Throwing your own party is a bit like farming. Unlike getting bookings, it’s about the medium- to long-term. You sort of have to be committed to making it work for at least 6 months before it starts to pay off, particularly in a Covophobic world. It is a completely different game to getting bookings, so here are a few ways to do it right.
The music
The music is where 90% of the word-of-mouth happens. All it takes is for someone to say the words ‘jackin house’ to get jackin house fans excited. Even if you’re not totally into the music, deliver the tunes people want to hear. Everything else is really just the icing. There’s a bunch of practical DJ industry advice for DJ Courses Online members.
The venue
Start small. It’s better to have 30 people in a 50-person venue than 100 in a 500-person venue. Professional DJing is really just about playing records that make people dance together. Dancing is a vertical expression of a horizontal desire. To some extent, you’re playing matchmaker. And those people need to feel like they’re being crammed together in a space. Scale up to a bigger venue only when your regular event genuinely packs out.
The promotion
Most of the people who come to your party will be personal friends and people you know. The toughest thing about selling tickets to your friends is how to do it without turning them into dollar signs. If you’re just starting out, you do have to actually like most of the people and be genuinely pleased to see them arrive. Use social media, but don’t rely on it too much. It’s more about repeat exposure across different sources of information. A text message, then a post, then a poster, then a mention in conversation - that’s good promotion.
The best piece of advice for throwing a DJ night is to just talk to people about it. Mention that you’re keeping your ears open for opportunities. Everyone will say it’s a great idea, but take their opinions with a pinch of salt. It’s much easier to say ‘sure’ than to buy a ticket. Reach out to more experienced DJs about starting your night and see what they think. And finally, pay a bit of money to level up with a course. Take a tour of the DJ training courses offered here and get your party started!