sbangs
1. Always be professional. Being professional can put you way ahead of the game. Many people in the music business fail to be professional. Even though the business requires us to provide fun, some get lost and think that they must indulge. A few quick rules that should help you along... Keep your word, do what you say you're going to do. Show up on time, be ready for action. No matter what size of your attendance, play the best you can. You never know who is listening or what connection someone can provide to you. If you're distributing media kits, follow-up with a phone call or an e-mail. This also applies to all press-related info, meeting and reviews. If you give respect you'll get respect. No matter how they act, you must remain professional.
2. Get yourself a manager. Every DJ should try to have a manager or agent. Someone has to assume the responsibility of handling the business side of things. You need someone who is obsessive about detail, keeps records of everything, and isn't scared to go out and market your music. It's always a plus if they are a big fan of your musical style. A good manager plays an essential role in the success of a DJ. Making one person accountable helps to ensure that things get done in a professional manner, flyers get printed and posted with the correct information, demos get distributed, and reviews get collected and added to the press kits.
3. Build a following. Every DJ dreams of having a loyal fan base. Fans are essential to your DJ success. They will come to watch you play, buy your music, promote you to the people they know, and provide useful feedback to help you along your musical path. How do you build a following? Play as much as you can. Be consistent in promoting your events so that people who have seen you before know that you're playing. Start a mailing list. Collect the names and e-mail addresses of your fans (and ask their permission to use them). Then e-mail them with updates on the musical events that are happening-personal changes, new releases, and upcoming play dates.
4. Have a website. You need a central source for all information for both your fans and your critics. The best route by far is to register your DJ name. This can be done at www.networksolutions.com, if it's available. While there are always free resources for creating and hosting websites (Yahoo/Geocities, etc.), it's worth the $70 to be able to send people to www.yourdjname.com. One of the best flash designers out there can be found at www.newanglemedia.com. Remember that flash does cost more, but it's well worth it. When designing your site, make sure that you keep your browser in mind. Be careful of over-doing it and making your download time long. People do not want to wait. They want to see things now. Do your best to keep the information fresh and updated. This will drive repeat visits to the site. Make sure the site can be viewed from different browsers. Finally, after putting all of the work into your site, drive people to it. Have your website on everything that gets distributed. Find different ways to entice people to your site such as: strips at the bottom of band flyers, on stickers, on clothing, on CDs, etc. Trust me there are endless possibilities.
5. Find a mentor. A mentor is someone who has the experience in the business. They can prove to be invaluable. A mentor can provide reality checks, give you feedback on your music, suggest DJ promotions, and help you tap into their network of contacts. You can choose the relationship between the mentor and yourself to be either formal or informal. You can choose someone that is in the business and ask if you can shadow him or her and learn from what they do. A great place to start is your local record store and then the local clubs.
6. Design a media kit. A media kit is your calling card in the world of music. It should contain: an introductory letter; your DJ bio; a photo of yourself (8x10 black and white is standard); and your current demo CD or cassette. There are special folders that you can buy to hold this material, or you can get one specifically designed to suit your needs. If you can't afford to get your folders printed with your DJ name/logo, then stickers are always a good alternative. It is essential to put your contact information on everything that goes in the folder: your name and your DJ name; contact name; address; e-mail address; website URL; and phone number.
7. Get your CDs replicated. It's hard to convince anyone to listen to your music without offering them a copy of it to take home and play. While it's true that MP3's and other file types are becoming more prevalent on the web, the vast majority of people still find programming their VCR's a challenge. Make it easy for them. Promoters like things to be quick and easy. CD replication involves recording a top quality disc, designing the cover and whatever insert material you decide to include, getting film done, and ordering replication. You must decide what you want these discs to accomplish. Are you going to treat them like a demo and just distribute them to get the music heard? Are you going to try to recoup some of the investment by selling them? Whatever the goal, keep price points in mind. People are much more likely to buy a CD of an unsigned band if it sells for $5 rather than $20.
8. Make media contacts. When it comes to promoting your business, media contacts are as important as fans. Start out by making a list (or asking your manager) of contacts. Decide on what geographical areas to cover: your local area or any places you currently tour (or would like to). Then make a list of all the media outlets that cover music for that area. Consider community newspapers, magazines, web sites, radio stations, television stations, community access television, and venues. Call each of these and ask for the name of the appropriate person (e.g., music critic, music reporter, etc.). It's always a good idea to try and speak to the person directly, and introduce yourself (politely!). Explain why you are calling. Use this list for newsworthy reasons: performance schedules, personnel changes, news releases, sales targets reached, and awards received. For more on this, check out "How to Write a Press Release and Press Relations". Finally, DO NOT SPAM THESE PEOPLE. Do you really want to make an enemy of a music critic? Deliver relevant information only. Think quality, not quantity.
9. Market yourself. You may have noticed that the focus has been marketing yourself as much as playing the music. If you want to succeed in the industry, you have to work at selling your music as well as playing it. Be proactive in promoting your DJ'ing through every venue available. Create an image and keep it consistent.
10. Stay on course. Once you've made a game plan stick to it. Re-evaluate your plan to see what is working and what isn't. Do less of what isn't working and more of what is working. Do your homework and study your craft. This will keep you ahead of the game. Make sure that you stay focused and maintain a clear path toward your goals. Don't get caught up in the B.S. It will only weigh you down from where you want to go. Believe in yourself and don't expect it from anyone else. Your hard work will payoff in the end. In order to go global, you must first act locally.
want more info
http://www.discjockey101.com/oct2003.html
2. Get yourself a manager. Every DJ should try to have a manager or agent. Someone has to assume the responsibility of handling the business side of things. You need someone who is obsessive about detail, keeps records of everything, and isn't scared to go out and market your music. It's always a plus if they are a big fan of your musical style. A good manager plays an essential role in the success of a DJ. Making one person accountable helps to ensure that things get done in a professional manner, flyers get printed and posted with the correct information, demos get distributed, and reviews get collected and added to the press kits.
3. Build a following. Every DJ dreams of having a loyal fan base. Fans are essential to your DJ success. They will come to watch you play, buy your music, promote you to the people they know, and provide useful feedback to help you along your musical path. How do you build a following? Play as much as you can. Be consistent in promoting your events so that people who have seen you before know that you're playing. Start a mailing list. Collect the names and e-mail addresses of your fans (and ask their permission to use them). Then e-mail them with updates on the musical events that are happening-personal changes, new releases, and upcoming play dates.
4. Have a website. You need a central source for all information for both your fans and your critics. The best route by far is to register your DJ name. This can be done at www.networksolutions.com, if it's available. While there are always free resources for creating and hosting websites (Yahoo/Geocities, etc.), it's worth the $70 to be able to send people to www.yourdjname.com. One of the best flash designers out there can be found at www.newanglemedia.com. Remember that flash does cost more, but it's well worth it. When designing your site, make sure that you keep your browser in mind. Be careful of over-doing it and making your download time long. People do not want to wait. They want to see things now. Do your best to keep the information fresh and updated. This will drive repeat visits to the site. Make sure the site can be viewed from different browsers. Finally, after putting all of the work into your site, drive people to it. Have your website on everything that gets distributed. Find different ways to entice people to your site such as: strips at the bottom of band flyers, on stickers, on clothing, on CDs, etc. Trust me there are endless possibilities.
5. Find a mentor. A mentor is someone who has the experience in the business. They can prove to be invaluable. A mentor can provide reality checks, give you feedback on your music, suggest DJ promotions, and help you tap into their network of contacts. You can choose the relationship between the mentor and yourself to be either formal or informal. You can choose someone that is in the business and ask if you can shadow him or her and learn from what they do. A great place to start is your local record store and then the local clubs.
6. Design a media kit. A media kit is your calling card in the world of music. It should contain: an introductory letter; your DJ bio; a photo of yourself (8x10 black and white is standard); and your current demo CD or cassette. There are special folders that you can buy to hold this material, or you can get one specifically designed to suit your needs. If you can't afford to get your folders printed with your DJ name/logo, then stickers are always a good alternative. It is essential to put your contact information on everything that goes in the folder: your name and your DJ name; contact name; address; e-mail address; website URL; and phone number.
7. Get your CDs replicated. It's hard to convince anyone to listen to your music without offering them a copy of it to take home and play. While it's true that MP3's and other file types are becoming more prevalent on the web, the vast majority of people still find programming their VCR's a challenge. Make it easy for them. Promoters like things to be quick and easy. CD replication involves recording a top quality disc, designing the cover and whatever insert material you decide to include, getting film done, and ordering replication. You must decide what you want these discs to accomplish. Are you going to treat them like a demo and just distribute them to get the music heard? Are you going to try to recoup some of the investment by selling them? Whatever the goal, keep price points in mind. People are much more likely to buy a CD of an unsigned band if it sells for $5 rather than $20.
8. Make media contacts. When it comes to promoting your business, media contacts are as important as fans. Start out by making a list (or asking your manager) of contacts. Decide on what geographical areas to cover: your local area or any places you currently tour (or would like to). Then make a list of all the media outlets that cover music for that area. Consider community newspapers, magazines, web sites, radio stations, television stations, community access television, and venues. Call each of these and ask for the name of the appropriate person (e.g., music critic, music reporter, etc.). It's always a good idea to try and speak to the person directly, and introduce yourself (politely!). Explain why you are calling. Use this list for newsworthy reasons: performance schedules, personnel changes, news releases, sales targets reached, and awards received. For more on this, check out "How to Write a Press Release and Press Relations". Finally, DO NOT SPAM THESE PEOPLE. Do you really want to make an enemy of a music critic? Deliver relevant information only. Think quality, not quantity.
9. Market yourself. You may have noticed that the focus has been marketing yourself as much as playing the music. If you want to succeed in the industry, you have to work at selling your music as well as playing it. Be proactive in promoting your DJ'ing through every venue available. Create an image and keep it consistent.
10. Stay on course. Once you've made a game plan stick to it. Re-evaluate your plan to see what is working and what isn't. Do less of what isn't working and more of what is working. Do your homework and study your craft. This will keep you ahead of the game. Make sure that you stay focused and maintain a clear path toward your goals. Don't get caught up in the B.S. It will only weigh you down from where you want to go. Believe in yourself and don't expect it from anyone else. Your hard work will payoff in the end. In order to go global, you must first act locally.
want more info
http://www.discjockey101.com/oct2003.html
Posted Wed 03 Jan 07 @ 12:49 pm