Some people claim that DJ is not a profession and we need to completely disagree with that. Most of the DJs started doing this for two reasons. Logically, music is their passion. Yet, that’s not the main reason. Many of them choose this profession because they do not want to have a regular 9-5 job. More precisely, they wanted to get out of their comfort zone. We completely support this way of thinking.
Fortunately, the number of DJ is growing. However, that’s also a disadvantage for young people that want to make the first steps in this industry. The competition is tough and you have to truly be an expert in this field to make some significant success.
Just like for any other industry, you need to improve your knowledge daily. Luckily, there are several different ways of how you can become a better DJ. For instance, some of them firstly become ghost producers, while others start working for free.
Anyway, let’s analyze these things together.
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Practice All the Time
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Being a DJ requires a lot of hard work and experimenting. Until you start earning money, imagine that you have working hours. Dedicate at least 8 hours per day to make different mixes. Dedicate that time to experimental music. Many people “stick” to some basic guidelines that they teach in the beginning. As we said, you need to get out of the box. Sooner or later, you will start to have a sense of good music.
There is one more thing that we would like to suggest. Record almost everything you are doing. That will allow you to analyze the previous mixes that you made and see which things you need to improve. Repeat this process every single day!
Start for Free
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Okay, this probably sounds bad. You indeed are doing this because music is your passion. Yet, you also expect that your passion will bring you some amount of money. No one says it won’t. However, it is always good to start for free and get used to public DJing.
The main reason why you should do this is the improvement of confidence. There is no big difference between DJs and singers/dancers. You are both standing in front of a certain group of people. If you get nervous before getting on the stage, you may forget everything you were learning before. After a couple of performances, you won’t feel afraid to get on the stage and make the party better.
P.S. Our advice is to start with birthday parties that people around you are organizing. Do that as a friend and do not charge for the service.
Determine Your Target Audience
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This is the second reason why you need to perform in front of different people. Even if you are the best DJ in the world, not everyone will like the music that you play. Does everyone listen to Madonna’s song? She is famous worldwide, but you will find people that do not like her music.
Let’s use the previous example once again. While you are playing music at a birthday party, see which type of people are engaging with you the most. After a couple of events, you can approximately determine who your potential fans are.
There is another way to find out who your target audience is. Every DJ should know the modern ways of advertising. This includes the usage of social media for promotion. Everyone has the right to publish content on his social media accounts. Publish and see the reaction of people that follow you.
Start as a Ghost Producer
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Okay, we talked too much about free work and it is the right time to see how to earn money as a beginner. Did you know that many famous DJs of today started as ghost producers?
But, what is ghost production?
Let’s use an example. You are a beginner that wants to make some money thanks to his skills. Yet, no one is going to hire you because you are not famous yet. The first money will come sooner or later, but you need it as soon as possible. Well, you can make music and sell all the rights to another person.
This way of working is not just good for your budget. You will also get honest feedback from someone who has more experience in this industry. Despite that, you can see the reaction of the audience as well. Those reviews will tell you which things you have to improve or completely change.
Because of that, you should check out the ghost production platforms like Edmwarriors where you can sell your music.
Find a Mentor
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This step will allow new DJs to boost their confidence and knowledge at the same time. Is there a DJ that you know that would accept to be your mentor? Well, why don’t you ask him to show you his skills? We do not want to say that he will do that for free. You need to understand that these people also have their duties. However, even if they ask for a certain amount of money, do not hesitate to spend it.
The things would be even great if they are willing to bring you together with them at a certain event where they play music. You can be some sort of assistant to them and apply some of the tricks and methods they are using.
Follow the Trends
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Okay, this might be a controversial subject because some DJs will not agree with us. For the third time, DJs started to play music because music is their passion. Yet, if you want to be successful in this field, you need to be flexible and follow trends.
The things become complex when you realize that your favorite music is not something that brings money. Fortunately, you have a couple of solutions. First of all, there are different clubs where different music lovers come. You do not have to limit your work to only one group. Visit all those clubs to earn money and you can always get back one a week to play the music that is your passion. Despite that, you can always mix trendy music with the music that you love. Who knows; maybe those mixes become viral among the audience.
So, how will this improve your skills?
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You will find inspiration in trendy music. More precisely, you will start realizing why some DJs became popular among people. We do not want to say that you need to copy them. Yet, you can upgrade their tricks and make your music.
