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Originally Posted by NeedleSharp  not sure if you are just saying thats what you want in general or if you want me to actually send them to you... so ill send them! lol
i have 2 live mixes and an ableton mix already posted on here but i'll go ahead and pm the links to you |
yeah. Get Jello some mixes. He does lots of parties. Start playing some of those and other DJs and promoters will hear you and before you know it you will start getting some gigs.
Another factor is pay. If you are doing parties, then you will probably have to play for free every so often. While some people may tell you you should never play for free and that if you do you are only hurting yourself and other DJs in town, I think that's bullshit. You have to pay some dues to get the regular paying gigs and get your name out there. The people who say this are usually people who don't play regularly or are only playing one type of music for a certain crowd. Doing a few gigs for free is only to your advantage because it helps get you some exposure. If the promoter appreciates you, they will usually throw you some cash or take care of you in one way or another.
Another thing you might want to do is go hit up a few bars on Lower Greenville. Since you have the ability to play more on the mainstream edge, you have an advantage that a lot of genre-specific DJs don't have. Those places down there pull mainstream crowds and could get you gigs pretty easily. Go up there and ask to speak to the bar managers. Tell them you are a local DJ who can play a variety of genres for a crowd. Always speak in the positive and talk yourself up, without sounding overly egotistic. Be realistic, but sell yourself. A lot of places would rather have someone who is young and new and can meld to their clientele's needs as opposed to a DJ who is stuck in his ways and not willing to bend a little bit for the crowd. As far as pay at those places, a standard 4-5 hour pay rate for the bars is $150. Since you are new, you can't be picky. So if someone offers you $100 you should take it, but tell them you would like to discuss an increase after 4 weeks or so when you have shown them you can provide them with what they are looking for. If they want you to bring your own gear, then don't do it for less than $150 ($100 fee and $50 'equipment rental'). If they offer you a percentage of the bar as opposed to a flat rate, ask them what their average sales are on the night they want you to play and figure out if it's worth the time. Like I said, money should not be your first concern if you are doing it for the love of DJing. However, you don't want to be taken advantage of by anyone either.