How to Find DJ Work: A Practical Guide for New DJs
Finding DJ work after you've learnt how to DJ can seem daunting. Where do you start?
In this blog we'll help by providing you with a clean structured guide on how to find valuable DJ work, get more gigs and establish yourself as a new DJ. With this approach, persistence and a touch of hustle you'll be amazed at how you can launch your own DJ career and start getting paid DJ work.
Quick Summary: How to Find DJ Work
- Perfect Your DJ Skills: Learn how to DJ professionally and practice, practice, practice!
- Define Your Niche: Establish what type of DJ you are.
- Create a Series of Mixtapes: Showcase your sound and skills using audio and video mixes.
- Identify Your USP: Find what makes you stand out as a DJ and boost it.
- Create an EPK: Perfect your sales pitch and presentation.
- Establish a Presence: Make yourself visible and contactable.
- Promote Yourself: Find ways to reach a bigger audience.
- Collaborate: Find other artists and brands to collab with.
- Network: Find ways to network within the music industry.
- Gain DJ Gig Experience: Hone your performance skills with your first gigs.
- Become a Content Pro: Learn how to document your story.
- Pitch to Venues & Promoters: Reach out to event organisers for more DJ work.
- Leverage Connections: Learn how to leverage your connections for more opportunities.
- Release Music: Start releasing original tracks and remixes.
- Cultivate Super Fans: Grow your fanbase and expand your audience.
- Adopt New Technology: Be the first to utilise new technology to stay ahead in the industry.
For more detailed tips and actionable advice, keep reading below!
Perfect Your DJ Skills
Before your dive head first into the world of DJ work and live DJ performances you need to master your DJ skills. The fastest and most accurate way to learn how to DJ is to take a professional industry-led DJ course. At LSA, we offer 1-1 DJ courses designed to accelerate your learning and prepare you for the world of DJ work. If you want to become a top DJ you'll need to be trained by the best tutors.
The DJ tutors at London Sound Academy are second-to-none and have decades of teaching experience. Waiting lists can be long so advanced booking is recommended. Furthermore, the curriculum at LSA has the Pioneer DJ (AlphaTheta) seal of approval and we are one of the worlds few Pioneer DJ Education Partners.
If you're looking for the best DJ courses in the world you're in the right place! We have a role-call of successful alumni who have made DJing their main career and are now touring the world, living the dream. In addition, we have the highest number of five-star reviews and testimonials that go far beyond any other academy.
If you're an aspiring DJ and want to train to be the best join London Sound Academy. Click here for our courses or contact our team for more information.
Define Your Niche
What type of DJ are you? DJing is a dream job and as such it attracts many people who aim to make DJing their career path. The electronic music scene is expanding as more people and cultures adopt the thrill of electronic dance music, clubbing and DJing. In a crowded scene you need to find your niche and focus your efforts to achieve success. Try not to spread yourself too thin, it's better to have laser vision and direct your efforts into your particular type of DJing.
Not sure what types of DJing there are? Click here for all the different types of DJ jobs there are.
Click here for other jobs that are related to DJing.
Create a Series of Mixtapes
Once you've figured out what type of DJ you are and perfected your DJ skills you need to start showing the world! Start by creating a regular series of mixtapes either just the audio or video (or both). Use this as a way to share your particular DJing style, sound and show off your technique.
You can share these mixes with potential bookers and use them to build a fan base. You can use Mixcloud, Soundcloud. YouTube and various other social media platforms to share your work.
You can even consider doing a radio show. A regular spot of an internet radio station is a great way to get started and provides an opportunity to practice creating sets.
Click here to find out how to make a DJ mixtape.
Click here to find out how to record a radio DJ set.
Identify Your USP
Your Unique Selling Point (USP) is what makes you special and worth booking. There are thousands of DJs so try and identify what makes your special and promote it. Perhaps it's your stage costume (think Mashmallow) your DJ performance (think James Hype) or your track releases.
Search far and wide for a USP that will let you stand out, attract attention and help spread your name.
Click here to learn more about establishing your USP and becoming an international DJ.
Create an EPK
All professional DJs need an Electronic Press Kit (EPK). An EPK is simply a PDF presentation that showcases your main selling points. It includes professional DJ portrait photos, accolades, artist biography, discography and notable DJ appearances.
Click here to find out how to make an EPK for free.
Click here to find out more about artist biographies.
Click here to find out how important DJ press shots are.
Establish a Presence
Once you've got some decent press photos taken and written your DJ biography you can populate all your social media profiles. Stay true to your USP and launch all the relevant profiles including Instagram, TikTok, Blue Sky, YouTube & more.
Once you've setup your pages you need to start sharing content to your followers.
Click here for what tools you need to create DJ content.
Click here for our sixty days of content challenge and master social media promotion.
Promote Yourself
Now it's time to shout from the rooftops! There is no point just mixing in your bedroom, if you want to get paid DJ work you have to go out there and knock on doors. Reach out to promoters directly and share your USP, EPK and social media profiles. See if you get get your foot in the door any which way, even if it means playing for free at first.
You should also promote yourself to potential fans. Use your social media profiles to interact with people who either interacted on your content or similar content. Direct messaging and real conversations are the key.
Collaborate
Want to increase your reach? The easiest way to boost your audience is by collaborating with other artists and brands. This is a mutually beneficial exercise that should increase the numbers of follows for both parties.
Spend some time identifying who think you should collaborate with with and set up a business arrangements. It's fun and fruitful! It can as simply as a back-to-back DJ set or an agreement to share each others content.
Click here to learn about back-to-back DJ sets.
Network
it's no secret that a lot of a DJs success will come down to who they know. The ability to network and find networking events is vital for all aspiring DJs. There are many cool music industry events such as seminars, festivals, parties, club nights and other events. Just make sure you attend armed with a business card and the mindset to network!
Click here for LSA's Monthly DJ Networking Event, the most popular DJ networking event in London!
Gain DJ Gig Experience
While you pitch for paid work you should still be aiming to gain valuable DJ performance experience. The more gigs you can do the better, even if they are for free. There are so many opportunities and ways for you to get more DJ gigs, you just need to know where to look. Luckily for you we've listed the best ways for a DJ to find DJ gigs, free and paid.
Graduates of our DJ course all have access to a range of DJ gigs to help them build DJ gig experience.
Click here to discover more ways to find DJ gigs.
Become a Content Pro
Ready to take your content to the next level and flex like a superstar DJ? The key is to delegate! It's hard for a DJ to do everything! Try and establish a team of other creatives to help drive your brand forward. Work with talented photographers, graphic designers and videographers.
All big artists have teams of multiple people that help them stay competitive and in the eye of the consumer.
Pitch to Venues & Promoters
There is no point waiting for the phone to magically ring. No one is coming for you. You have to reach out directly to promoters and venues to secure paid DJ work. Start by creating a list of the all electronic music venues and nights that specialise in your style of DJing in your local area or country.
Now reach out to each of them one by one and learn as you go. Find a sales pitch that works for you and learn it like a script.
Eventually, popular DJs will attract DJ agencies who will do some of the heavy lifting for them and find them paid DJ work. However, it's a chicken-and-egg situation, you have to already be a popular act for an agency to be interested in working with you. You'll have to start the ball rolling on your own.
Click here to find out if you need a DJ agency.
Leverage Connections
Have you made some good connections when pitching for venues or attending networking events? You'll need to keep a record of all your contacts, so consider a diary or system of savings contacts. Make sure you regularly review your database and reach out to connections regularly to deepen your relationship.
When an opportunity arises think to yourself how you can leverage the connections you have to expand on opportunity. Perhaps you know another famous DJ who might play B2B with you, making yourself a more attractive booking in the eyes of a promoter. Learning how to leverage your connections is a key business and negotiation skill that will enable you to get better paid DJ work.
Click here to find out how much DJs are paid.
Release Music
If you want to become a global star, travel the world DJing from one festival to the next the only way you can do it by releasing popular music. Music production is the essential skill all artists need to learn to create electronic music and establish themselves as valuable acts. Fans gravitate to DJs who have their own music and fans are the ones who pay to see DJs perform. If you don't have fans, you don't have bookings, simple as that.
Learn how to produce as soon as you can to get ahead in the industry and work toward paid DJ work and international gigs.
Cultivate Super Fans
Fans are what pays an artist's bills, they either buy or stream your music, eat up your content or buy tickets to see your perform. Growing a fanbase is of the utmost importance for DJs and one particular type of fan will pay the most dividends. Super fans are those fans who stick with your through the good times and the bad and support you all the way.
It's easy to spot your super fans, they will be the ones interacting with your content the most. Find ways of rewarding them for their dedication.
Adopt New Technology
The electronic music industry is in constant flux evolving at an ever increasing pace. DJs and artists who adopt new tech as it's released will have the upper hand in when it comes to advances in the industry. If you're the first to utilise a new technology you often reap the most rewards. Those late to the game will never be able to get the same results. It's vital that you continue to learn, embrace new technology and become an industry leader.
Conclusion
No one is coming to help you. If you want to become a successful DJ you'll need to go out there and make it happen. There is no point shying away, grab all these opportunities by the horns and take a leap of faith! You'll be surprised at what you can achieve if you put your mind to it. As ever, if you need help, advice or want to further your DJ, production or music business skills get in touch with us.
