So I sent a promoter my mix via Facebook and he just offered me a slot at an upcoming show. What I want to know is how important is it to let him know you play on controllers and not tables/cdjs? Is it pretty standard to be able to hook up your soundcard (in my case an Audio 2) to the club system? This will be my first club gig and I just don’t know what to expect.
Another thing, he also asked if I have lots of friends to sell tickets to and how many tickets I expected to sell. I don’t know very many people because I just moved to a new city at the beginning of September… will my answer impact his decision to book me?
to answer your first question. easy audiodj2 hooking up to the clubmixer is easy no worries man. just make sure that you have the right cables. clubmixers mostly have rca ins…
2 question: hm maybe you just tell him, that you´ll spam the your community with the gig an stuff. just let him know, that you take care of your promotion part.
Speaking as someone who has worked within the club/bar industry for a long time, I can say with 100% confidence that if the promoter expects you to do anything promotion wise, they don’t care about how much you do… they care about how many people actually show up due to your promotion. Getting the word out there means nothing if no one buys what your selling.
That is an interesting point and something I actually didn’t realize. It makes sense in a way, but that would also mean getting your foot in the club scene door being a start-up and not having a “crowd” to follow you makes it much harder? Sounds like a catch 22.
Not a catch 22 at all.
During raves heydays and it’s tail end, I lived in NY. I was a bit of a loner when going out. I never really called up friends to go to the party with. Why? Because I made a TON of friends when I got there. No matter where it was, I knew at least 5 groups of people in the line when I got there (one was always in the front too. heh), and halfway through the night, I’d wouldn’t be able to go past 20 people without knowing someone in a party with thousands.
What does that egotistical rant have to do with anything? It was an unseen opportunity at the time to me. In NY at that time, had my mind been on that, I could have used the friendships and acquaintances I had that stretched from CT to DC to launch what would probably have been a very successful promotional venture and/or DJ career. Granted, I didn’t have the smallest fraction of knowledge that I now have almost 20 years later. Also, to be frank, I was a bit of a fuck up at that point in my life, and I had no where near the financial means to fund such ventures. Either way, having LOTS of people who you can get to show up somewhere and buy what ever it is that your selling… that’s most of the work. Doesn’t have to be done after you want to start something.
“talent” only gets you so far, and honestly… it doesn’t matter that much. It doesn’t matter if you can shit out audible orgasms for hours on end if no ones there to hear it.
Its not just important it is essential that you advise the manager/promoter/stage crew of what equipment you will be bringing and what equipment you need from their side.
You need to send your spec sheet and tell them things like, needing a channel on the mixer for the soundcard. And whether you need to run the monitor off the mixer or your controller etc as some things cannot be done on the night.
Turning up with a box of surprises is not professional and it can anger people especially the sound engineer that has to move shit about whilst the warm up DJ is on thus pissing the DJ off as well.
If the promoter is gonna get pissy with you using a controller, its better to know now rather than when you turn up.
Then you didn’t read my last post thoroughly enough. How good you are, talent, and stage presence mean shit in the beginning. No one cares if no one else is paying attention. Build your base by networking and creating friendships throughout whatever scene it is you are a part of. Forget that DJing is part of the equation at first. Work on the skill of getting people to want to go to a party because you said it was going to be good. Once you have learned that, make sure it’s parties that you are playing.
Great advice guys… I Just moved and my goal is to land a weekend spot some where before summer next year. Gives me the motivation to keep on practicing and getting out there to mingle. It seems necessary for this goal.
Um, thanks for the suggestion, but I think your situation is actually quite rare. People don’t normally go out and make aquaintences or even friends with the goal of someday pulling them into clubs as a bunch of “groupies”. And I certainly wouldn’t want to use my true friends for that either. Yes, I would tell my friends I have a gig. But the last thing I would expect is them to arrive to “fill the house”, so I wouldn’t count on them either as my “fan base” and I would definitely not sell them as part of my credentials to get a gig.
I agree with networking for sure and also letting people know who I am. But making them friends to follow me to fill the club? Maybe your definition of a friend and mine are a bit different?
Thanks for the replies everyone. The promoter never got back to me and the time slot I assumed I’d be playing was filled . So I guess at this point connections/who you know and who you can bring > mixing skill. Kind of discouraging but I guess more opportunities will arise in time.
I don’t really have a situation per say. I just met a lot of people and liked to go out a lot. I don’t see that as being rare as much as it being what late teens and early 20-somethings normally do.
I never expect anything out of people, but I also make sure to tell people about gigs. Key is that I only call them out for good ones, and that gives me great cred amongst them. I don’t need to expect them to show up because my word on it being a good party will usually get them there. If not, my rep for talking about a good one does the work with enough people.
That doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with it if you know how to balance life as a DJ and a promoter. I’m not saying to use people, but why can’t you find and connect with people who enjoy a good party if you are trying to make a party good with your set? This leads me to my next point.
This might be true, but I don’t know your definition. Mine? Someone I can count on taking a bullet for me no matter what/when/where/how. I have a couple of people in my life like that, and truthfully, thats more than I’d have expected to have at this point in life. I have accepted and become comfortable with the fact that everyone else are acquaintances. That’s what you get in life. Learn it and accept it.
In the end, what I’m trying to teach you is a successful promotion strategy. In no way does that mean to fuck over these people, use them, or scam them. What it does mean is to find people who have a common love of the music, and to form connections with them and form relationships. It’s mutually beneficial. They want to party and hear good music, and you want people to vibe to your music as a DJ and be part of a good party. If both those variables are there, everyone wins. If you end up making a genuine friend at the same time, just consider it a bonus.
Huge differences between friends and acquaintances and I think that’s where the difference is. Just because facebook says their friends doesn’t mean they’re really friends. I can’t hardly leave my house without seeing someone I know, but none of those people are my friends.
So I sent a booster my mix via Facebook and he fitting offered me a interval at an upcoming pretending. What I want to bonk is how consequential is it to let him bang you witticism on controllers and not tables/cdjs? Is it pretty regular to be healthy to accost up your soundcard (in my containerful an Oftenness 2) to the order grouping? This faculty be my front club gig and I righteous don’t know what to wait.
Other occurrence, he also asked if I get lots of friends to transact tickets to and how umpteen tickets I foretold to transact. I don’t fuck rattling umpteen people because I honourable enraptured to a new metropolis at the kickoff of Sep… present my say result his resolve to aggregation me?
no worries man. just make sure that you have the right cables. clubmixers mostly have rca ins…
Dats a gutwon.
. So I guess at this point connections/who you know and who you can bring > mixing skill. Kind of discouraging but I guess more opportunities will arise in time.