September '98."

MacMillan comments that he still does all the production, licensing and selection of the tracks for all ERG Canadian CD compilations except for the country titles. Even with a formidable tool such as Knockout Hits, DJs still have to know their music, crowd and understand programming. However, the fact remains that compilations are a great promotional tool for the record industry to showcase material at the grassroots level and a very valuable asset for DJs who can rely on them to provide a broad-based library. MacMillan remarks that there are a lot more DJs today that when he and his wife Cher began MacMillan & Wife Music Services in 1971. He remarks that most DJs discover how competitive the business can be if they don't stay on top of trends and offer the right groove of music to crowds.

"The equipment is changing constantly," he says commenting that when he began the standard was the 7-inch single. Now, MP3 is getting a lot of attention in a trade that has seen DJs use vinyl, cassette and even reel tape as well as CDs. "Coming soon will be the Internet music store," he says.

Looking down the road, MacMillan suggests that he has never liked to put all his eggs in one basket. Already his interests are highly diversified in the music industry. He has plans to continue this. For example, he is looking to expand the offerings of The MacMillan Group Sound & Lighting. "We are looking at more new lines like our recent acquisition of B-52 speakers. I also want to do more in the way of consulting with record labels," he says, concluding that a major goal is to continue working to improve the industry, an endeavor he has steadily pursued over close to 40 years.