The world of DJing is very competitive. Today, almost everyone can be a DJ. The leading directory has 199,968 DJs listed and counting. To get ahead, self-promoters need fresh ideas.
The filler is a concept that I shared with a group of DJs who asked me for a concrete method to land gigs.
The concept in a nutshell
Somewhere in your city there’s a busy DJ who’s turning down gigs or who’s not able to play at his or her residency for various reasons: other bookings, illness or something else. Discover how to become the DJ of choice who acts as his or her official replacement and watch your bookings soar!
The concept in details
In the DJ culture we have all have to realize that the more a DJ is “hot” the busier he or she becomes. Some DJs are tireless (or greedy depending on your perspective): they can play three or more gigs in a give night. But there’s a time this busy DJ has to turn down offers or is not able to make his scheduled gig for various reasons be professional or personal.
The promoter or club owner has to find someone to replace this DJ. Why? Well, simply because music needs to be played for club or party attendees! Would it not be nice if you were the person that got the first call first?
By the time you are done reading this article, the concept will reveal the many opportunities waiting for you.
First things first…
Have you ever been to a store looking for a specialized item only to find out that it was not stocked or was out of stock by the time you got there? If you were desperate for that item say a car battery and you did not know where else to find car batteries, what did you ask the salesperson? “Would you know where else I may find the car battery I need?”
The DJ world is no different. When a promoter or club owner runs out of DJ options (as in, the DJs that he or she knows can’t make his booking for various reason), he or she will ask the DJ who just declined if this latter knows can recommend anyone.
Or consider this… a resident DJ needs to get sometime off because he or she needs to play elsewhere or because he or she has a personal matter to attend to. Believe me that if this DJ recommends to his client (the club owner or promoter) to get a certain DJ as his or her replacement, chances of this DJ being booked are very high.
What does this mean for you?
I know what you are thinking… how many times does a DJ get time off or other offers? You would be surprised but it happens a lot! Of course, an unknown or newbie DJ will not get as many offers because he or she is not in high demand yet but busy/popular DJs have offers on their table at any given time.
In a past article we spoke about the power of allies, especially like-minded DJs. Suppose you were to become close (on a professional basis please!) to a very popular DJ to the point where he or she feels comfortable telling the promoter that you will do a good job and that you are the best alternative there is. How many gigs do you think you could land on a weekly basis? What if you land yourself a residency?
The opportunities are endless! We know of DJs who built their careers by replacing their DJ friends and having opportunities rise out of that. For all you hip-hop people, Funkmaster Flex is a DJ who got a break thanks to filling in for his “ally” (DJ Red Alert if memory serves us correctly).
How to fine tune this technique
- Develop a DJ style similar to the ally’s. This will help you in two ways. 1) The DJ in question will be more comfortable recommending you because he or she will see you as version of him or herself hence a good ambassador 2) you will be the perfect DJ for the gig offers because after all, promoters or club owners who wanted to book the ally know of his or her style
- You might want to consider a financial agreement with the ally. Whether you are in it for the love or whether your ally and you are great buddies, money talks and like they say in French “good deals make good friends”. Consider offering 10-15% of the pay to the ally or reach some sort of agreement.
Don’t be greedy, see it as an investment or think that it’s better to get 85% of something than 0% of something… This financial incentive will not only show the ally that you are serious and that you mean business but the ally will also be motivated to get you gigs because he can make extra money without lifting a finger!
Note: Verbal agreements are good but to be on the safe side, written agreements are better as they serve as good reminders when people “forget” stuff.
- The best way to get a similar style to the ally is to follow him at all his gigs when you have nights off. It’s best way to learn. It might be boring hanging out for 4-5 months in a club from start to finish but this experience will be very valuable and will make the ally more comfortable in recommending you to other promoters as he or she will have seen your dedication and will know that you will be fully ready to fill in for him or her or to be his ambassador.
- The ally needs to be a respected, credible and popular DJ in the marketplace you are targeting. If the ally is known as unprofessional, difficult to work with and all the negative characteristics, your association with him or her might inherit you these negative perceptions. So be careful, who you will associate with. People talk and their conversation will make or break you.
