Grow Your DJ Business

Being a DJ can be a fun career, but it’s not always easy to transition from doing free gigs to landing paid work. If you want to get more gigs, you have to know certain marketing techniques. It also helps you get started if you can offer more services than the average disc jockey. This article offers some good suggestions for nurturing your business as a DJ.

Steps

Networking Online and Off

1. Network with new people. Extend beyond your usual group, and join online and offline meetups through such avenues as meetup.com. These meetups involve a variety of interests, take place in most major metropolitan areas, and are a good source of networking. Look for meetups that appeal to you while benefiting your DJ business.
2. Look for people with similar interests or complementary businesses. Focus on specific niches for networking. The way you network might dictate the type of gigs you find and vice versa. Finding a niche isn’t limiting. It can actually expand your bookings and might even result in specific business proposals.
   • For example, look for meetups attended by venue owners and managers, including club and bar managers, and small-business owners.
   • Club and bar DJ gigs are a good way to gain experience. If you want to DJ in clubs, network with club promoters, bar owners, bartenders, and servers.
3. Join local business clubs. Don’t forget that your DJing is a business. An entrepreneurs' meetup, small-business club, or chamber of commerce could be a great source of potential clients and referrals.
   • For wedding gigs, network with bridal shops, videographers, florists, and caterers. Think of vendors that someone planning a wedding would use, and tap into those networks.
4. Find other DJs. Fellow DJs can be a good source of leads, referrals, or musical ideas. Experienced DJs might have good advice for you or maybe even referrals to events they’re too busy to DJ themselves.
   • On certain nights and holidays there is high demand for DJs, so one who's already booked might be able to refer you to an event s/he can’t work.
   • You may very well encounter naysayers and discouraging DJs, particularly online, but it’s best to ignore them. Others, however, can provide helpful tips on business development, networking, and musical improvement. Follow their examples.
5. Carry music samples and business cards. When attending networking events (or any other time, for that matter), remember to take business cards along, as well as sample recordings of your work. Networking events might include music-oriented meetups, groups, and trade shows like SXSW or NAMM, as well as large concerts/festivals featuring live DJ performers. If you’re going to a big event, bring along a bag for collecting other people’s materials.
6. Network online in specialty areas. You can network online to find certain types of gigs. For example, if you’re looking for wedding gigs, you could be active on a variety of blogs such as The Knot, Wedding Bee, or Style Me Pretty.
   • Contribute to message boards. Be yourself and be genuine but not controversial when contributing to message boards. Don't over-contribute or spam people with unsolicited mixes and content. That’s a sure way to get ignored.

Learning the Business

1. Work with a professional company before you go out and run real events. This could be an established DJ who needs a helping hand. You might be crew or roadie for a band. This experience will help you learn skills you might not have even thought about. You’ll feel more comfortable doing your own gigs after you’ve had experience working with others on their shows.
2. Plan how you want to use your microphone. Most events require both a DJ and a microphone controller. Eventually you’ll want to learn to control the microphone on your own, but when starting out you can bring an assistant who will help with such tasks as microphone duty.
3. Decide whether you want to be a musician/DJ. Most DJs spin popular music written and performed by other people. Some, however, perform their own—primarily electronic—music such as house or EDM.
   • Some DJs spin popular favorites and others’ music. These are the DJs you hear most often. They play pop music, such as top-40 hits, classic oldies, requests, and easily danceable songs. The music should be geared toward eclectic tastes so that there will be something for everybody. These DJs play at dances, weddings, other private events, and some public venues like bars and small clubs. Since they play a lot of special events, they tend to use the mic a lot for announcements and other MC duties.
   • Other DJs are musicians who create new music themselves. They might sample or excerpt other musicians’ tracks, but they make them into remixes or mashups. They also add their own beats, accompaniments, riffs, and even melodies. These DJs might play larger venues or events where music is the focus. They probably wouldn’t play a retirement party, for example, where the retirement is the focus—not the music—and the guests have varied musical tastes. Here you’d stick to pop standards.
4. Find regular in-house or volunteer gigs. If you can secure regular gigs at a local nightclub, college bar, or country club, you can gain valuable work experience, meet new people, and start to find work in independent gigs.
   • Becoming the in-house DJ tends to be difficult, particularly without close connections to a venue owner or manager, but you can try to set up at least some regular weekly or monthly shows.
   • Some of these first gigs could be low-budget or volunteer work. Maybe a local high school would appreciate your DJing a dance for free, for example.
5. Profile potential customers. You’ll attract more of them if you’re attentive to their specific needs. No two customers are alike. So be sure to ask about their musical preferences, their guests, and any musical "don’ts." This way you can develop a specific and individualized package for each client.
6. Understand how weddings are different. Weddings are great sources of revenue for DJs and offer excellent mic and playlist experience. However, it’s important to understand how they differ from other gigs.
   • Weddings are more expensive because they require more pre-planning and the development of an "experience." Work weddings with a veteran DJ before taking one of your own and possibly ruining a special day.
   • Sit down with your clients before agreeing to do a wedding. Provide them a questionnaire to make sure key points are communicated so that all participating parties will be happy.
   • There will be special instructions. Expect a lot of suggestions from the bride and groom. Carefully write down names, pronunciations, and other specific details you intend to announce.

Growing as an Independent DJ

1. Offer to DJ events at a discounted price. Search online for pricing information, and ask experienced DJs if they wouldn’t mind telling you what they charge. Then offer to DJ at a fraction of that price, such as 50%, for your initial engagements.
2. Don't pursue a once-in-a-lifetime event when you are under-qualified. It might be tempting to go after a huge gig early on, but avoid that temptation. Big gigs will be available when you’re ready for them. You don’t want to get discouraged, harm your reputation, or burn any bridges by biting off more than you can chew.
3. Expand your business into new territories. If you are doing only parties, for example, offer to do weddings, too, or bar/bat mitzvahs, retirements, birthdays, anniversaries, school dances, and other functions.
4. Design a unique business proposal that makes you different from other disc jockeys. You could specialize in a certain type of music or event, or incorporate a karaoke machine. A lot of customers request videos at their events. These could include slideshows or graphics that complement your music.
5. Advertise your business. This can increase your customer base and open up new avenues for work. Think of advertising online, for example, or in trade outlets for the types of events you want to host. These might include bridal outlets or event production media.
   • Send out your own e-newsletter and/or email blasts to venues where you'd like to DJ.
6. Fashion a cool Build a Website for a DJ. Highlight your experience and the type of gigs you do. Emphasize that you’re flexible and can accommodate the host’s musical preferences. Include clear contact information, and offer free, individual estimates over the phone, not online.
7. Contribute content to other sites. See if you can get a guest post or column on blogs and other media. Seek out DJ publications for this purpose, and look at niche or trade outlets for the types of events and activities you want to DJ.

Continuing to Hone Your Skills

1. Continue to create fresh music. This way, when you do get a job, people will be impressed and give you good referrals to potential customers. Never stop creating new playlists and remixing music for your sets.
2. Record all your mixes. Yes, all of them. Record something every time you practice. Try to record sets, riffs, mixes, beats, or experiments.
   • Even if you don’t like these recordings, they might form the basis for something else later or inspire you to try something new.
   • Sometimes you will like your recordings! Then you'll have something to show potential clients, venues, and the public, including your fans. This allows you to provide tracks someone else can play when you’re not around.
3. Share your recordings. In addition to sharing your mixes on social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.), there are many places where you can share your recordings online for free. Try SoundCloud, Mixcloud, Mixcrate, House-Mixes.com, or Mix.dj. Sharing your mixes publicly gives you feedback, helps you network, and starts to build your fan base.
4. Listen carefully to talented DJs. Whether "live" or online, try to listen to DJs who are above your skill level and whose music you like. Listen to their music, but also observe how they work. Look at music selection, length of mixes, volume, and how they react to crowds. Also observe whether they move quickly, bouncing between different controls, or whether they focus intently on a single monitor or two.
5. Study music and new instruments. This is especially helpful if you don’t have much formal musical training. An understanding of rhythm and beats can help with beat matching, phrase matching, and syncing. Familiarization with unusual instruments can breathe fresh life and creativity into your sets.
6. Collect lots of music. Collecting and organizing your music is an ongoing process. You want to keep up with the latest popular dance tracks and songs. Follow top-40 lists, and be aware of requests for music that you don’t have at your own gigs. Look up DJ lists of common party tracks.
7. Continue networking and collaborating. Honing your skills involves improving your networking as well. For better or worse, networking never really ends. Keep business cards handy, and try to attend networking events regularly. This might seem like a chore, but it's an exciting way to meet new people, so get out and socialize.

Sources and Citations

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• Use Virtual DJ