10 Steps to Promoting
Yourself As A DJ
by
DJ
Sterling
(www.dj-sterling.com)
October 2003
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.
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