Being a higher echelon DJ used to be such an easy earner compared to today. You were booked for a gig, you turned up with a box of records, you played for a few hours, you got your money and then you left – promoting the gig and selling tickets was the venue’s problem.

Nowadays, the world has changed. Given that pretty much anyone can access DJ software and some records, the DJs on the scene have had to resort to doing things differently. One person who has certainly been trying to change his methodology is DJ Sneak – and on the whole, Ears To The House quite likes the path he’s creating for himself.

The 53-year-old – real name Carlos Sosa – refuses to release new music on digital platforms but has otherwise embraced the digital world. He has his own subscription service where fans can pay to see his streams – he does a live one every Friday night and others on various special occasions.

But now, Sosa has another way of paying the bills – sponsorship. His Friday night live stream is now sponsored by Hits Cannabis Boutique in California’s Palm Springs…

For the benefit of readers outside the USA, it should be noted that the use of cannabis for recreational purposes is legal in the state of California – and has been since 2016. Therefore, Sosa’s show being sponsored by this boutique is entirely legal – but why has he chosen to go down this route?

Back in August last year, Ears To The House posted an article which might provide a clue. Legal cannabis stores were having to get creative to sell their product – because despite legalisation, some 80% of the drug being sold in the state still comes from illegal sources.

Mark Farina, Roy Davis Jr., and David Harness are amongst those to have worked with cannabis stores, being paid to supply a DJ mix, which is given away as a little extra with the drug. Sosa’s deal with Hits Cannabis Boutique simply takes the same concept and expands it – a simple but remarkably clever idea.

A source in Chicago who has known Sosa for many years told us that “It’s all part of his plan. Carlos is getting older and wants to make things work for him more. That’s why he doesn’t travel outside the States much anymore. This deal makes perfect sense for him. He’s doing well out of it.”.

Will we soon see more shows and DJs getting sponsored by drug shops? Ears To The House suspects so…