Pump up the volume! Gamecocks add live DJ to Williams-Brice experience

South Carolina football coach Will Muschamp believes Gamecocks fans will see a more exciting product in their seven trips into Williams-Brice Stadium this fall. USC marketing director Eric Nichols believes they’ll hear a more exciting sound, too.

That’s thanks to the live disc jockey the school will hire and place in the stadium for pregame and in-game entertainment this season.

“Our music wasn’t where it needed to be. It just wasn’t resonating with any segment of the fan base. It needed a refresh. The new DJ will provide that refresh,” Nichols, the school’s senior associate athletics director for marketing and branding, told The State newspaper. “Everyone’s pulling the same direction that recruiting is our No. 1 focus. With that being the direction, it’s a natural fit.”

Having a DJ in a college football stadium is not unprecedented – Clemson garnered national attention last year when DJ Sha, who plays in Memorial Stadium, was featured in The New York Times – but it’s still a relatively new trend as a traditionally staid sport tries to appeal to younger fans and to the young people who are constantly being courted to fill the teams’ rosters.

“They will play all of pregame and anytime during a timeout the band is not playing,” Nichols said.

The DJ also could interject music between plays, although all the details haven’t been decided on, Nichols said.

“It’s not like we’re going to play music between every play, but we will be learning from Game 1 to Game 7 what resonates with the fans and the players,” Nichols said. “I expect it to be very positive. The music is an area that we needed to improve, and we are putting human resources and financial resources into making it better.”

The DJ will select the music, which will be approved by school officials and all songs will be “clean and edited versions,” Nichols said. The new hire will perform from a stand near Section 10, above the tunnel where the Gamecocks enter and exit the field. South Carolina has not made a hire for the position yet but has had plenty of interest, Nichols said. Tennessee, Missouri and Kentucky also have a DJ who plays in their football stadiums during games.

The school also is trying to upgrade its game day experience in other ways – including adding more fireworks to the experience and increasing and improving the “hype videos” shown on the school’s scoreboard. Justin King, who was hired in February for a newly created position called associate athletics director for new and creative media, has been charged with re-editing the school’s traditional pregame videos and creating additional videos to be played in-game, Nichols said.

This story was originally published July 28, 2017 at 9:57 AM with the headline "Pump up the volume! Gamecocks add live DJ to Williams-Brice experience."