Working as a professional DJ is much more complex than simply streaming music at your friends’ weddings. These days, DJing is a serious gig.
Technological advancements have impacted the dynamic in both the music and business sectors, allowing independent musicians to propel themselves into center stage at a rapid rate. You’re able to sharpen your skills and scratching techniques via online courses, attend other gigs to network, and implement digital marketing tactics to help fast-track your musical career.
If your goal is to become a prominent DJ, we want to help you get there. Here are our favorite bits of advice to help you fast track your career.
Do As The Pros Do
As with any professional endeavor, learning what those who are already successful have done and possibly implementing some of the same strategies in your own work is a great first step to fast tracking your DJ career.
Discover who and what inspires you and adapt those tactics to match your life. If you’re lucky, you might be able to find a mentor to guide you along the way. One of our favorite stories involves David Soloman, CEO of Goldman Sachs by day and DJ D-Sol by night.
Don’t Quit Your Day Job…Yet
It’s important to note that your day job can actually help you advance your musical career. Applying the practical skills from your job, such as communication and marketing knowledge, can help you connect with your audience on a deeper level. And, if your colleagues know about your DJing talents, they may be able to refer clients to you.
Get Creative
Curating your personal and professional brand is a great idea for any entrepreneur, but it’s especially important for DJs. Your social media platforms, website, and other marketing materials, such as flyers and business cards, are essential to your growth. Think about your image and what impression you want your fans to have of you and stay consistent throughout each medium you actively employ.
Work By Day, Network By Night
DJing, just like any other entrepreneurial endeavor, requires you to spend time networking with others in the music industry. Going to clubs to check out other DJs can help you connect with producers, venues, and other professional contacts. Plus, it’s a great way to keep up on the latest trends.
You might also like: How to Prepare for a Last Minute DJ Gig
Develop A Business Strategy And Goal-Oriented Mindset
Without a strategy or plan, it’s nearly impossible to track how far you’ve come and what changes you need to make in either the music or venues you perform at in order to expand your career. Setting goals and determining what methodologies are successful or unsuccessful helps you set benchmarks so you can know which direction to take with your music and what equipment to invest in.
Keep On Keepin’ On
Working on elevating your DJ career can be a long process and take you on a career journey. It requires much discipline and sacrifice but one of the most common qualities affluent DJs share is tenacity. It takes grit and a willingness to self-reflect and improve to make it in the music industry.
Three Words: Get DJ Insurance
Whether you’re a mobile DJ or you prefer booking wedding gigs, DJ insurance is a must for any successful DJ.
Why?
We’ll explain.
As a DJ, you face some unique liability risks such as those associated with setting up your equipment for shows. And, did you know venues may require that you have insurance before they allow you to perform on premises?
Liability insurance could also provide a layer of financial protection in the event you face a claim involving bodily injury or property damage. DJ insurance from Insurance Canopy even offers options that allow you to extend the coverage of your policy to your equipment for a small additional premium. This is good news because if something is damaged in transit to or from a show, your insurance may help cover the expenses associated with replacing or fixing the equipment.
To learn more about obtaining annual DJ insurance, please visit www.insurancecanopy.com.
