Like all of us, DJs often make the mistake of thinking that their success is someone else’s responsibility. The reality is that the music industry is a super competitive place. To succeed, you’ll need to do something that demonstrates your allegiance to one thing: yourself. Get enrolled with the DJ Courses Online Career Tips class for deeper insight. Here are a few things about the industry that we have the power to fix.
It’s not all about getting paid
You know that phrase ‘it’s just business?’ Well, it can be hard to hear when you’ve shared insane emotional highs with your ‘business partners’. Music is a lot more personal than other business. People are truly invested in each other and nobody likes the idea that music is only business. This is why there’s never been a sponsored ‘Coca Cola song’ that worked (this one isn’t sponsored and doesn’t count). Humans draw the line when it comes to their music. It’s almost sacred! So align yourself with those humans who aren’t following music made for any industry, but rather music made for others who share their taste.
Be careful what you sign
DJs often sign to one label or agency. One of the more common complaints you’ll hear is that labels and agencies aren’t taking responsibility for developing their DJs. There might be good reasons for that, but DJs can feel trapped in a contract and powerless to create their own business. It a super-important thing to remember in an atmosphere where ‘getting signed’ is spoken of as a magic cure-all for escaping obscurity. Be careful what you sign.
Align with the sound
The barrier to entry for DJing is floor level. This has enabled a vast majority to self-publish and has opened the floodgates for music that, frankly, sounds entry level. We tend to reward people not for their taste in music but the volume of their voice on social media. One thing we could do better is to take personal responsibility for not allowing bad music messaging to even enter into our lifestyles. This is harder than it sounds. A friend wants you to comment on his/her socials. A bad mix is playing in the background when you have the power to change it. Take a stand for better music and allow the public image of the DJ to matter less than the sound coming out of the speakers.
Music is timeless and the industry keeps shifting to keep up, much like trying to harpoon a whale. Remember that. At the end of the day, commerce is racing to keep up with the people’s enjoyment of music, not the other way around. As a DJ, the best thing you can do for your audience is to be more selective about what you stand for outside of personal glory and success. That way, you’ll find the people who you’re truly doing business with. Sign up for membership by DJ Courses Online and take the next step in your DJ journey.
John Bartmann is a music producer and DJ