The DJ Manual E-Book

Christian Haase

• Herausgeber: DJ Training
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Seitenzahl: 102

Beschreibung

At a time when digitalization is making it easier to become a DJ, but due to the equally enormous increase in the number of competitors, it is important to follow a precise plan when dealing with yourself as a DJ who wants to become self-employed business owner. This book is not a textbook that teaches the reader the various techniques of DJing, such as scratching or beat mixing, it is to be understood as an aid to those who have already mastered basic skills. In two large sections, several chapters explain in detail how to behaves as a DJ in various cases at a party and how to keep the customers satisfied. On the other hand also business and financial law aspects are being highlighted. From founding your own company to the big question of how you can gradually increase your fees, the most important facts are highlighted here. This book is aimed at both DJs from clubs as well as to DJs who attend private parties such as weddings, birthdays or company events. 1 Successful Party 1.2 Master your skills 1.2 The nuts and bolts: Preparation 1.3 Set up broadly or specialize? 1.4 Is technology crucial for a good party? 1.5 Warm-up or peak time? Or both? 1.6 Moderation: Must-Have or No-Go? 1.7 Music selection: The right track at the right time 2 Successful business 2.1 Build your image 2.2 Build a network 2.3 Is an agency / artist management necessary? 2.4 Online advertising 2.5 Offline advertising 2.6 Reduce costs and increase revenues

Leseprobe

THE DJ MANUAL

Successful party.Successful business.

Christian Haase

The DJ Manual

Christian Haase

© 2021Christian Haase

All rights reserved.

Author: Christian Haase

[email protected]

ISBN: 978-3-98551-962-0

Front page photo: benchart (Fotolia) & RetroColoring.com (Fotolia)

Front page design: Sarah Haas

Introduction

Dear reader,

Thank you for choosing to read this book, which should help you in your work and ultimately in your career. After all, the goal should be for you to be successful as a DJ. Whether you are aiming for a career as a club DJ or you see yourself much more at private parties such as weddings, birthdays or at corporate events. This guide is divided into two major sections:

First, we will discuss how to party successfully. This may sound strange indeed, but it's not done by simply pulling up your favorite songs on your laptop and then rocking a party. It takes a lot of work and especially practice. You have to know your equipment, you have to know your music inside out, you have to be musically flexible, you have to be able to build up a tension, you must not be afraid to take the microphone in your hands and many other things. If you want to perform professionally, you also have to appear professionally. Here are the most important tips to help you on your way.

On the other hand, many administrative tasks are also part of your job. If you want to perform, you also have to make an effort to get gigs. In the second part of this book, you will learn which form of advertising you should not do without, how to build up your image, and how to use a network to get paid more often and at a higher rate. Besides all the artistic (but also service-oriented) tasks as a DJ, you are of course, also bound to certain tax regulations and should not take the topic of insurance lightly. Here you will be shown what you need and what your rights and obligations are.

And now: Have fun and good luck with your career as a professional DJ!

1 Successful party

1.2 Master your skills

So,here you are. The fact that you are reading these lines here proves that you have the commitment and willingness to start your DJ career. In the following chapters, you will find a lot of information on how to manage your DJ activities economically, but also how to "party successfully". Because, besides all the administrative, accounting and marketing activities, your main task is to create a good atmosphere at a party. You know that it's not enough to get a laptop, put on a few favorite songs and give yourself a cool name. But the most important thing, and that's why this book goes into it right at the beginning, is to master your skills.

A good DJ has to be able to fire up the crowd, yes, but if he can't DJ properly, he still fails. So, be sure you've practiced enough before even looking at gigs. You need to master beat mixing as well as a functional music selection. You need to be able to adapt to your audience and know your music, so know where it mixes best, where you can add an effect, and what part is perfect to sample or loopas well as scratching, if that is relevant to you. These terms should also not be foreign to you. A wedding DJ won't need to know this, but a DJ in a hip hop club can't avoid it. Know your mixer, your players, and your laptop. Know about their quirks and know the functions of each button and knob. It can also be an advantage if you know how your speakers are built and how they work, so you can tell the difference between a Speakon and a XLR connection.

But your skills also include a reasonable moderation. Whether you will need that is another matter (in the club rather not, on private parties already). But it is important that you can do it and that you are not ashamed of it. Being able to do something and not needing it is better than needing something you can't do. For this, you will find a separate chapter in this book.

Think about how you structure your music. Is it by genre, year, your personal feelings or whether you create playlists? It is important that you can look through them and quickly find what you need. Especially, if a guest approaches you with a music request; you should be able to at least know what song it is when he tells you the artist or the title. A top-of-the-line skill you will need is recognizing a song when a guest can only hum to you (yes, unfortunately this happens more often than you think). If you recognize what he means, you’ll be his hero that night. Another example would be, a guest comes to you and asks for the "Bongo song". Then you should also know that he means "Played-A-Live" by Safri Duo with 99.9% certainty. Learn to know and deal with such special cases. A butcher handles meat and knows how to deal with it. The music is your working tool; know your music.

At this point, we will not go into the individual mixing techniques, because that is not what this book is for. This starting aid should be a companion for you if you already know how to mix and now finally want to take the next step.

1.2 The nuts and bolts: Preparation

Have you now received your first booking? Then you are certainly full of euphoria and happy that you can finally pursue your favorite occupation for pay. An order also means that your marketing measures have worked or are paying off. Congratulations! However, you should not forget that it is still work and a successful DJ performance requires a minimum of preparation. Good planning is essential, because after all, you don't want to throw yourself into chaos, but you want to make a professional appearance. If your client is satisfied with you, it may well be that he will book you again on another occasion. It is therefore worthwhile to proceed in a structured manner and to consider the decisive measures.

First of all, it is important to know how much information your contact person has already given you about the booking. If you only received the order by e-mail or inquiry form on your homepage, you should definitely get into personal contact with the person who sent it. An initial telephone conversation facilitates the further steps of the preparation enormously, since open questions can be clarified directly and you can find out who you are dealing with. You can also respond to the customer's individual wishes and ask what needs to be considered in particular. For example, if your client is a bride and groom, it is likely that they would like a particular song for the wedding dance, but were so involved in the wedding preparations that they forgot to share this important information. Which doesn't matter though, because after all, you are a professional DJ and are happy to ask. Likewise, it may be that certain genres of music are not desired in the set (hit songs, for example, are a no-go for many organizers). However, you can only find all this out if you get in touch with your client and discuss the course of the evening in detail. A music request questionnaire can also be a great help. You can find an example of this in chapter 1.7. If you are lucky, you will receive a detailed briefing in advance that you can follow.

The event location also plays an important role. As soon as you know the name of the location, you should familiarize yourself with it, unless you regularly perform there anyway.Fortunately, many event locations have a website where you can find information about the venue. On the basis of the size of the location, you can estimate the number of guests, if your client has not yet told you this. The ambience is also a criterion that provides information about the upcoming event.

In any case, you will find useful information that will help you in planning. You can adapt your outfit to the characteristics of the event location and write down contact details that you need to clarify the technical equipment on site. Normally, professional event locations are technically well equipped, but it is better to take precautions than to experience unpleasant surprises on site. If it is a club from your region, it makes sense to visit it in advance. In this way, you can get an idea of the audience that will be waiting for you on site. Also, scouting the location will help you to get rid of nervousness, because behind stage fright is usually just the fear of the unknown.

Now, we come to the aspect that is ultimately also important for a performance: the music! A central part of your preparation is the playlist. Ideally, you know exactly how you have to proceed because your client has already given you music wishes or specifications. You should stick to them; otherwise, you might not see any money afterwards due to the non-fulfillment of contractual obligations and you might incur the customer's displeasure, which could ultimately damage your image.

As you surely know, an appropriate moderation is part of a successful performance. A DJ who only stands behind the desk and does not speak the whole evening is not very exciting. Sometimes, your client may already provide you with concrete instructions, along the lines of: "Please announce our guest of honor, the president of our partner company, in the middle of the evening". If it is a formal or festive event, it makes sense to make a list of the names of the most important actors so that you do not confuse anyone in the heat of the moment or during the moderation. For difficult names, such as those of foreign origin, have someone tell you exactly how to pronounce them. If you announce the CEO and mispronounce it in front of a staff of 2,000 people, it's more than embarrassing. If it helps you, you can also write down individual phrases that you will say into the microphone. Reading them off is not "cool", but it will help you to memorize the right words, eventually. Just don't make the mistake of saying too much under any circumstances. When DJs stand behind the mixing desk, usually no one speaks a word to them all evening, so they are easily tempted to compensate for the lack of conversation by reaching for the microphone. However, a talkative DJ doesn't always