whats is the best way to start DJing at clubs??

Its not easy to get club gigs. You should start out in small clubs like the type that have a restuarant and A small night club. What you will do if you are good is build a following there. Then you are set to move on to bigger clubs and your following will follow. Thats the key get a following otherwise big night clubs wont hire you. You can also look into guest DJing in clubs and try and get on that way.
 
Pure hype has some great advice... this one is long, cliffnotes at the bottom

speaking as a person who worked his way up from mobile gigs to school dances (my own highschool while i was still attending) up to clubs and mainstream radio....

the best way is to practice, practice practice... and do as many gigs as you can. the best way to get into clubs is to network... it's not so much what you know it's WHO you know.

Djing as much as you can where ever you can will help hone your skill... put together a mix CD pm me if you dont know how to put one together and hit up the clubs.

What i used to do was go to the clubs i WANTED to be in and see how the dj's there spun (what kind of music, how the crowd reacted)

getting into a large club is VERY hard, usually the people in control have their fav's and they aren't going anywhere... if they are there is uaually a long list of dj's looking to take that spot.

there's sooo many different tips to give but i wont make you read too much more.

Get a mix cd together and give them away free to any and everyone you know... start going to every club spot and talk to the promoters and club owners make sure all your dj info is on the cd (cell phone number, email) if you can get a card from them call them everyonce in a while...

Usually when you start somewhere (or with a new promoter) you'll get the worst spot and first gig will be little or NO money... if you show that you can hold it down, reliable, and can be ON TIME - you'll get a call back. when you do BE READY! dont brush it off because you have a date with a girl... cause (atleast in the begining) you WONT get another call back, there's plenty of hungry dj's ready to take your spot.

ps i used to make a new mix cd about every month... and go the rounds.. be your toughest critic and don't put out a mix cd that you wouldn't listen to about 100 times in a row and be proud of.

so the cliffnote version:

:cool: Practice practice practice.... It's all in who you know... Don't worry about money in the begining.... Get out there (mix cds, djing gigs):cool:
 
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great advice pure hype and theanomoly ... i still haven't gotten into the club scene yet, but I started by djing for wrap parties, i wasnt paid for the first one but they really liked my set, so they asked me a second time around, this time they decided to pay...

keep at it..it helps to make some friends too..
 
Another thing I would like to add. Dont under estemate the small restuarant bar/ nightclubs. You can make such a name for yourself and bring so much business to these places that they become the new hotspots. Then you can name your price for your services (to an extent that is) Or move on to bigger gigs since you have made a name for yourself. The big nightclubs are well aware of where their competition is if your small hotspot is anywhere in the area of the big clubs you can bet they know you already.

Also like others said network. Get to know some of these DJ's in big nightclubs become good friends with them and they can give you a guest DJ spot for a night or part of the night. If you do a good job with that people will start requesting you to DJ. I wouldnt say its not what you know its who you know however you got to have skills or you wont get that gig in the first place so practice practic practice and then once you have done all of that practice again.
 
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Yeah networking is a great, not only for DJ'ing but generally for all musicians. Sadly the Inudustry today is 75-80% about who you know or how much money you have. Skill isn't even really needed in todays music. Which sucks since so many artist just care about getting paper and not making it from the heard. Not all but "A good portion" of artist do it for the money.

By the way do you get free drinks if your DJ?
 
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this is a great thread should get a stickie it has helped me out alot. I would love to dj in nightclubs and major parties.
 
Enndee said:
By the way do you get free drinks if your DJ?

You do get free drinks but take my word for it its a bad idea I know from experiance I cant mix for **** when Im drunk. You also get a Phuck it type attitude when your drunk which wont lead to future DJ gigs thats for sure.
 
Great ideas guys.

Some other things you can do is:

1. Make Mixed tapes and hustle them. It has two benefits. One; publicity. If people know your name and like what you do they'll be willing to pay to get into a larger venue to see you. Two; you will be able to gauge how well your Djing is liked, by how many tapes you sell and the demand.

2. Create a web page or post on myspace & youtube. If you're lucky, you'll go viral and club owners will be knocking at your door.

3. Guerilla Marketing. Get some friends or a street team, to go to bigger clubs and spread your name around. This can have mixed results, but you can't go wrong giving it a try.
 
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Ha! No really dude glad to help.
 
1st I'd like to say this is a really "decent" thread and it'z a lot of truth in the post. One thing I didn't really see anyone touch on is why do you want to do clubs and are you really wanting to deal with that "animal" if you will. Clubs are great I've DJ'd in many from Singapore, Japan to Hawaii and then some, but the thing about a lot of clubs is that the management will more than likely try to control your playlist which is primarily the reason I just make appearances @ clubs rather than being a resident DJ and plus they don't want to $$$. Anyway, not trying to hijack the thread but your determination and perserverance will get you the gig! An example would be I really wanted to spin @ a particular club but they actually had to many DJ'z (most of them sucked) but I got to know the management there and they offered me another position which I took and that eventually lead to me not only getting the gig but ultimately had me doing the scheds. for all of the DJ's and to bring in other talent so get to know the SHOT CALLER'z at the spot you want to gig @ as it can pay off in more ways than one. Good luck homie.

Uno!
 
DME-CEO said:
get to know the SHOT CALLER'z

excellent advice, it might seem daunting randomly going up to mgrs and owners but when you do, it will feel like you won the lottery afterwards.
 
well

The thing about giving away free cds, it makes you look desperate. like yo listen to my cd listen to my cd.

Get it out, but don't give it out yourself. Identify the hot chicks , you know, the ones that are always going out and everyone wants to chill with, and give them a couple dozen to give to their friends etc. you want the club going public to listen to ur **** and knwo who u are. building a buzz is not easy but it can be done

clubs are not gonna hire a nobody that's for sure so make sure you're sort of a somebody before u go. if it looks like you're benefiting from djing there and they are about to raise your weight u can forget it.

when i was in school, we threw a party and over 800 people came... shutting down the bar across teh street. so we wanted to throw a gig there, and as soon as they heard my name - they didn't ask any questions they just went along because they knew we could fill the place.

right after that they approached me to do a regular gig there.

that is one slick way to expose your skills to a club. book a gig there, like a sorta private event, and make sure mad people come. and rock teh hell out of it. the management will notice. hello lady/mr dj, you've now earned you some bargaining power


DO NOT walk up to people (strangers)and hand them a mix. that's lame and it makes you look desperate.

if you're playing somewhere , you can use mixtapes as a crowd mover/contest thing - the chick with the hottest outfit gets a cd and a hug from teh dj . be creative. leave cds at teh door so everyone who comes before midnight gets a copy. just don't hand it out yourself.....
 
Pure Hype Production said:
Another thing I would like to add. Dont under estemate the small restuarant bar/ nightclubs. You can make such a name for yourself and bring so much business to these places that they become the new hotspots. Then you can name your price for your services (to an extent that is) Or move on to bigger gigs since you have made a name for yourself. The big nightclubs are well aware of where their competition is if your small hotspot is anywhere in the area of the big clubs you can bet they know you already.

Also like others said network. Get to know some of these DJ's in big nightclubs become good friends with them and they can give you a guest DJ spot for a night or part of the night. If you do a good job with that people will start requesting you to DJ. I wouldnt say its not what you know its who you know however you got to have skills or you wont get that gig in the first place so practice practic practice and then once you have done all of that practice again.
I work in a small club that just opened. We have become the place to be. Recently we were named the best new club in the city. I get asked to do some of the bigger clubs b/c they want some of our flavor. Work those little spots to your advantage. Pretty soon, other people will come looking for you!!

programatick said:
The thing about giving away free cds, it makes you look desperate. like yo listen to my cd listen to my cd.

Get it out, but don't give it out yourself. Identify the hot chicks , you know, the ones that are always going out and everyone wants to chill with, and give them a couple dozen to give to their friends etc. you want the club going public to listen to ur **** and knwo who u are. building a buzz is not easy but it can be done

clubs are not gonna hire a nobody that's for sure so make sure you're sort of a somebody before u go. if it looks like you're benefiting from djing there and they are about to raise your weight u can forget it.

when i was in school, we threw a party and over 800 people came... shutting down the bar across teh street. so we wanted to throw a gig there, and as soon as they heard my name - they didn't ask any questions they just went along because they knew we could fill the place.

right after that they approached me to do a regular gig there.

that is one slick way to expose your skills to a club. book a gig there, like a sorta private event, and make sure mad people come. and rock teh hell out of it. the management will notice. hello lady/mr dj, you've now earned you some bargaining power


DO NOT walk up to people (strangers)and hand them a mix. that's lame and it makes you look desperate.

if you're playing somewhere , you can use mixtapes as a crowd mover/contest thing - the chick with the hottest outfit gets a cd and a hug from teh dj . be creative. leave cds at teh door so everyone who comes before midnight gets a copy. just don't hand it out yourself.....
When I spin, people come ask me do I have Mixtapes. I sell them for various prices. if they buy 2 I give them an older one for free. sometimes I sell them at "half price" when I feel like getting rid of them. I give very few of them away.

Here's a tip, if a guy sees a girl buy one, He's gonna buy one. Also, if he's trying to impress a female & she likes your music, when you announce you have mixtapes, he's gonna get one for her & him too. I see it all the time.
 
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It's Who You Know. Club Promoters, Booking Agents & other DJs. Some DJs May Come Across 2 Gigs On The Same Night, And Thats Where You Come In.
 
Practice is key! You don't want to be weak when you get your chance. I hung out at clubs and talked to promoters and even party people just networking, you know. I told them who and what I was. They turned me on to new clubs/lounges opening up around the area. Some had a dj; others didn't. Some gave me a chance; others didn't. i'm still working at the some of the spots that hooked me up. All in all you need to get out there and network/chill/hang out, but have something ready for people who may be interested in you.(a mix cd with your info/my space account etc.) Make all that time you spent in the basement practicing, payoff.
 
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