DJ Mag Top 100 Polls, terms and conditions

As guardians of the Top 100 polls, DJ Mag takes the integrity of the voting process extremely seriously. Below is a non-exhaustive list of terms and conditions that any entities or individuals engaging with the poll agree to be bound by.

Please read the information carefully and be aware that any attempts to find workarounds or manipulate the process in any way will lead to disqualification.

DJ Mag reserves the right to amend these rules at any time to ensure that we can respond to unforseen attempts to manipulate the process.

Introduction

  • DJ Mag runs three annual “Top 100 polls” to rank DJs, Nightclubs and Festivals, collectively referred to here as “entities”
    • “Top 100 DJs”, is ranking of global dance music DJs and artists
    • “Top 100 Clubs” is a ranking of global nightclubs
    • “Top 100 Festivals”, a ranking of global festivals
  • The polls are all decided by public vote 

Voting process

  • All votes take place through DJ Mag’s global website and a satellite .cn website exclusively for Chinese users unable to access the global site
  • All voters must agree to the terms and conditions detailed on the voting website which may change from time to time
  • All voters must register their vote via a social login or 2FA SMS login for China
  • Each voter will be carefully validated by DJ Mag to block fraudulent or artificial votes (see vote verification below)
  • Each voter can choose up to five entities, which are listed in order of preference
    • Entity 1 receives 5 points
    • Entity 2 receives 4 points
    • Entity 3 receives 3 points
    • Entity 4 receives 2 points
    • Entity 5 receives 1 points
  • If the voter adds the same entity to multiple positions, only the first position will be counted
    • Multiple attempts to duplicate entities across multiple fields will flag an investigation of the entity concerned (see vote verification below)
  • The final ranking is calculated based on points from the votes, following a detailed verification process to prevent manipulation (see vote verification below)
  • Each voter can only vote once, attempts to vote multiple times will be blocked by the system
  • Repeated attempts to override this system will flag an investigation into the entities voted for and may lead to disqualification (see vote verification below)
  • The ranking calculation by DJ Mag is final
    • DJ Mag is not required to publish or share individual voting numbers with entities
    • to do so would provide a competitive advantage to the entity with whom they are shared and or offer opportunities to manipulate the poll

Eligibility

  • Although the Top 100 polls are public polls there are some criteria which must be met in order for an entity to be included
    • All entities must be active
      • Top 100 DJs - artists must be active and operating as an artist within the dance music space. Artists who are not from the dance music space, are deceased, incarcerated, on extended hiatus or retired will not be included.
      • Top 100 Clubs - the venue should have been open and operating within the last 12 months.
      • Top 100 Festivals - the event should have a significant degree of dance music programming and have run within 12 months of the voting period.
      • Any entity placed as part of an attempt to undermine the poll (for instance social media spoofs etc) will not be included

Campaigning for votes

  • Campaigning for votes is encouraged, DJ Mag provides logos and assets for this purpose, but there are restrictions on the process
    • Incentives must not be offered in exchange for votes
      • Incentives are classed as (but are not limited to) free drinks, tickets, competition entry, merchandise, discounts access to events or content
    • Voters must be able to enter their vote independently of any influence or pressure in order to make a free choice. For the avoidance of doubt, this means that you must not:
      • type the vote in for the voter or pre-fill the form in any way
      • record their votes in any way (eg via third party tracking of votes, photography or video the voter or screenshots of their vote selection)
    • It is not permitted to use PR and ground teams in random locations
      • Random locations are classed as (but not limited to) streets, schools, colleges, shopping centres or sporting events
    • PR and ground teams may only be used in the following areas
      • Top 100 Clubs - within the club building only targeting paying customers within the venue
      • Top 100 DJs - within events where the artist is performing only and explicitly targeting their fans
      • Top 100 Festivals - within the festival site only and targeting paying customers
    • If you wish to use this method of campaigning, you must register the activity in advance so that it can be carefully monitored
      • All PR and ground team activity should be recorded via this form at least 72 hours before the activity begins
      • Failure to register PR and ground team activity will flag the votes and open an investigation into the entities receiving the votes
      • Please note, registration is only required for in-person on-the-ground campaigning, not online marketing campaigns

Vote verification

  • Every vote is verified by DJ Mag to block attempts to manipulate the poll
    • This process is undertaken using a sophisticated algorithmic process developed by identifying common attempts to manipulate the poll over the three decades they have been operating
    • To avoid offering opportunities for would-be cheats to workaround the system, DJ Mag will never share the process behind this verification
    • It should be understood that entities who have a high number of inorganic votes will receive a manual investigation, which may lead to disqualification
  • It is forbidden to engage any agency or organisation which offer a guaranteed ‘number of votes’ or guaranteed ‘position’ in the poll, these disreputable organisations use dishonest, basic methods that are easily spotted by our algorithm and will lead to disqualification
  • DJ Mag reserves the right to publicly name offenders, as we have in the past

Advertising with DJ Mag

  • Like many other media platforms, DJ Mag offers a range of advertising services to target voters
    • Purchasing these services is optional and does not impact an entity's eligibility to feature in the polls
    • These services are strictly for exposure, they do not in anyway guarantee inclusion in the poll
    • If anyone offers you a position in the poll, they are likely to be fraudulently claiming to represent DJ Mag and you should report this immediately to [email protected]
    • Any offers of bribes or attempts to purchase positions will result in immediate disqualification for the entity concerned - we don’t operate like this so please do not ask

Legal considerations

  • By participating in the voting process, individuals agree not to pursue any form of legal action against DJ Mag or its affiliates regarding any aspect of the voting process or outcomes
    • DJ Mag has the sole and final say in any disputes or interpretations of the voting rules
    • Decisions on vote counts, interpretation of the rules and vote verification are final, conclusive and binding
    • By engaging with the voting process, individuals and entities agree that DJ Mag, its organisers, affiliates, and partners are immune from any form of legal claims or actions arising out of or related to the voting process, outcomes, or any associated activities

Data Protection

  • All voting data will be held only for the period required to validate the vote after which it will be permanently deleted as per our data protection policies.