“SUCCESS”
This is subjective. Not everyone wants fame or any sense of the spotlight. Like most things in life, when making a decision sometimes what you thought you wanted wasn’t it, or was not worth the time. Remember to ask yourself these next 4 questions or concerns?
AM I DOING THIS FOR THE FAME, MONEY, or HOBBY?
Right off the bat, being a DJ is very expensive. It gets more expensive the further you get into it. Sure you can buy starter equipment like the ones I mentioned under the equipment/controller section but depending on how far you wanna go, you have to make costly investments towards your gear. If you wanna do it for a hobby whatever you can get your hands on will do the job. Go have fun. Unfortunately, when it comes to either making a money or getting gigs, presentation and perception matter too. When it comes to taking this serious or either make it a career or side gig, everything you do and buy is costly in both monetary value and time. Be careful on how you want to invest the two.
How do I get better at DJing?
Practice, rehearse, and listen to other DJ’s mixes. As much as it is expensive, being a great DJ cost a lot of time. Getting better takes time and patience. Knowing all kinds of music is key too. Make sure you are prepared for all your gigs. Have back up equipment ready just in case something fails. Back up music. Set lists ready. Tough or bad gigs will happen. Take it as a lesson. The more you are prepared the less often they happen.
How do you get gigs?
Putting your self out there. Use social media to your advantage. Being physically present at events, nightlife spots, and talking to other DJ’s is key. Networking is so important. Dependability and supporting other DJ’s or venues really really helps. It is a network. Who you know is more than half the battle unfortunately. Being friendly and receptive to other goes the long way.
Playing to the crowd is the most important aspect of DJing.
Read the room. The average person who are out and about are just wanting to have a good time. Sure, there are those few music fans who appreciate “good” tunes but most of the time they wanna hear what they know or a certain sound depending on what kind of venue or event you are playing. You can practice all the coolest DJ tricks, have the best Dj equipment, but if your music selection is trash. You aren’t too far off. Sure, you can play all the stuff you like, but if people aren’t buying tickets to specifically see you play, you will not get any gigs. It’s about the people. You do not have to completely sell out and play generic stuff but give it a 70% music for them and 30% music you like and what you think others would like. Song selection is way more important than skill.
Bonus Advice
If you’re trying to be a big, touring, headlining, festival DJ, that’s okay. It’s totally possible to be successful in that regard. But when starting you have to set reasonable expectations. When you first start, there will times where there will be little to no crowd. Thats okay. It’s the right of passage of every DJ or artist. Even when things are good, there will be times the turn out just isn’t there. No matter what, those few that are there still wanna hear good music, so give it your all. You never know when you met a fan, a regular that will support you, or a possible future gig from someone who liked how you did or what you played. Why bother with anything you are interested in, if you aren’t gonna give it your all?