One more time.. Demo CD/ Gig Advice?

**VinnieP** · 01-30-2014, 03:46 AM

Ill apologize off the get go because this has to be on here somewhere, but I am just starting out and ready to land a gig, what am I missing? The Demo mix. I have a pretty diverse music palate and I like mixing up

From what I gather so far:
- 30 min to 1 hour
- Start hot, end hotter
- Showcase your skill/ style
- Make sure genre matches the venue

What I'm missing:
- How much do these guys really care about mixing?
- Local and college bars: Do they just want hits? If so, how many?
- I like mixing a lot of genres, Should I stick to one?

Basically my issues with the demo boil down to whether hard work will fall on deaf ears and if I should give them more of what they want and less of what I want. For the record I live in a major college town and as I am new, I'm not looking to hit the hottest clubs off the bat. On the same note i feel like in these places people are there for drinks and not music, so how do you make them listen?

Any, and all advice is greatly appreciated

**Kwal** · 01-30-2014, 07:22 AM

I'll tell you one thing... 95 percent of people will not book you because you sent them a mix... There are thousands of people who can simply mix songs together, and very well at that. You need to develop a relationship with the people that are in charge of bookings.. Then maybe once you know them you can toss them a mix because since you're acquaintances, they'll probably check it out at that point.

**sarasin** · 01-30-2014, 08:14 AM

Agreed!

Networking when you starting out is what gets you to that level of "foot in the door' status.

Once you are chatting to them regularly, ask them to give you a shot and provide a short mix.

I used to make a mix CD and added a track index like 1 min or less, before the actual mix.

So they can listen to the whole thing or skip to the mixes. It depends on who is listening to it.
If its just the manager of the place, he will not know what a 'very good' transition sounds like, compared to another.
He will listen to the track choice.

If its a Resident DJ or the like, he will probably want to skip to the transitions to see if you worth anything.

Putting the mix up on SoundCloud and getting likes and good comments could not hurt either.

Once you in, save flyers...and that sort of thing as you 'CV' of sorts. Soon you will have enough for a proper PressKit where you can show mixes, flyers etc.

**sarasin** · 01-30-2014, 08:16 AM

I would create a mix that would fit with the clubs style.

Keep it to 30 mins.

Show your skill, but don't go overboard....

Genre's, depends on the clubs style again.

I would jam the hits to get in the door and a slot, then once I am established...I would educate the crowd with what I think is the shit!

But you will need to be able to read them to keep em.