10 Tips for New DJs

[Cupe]

10 Tips for New DJs

If anyone can tell you how to make a decent living as a DJ, it’s me. I make a good living off of music. I’ve been around for 15 years, and really honed down on my craft in that time. My sets are damn near flawless, and the scene understands my consistency. I can talk tough because I know I'm good.

But I’ve had pitfalls. Hit road bumps. And made TONS of mistakes. Little things that you don’t anticipate can really fuck up a great opportunity. You can practice at home on your controller all you want, but it’s a different game when a drink spills on your setup. A shitty promoter decides that they didn’t make enough money to pay you. Or people make horrible requests.

My suggestion to anyone that wants to play or make music as their full time gig is “YOU WON'T SUCCEED AT PLAYING OR MAKING MUSIC AS YOUR FULL TIME GIG." There is a 99% chance that you aren’t built for success in this life. It’s quite possibly the hardest industry to stand out in, and now that music and hardware is within the reach of anyone that wants to throw their cards in, it’ll be that much more difficult for you.

I’ve been grinding for years, and only recently started to get consistent bookings at my asking price. If you’re doing this as a hobby, cool. Leave me alone. I’m in a different lane. But there are people that want to give music a real shot. Here’s a quick guide to getting started.

Pick a Scene

I’ve been through tons of them. I started in hip-hop, moved to drum n bass, and switched to dubstep as it started to grow in the United States. We were in AOL chat rooms in the '90s pulling jungle and drum & bass records. I was refixing dubstep tunes with rap lyrics in 2005-2006, and playing trap music on Shade45 as people were just realizing the scene existed. Not to say I’m a pioneer in ANY of these scenes. But I owned them. Cherished them. Pushed the music. And my opinion counted. The producers and DJs that I have met along the way co-sign me and my taste in music. Being known within your scene is invaluable, and it takes years of work to get to that level.

Don't Let That Scene Define You

Trends in music consistently change. If you don’t know how to jump from genre to genre, you’re going to have a really difficult time rocking a party. And if your playlist isn’t loaded with music that’s popular OUTSIDE of your scene, you are setting yourself up for failure. Every once in a while, I’ll dip into a house or moombahton set just to switch it up. I play trap, dubstep, and rap, but sometimes I’m in a position where that’s just not the best music to be playing. I've opened for someone playing drum & bass, saw the crowd loved it, and done complete drum & bass sets on the fly. You never know what a crowd is going to react to. As scenes fizzle, you probably want to be in a position where you can use your connects to piggyback to the next movement.

Educate Yourself

My music collection is shitting on yours. I know this because I’ve spent the past 10 years collecting it. It’s organized into a couple dozen folders, and I know exactly where everything is. I also keep tabs on what producers are doing. What is getting attention online. I watch YouTube tutorials on Ableton. I go to shows that I’m not being paid to play at to see who’s promoting, what the turnout is, and what records are getting a reaction. I ask DJs and producers for records that they really like, and share ones that I enjoy with a small group of people. I’m paying attention to trends in social media. Phone apps. Hardware. Software. You have to have a decent handle on the history of a scene, and most blogs don't know how to connect the dots. We’re certainly trying our best to reach back and post on Do Androids Dance about influential records, parties, and artists. The information is out there though. Know your history and know what’s going on around you.

Marketing is Key

Think about this. I have a website, personal Facebook page, Facebook fan page, Soundcloud, twitter, two sites that I’m working for, and six inboxes. The website ties everything together… the PDF press kit with all of my recent work is there. It has links. High-res photos are available via my website. People don’t have to look too hard to find me. There is artwork for every full release that I’ve done. Booking me isn’t difficult. Logos have been created. I have a video Electronic Press Kit. You need all of this in order to stand out. There are downloads / streams / links / views to back up the fact that I’m relevant on some level. I urge you to think about how much all of that cost me. And if you’re getting $100 a night to play music off of your iPad at your local bar, you will need to work MANY MANY nights just to catch up to my marketing. It’s a large part of the hustle.

Nothing Really Matters

I play on this Vestax VCI 300. I tested it out a couple of years ago and did a promo video for it, and haven’t dropped it since. There are enthusiasts that say “you MUST play vinyl," and that’s really far from true. Skrillex plays through Ableton and uses a controller to manipulate his sound. Zedd uses a S4. Munchi uses CDJs, but never with Serato. There are enthusiasts that swear by Technics 1200s, but use Traktor or Serato with it. You should use whatever setup you are comfortable with and be sure that the quality of the audio you’re playing out is pristine. I suggest practicing with CDJs and turntables, though, as you’re fucked if your setup fails for some reason and you aren’t familiar with the hardware that is standard in most clubs.

You're Not Just a DJ...

I do write-ups, produce, knock out video interviews, help people with bookings, and wear tons of other hats in this industry. I’m pretty good at everything I do, and certainly educated on how to get things done properly. I respond to all of my emails and truly care about the artists that are making the music that I enjoy. But if I was JUST a DJ, I wouldn’t be in this position. You need leverage. Whether it’s artwork, mixing, cinematography, or promotion, you must have something else to offer. Show money and dope content are my two favorite barganing chips. If you have either, I'm interested. There are hundreds of dope DJs playing dope records. Being of service to people on a greater level will set you apart and give you an advantage.

You will also notice that most artists that are getting booked produce their own work. That's not a coincidence. Booking agencies and management look for this trait to take you seriously. If you aren’t producing your own work, or lack consistency as a DJ, don’t be surprised when the doors shut in your face.

Understand the Importance of Showing Up

I’m on time. To everything. So when I have meetings, meet with artists, perform at venues, write a blog post for a song that’s coming out at a certain time, or have a deadline for something, it’s met. Always. And if you ask ANY of these artists, their managers, promoters that have booked me, or anyone that’s come out to see me play, I’m where I’m supposed to be at ALL TIMES. This is largely due to my network. My manager keeps me on point. I can lean on other staff members to knock out posts in a timely fashion (and they can expect the same from me). My calendars remind me where I’m supposed to be on a daily basis. If you aren’t organized, on time, and reliable, you will find it difficult to get recommendations and gain the trust of those in the industry. It’s a small world… you never know when your reputation will come back to help (or haunt) you.

Be Prepared to Put in Serious Work

I field probably 100 relevant emails a day. Sift through another 100 to see if there is something that I want to respond to. I scroll through my Facebook news feed. I do write-ups here. I travel tons. I upload music for another site (with a completely different process and protocol). There are tons of text messages and phone calls. I make snap decisions literally HUNDREDS of times a day. I download a couple dozen tracks. All of my music is sorted. I also DJ shows.

I don’t watch TV. A relationship is almost impossible to enter when keeping this pace. I don’t have hobbies. I sleep from 2AM to 7AM every day, and communicate with people every hour of the day except those five hours where I sleep. And have been keeping this pace for two years. If you aren’t prepared to put in this level of work, you aren’t prepared for success in this industry.

Follow Up With Grace and Kindness

If you send me a song, I might say “I’m not into this, but please keep sending me your tunes." There are people that seriously respond and say “FUCK YOU NAPPY YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT GOOD MUSIC IS ANYWAYS." While their opinion MAY be valid, they aren’t in the position to have an opinion. I am. And people that are gracious and thankful and helpful and kind and positive will get 100% of my attention 100% of the time. There are more assholes in this industry than I’d like to deal with, and just being APPRECIATIVE is a power move. If someone takes the time out to blog your music, shout you out, listen to your work, or respond, THANK them for it. I’m not looking for a pat on the back, but I can’t lie and say that it doesn’t feel good to get an upbeat personal email once in a while.

Be Realistic

You aren’t going to win. I’m counting on you to fail. I’ve seen thousands of dope DJs and producers come and go. The chances of you being able to make a living are slim. If you’re talented, follow the rules, have observational skills, know how to charm people without being cheezy, know what’s needed for marketing, have something to offer, have a realistic concept of what it means to be consistent, and realize that you need to outwork hundreds of thousands of people to set yourself apart, there is STILL a good chance you won’t make it. If you want to “make art” instead of working at this as if it were a business, or if you aren’t pushing at full steam, please know you’re in the way.

Source: doandroidsdance.com

[djpete]

Very wise words.

You can feel the passion just in the writing alone!

And most of this is relative to business in general too.

great find.

[russell]

If you want to “make art” instead of working at this as if it were a business

Good read apart from this line.