How to promote yourself as a DJ
Once you own enough tracks (3-4 hours) and you can mix without stuffing up too much then it

is time you thought about getting some work. This page will give some tips for getting DJ work for the first time. The first step is to make a mix CD or tape.

Recording a mix tape or CD:

A mix tape is as easy as hooking up your stereo to the record out on your mixer and pressing the record button. CDs will require a computer with a sound card (for e.g. a Soundblaster Live!) and a CD-writer.

Your soundcard should have some recording software. Soundblasters have the Creative Labs recorder. You will need to hook up your mixer to the line in on the soundcard using an RCA (red and white plugs) to mini jack (small headphone style plug).

Boot up the recording software and press record. You will make a big sound file on your hard drive so ensure you have about a gigabyte spare to record an hour mix. Once you have your wav file recording you can burn it to CD using the 'burn audio disk' option in your CD writer software.


CDs are better quality and more professional than tapes. The biggest advantage of CDs however is that you can cheaply burn lots of copies so you can give them out to a number of club owners when you look for work. If you have the time you will also want to drop a copy off to the local radio station to try to get a weekly show.

Why are your skills good for a club?

Dance music is generally a fairly misunderstood genre of music. Clubs often supply their patrons with a dance floor and big sound system but then play music that is unsuitable for dancing. This is simply due to the fact that the owner of the club knows how to run a bar not how to run a dance floor.

Dance music is good because people who have a dance at a club have a good time. Quality dance music gives people another reason to go out. As a good DJ your job is to please the crowd by giving them something new and interesting to dance to. Giving people tribal beats makes them get up, dance and feel less self conscious.

Promotion that you will do also benefits the club. Mention that you will be promoting your night with flyers and posters. Everyone loves free promotion.

These are the aspects of DJing that you want to make clear when you approach a club owner. The club owner will be apprehensive about changes at the club but if you stress the benefits he/she will get then you will more than likely get a trial at his/her club.

What promotion can I do:

Promotion for your night at the local club should consist of standard advertising:

Flyers, use a cool design and print in colour at your local print shop
Posters, full colour with cool design, don't be cheap get a fewer number of better posters and put them up yourself in good spots (clothing stores etc)
Radio station, if you have a Radio show use it for announcing your nights and the station might give you free adverts if they like you

You can cut the costs of this type of promotion by getting local businesses to put their logo on the promotional material.

Part of the fun of starting out as a DJ is doing this stuff yourself. You can make your own theme in your promotion that people will identify with your music. Use futuristic or fantasy images. I enjoy playing around with Photoshop so have a go.

Remember to be original and put yourself out there. This kind of promotional material is often the first contact people on the street will have with you. You want to make a good first impression don't you?

When your handing out your flash new flyers make sure that you take time to talk to people. You've got to have heart if you want to get anywhere in the underground music scene.

__________________
<center><img src="http://www.rapbattles.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=5068&stc=1"><p>Featuring Splivit Jams Artists: OpeY, Mystah Biggs, Chassis, July, Grimes<p>...and Pills the Doughboy, Kronik, Nimrod, Papi Stores, Young Cell, Skillz, Tony Ccino, Cin Laden, Cel Spit Fire, Clockwork <br>...Plus Many More...</center>