Who Lives In Or Near L.A., Miami, Or New York?

I'm 16 so I have plenty of time to think but I'm pretty sure if i want to have a career as a DJ/Producer I am gonna have to get out of old Enterprise AL. So if you live in or near any of the cities named or have gigs in them tell me about them. Tell me how they are, how expensive it is to live there, or a list of good and bad neighborhoods. Thanks for your responses in advance.

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It's expensive to live in any big city.

Gonna give it to you straight... college is going to be the better option for 99% of aspiring DJs.

Unless your parents are going to pay for you to live in a big city, you probably wouldn't last a month or two. Rent is just insane, and the bigger the city, the harder it is going to be to get a residency.

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Originally Posted by SlvrDragon50

It's expensive to live in any big city.

Gonna give it to you straight... college is going to be the better option for 99% of aspiring DJs.

Unless your parents are going to pay for you to live in a big city, you probably wouldn't last a month or two. Rent is just insane, and the bigger the city, the harder it is going to be to get a residency.

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Originally Posted by SlvrDragon50

It's expensive to live in any big city.

Gonna give it to you straight... college is going to be the better option for 99% of aspiring DJs.

Unless your parents are going to pay for you to live in a big city, you probably wouldn't last a month or two. Rent is just insane, and the bigger the city, the harder it is going to be to get a residency.

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That is what I was thinking but when you say college do you mean just any college or a college like Sae institute which is a college that focuses on electronic music production.

A college where your end goal career is not music related. And please don't do some bullshit degree like English or Philosophy. You have no right to complain about no jobs if you choose something like that as your major.

The music industry is TOUGH to get into. Unless you're the next Martin Garrix or Avicii, it's usually not worth the risk to put so much effort into DJing and music production. You can always do it on the side like 3LAU. If you do happen to hit it big while you're in college, you can drop out and choose to go full time musician.

I honestly think a school for music production is a waste of money. It's just practice and time. All the resources you need are online.

find a job that affords you the oppurtunity to indulge your loves...

if music is one of them...you need equipment and that shit costs money...on top of that you need knowledge...knowledge is free if you know where to look and know how to listen...

I live in Vegas cause its dirt cheap and only a short flight to San Fran, LA, San Diego, Phoenix, and Denver. That said, my job and family will always come before my hobby. While DJ'ing has made me money, it's not something I would ever consider keeping as a primary source of income. As with all artforms, when you are big, you are only big for a short moment.

Much luck mate. Do your life exactly how you want it, but always put having a roof over your head first.

Average rent in Manhattan now is $3000 a month. Brooklyn is not far behind. Average in SF is 2000, in the popular areas its 2400. Living in a big city is not cheap man. Especially to just DJ. Even the very well known DJ's I know in SF are working for big corporate jobs, they play every weekend. Thats how I managed my whole life. Better off going to school and producing for fun, and djing for fun. If you get good and can take off with it then you will be one of the lucky ones.

listen to the people here, they speak from experience.

I have a bachelors degree in networking and it supports my financial needs and i dj on the side because its something i enjoy and would like to keep it that way.

I live in NYC, albeit i most definitely do not pay 3000 a month, everything is so damn expensive, but Ive lived here all my life so that makes it less of a shell shock. Go to college, get a job where you make enough to survive, and DJ for fun. If your DJ career takes off you can always pursue that and have the option of your DEGREE to fall back on.

I live in SF and def do not pay 2400! But our place is 4k a month, we just split it luckily. Basically in SF if you live alone dead center you are a baller.

Personally I think Chicago is the most affordable big city. You can rent a place for under 1000 easily, maybe like 800-1200 bucks and live in a decent spot. Public transport isn't bad but it is for sure the cheapest big city to live in that has a huge DJ scene.

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Originally Posted by guiltyblade

Average rent in Manhattan now is $3000 a month. Brooklyn is not far behind. Average in SF is 2000, in the popular areas its 2400. Living in a big city is not cheap man. Especially to just DJ. Even the very well known DJ's I know in SF are working for big corporate jobs, they play every weekend. Thats how I managed my whole life. Better off going to school and producing for fun, and djing for fun. If you get good and can take off with it then you will be one of the lucky ones.

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Given these numbers I'd say come to LA - it's downright cheap here compared to this! But yeah follow everyone else's advice and go to college if you can. You might even be able to find a college in one of these bigger cities so you can have some of that experience as you mature. But if you're looking to get DJ residencies or make a name for yourself musically, you probably have a better shot standing out in a small town than you do in a big city.

Finally, don't listen to fools who tell you what to major in. Someone with a degree in Renaissance Literature is going to get a job over someone with no degree no matter what. Talk to guidance counselors and college advisors about what kinds of careers graduates with particular degrees take after college; don't just listen to someone on the internet who thinks philosophy or music is bullshit. There's actually a lot more going on economically in the world than a lot of people think.

Someone with a degree in Renaissance Literature will get a job over someone with no degree if we're talking minimum wage jobs...

If you want a job with any sort of decent pay (excluding the arts or entrepreneurship), a STEM degree goes so much further...You'll be lucky to pull in 30-40k a year if you have some bullshit major.

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Originally Posted by SlvrDragon50

Someone with a degree in Renaissance Literature will get a job over someone with no degree if we're talking minimum wage jobs...

If you want a job with any sort of decent pay (excluding the arts or entrepreneurship), a STEM degree goes so much further...You'll be lucky to pull in 30-40k a year if you have some bullshit major.

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Once again, please talk to someone who actually knows what they're talking about for this kind of advice rather than listening to some random person on the internet. There are plenty of people who graduated with "bullshit" majors who routinely pull in six figures in advertising, public relations, marketing, the music industry (which isn't just musicians), television, etc., etc. By all means, if you want to go into chemistry or computer science, then yes, there's no point in majoring in English. But please don't major in something that you dislike because someone told you that what you love is a "bullshit" degree. You'll do poorly in the field you don't like because you don't like doing it (and may not even graduate), while you watch your dream job swiped by someone with a Philosophy degree.

Getting into 6 figures in PR and marketing is just as difficult as hitting it big in the music industry.

All those internships in DC? Free.

Every single engineering internship? Getting paid at MINIMUM 4-5k.

Obviously, don't do something you don't like... that was kind of assumed... but you have to be realistic about your future as well. It's not worth getting a 150k college degree + interest for the 30-40k job that you're likely to get with non STEM.

http://www.studentsreview.com/salary_by_major.php3

Don't just look at starting salary, but 10 year salary. I would hope you plan on getting big raises after 10 years... If you're gonna major in English, you're gonna have to work your ass off post college to get any decent paying job.

Getting into 6 figures in *anything* is just as difficult as hitting it big in *any* industry. If you get there straight out of college, either you're a genius or your employer is nuts. And nobody's arguing that run of the mill chemists get paid more than run of the mill advertising grunts. The point is you should major in what you want to major in and what you want to see yourself doing. The only university major that is "bullshit" is one you don't want to be in. If you want to choose your life's path from a list of numbers then by all means use that list you sent and pick a STEM field (or stay undecided, which is far and away the largest 10-year salary in the list). If you want to choose that path based on what you get paid for a summer internship, by all means go into engineering (or help change the laws so that unpaid internships go the way of the rest of the slave trade). But get this - not everyone wants to be a scientist or technician, and not everyone is good at it. And it turns out there is a LOT of work to be done in the world of language, communication, symbols, ideas, and the arts. And a shitload of money being made and invested in that side of things.

All I'm saying is follow your own path, not a number, and certainly don't give up on something you are interested in just because someone else thinks it's bullshit.

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Originally Posted by djproben

given these numbers i'd say come to la - it's downright cheap here compared to this! But yeah follow everyone else's advice and go to college if you can. You might even be able to find a college in one of these bigger cities so you can have some of that experience as you mature. But if you're looking to get dj residencies or make a name for yourself musically, you probably have a better shot standing out in a small town than you do in a big city.

Finally, don't listen to fools who tell you what to major in. Someone with a degree in renaissance literature is going to get a job over someone with no degree no matter what. Talk to guidance counselors and college advisors about what kinds of careers graduates with particular degrees take after college; don't just listen to someone on the internet who thinks philosophy or music is bullshit. There's actually a lot more going on economically in the world than a lot of people think.

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ucla!

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Originally Posted by guiltyblade

Personally I think Chicago is the most affordable big city. You can rent a place for under 1000 easily, maybe like 800-1200 bucks and live in a decent spot. Public transport isn't bad but it is for sure the cheapest big city to live in that has a huge DJ scene.

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I wouldn't say it's the cheapest town with a fairly decent scene. For a person who isn't buying property and makes their own dinner, parts of Vegas, and all of Austin, and Detroit come to mind. But you're spot on the pricing though. I have a pretty nice place that runs about a grand to 1100 including utilities, in a neighborhood that's safe and largely level headed at all times. I also live no more than a 20 minute train or cab ride from most places you'd find yourself playing at.

/Chicago advocacy

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Originally Posted by Seven Deep

I wouldn't say it's the cheapest town with a fairly decent scene. For a person who isn't buying property and makes their own dinner, parts of Vegas, and all of Austin, and Detroit come to mind. But you're spot on the pricing though. I have a pretty nice place that runs about a grand to 1100 including utilities, in a neighborhood that's safe and largely level headed at all times. I also live no more than a 20 minute train or cab ride from most places you'd find yourself playing at.

/Chicago advocacy

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Austin has no EDM scene, the people here are all into classic indie rock bands covering Fleetwood Mac songs, and I cannot wait to leave!!

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Originally Posted by ironic texas dude 420

Austin has no EDM scene, the people here are all into classic indie rock bands covering Fleetwood Mac songs, and I cannot wait to leave!!

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Maybe it's changed in the 6-7 years since I spent time there. It did have a pretty healthy scene. Nothing amazing, but I never had a problem finding decent DnB or techno shows to go to.

Maybe you should practice a lot before moving to persue a dj carreer in a big city. One radically alternative option is going on a boat, I have some friends that have gotten jobs as djs on cruise ships. The mood is not as tense for the dj as a club might be, I think, and you get to know a lot of different places.

Regarding college, man... I went to college and the best advise I can give is that you have to study something that you really feel passionate about, otherwise youll be miserable for very long years. Dont make that decision from a financial point of view.