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DJ career... is it worth it?

Okay, so I've been DJing for about 1 and a half years now, and all I want to do is pursue a career as a DJ. Now, I think I'm a pretty good DJ... actually, no, I think I'm a damn good DJ, not trying to gloat, but there's a time and a place for it. Sorry, anyway, now I think that with my skills as a "TRANCE" DJ, that I have the ability to have what it takes to have the title "DJ".

I also know that to become some "big-shot, superstar" DJ, you obviously need the right people skills, know who's who, where to throw parties, how to throw parties, etc, etc. But I've noticed one exceptional fact when I hear all these big-time DJ names that I look up to and wish I could be in their shoes. And this leads me to the point of this thread.

Is it possible to become a famous, touring DJ without having your name attached as a producer? Because when I think about it, every single DJ that I've heard at every single party (minus the little parties and local DJ's ) they have been DJ's that have produced atleast 1 track.

I know I'm not the only person out there that has these aspiring DJ dreams, but I am one to act upon them and try and to get myself setup. I don't mind taking baby steps, little by little working my way towards this goal... but am I going to have to go out and start producing before I have Trance Energy knocking on my door?

Yes. Produce.

hahahahahahhahaha

In the trance world you need to produce to be famous. Even guys like Jon O'Bir, who obviously did not get big from his productions, producing a little.

You have to produce. Plus with producing tracks is the best way to get your name out. Other DJ's will spin your tracks if theyre good. I just decided to start DJ'ing also. Ive been an EDM music listener for over 10 years now so I feel I should at least try. IMO a career as a great DJ is the best job in the world. Big name DJ's produce tracks they love & have the best feeling when they get positive feedback from a crowd loving thier music. Big name DJ's get paid $10-$100k USD for spinnig records for 2-5 hours. Thats fucking awesome. They spin in front of huge crowds that love thier music & get to travel the world. I just saw AVB here in Chicago this past weekend. AWESOME SHOW. He spun from 1:30-5am & I heard he got over $20k to do it. AVB has a large fanbase here in Chicago & the place was packed. He did not stop smiling & dancing the whole time. AVB obviously had a great time & the crowd was totally into his music. He even did an encore. Now here in the states EDM isnt nearly as far as in Europe & ive never seen a DJ do an encore but he has to since the crowd wouldnt let him leave. I thought about it & who wouldnt be smiling totally geeked with joy from spining the music you made & love in front of a crowd that love your music & is dancing theyre ass's off to it. Either way even if you just spin at a local club its good money & fun to spin good music to a dancing crowd. So I say go for it full time & try to produce.

i would think that at some point you would actually want to produce. if your djing all the time you must really be into the music and at some point you naturally want to make some of it. maybe try remixing something. if you ever want to get to be HUGE your probably gonna have to get your hands into production, but dont do it because you think your gonna become famous, do it cause you want to.

quote:

[i][b]but dont do it because you think your gonna become famous, do it cause you want to.

Very nicely put!!!!!

If your planning on becoming a DJ simply because of the money and popularity then you will fade out just as fast as you started. Every DJ I have seen (Tiesto, AvB, Sasha) has shown the talent but they are set apart from the rest because of amazing energy and power (smiling and communicating with the crowd).

Re: DJ career... is it worth it?

quote:

Originally posted by Mortyman Okay, so I've been DJing for about 1 and a half years now, and all I want to do is pursue a career as a DJ. Now, I think I'm a pretty good DJ... actually, no, I think I'm a damn good DJ, not trying to gloat, but there's a time and a place for it. Sorry, anyway, now I think that with my skills as a "TRANCE" DJ, that I have the ability to have what it takes to have the title "DJ". I also know that to become some "big-shot, superstar" DJ, you obviously need the right people skills, know who's who, where to throw parties, how to throw parties, etc, etc. But I've noticed one exceptional fact when I hear all these big-time DJ names that I look up to and wish I could be in their shoes. And this leads me to the point of this thread. Is it possible to become a famous, touring DJ without having your name attached as a producer? Because when I think about it, every single DJ that I've heard at every single party (minus the little parties and local DJ's ) they have been DJ's that have produced atleast 1 track. I know I'm not the only person out there that has these aspiring DJ dreams, but I am one to act upon them and try and to get myself setup. I don't mind taking baby steps, little by little working my way towards this goal... but am I going to have to go out and start producing before I have Trance Energy knocking on my door?

with out any production what makes you stand out from all the other djs, what do you offer thats different/unique ???

I'm a damn good DJ........



No "good" musician has ever said they were "good"
so what you can beatmatch. its all about being able to move a crowd. to be a good DJ in the sense of being successful is to be able to bring in a shitload of people to a club and make sure they have a damn good time.
yes there is a huge artistic side to it, which is the most self rewarding part of being a DJ (and producer)
but if you want to pursue this as a career theres alot more of the whole business side shit you have to deal with.
people aren't gonna want you unless you can make the club lots of money.
and yes production is a very big tool in getting yourself well known. its the best way to get yourself international publicity.
to "make it" in the sense that you can support yourself financially as a DJ requires lots and lots of hard work, persistence, putting up with crap you won't be able to stand and luck.

I don't think you'd need to produce if you have "connections" to other producers out there. DJing sounds like a lot of promotion, but that's just me.

If that fails, produce some damn good songs.

Or you can just DJ for fun.

quote:

Originally posted by jonSun Big name DJ's get paid $10-$100k USD for spinnig records for 2-5 hours. Thats fucking awesome. They spin in front of huge crowds that love thier music & get to travel the world. I just saw AVB here in Chicago this past weekend. AWESOME SHOW. He spun from 1:30-5am & I heard he got over $20k to do it.

How many of the Djs get that much money?? I would say only a few maybe the top20 of the djmag pool..

So if you really want to earn that much money you have to be one of the best!!

Its the same with others jobs too if you are one of the bests youll earn alot of money....
example:there are tons of people who play soccer but only a few get big money from that.

To be more realistic you wont get big money for playing in your local disco (it should be a honour for you to play there anyway)..

99% of the DJS have a hard life they have a second Job also..

But if you really love your music and you get a chance to play your music in a club and the people go with the music too it will be a priceless moment for you..

So I would say its worth it..

if you are actually asking this question, i dont believe the fact that you even DJ. if you have been doing gigs at all you know the answer to your own question. you can only gain notoriety by producing in these days. but of course you can make a career out of just DJ'ing. you wont make very much at all if you are buying new records all the time like you should. i will answer your question now.. "DJ career.. is it worth it?" the fact that you are asking this question allows me to answer this very easily. No. Not for you.

DJing is a hobby....


producing is a passion...

quote:

Originally posted by Zombie0729 DJing is a hobby.... producing is a passion...

thanks Plato..

anyway, I don't know of any productions by judge jules, although there are a few mixes by him

i just got my table*s my real goal is just to have it as a hobby playing at trance energy is a dream dont think il never make it that far.

if you love it and thats what you want to do for the rest of your life then get contacts hard yea but just talk to everyone and recordstores clubs etc bouncers everyone be friendly make friends everywhere

quote:

Originally posted by Zombie0729 DJing is a hobby.... producing is a passion...

I disagree, I think do be really good at either you have to be just as passionate for both. I mean, its not too hard to learn to beatmatch then start recreating Tiesto/Armin's sets by playing all the latest anthems with no real attempt at doing something unique. You can tell that the good DJ's out there have a real passion for it because they're pushing their own, unique sound, and doing more things besides just mixing the same old tracks.

Look at James Zabiela. He hasn't made many tracks at all (the only ones I know of are Zabilek Beats and a remix, both on his EM). What sets him apart is the crazy things he does during his DJ sets with those pioneers. Looping, adding samples and effects, scratching... he's pretty much single handedly made progressive interesting for me.

And look at someone like Donald Glaude. He scratches like crazy, and does it damn well. He is also a complete nut behind the decks, cutting the volume to yell at the crowd, jumping around, scratching with his nose.

My point is, its not so much an issue of getting your name out there, as much as it is an issue of setting your name apart from the rest. Look at your average ASOT playlist... have you heard of most of those artists, besides their name on their track? The only way your gonna get serious recognition by producing isn't just to make a track, or make a good track, but to make one that really blows people away, then keep doing it over and over until you're practically a household name.

I see that you're a trance DJ. I hate to stereotype but if you're just playing the same old tracks from ASOT, or Tiesto, or (insert well known trance producer/DJ here), you're gonna be fighting through the DJ glass celing like the rest of the wannabe trance superstars out there, who bring printouts of the latest PvD set along with them to the record store. Set yourself apart from the rest.

just do it for fun...

quote:

Originally posted by deejay2002 just do it for fun...

Nah. If you want to do it, go for it. Throughout the history of man, no one ever did anything memorable without taking risks.

quote:

Originally posted by caddyshack thanks Plato..

Haha, that made me laugh.

Good luck making it "big" without producing. There are so many wanna-be DJ's out there now that end up getting gigs solely through connections. If you don't have connections, you almost have to produce to get your name out. Otherwise you'll be stuck playing in some bar for 4 people during Wednesday night Nascar races.

just do it as a hobby, why does everyone want to make it so big and be famous.

just do it for the music.

quote:

Originally posted by montie I'm a damn good DJ........ No "good" musician has ever said they were "good" so what you can beatmatch. its all about being able to move a crowd. to be a good DJ in the sense of being successful is to be able to bring in a shitload of people to a club and make sure they have a damn good time. yes there is a huge artistic side to it, which is the most self rewarding part of being a DJ (and producer) but if you want to pursue this as a career theres alot more of the whole business side shit you have to deal with. people aren't gonna want you unless you can make the club lots of money. and yes production is a very big tool in getting yourself well known. its the best way to get yourself international publicity. to "make it" in the sense that you can support yourself financially as a DJ requires lots and lots of hard work, persistence, putting up with crap you won't be able to stand and luck.

thats right, so what your a "good" dj you have to realise that their are heaps of djs who want to make it that are as good if not better than you

Production is necessary if you want to be big. Also, a year and a half isn't really a long time to be DJing. I've been DJing for over 2 years now and I still have a _long_ way to go. I'm only starting to get into the DJ 'business'. Give yourself time to develop, experiment with new techniques, and develop your own style. Very few people ever get to make a living off DJing. As so many others said, doing it for fame and fortune will get you NOWHERE because there is very little fame and fortune that goes with the DJ biz. Do it because you love it, stick with it because you love the music and you want a crowd to have a great time to your sound. It's all about the attitude

its a great hobby, but realistically the chances of making a living of it aren't great...and its all about location and who you know, much more so than actual skill i think.

quote:

Originally posted by nrjizer I disagree, I think do be really good at either you have to be just as passionate for both. I mean, its not too hard to learn to beatmatch then start recreating Tiesto/Armin's sets by playing all the latest anthems with no real attempt at doing something unique. You can tell that the good DJ's out there have a real passion for it because they're pushing their own, unique sound, and doing more things besides just mixing the same old tracks. Look at James Zabiela. He hasn't made many tracks at all (the only ones I know of are Zabilek Beats and a remix, both on his EM). What sets him apart is the crazy things he does during his DJ sets with those pioneers. Looping, adding samples and effects, scratching... he's pretty much single handedly made progressive interesting for me. And look at someone like Donald Glaude. He scratches like crazy, and does it damn well. He is also a complete nut behind the decks, cutting the volume to yell at the crowd, jumping around, scratching with his nose. My point is, its not so much an issue of getting your name out there, as much as it is an issue of setting your name apart from the rest. Look at your average ASOT playlist... have you heard of most of those artists, besides their name on their track? The only way your gonna get serious recognition by producing isn't just to make a track, or make a good track, but to make one that really blows people away, then keep doing it over and over until you're practically a household name. I see that you're a trance DJ. I hate to stereotype but if you're just playing the same old tracks from ASOT, or Tiesto, or (insert well known trance producer/DJ here), you're gonna be fighting through the DJ glass celing like the rest of the wannabe trance superstars out there, who bring printouts of the latest PvD set along with them to the record store. Set yourself apart from the rest.

it's very easy to sit back and logically come up with an answer like that... but the fact of the matter is, you really have no idea, nor do a lot of us.

It is easier to become a DJ if you already are a producer, rather than being a DJ becoming a producer

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