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Dj's and Gigs (pg. 2)
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View this Thread in Original format
| DjWoody |
Like some said, it all depends on where you live. I'm going to tell you how it is here in LA/OC.
Some think of the LA scene as the Mecca of EDM in the USA. While we do have big parties every week, it's very hard to spin at them. Many, including myself, spin other genres and at mainstream clubs. For instance, I also do Latin parties and once in a while, I guest mix on Mexican radio stations.
NETWORK... This is probably the most important aspect to getting gigs. Here in LA the big promoters have been working with the same DJ's for years. So to break into those clubs, it can be very hard. Like someone said, NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK. Get out there and let people know who you are. Don't give up. Eventually everyone gets gigs. In LA, it's all about who you know and how many people you can bring. Sadly enough, talent is not a key factor. :(
PROMOTE... Hook up with a promoter and start working with them. Personally, I think its bull, but now days the first question promoters throw at you is "HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN YOU BRING?" I'm lucky enough to work with a promoter who doesn't ask the DJ's to promote. Those promoters are RARE!
THROW YOUR OWN PARTIES... When I started, no one would book me. So I said YOU ALL! And I started throwing my own underground parties. They got very popular that all of the sudden, I was able to turn down promoters who wouldn't book me before. How's that for a big YOU! haha You don't have to throw HUGE parties, you can start with small house parties and build on from there.
MAKE YOUR OWN MUSIC... Yup, make your own music. Promoters want to be able to sell you to the people. Even if you have a ty track, they'll book you. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm completely against over hyping yourself and putting out ty work but it works.
LIE... LMAO Another thing I learned is that most promoters are so blinded, for not calling them another word, that they'll believe the hype. I'm against this and karma is a bitch, but I know some DJ's who on their website would list all the partied at. Promoters would think they actually spun at them. That's BS, but it worked them. Their site would look something like this.
UPCOMING EVENTS
May 21 - Avalon, Hollywood
May 22 - Spin, San Diego
May 28 - EDMF, Detroit
You look at that schedule, and you're like ! These guys must be bad ass. Yet, they didn't play at any of those parties, they just partied there! Now, that's BS too!!! But out of town & small promoters believed it.
SLEEP WITH A PROMOTER... Yea, just like the movies, this can also help you out. If you know a female promoter and you start hooking up with her, it's almost guaranteed that she'll get you gigs like crazy. That's a win win situation! hahahaha
HANG OUT WITH GIRLS...
LOL Ever heard about Vegas clubs and how "hard" it's to get in? There's legends that to get into Vegas club you need to walk in with an entourage of hot girls. lol Same with DJ'ing. If you start hanging out with girls and take them to the clubs with you, people will notice that. Male promoters are usually pigs and just wanna get laid. That's why they promote. So if you have what they're looking for you, they give you gigs! hahahaha Besides, girls are usually pretty loyal to their friends. They'll try to get you gigs every chance they get. Just don't be a jerk to them! haha
PARTY HARD... This one saddens me a lot, but it's so en true!!! If you start hanging out within the die hard clubber circles, club whores, crackheads, strippers, go go dancers, bouncers, bartenders, models etc., chances are you'll get gigs too. There's gonna be a lot of blow involved, but you guys will bond. lol
Now, you might think I'm bullting and making all this up, but trust me. I've seen them all and MORE!!! A LOT MORE.... To each their own. I prefer to do what I do best, and that's make the party happen. But honestly, lately, I've been thinking about throwing my own parties again. Not so much to get more gigs, but because I'm not happy with how the current scene. Everyone is an and clubs have become so much about bottle service and guestlists. I wanna give a chance to local up and coming DJ's & producers. Plus, I also see a niche that no one else is doing here. |
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| trancearoundwld |
| quote: | Originally posted by djxtension
No. I'm saying some bookings might be a good promotion for yourself as a dj. I never said you should spin for next to nothing.
Sometimes a booking with a small fee can be a great promotion. If you are not somewhat known, don't expect people to pay you $500 a night.
Get your name out there, proof you are a good dj.
Without a reputation, you'll never get 'decent' bookings. |
Getting a "good" reputation takes 10 years- never. I think i'll let the rest of the world fight over a dj booth @ some club, anyone can buy a pair of cdj's, learn basic mixing, steal the playlists of tiesto, armin van buren, and above and beyond, and than be a club dj, even if you manage to get a slight reputation, i doubt youll get more than 150 a night, because theres 10000 people calling the club to try to spin, they want to be "cool" and dont give a how bad they are. Whereas, Iam pissed @ those kinds of people, who are destroying the electronic music scene with their ignorant style. So i want nothing to do with those types of people, and they are coincidentally the types who show up to attend clubs in the first place, theres a world of idiots out there, and i want to do my own thing. Clubs are a no go. I dont want to compete with idiots who will offer to do it for free, they are undercutting the scene, if they had a brain, or any recognition of talent they'd realize that their labor and time is worth money. The event fashion of being crowded in a dark room with lights is def not my style. More into setting up a sound system under a tent somewhere so people can drink and get stoned, and play a variety of , with several different people. I could care less if i made $, i just want to break even. F** if i wanna go to a club i'll pay 70$ for entrance and drinks. So f** if i lose 100$ id still be happy. I want to create something that doesn't f*** suck, and TBH, the other events are so, the competition isn't hard to beat. HMM Do i go to an overcrowded ehole club? Or... Go where im free, and can get stoned and drink my own retail price booze? Well. Not a hard choice for people to make. Soon clubs will be obsolete, people will see them for what they are. Cesspools. Disease nests.
So really, id do my own events during the summer, and just do private parties during other seasons.
I think id rather set up a top 40 radio stream and pretend to spin while selling overpriced rebbulls and water by a touristic beach, than be @ a club. Im not falling for the whole jive. I know what a scam is, and a scam is paying some poor guy 150 a night while u make 20 grand for doing nothing F*** F****. Its not even hard to DJ.. The challenge is promoting events, and secondly, it's organizing them. Not the djing.
The club is some guy's 4 walls, because its easy for people to remember one address, and get into a routine of going to the same building. But those kinds of people don't have it. They are contributing to the destruction of the music scene, and the monopolozing of one person's income.
So, is there too much involved if you get alot of dj's in on it? I dont want money grubbing Dj's, i just want people who have enough pride that they will create a successful event, break even, and to them that is good enough. Do people like that exist, or are they all just fkED!. Yeah, If thats the case, well u guys can just keep paying 70$ a night to get robbed by the clubs and worshipping some dj who has a reputable name in the altar with the rest of the ppl. Instead of doing your own thing, and having the power. get 10 ppl to promote their own party, and spin for free. You wont get rich, But, neither will the clubs.
That is all. |
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| Dojomaster26 |
First off, I would NOT recommend doing this:
| quote: | | LIE... LMAO Another thing I learned is that most promoters are so blinded, for not calling them another word, that they'll believe the hype. I'm against this and karma is a bitch, but I know some DJ's who on their website would list all the partied at. Promoters would think they actually spun at them. That's BS, but it worked them. Their site would look something like this. |
I like the rest of Dj Woody's advice, but this will get you into some trouble if you try to pull that trick around here.
You could technically say that you are making "appearances" but that is very sketch. We have enough of that in the scene, thankyouverymuch!
I live in North Carolina, which is the exact opposite of where Woody is coming from. The difference between here and a place like LA is that here the scene is very small. There is a tight-knit group of promoters and DJs, everybody knows everybody, etc.
You are not going to have the variety or selection of venues that you would in LA or NYC. You have a few small clubs that do EDM in Charlotte, plus scenes in the Raleigh area and Asheville/Boone. In Hickory, any parties that are thrown are done in coffee shops and very small clubs. 20 people is a good turnout here. Don't expect to make any money, ever. Do Top40 instead if you're trying to earn money here.
Networking is extremely important here. You will need to be good for starters. Most of the promoters here are DJs themselves or are veterans of the local scene. Certain promoters cater to different crowds. One promoter is known for doing events that bring out the "rave" crowd (glowsticks and fuzzy boots, oh yeah.) Others are doing parties in the back woods around the Asheville area. You will need to figure out which crowd your music will go with and work on getting in with that promoter's circle.
The local scene here is mostly comprised of Breaks DJs (Florida Breaks especially. DJ Fixx is the Tiesto of the South!) We have some DubStep, some Techno, House, a bit of DnB, and even some Psy Trance if you go to the right events. If you spin one of those styles, and you're good, then you have a good shot of getting a slot. If you spin Deep House like me...well, I get a lot of opening slots (LOL!)
One last thing: some promoters around here are sensitive to the format that you mix with. You will lose gigs if you are not 100% vinyl (no, Serato doesn't count.) This is partly due to nostalgia and partly due to misinformation regarding sound quality and basic PA maintenance. I think this is BS, since a good DJ is a good DJ regardless of what they spin with (and vice versa,) but that's the way this scene is. This scene feels very old school at times, which can be a good or bad thing depending on what you are looking for. |
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| DjWoody |
| quote: | Originally posted by Dojomaster26
First off, I would NOT recommend doing this:
I like the rest of Dj Woody's advice, but this will get you into some trouble if you try to pull that trick around here.
You could technically say that you are making "appearances" but that is very sketch. We have enough of that in the scene, thankyouverymuch!
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Exactly! That's my whole point, it will bite you on the ass and quite honestly, I wouldn't feel right doing it. I'm completely against it, but I've seen it done a million times and I can't believe promoters fall for it. :nervous: :nervous: :nervous: |
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| trancearoundwld |
| quote: | Originally posted by Dojomaster26
First off, I would NOT recommend doing this:
I like the rest of Dj Woody's advice, but this will get you into some trouble if you try to pull that trick around here.
You could technically say that you are making "appearances" but that is very sketch. We have enough of that in the scene, thankyouverymuch!
I live in North Carolina, which is the exact opposite of where Woody is coming from. The difference between here and a place like LA is that here the scene is very small. There is a tight-knit group of promoters and DJs, everybody knows everybody, etc.
You are not going to have the variety or selection of venues that you would in LA or NYC. You have a few small clubs that do EDM in Charlotte, plus scenes in the Raleigh area and Asheville/Boone. In Hickory, any parties that are thrown are done in coffee shops and very small clubs. 20 people is a good turnout here. Don't expect to make any money, ever. Do Top40 instead if you're trying to earn money here.
Networking is extremely important here. You will need to be good for starters. Most of the promoters here are DJs themselves or are veterans of the local scene. Certain promoters cater to different crowds. One promoter is known for doing events that bring out the "rave" crowd (glowsticks and fuzzy boots, oh yeah.) Others are doing parties in the back woods around the Asheville area. You will need to figure out which crowd your music will go with and work on getting in with that promoter's circle.
The local scene here is mostly comprised of Breaks DJs (Florida Breaks especially. DJ Fixx is the Tiesto of the South!) We have some DubStep, some Techno, House, a bit of DnB, and even some Psy Trance if you go to the right events. If you spin one of those styles, and you're good, then you have a good shot of getting a slot. If you spin Deep House like me...well, I get a lot of opening slots (LOL!)
One last thing: some promoters around here are sensitive to the format that you mix with. You will lose gigs if you are not 100% vinyl (no, Serato doesn't count.) This is partly due to nostalgia and partly due to misinformation regarding sound quality and basic PA maintenance. I think this is BS, since a good DJ is a good DJ regardless of what they spin with (and vice versa,) but that's the way this scene is. This scene feels very old school at times, which can be a good or bad thing depending on what you are looking for. |
This is kind of irrelevant, Im not in the US, your advice is area specific. Iam talking in generalities. |
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| DjWoody |
I have a friend who Dj's on Z103.5 in Toronto. I booked him once here in LA. He says Toronto is very similar to here. It's all about who you know. Even he has a hard time getting bookings, and he's on air at a real radio station!
:nervous: :nervous: :nervous: |
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| djxtension |
| quote: | Originally posted by trancearoundwld
Getting a "good" reputation takes 10 years- never. I think i'll let the rest of the world fight over a dj booth @ some club, anyone can buy a pair of cdj's, learn basic mixing, steal the playlists of tiesto, armin van buren, and above and beyond, and than be a club dj, even if you manage to get a slight reputation, i doubt youll get more than 150 a night, because theres 10000 people calling the club to try to spin, they want to be "cool" and dont give a how bad they are. Whereas, Iam pissed @ those kinds of people, who are destroying the electronic music scene with their ignorant style. So i want nothing to do with those types of people, and they are coincidentally the types who show up to attend clubs in the first place, theres a world of idiots out there, and i want to do my own thing. Clubs are a no go. I dont want to compete with idiots who will offer to do it for free, they are undercutting the scene, if they had a brain, or any recognition of talent they'd realize that their labor and time is worth money. The event fashion of being crowded in a dark room with lights is def not my style. More into setting up a sound system under a tent somewhere so people can drink and get stoned, and play a variety of , with several different people. I could care less if i made $, i just want to break even. F** if i wanna go to a club i'll pay 70$ for entrance and drinks. So f** if i lose 100$ id still be happy. I want to create something that doesn't f*** suck, and TBH, the other events are so, the competition isn't hard to beat. HMM Do i go to an overcrowded ehole club? Or... Go where im free, and can get stoned and drink my own retail price booze? Well. Not a hard choice for people to make. Soon clubs will be obsolete, people will see them for what they are. Cesspools. Disease nests.
So really, id do my own events during the summer, and just do private parties during other seasons.
I think id rather set up a top 40 radio stream and pretend to spin while selling overpriced rebbulls and water by a touristic beach, than be @ a club. Im not falling for the whole jive. I know what a scam is, and a scam is paying some poor guy 150 a night while u make 20 grand for doing nothing F*** F****. Its not even hard to DJ.. The challenge is promoting events, and secondly, it's organizing them. Not the djing.
The club is some guy's 4 walls, because its easy for people to remember one address, and get into a routine of going to the same building. But those kinds of people don't have it. They are contributing to the destruction of the music scene, and the monopolozing of one person's income.
So, is there too much involved if you get alot of dj's in on it? I dont want money grubbing Dj's, i just want people who have enough pride that they will create a successful event, break even, and to them that is good enough. Do people like that exist, or are they all just fkED!. Yeah, If thats the case, well u guys can just keep paying 70$ a night to get robbed by the clubs and worshipping some dj who has a reputable name in the altar with the rest of the ppl. Instead of doing your own thing, and having the power. get 10 ppl to promote their own party, and spin for free. You wont get rich, But, neither will the clubs.
That is all. |
So, really, why the question? If there are no 'decent gigs' according to you, you should've never asked in the first place.
If you are all against the clubs, throw your own party in a basement or backyard somewhere.
And for the record... it is hard to dj. Playing music is easy. Mixing music is easy. But to dj is not easy. |
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| trancearoundwld |
| quote: | Originally posted by DjWoody
Like some said, it all depends on where you live. I'm going to tell you how it is here in LA/OC.
Some think of the LA scene as the Mecca of EDM in the USA. While we do have big parties every week, it's very hard to spin at them. Many, including myself, spin other genres and at mainstream clubs. For instance, I also do Latin parties and once in a while, I guest mix on Mexican radio stations.
NETWORK... This is probably the most important aspect to getting gigs. Here in LA the big promoters have been working with the same DJ's for years. So to break into those clubs, it can be very hard. Like someone said, NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK. Get out there and let people know who you are. Don't give up. Eventually everyone gets gigs. In LA, it's all about who you know and how many people you can bring. Sadly enough, talent is not a key factor. :(
PROMOTE... Hook up with a promoter and start working with them. Personally, I think its bull, but now days the first question promoters throw at you is "HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN YOU BRING?" I'm lucky enough to work with a promoter who doesn't ask the DJ's to promote. Those promoters are RARE!
THROW YOUR OWN PARTIES... When I started, no one would book me. So I said YOU ALL! And I started throwing my own underground parties. They got very popular that all of the sudden, I was able to turn down promoters who wouldn't book me before. How's that for a big YOU! haha You don't have to throw HUGE parties, you can start with small house parties and build on from there.
MAKE YOUR OWN MUSIC... Yup, make your own music. Promoters want to be able to sell you to the people. Even if you have a ty track, they'll book you. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm completely against over hyping yourself and putting out ty work but it works.
LIE... LMAO Another thing I learned is that most promoters are so blinded, for not calling them another word, that they'll believe the hype. I'm against this and karma is a bitch, but I know some DJ's who on their website would list all the partied at. Promoters would think they actually spun at them. That's BS, but it worked them. Their site would look something like this.
UPCOMING EVENTS
May 21 - Avalon, Hollywood
May 22 - Spin, San Diego
May 28 - EDMF, Detroit
You look at that schedule, and you're like ! These guys must be bad ass. Yet, they didn't play at any of those parties, they just partied there! Now, that's BS too!!! But out of town & small promoters believed it.
SLEEP WITH A PROMOTER... Yea, just like the movies, this can also help you out. If you know a female promoter and you start hooking up with her, it's almost guaranteed that she'll get you gigs like crazy. That's a win win situation! hahahaha
HANG OUT WITH GIRLS...
LOL Ever heard about Vegas clubs and how "hard" it's to get in? There's legends that to get into Vegas club you need to walk in with an entourage of hot girls. lol Same with DJ'ing. If you start hanging out with girls and take them to the clubs with you, people will notice that. Male promoters are usually pigs and just wanna get laid. That's why they promote. So if you have what they're looking for you, they give you gigs! hahahaha Besides, girls are usually pretty loyal to their friends. They'll try to get you gigs every chance they get. Just don't be a jerk to them! haha
PARTY HARD... This one saddens me a lot, but it's so en true!!! If you start hanging out within the die hard clubber circles, club whores, crackheads, strippers, go go dancers, bouncers, bartenders, models etc., chances are you'll get gigs too. There's gonna be a lot of blow involved, but you guys will bond. lol
Now, you might think I'm bullting and making all this up, but trust me. I've seen them all and MORE!!! A LOT MORE.... To each their own. I prefer to do what I do best, and that's make the party happen. But honestly, lately, I've been thinking about throwing my own parties again. Not so much to get more gigs, but because I'm not happy with how the current scene. Everyone is an and clubs have become so much about bottle service and guestlists. I wanna give a chance to local up and coming DJ's & producers. Plus, I also see a niche that no one else is doing here. |
Good advice, but i quit. Yep, promoters will definately be willing to bend if you bring girls around them. Just have to make sure they give you a gig quick enough so that by the time they find out those women have bf's or are just not into them, You've already won the game. How the hell am i gonna control herds of hot girls...so they wanna hang out with me all the time and i can have status in the eyes of other males for oppurtunities in the music scene.
So heres you Most likely scenario( the lying thing was a pretty brilliant suggestion, as long as you say "making an appearance, and not specifying whether your spinning hahahahah!) from the list of advice:
"Promoter" -sees guy with herds of hot women" OMG WHO IS THAT GUY GET HIM HERE I WNNA MEET HIM LIKE RIGHT NOW BRO!!! YEAHYOUR SO COOL WANT A GIG????? K THERE YA GO"!!! DuDE IAM SO gettin laid 2nite YEAH!!!
The problem is that straight girls only wanna hang out individually with guys because they are just trying to get laid aswell. Its goddam impossible to be surrounded by women unless of course........ your gayy.
So i should pretend to be gayy, as that would be a common ground with the lesbians, this of course is so i can make friends with hot lesbians, than when i go to a club, ill be the top dog, and to get to the women u will have to go through me.. NO scrap that....i dont see it working.
It all seems like a vainglory. You win one, Ya lose two, Muther F**(
http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS_0fRBaLt-I7bsmpEBv0udiY9Dzfv1-hKodPeEZSNaFKTlrh5x&t=1 |
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| trancearoundwld |
| quote: | Originally posted by djxtension
So, really, why the question? If there are no 'decent gigs' according to you, you should've never asked in the first place.
If you are all against the clubs, throw your own party in a basement or backyard somewhere.
And for the record... it is hard to dj. Playing music is easy. Mixing music is easy. But to dj is not easy. |
The direction of the thread topic alters as more variables are uncovered. SO really, Established gigs suck. So the real question is.. Is it hard to promote an event and actually get enough people to show up that you break even? Most people already have spent 40$ on supplemental chemicals by the time they come to an event like that. So really you can't ask for more than 5-10$
Rofl, You don't just throw a party with randoms in your house, i know many seperate cases of people who did that and their places got gutted, Everything stolen and broken, people pissing in flower pots, putting out their cigs on the carpet, All kinds of insanity.
But id definately consider setting up sound @ some random field or nice open area somewhere, if i knew for sure that alot of people were coming. Just need a tent, and some dj's who wanna participate to contribue their speakers to the sound rig, and also to spin.
So for this type of event, Is the promotion hard.... Promoting is like selling a product... But... ANyone have a clue?? Everyone brainstorms having their own event, But its too much of a headache for them right off the bat, so they never give it as much thought as it might deserve,
I definately see the futility of it. Hopefully someone established will have these events. What im saying is F*** gigs, just do your own events.. |
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| Dojomaster26 |
| quote: | Originally posted by trancearoundwld
This is kind of irrelevant, Im not in the US, your advice is area specific. Iam talking in generalities. |
You missed the point of my post. You need to find out what your scene is like, and try to find a niche within that scene. Your scene may be like Woody's, or it may be more like mine, but either way you need to network, network, network before you can get "in."
| quote: |
The problem is that straight girls only wanna hang out individually with guys because they are just trying to get laid aswell. Its goddam impossible to be surrounded by women unless of course........ your gayy. |
That could work. Who knows ;)
| quote: |
So for this type of event, Is the promotion hard.... Promoting is like selling a product... But... ANyone have a clue?? Everyone brainstorms having their own event, But its too much of a headache for them right off the bat, so they never give it as much thought as it might deserve, |
Its not as hard as it seems. Learn your scene. Learn who your potential "customers" are, and target your marketing to them. If they are rave-types, then make the party glow friendly. If you are trying to throw some Deep House gig, put some pictures of martinis on the flyer. If you're booking Junior Vasquez put a picture of some ripped shirtless guy in front & use lots of pink text. You get the idea...
Go to the parties that they are going to, get to know them, leave flyers. Remind them (but not too much) about your awesome event on Facebook, Twitter, emails, etc. Become their friend (literally and on all of the networking sites.) People will go to parties run by people that they like :) |
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| djxtension |
| quote: | Originally posted by trancearoundwld
The direction of the thread topic alters as more variables are uncovered. SO really, Established gigs suck. So the real question is.. Is it hard to promote an event and actually get enough people to show up that you break even? Most people already have spent 40$ on supplemental chemicals by the time they come to an event like that. So really you can't ask for more than 5-10$
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What people spend on 'supplement chemicals' is not relevant to the entrance fee of a party.
| quote: |
Rofl, You don't just throw a party with randoms in your house, i know many seperate cases of people who did that and their places got gutted, Everything stolen and broken, people pissing in flower pots, putting out their cigs on the carpet, All kinds of insanity.
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I wasn't specifically referring to a house. I just meant any random location. It's figure of speech. But you knew that.
| quote: |
But id definately consider setting up sound @ some random field or nice open area somewhere, if i knew for sure that alot of people were coming. Just need a tent, and some dj's who wanna participate to contribue their speakers to the sound rig, and also to spin.
So for this type of event, Is the promotion hard.... Promoting is like selling a product... But... ANyone have a clue?? Everyone brainstorms having their own event, But its too much of a headache for them right off the bat, so they never give it as much thought as it might deserve,
I definately see the futility of it. Hopefully someone established will have these events. What im saying is F*** gigs, just do your own events.. |
Promotion for that kind of event is not that hard.
But i can't wait to see a squad-team drop in and arrest everybody. Those kind of parties tend to be illegal.
Even if it is your own field, there are still laws you have to abide to. You can't serve alcohol without a license, there are strict rules concerning the sound, etc...
All the problems you mentioned for the 'house-parties' will also occur in a tent, if you don't have the toilets and stuff down.
And there's another downfall: parties like that can never be too big, since you'll need stuff like drinks, toilets, security, etc... That's no issue if you are willing to pay for it, but finding someone who is willing to donate toilets for 2000 people might be a problem...
Of course, once you've got all the permits and stuff down, there's nothing that can stop you from throwing one hell of a party. |
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| discobiscuit |
| I do promo's and my first gig is free. I never didn't get a gig. I'm not trying to sound cocky but I got every gig I ever REALLY tried to get. And dont contact an owner/manager more than once a week no matter what! Just play it cool if your any good you'll get the gig eventually. I know DJs who are better than me who don't get gigs because they come on to strong. Don't step toes or try to undercut people who you are friends with. I've had to cut off several friendships because of it. |
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