As we all know being a DJ is not all about the music anymore. In many cases you are your own promoter, manager and just about everything else. I stumbled onto this form looking for information on DJing in hope of becoming a producer. After about 2 years of trying to focus on producing music it just never took off. I came to relize that making music wasnt my calling but it was actually creating the event itself.
I understand the world of DJing now im trying to learn about what goes behind the scene of a event or nightclub. What I mean by that is, how do promoters run clubs and so on. Any comments on this topic would be a great help.
its quite simple… bring women, the men will follow… men buy women drinks, the more women the more sales, the happier the club
on a serious note, you need a roster of DJ’s you promote with as well as a potential list of booking agencies. I would get the DJMAG black book from their site… its about 20 bucks and has a shit ton of contacts.
the promoter usually promotes the events both on and offline. during the show alot of them just walk around in circles checking on things
seems like the promoters are head of everything when it comes to the event. That Djmag is actually great I just subscribed to it. On another note, I`m from Chicago; the nightlife, very small besides the occasional festival thats in town. How would a promoter go on to grow the nightlife in a huge city like chicago? would the plan be to open more clubs or to add onto the few existing ones?
shows… shows everywhere… you can’t add space for something thats not there… host shows everywhere do it monthly, grow your audience… do it bi-weekly grow some more… do it weekly and bam… do different type of shows… rofl even compete with yourself at times, so if they don’t go to your show they go to your show… think business
my whole idea was to open a wear house club like there once was long ago. Something that would really increase the city nightlife. I do agree that would be the best thing. Just having as many events as possible.
any other ideas on how to get people to attend or anything?
Good music, women and making sure that people actually know about the event.
I’d make sure the genre(s) of the night are clearly stated on posters etc… amazing how many tiny nights in London don’t mention what type of music they’re playing on the posters.
Sorry to divert the topic a little bit, but as a UK dweller it comes as a shock to hear Chicago has a small night life. I would have thought Chicago would be bustling since it’s one of the major birthplaces of house.
I mean, what do I know since I’ve never been there, but that is genuinely a surprise.
Back on topic:
Make a brand
Hold events, bring all you friends so it looks like you have a following
Its nothing like it used to be, having parents that were apart of the house birth it is a sock to see how much it has come to a halt. From what Ive heard a lot of places in the UK have small little DIY venues that many people seem to attend is this true? Chicago has some of those but they never really seem to be that popular.
Daviedavedave good point on putting the genre on the posters. So what about the DJs? What would be a good way to find people that want to DJ on a smaller event, that arent total shit and aren`t that expensive to hire?
A little background on this, Im going to college and where Im going has no nightlife what so ever, Im trying to change that but in a professional way. I have a general low budget to put on these events. I`m starting now so that I get ahead of the game before it even starts.
Yep, that’s one of my favourite things about London. The massive clubs can be fun occasionally (although a lot of the best ones are now blocks of flats), but the best fun can be had in a pub basement with a great sound system and a good house DJ.
I’ve been to an attic party in london before, great memories, suprise the floor didn’t cave in, as the gig was all over facebook and loads of people turned up
MegaBomb, did that facebook marketing work out well? How do places in london go about having parties like that? in america police are all over the place and will step on anything they want. i need to find out a way around that so I dont get fined or even arested.
I was going to say, alot of people do it for free, its rare for someone without a record deal to get paid for a small event. Ever since the whole EDM bullsh*t started everyone become a DJ I need to weed out all the people who dont know what they are doing thats the worst part.
Also quick question, for a small DIY event how much would a cover charge be? if there is one to begin with. If theres not then how would a promoter end up making money without major sponsorships?
it depends on the city/venue… go to kijiji,craigslist etc. find shows in your city and get the cover charge… around here we charge 15 for most clubs and our small events tend to be more “exclusive” and sometimes more expensive… although in ottawa, we were lucky to charge 5 bucks
cragslist is the definition of sketch lol but I see what you mean. I understand with the smaller event that cover charges would be small like $5 if that. After doing research it really seems like the whole buisness side of DJing is really under the table. This will be really interetsing to see how my company grows. Thanks for answering all the stupid questions on my part. Im stating new leanring as much as I can
If it helps in any way it’s usually between 10 and 20 quid for a house night in London. Obviously bigger acts will usually be more expensive but that isn’t always the case at all…
