I want to apologize up front for the bitching and whining but I have called just about every bar around me looking for gigs etc with absolutely no luck. I even offered to open up for there resident DJ and they turned me down. I have the equipment, skills, and literally EVERYTHING needed to DJ at even the biggest clubs on the strip and still cannot get a gig to save my life. haha (kinda). Anyway, I am really looking into getting an agent and was wondering how much they can help me out as far as booking gigs. Can anyone shed some light on the issue.
ALSO, if anyone can recommend anyone to me that would be huge. I am from the South Jersey to PA area looking for work at clubs/lounges in the Philly - Jersey Shore area. I really appreciate it guys!
Go there in person, give them a demo CD. There is a great article on here that talks about self-promotion. An agent will help, but I think that they’re only really useful if you’re doing doing pretty much everything (clubs, house parties, weddings, etc…)
you need to go party there, and spend some money, get to know the bartenders, and people who work there. An agent may help but I don’t think much. Especially when just starting out in an area. You know to play at house parties, lounges, whatever to get out there. You can have all the skills, equipment, etc. But so do 1426354 other people in the area, you need to separate yourself by showing you are personable and interesting and can bring out people to the club/bar.
Pretty much what he said. Hustling gigs is all about networking. I can’t stress that enough. You want to build good relationships with bars/clubs and you’ll very likely be able to weasel your way into something as long as you can somehow show them what you can do. Most places don’t care how good you are, they either just want to book a friend or book someone who will make them money. You’re the man when you can fill both of those needs.
Look for open deck nights, or dj competitions, things like that, thats how i got my name about.
the big clubs arent going to want to take on some unknown DJ are they? would you let some guy you didnt know play in your club when you already have aperfectly good dj ?
I was rather lucky myself because i went to school with a guy that DJd in my town, i gave him a mix cd, (looking back, its so horrible, i still have it lol) he said to calm down on the dutch house and he would give me a guest spot, 2 years later im still playing there occasionally, and i run an open deck night on a sunday to see any local undiscovered talent
Hey there,
I thought I’d chime in. My day job is being a talent agent with the Simplify Agency. We represent dnb, dubstep, and glitch artists from around the world. (simplifyagency.com)
As far as how an agent can help you, ask yourself these 3 things. Have I promoted myself on a national or international level enough that there is a demand for my music? Is my production consistently charting on beatport, trackitdown, and chemical for vinyl releases? Lastly, am I overwhelmed with booking inquiries to the point that I do not have the time focus on production and promotion?
An agents job is to protect their clients rights as well as interface with promoters to fill lineups from their rosters. They also facilitate tours and manage flight shares, travel arrangements, as well as help with their client’s promotion when they can. It’s a misconception that having an agent will automatically ensure that you get work. If you aren’t producing, and producing well i might add, and your production isn’t charting, then there is no amount of negotiations that will get you booked out of your home city.
Also, any agent who is worth their salt will not think about signing you until you start charting. Don’t mean to be harsh, but that’s the way it is.
Instead of looking to get an agent at this point, try improving your online presence on FB, local forums, and soundcloud. Get a publicist to help you out with your promotion. Do some street promo with hard copies of mixes. Unless you’re a top 40 producer in whatever genre you choose, don’t bother approaching agents because, honestly, most will probably just ignore the email if they’ve never heard of you. Music is a tough game to get into and the best way to come up in this scene is by being yourself and promoting yourself. Agents will take notice and approach you when the time is right. Hope this helps
Sure, it shouldn’t rest on a DJ to bring people in, but a club/bar owner who doesn’t care about his entertainment investment bringing more people in the door is an EXTREMELY rare thing. Don’t get me wrong, I agree with your idea. It’s just that having worked on the other side of the curtain and having done this for close to two decades, I now understand that it really isn’t realistic to expect from bottom line guys.
i still can’t take you seriously because you have the same name as me and my production partner…
like everyone has said, phoning is not good enough, you need to go in person and make sure you get to speak to the person that actually looks after entertainment etc… also as far as agents go, if you havent gigged yet/arent established to a degree already they won’t touch you at all