Hi everyone, I’ve been djing for a little more then a year now and i think i am ready to start playing at gigs. I heard from other people that to get gigs you need to be a promoter for an event and in exchange you get gigs (what i heard). I was wondering, if this is the case then how do i start becoming a promoter? Who do i talk to?
Another question i have which might sound kinda stupid but i have to ask. Does dj gear really matter? Like, if you see a dj djing at a gig with anything less then cdj’s or turntables then does it matter?
-Thank you
I looked up all the “crews” around my area on facebook and added them and liked their fanpages. I get spammed all the shows in my area on a daily basis. Great information to a DJ. You would be surprised how many guys actually NEED help. With established DJ “crews”, there’s usually a leader with an often tough group of DJ’s to manage. When you’re ready .. tastefully reach out and express how you can ADD VALUE to their service.
Another thing that REALLY helped me was … without me knowing … my friends were spreading the word. I’m pretty known in my area for being a producer, so there was a lot people excited to see what I did live. That lead to opportunities. When you get them. Be VERY professional .. deliver the goods … and that will = referrals.
You just have to go do it. If you want to be awesome at golf. You gotta kick it on the course.
For a club work hard on an interesting, different, not generic MiniMix (about 15-25 mins). Make sure this mix emphasizes your taste, style and techniques (make sure its the best you could possibly do). Put this mix on sound cloud, mix cloud, dropbox or something of the sort, then spread the link! Send it to as many promoters/club owners as you can, also post the link on club and promotion Facebook pages.
Dont be bogged down by rejections. Happens to the best of us and is inevitable.
DON`T EVER EVER SPAM!!!
become part of your local night life scene, make friends with fellow djs/promoters. get to know the scene etc.
getting gigs should take it´s time. you don´t need to be a promoter. sure, if you are running your own nights and the crowd digs it, the scene will notice it. but don´t rush it and don´t lose track!!!
I’m completely with Ed on this one. Getting to know people in the scene is the way to go in any case. Promoting your own night is probably the quickest way to success, but has its own problems and risks - and is also a good bit of work.
Make friends with all the right people, if you’re not sure who those people are it’s the ones you see at almost every event you go to in the related scene. I figured out who all those people were in my scene within a month, they usually stand out. Make friends with them, hang out, let em know you spin when you can (but don’t force it).
It may take some time or you can land something quick, but as with everything in this world, knowing the right people can get you ANYTHING.
Definitely agree with this, go to the clubs, meet and make pals with the others DJ’s/Promoters, don’t act ‘the big I am’ - no one likes a cocky unknown, it is a big put off, very important is to be supportive of the local club nights and go as a punter. Also try to put on your own nights as has already been mentioned, don’t expect to be given a w’end night, it’ll be mid week to start with, it is very hard work, I’ve done it a few times and it takes up a lot of time, the DJing part is probably 1% of the whole effort in my experience. But ultimately it can be very rewarding.
Meet other DJs that play the same kind of music as you, get to know them, check out their gigs, and eventually they might invite you to some house parties to spin. Nothing serious, maybe just a night out drinking and playing music. This will hopefully lead to you being invited to play at nights that they put on at little bars, and your name will get out if you are good.
I’ve found there are 2 types of bar nights, and one is much easier to break into.
Night club. Get to know promoters and club owners and hopefully they think you can sell drinks and they might book you.
Bar nights (ie drum and bass night, dubstep etc) these are put on by DJs who want to party, get a hold of a bar owner and are allowed to set up for the night. (Expect small bars, and small groups). In my opinion, these are the best nights to help your career take off. Those DJs you are friends with will scratch your back if you scratch theirs.
Or…take some initiative. Get a couple DJ friends and go talk to a bar owner and set the night up yourself. Charge a bit for cover, and expect to loose money if you are renting speakers and some gear. It will pay off in the end if you work hard enough.
As some of the others already siad, you need to go out and meet other DJs.
To me it seems the best way to start getting into the cene is by offering to open up for other DJs who are already getting the gigs you want. As you’ll often hear online, good opening DJs are hard to find. If you meet and start working with the right DJs, it will open doors for you faster than trying to go out and impress random promoters or club managers who have other things on their mind
