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-- How am I supposed to get gigs?!
How am I supposed to get gigs?!
I have a serious situation here, and I'm under a lot of pressure from my parents. 
So I'd apprecite if you guys cold help me out.
It's a long story, but my mom & dad wants me to get a job, (a temporary one, since I'm planning to start studying at a univeristy in august (if I will get in at all)). Anyways, it's a long story as I said so I'll just get to the point.
I'm looking for gigs around where I live. It's no Sensation events or something like that, just the local pubs/clubs where the average commercial mainstream DJ Sammy-pop is played. I've been around and asked the DJ's those nights who was taking care of the bookings, and everytime I've had the luck to catch the guy who books the DJ's.
The thing is that I really can't seem to get this freakin' ball rolling. The first place I visited I asked the DJ who were responsible of the bookings. It was the guy who played that evening - perfect I thought. I asked him what it would take so that I could play at this club/pub once, to show what I was capable off. Then he told me simply "nothing, since we already are eight people who plays here at regular basis". I told him that it may be true, but the most of them sucks, as far as I'm concerned, and I know I can do a lot better. (I know they suck because this is one of my favorite places to hang out at weekends). Then I got his attention for a second, and he asked me where I have played before. I said nowhere, since I don't know any people in this business - and that was it. I told him that I could play for free once, just to proove my skills - maybe only just a warm up set, but he wasn't interested.
I've been at several other places to. Just a few weeks ago I was at a club called Garvaren, which has two floors. One floor with a lot of swedish pop, and lot of 70's and 80's hits, and the usual Kylie Minogue shit...The other floor was more into clubmusic...a lot of mainstream, but still music that appeals to me and I know I would love to play. The guy who played there SUCKED BIG FLOPPY DONKEY DICK!! I mean OMG, he was f%#@�=%g terrible! First of all, he played almost every old shitty club tune there is...Phat Bass, Operation Blade, and all these cheesy sound-a-like-floorcleaning tunes. And secondly, his mixing was worse than what my grandma' would have pulled off. When they were closing and everybody was going home I went upstairs to mainfloor to talk to the other DJ. (He knew what he was doing, unlike that other retard, so that seemed more reasonable). I asked him the same question, who was booking the jocks at the club, and he said that a special DJ Booking Agency was handling it. Jock-De-Nation. I asked him if the guy downstairs also was from the same agency, and he was. That really scared the living shit out of me, because the least experienced guy among those who belong to "Jock-de-nation" have played for 7 years...I've only played one gig in a club in Romania, where a friend of mine is a resident, and some private parties in this shitty town of ours - in other words, I'm a somewhat behind. But I KNOW I can do at least better that this jerk did. But tell it to the guys who decides who is experienced enough to be a part of this stupid agency, and who isn't.
I've been at some other clubs also. A couple of times the guys who were handling the bookings were somewhat friendlier. I've explained what the deal was and stuff, and I gave them my homepage adress where they could download promotion stuff, and find info on how to contact me. They said that they would contact me if things got tight, and they needed someone to step in. But I haven't heard anything. This was about a month ago. I don't know...I think they are all scared of giving me a shot, since I've never played out (apart from these private parties, and this once in Romania. Hell, I could tell them I've been a resident in 15 different clubs in 34 countries, apart from Sweden of course, but that good would that do?).
What else can I do? As I said...I've offered them to play for free once to proove my skills...they have my homepage adress, where they can get a hand on promotionmixes. I've also asked them if they have slow internet connections, or if they have internet at all. Otherwise I'd be glad to hand over a promocd to them.
Any other suggestions? Should I buy myself a minigun and kill all living jocks in Sweden, and make myself known as the only living DJ-wannabe alive?
All kinds of tips appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
I say, make a killer mix of tunes, tailored to that clubs style. go and listen to the DJ, write down the tunes he plays, and then get those tunes, mix them BETTER than he did. label the CD clearly with your name and phone number, and hand it to the guy doing the booking. also maybe mail it to the club?
they don't want to take a chance on you sucking, maybe if they hear your CD then they will give you a shot for a free night.
My first question, why is your favorite place to hang out a place that has a bunch of crappy djs? 
Anyway 
You have to start thinking like a club owner/resident dj. You are going up to these guys during the middle of a club night, probably dressed in club clothing, and asking to spin pleasepleaseplease! Would you offer yourself a chance to spin (objectively) if you were in their shoes? I can't say that I would.
First off, don't insult the other djs (at least to the other djs or the club owner/dj booker). This just reflects very poorly on yourself and they will turn you away in a second.
Next, try making a demo. Don't expect them to do all of the work. Oooohhh, so they have your web addy, but I guarentee they will never get around to dling and listening to your set. Why is this? Because it's too much work for a busy man who isn't looking for another dj in the first place. Make it as convienent for them as possible. Do you have a tape deck? If so, how many? Do you have a cd player? If so, how many? I'm very much hoping that you have 1 or less tape decks and probably three or more cd players in your home/car. So the choice of medium is clear. Give them a cd with your mix on it and make it good!
I have two opinions on demo cds. If you are just starting out, then chances are they will make you do a warmup set. So you want to orient your demo toward just that--a warm up set that is still very compelling and good. Second, they may listen to your stuff and think, man this is boring, he'll never make it to headliner, and so you should therefore make your demo an energy set. Conversely, if they are looking for a warmup set and you give them an energy set...
So how do you resolve this? Make two and give them two discs. Find a unique way to display it too. Don't write on the cd if you have crappy handwriting!!! Make a label, get a business card etc. Do what it takes to impress.
What do you do with these newly founded demos? How do you get it into the hands of a dj booker? Don't go to clubs and ask to see the manager! Call ahead, make an appointment, get a formal interview. Ask to have a short 30 minute meeting with the guy during the day and then ask a lot of questions like, "Can I see the equipment?" etc. Then present the best qualities about yourself to him. Be very informative about yourself. Make sure he knows that he can rely on you to show up etc. Dress nice, but don't overdo it. No suit! Do you think that a booker of a small club is going to wear a suit? No, especially not during the day when he isn't infront of the customers.
Where are you now? You give him your demo, the demo is hopefully something that he'll be able to associate YOUR FACE to. No I'm not talking pictures, I'm talking colored cds, neat packaging and interesting conversation that he'll remember you by! So do you sit around and complain that he never called you back? Hell no! You have to follow up! This is the most important part! Have you ever done that before? Make sure you get the booker's contact information and in two or three days call him back. Ask if he's listened to your demo yet and if so then great, ask him how he liked it etc. From here you have to control the conversation. Ask if you can set up another appointment to use the equipment or to discuss what type of music he is looking for etc. Ask about new club nights that have your type of music in it if one doesn't already exist. Say trance is all the new rave and other local clubs have trance nights etc. Just make sure that you don't lie and can't defend yourself. Whatever you have to say (and think about it a LOT before you make the call) to keep him on the phone until you have another definite meeting time.
If he hasn't listened to your demo yet, then ask him if he'll have time in the next couple of days, if he says yes, then tell him you'll call him back in a couple days, if he says no, then give him 3-5 days before you call him back. The whole point is that YOU are calling HIM back and not the other way around. He will probably never call you back...
If he says that he's listened to it and didn't like it, or that it isn't what he's looking for, then ask what it was that turned him off to your demo. Then depending on if you can do just that, tell him that you CAN in fact change etc to meet the needs of his club, then offer to make another demo to prove that and set up another appointment. (a week or two to give you time)
So there you go. You have to be pushy enough to wedge your foot in the door until you get a definite yes or no answer from him but you also don't want to be annoying. Give him time and space, don't call him every day and don't leave 100 messages on his voicemail.
Last of all, and probably most disappointing for you, is that you shouldn't depend on making money being a dj until your djing income has been stable for at least a couple of years and you have multiple connections. Don't expect that just because he likes your demo that you will get a job, and don't expect that just because you play once that you will get residency at a club overnight! Look into dj booking organizations--just like the place where those other djs got booked from! And finally, get a day job so that you can afford to buy all of the music that you are spinning at night. Djing isn't profitable for beginners. Never EXPECT it to be. You have so much music to buy and no job to support your habbit. Trust your parents and get a reliable job so that you can get good experience for other reliable jobs down the line. Jobs aren't always something that we like to do--those are hobbies--jobs are what we do to earn a living and confidently support us and our families.
EDIT: Also, just because you know that you mix better, don't think that the booker knows what good mixing is. Chances are he is giving your mix to the djs and asking them to critique your mix too. As per the above post, make it original--something to impress the djs too, and remember, sometimes life isn't fair because the other djs also don't want you to take their jobs!
damn good post.
Agreed...hit the top of the peak with that reply...
Thanks a lot...
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| Originally posted by JohnSmith damn good post. |
...
...the only piece of advice that I can give you is to think about your method of making money.
My approach to DJing is completely opposite from yours. I'm already in college, and I happen to have an excellent evening job (early evening enough that I could still go out if necessary). I'm looking to eventually break into playing out at clubs for one reason, and one reason only - love of the music.
Your parents are probably pressuring you to get a job, and DJing may very well not pay you enough money, particularly if you look at things like buying vinyl all the time. You may need to approach this slightly differently, depending on your motivations.
Perhaps you will need to get a "job job" to satisfy your parents, while still pursuing the goal of being able to DJ locally. Sometimes it is really small things that can make your parents stop worrying about you, and give you the freedom to pursue other goals.
Oh, one last thing. Telling a DJ that his co-DJs suck is probably not a very wonderful way to get him to offer you a job.
Re: ...
| quote: |
| Originally posted by DJ Kibon ...the only piece of advice that I can give you is to think about your method of making money. My approach to DJing is completely opposite from yours. I'm already in college, and I happen to have an excellent evening job (early evening enough that I could still go out if necessary). I'm looking to eventually break into playing out at clubs for one reason, and one reason only - love of the music. Your parents are probably pressuring you to get a job, and DJing may very well not pay you enough money, particularly if you look at things like buying vinyl all the time. You may need to approach this slightly differently, depending on your motivations. Perhaps you will need to get a "job job" to satisfy your parents, while still pursuing the goal of being able to DJ locally. Sometimes it is really small things that can make your parents stop worrying about you, and give you the freedom to pursue other goals. Oh, one last thing. Telling a DJ that his co-DJs suck is probably not a very wonderful way to get him to offer you a job. |
Re: Re: ...
| quote: |
| Originally posted by halo gotta egree, there's nothing worse than a DJ working for the money. Maybe you start now by having fun spinning but if you do it for the money only you'll soon en up depending on your gig's. You'll take every gig you can get, you'll play to get the owner of the club pleased, not for the people... or for yourself. You eventually wo'nt give a fuck if the transitions sound right as long as those drunk fools keep going... Believe me, I know some of this kind... they are those crappy DJ's you wanted to replace. Get a real job for money and spin for fun and maybe some extra bucks... |
| quote: |
DJ Times: For someone who has played all around the world, what keeps you from getting jaded? Ti�sto: I feel I was born to be a DJ. I have a manager that handles all of the money stuff. If you pay me $100 or $100,000, they�re not enjoying themselves, and they�re like, �Oh, he�s playing shit,� it doesn�t matter how much money you�re getting for the gig. Since I�ve worked hard to get to the top, and just at the point when you think you�re not going to make it, it suddenly happens. And that�s what I�m grateful for. And I think I can only spin for so many years. If I don�t enjoy it, I don�t think other people will enjoy it anymore, and then it�s time to quit. If they�re playing for the money, I don�t think it�s a good thing to do. |
| quote: |
| I'm looking for gigs around where I live. It's no Sensation events or something like that, just the local pubs/clubs where the average commercial mainstream DJ Sammy-pop is played. |
I still think it's all about the connection....
Steve
Re: Re: ...
| quote: |
| Originally posted by halo gotta egree, there's nothing worse than a DJ working for the money. Maybe you start now by having fun spinning but if you do it for the money only you'll soon en up depending on your gig's. You'll take every gig you can get, you'll play to get the owner of the club pleased, not for the people... or for yourself. You eventually wo'nt give a fuck if the transitions sound right as long as those drunk fools keep going... Believe me, I know some of this kind... they are those crappy DJ's you wanted to replace. Get a real job for money and spin for fun and maybe some extra bucks... |
You got to remember one thing about the dj business, its not how good you are, its who you know. Work those connections, talk to people in the business, tell them your a dj. Goto your local record store and try talking to a few people there to. Bring demo's everywhere you go, you never know who your going to meet, see and greet.
Its not what u know its who u know, i hear djs in clubs and they mix like dogshit in the sun , theyre only up there coz they know someone its true, u ask them how they got there. Many Club djs lose the love of music because of money u can tell by hearing the shit they play and how they mix it.
it sucks, but its so true about the "who you know" bullshit.. get ready for a lot of slammed doors in your face, but just give it time, you will land some things here and there, but basically like the post above said, you need to present yourself and make someone who doesn't know you, nor has any desire to know you, end up believing that they need you. you are a salesman my friend, and the item up on the blocks is YOU. so basically you need to be (or at least appear to be) a potential valuable asset to anyone your selling yourself to, just remember, you will not look better by trying to make others look worse. now, if only everyone that had a passion for music and wanted to share that passion, could actually make it big; well i guess there wouldn't be so much shitty music on.
from the moment i touched my first record, i was networking
getting to know the local promoters
now most of them know me
so now all i have to do is put a cd in their hands
and everywhere i go now, i have a few records, my headphones, and a few demos
just in case
there's been times when i've been at a party and the promoter comes up and has been like "a dj didn't show, now i have a spot to fill, did you bring some records? cause if you did, the spot is yours"
and just my luck
i looked at my record case before i left, but decided against it
so now i take about 20 records with me wherever i go
I'm a DJ at a local club, and I have to play that 70's & 80's music.
Not that I don't like it (I love my job, very glad I got it...), but I always bring a bag with some vinyls in it, just in case someone hops in...
I'd be happier if I could play trance, but I feel that this is a start to get up higher...
The best way to get a job in a pub is to show yourself, go everywhere, talk to all the dj's, etc...
What I'm saying is: make sure people know you.
Once they've seen your face, they'll remember you.
And as soon as they need a DJ, they might give you a call...
So once again: GET SEEN!
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