How to Become an International DJ

Many DJs will ask the question ‘How do you become an international DJ?’ Here in this blog we will answer the question and give you valuable insight and advice to help you become an international DJ with a global fan base.

What is an International DJ?

Simply put, an international DJ is a DJ who performs in multiple countries. Many international DJs will tour the world playing gigs at clubs and music festivals. Aspiring DJs look up to international DJs because to get this level of recognition shows that you have a global following with fans all around the world. In short, you've made it!

Why Become an International DJ

DJs want to become international DJs because it is a measure of success. If you’re popular enough to be booked by promoters and event organisers in multiple countries it shows that you’re popular and people appreciate your music or DJing. Being an international DJ is something that many new DJs want to work toward.

How to Establish Yourself as an International DJ

The main way that DJs become attractive to international DJ bookers is to release popular music that transcends borders. If your music is viral enough you will attract fans from different countries. This means if you then get booked to DJ abroad your fans are more likely to buy a ticket to your concert or gig. Promoters need to pay many expenses when operating a night including venue hire, DJs and marketing so they need to recoup those costs with ticket sales. If they think your fans will buy a ticket to see you play they are much more likely to book you.

Another way of establishing yourself as an international act is to create a USP or ‘Unique Selling Point’ USPs will help you stand out from the thousands of DJs and become a valuable booking. USPs are also helpful when it comes to marketing and creating hype for concerts or shows, ultimately leading to more ticket sales.

A good example of a USP would be a persona or character like Marshmello. His outfit became instantly recognisable, even before his music was popular. This USP helped Marshmello create buzz around his tracks and performances. The eye-catching helmet was an instant success.

Another USP might be that you’re a specialist or world leader in a particular genre of music. Black Coffee was a pioneer of Afro House and thus became the international figurehead and the most desirable booking for any promoter.

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Another good example of a USP that helped an artist establish themselves on the international stage is that of our student James Haskell. James built up fame as a Rugby player and made a successful transition from sports to DJing. His fame and following allowed him to become an instant success, however he did still need to learn the skills at LSA! If you have fame or a large engaged following, perhaps from reality TV or another profession you can leverage that notoriety to launch a DJ career.

If you don’t have any successful music release, fame or an established USP you can still make it as a DJ on the international scene. You’ll just need enough fans and connections to work your way up.

Many DJs realise that for most of us fame and success do not happen overnight. For many, you have to build your career and connections with years of dedication. Savvy DJs who have marketing skills will often succeed in the long run, as long as they put in the work.

It’s all about gaining fans, and keeping them engaged. Once you have enough of them the gigs should start rolling in. However, you often have to walk the walk and talk the talk before the wheels engage.

We suggest that most DJs start by establishing a good idea of their USP, direction, brand or concept. What makes them special, why would someone buy a ticket to see you DJ?

Now try and recognise your target audience. What type of music fan is engaging with your content and buying tickets to see you perform?

The next question is how are you going to nurture your existing fans and keep them engaged at the same time as attracting new fans. Write down ten things you could be doing to help you build a fanbase.

To establish yourself as an international DJ you need international fans. You’ll need to target geographical regions and think about how you can make connections and target potential fans for that reason. Once you’ve gathered enough of them you can reach out to local promoters and look for your first DJ gigs.

Another way of getting your first international DJ gigs is to join LSA. We organise DJ gigs for all our DJ course graduates in the UK and Ibiza. Click here for more information about our DJ courses.

Conclusion

To establish yourself as an international artist you need to have one or more of the following:

Popular music releases

Existing fame or notoriety

A unique selling point

International connections

An international fanbase

You then create a system to nurture existing fans and gather more. Make sure to keep your fans engaged. Fans = tickets = DJ gigs.

While doing so think about how you can further your artistic goals and set yourself apart from all the other DJs in your scene. What can you do to elevate your craft or improve your message? Think big because it’s often easier at the top, where you’re competing with fewer people!

We hope you enjoyed this blog explaining how to become an international DJ. Please click here for more blogs, tips and tricks for DJs.