How a DJ Can Get Performances in Festivals (Parties, Concerts )

How to get gigs as a dj?

There are two different ways to get performances: either performance comes to you, or you pursue it independently. Most DJs start from the latter one, but the main goal should be to get the performances passively eventually. Promoters will knock on your door only if you’re a reputable artist, and that usually means that you’re a famous music producer. If you learn how to create and release good music, you’ll be able to skip this difficult part and proceed further. And if you’re an unknown DJ, you will need to work hard before you receive your first performance.

Well-known DJs have booking agents representing them and providing artists with performances, but the majority of new DJs don’t have an opportunity like that. If you work as a full-time DJ, you’ll simply have no free time to search for performances. The good news is that there are plenty of ways to get performances; all you need is to have a plan and continue working to reach your aims.

To assist you at this stage, we’ve collected some of the many ways that will help you to get a performance and become an artist having regular performances.

Free Concerts

When you’re a new DJ, generally, everything you need to worry about is getting experience of grandstanding and popularity. The easiest way to do that is to work as a DJ for free. It gives you more chances to access a well-paid job in the future. It’s okay to DJ for free if you think it will benefit you in the long run, but if you see no advantages, you shouldn’t do it for free. If you’re willing to move from free to paid performances, you may start with offering a promoter a discount but make sure they understand it is temporary. Try not to sell your skills and industry in general at an understated price.

Become a Recognized Producer

It’s not as easy as it seems, but that is the main path leading you to a successful artist career. If you make a nice track, you can skip all the steps in this article and simply ask a good booking agent to do all the work. You will have to invest a lot of time, but currently, you may do it within budget. There’s no need to have a personal record studio: you may start easily from a laptop and headphones. But this way requires time. As soon as you have great music, the concerts will come to you. There’s also a shorter way – to purchase a ready-made track from I am Ghost Producerin our shop, get full rights on it, sign it by your name, and that will become your first step and a significant boost in your way of getting performances.

Join a Label Conducting Performances or Create Your Own One

As a producer, you may sign a contract with a record label or become a part of a large community of artists touring together or performing under the label brand. If you can’t join a good label, why not create your own one? It’s not as difficult as it seems. Any interested person may establish a label and spread tracks over the Internet at a relatively low price. Don’t expect to earn a lot of money on real sales of music, but, indeed, popularity may help you to receive a lot of highly paid concerts.

PR Tricks

Why not try to create a publicity stunt to attract attention? You’ll need to have a good idea and plan something notable. Invite the press or go somewhere the press will surely be present. You may become a first DJ playing during a parachute jump, for instance. There are lots of exciting ideas. Journalists do like to tell stories – that’s why you need to approach it creatively and think outside the box to be noticed.

Publish Video on YouTube

Either way, to be famous is the main way to receive concerts. Remember that most promoters don’t care what music you play, it’s important for them how many people you will bring to the event. YouTube is one of the best ways to attract subscribers since that is the largest resource used by young people to find music. Successful vloggers on YouTube also can earn money when the ads are played on their videos. At least you should have a recorded performance of your live show on the Internet for promoters who usually google you before inviting you to a show.

Djing in Virtual Reality

For some time, DJs played and even earned real money in virtual reality in the game called Second Life. And thanks to other large tools of VR, such as Oculus Rift, it’s possible to predict that this may become a vital option for performances and their monetization, especially if you live in a small town. That is a great option! And it’s worth trying it.

Take Part in Competitions and Contests

Take part in competitions to get fame. Some competitions even have prizes that allow you to win a possibility to perform regularly. Many contests are evaluated by a public poll via social media; that is why shouldn’t forget to ask all your friends to vote for you.

Get an Agent

There are many types of DJ agencies, starting from small to large companies, working with well-known artists. If you want serious representation, you must learn how to create and successfully release music and get a lot of fans. Only if you have something to offer and interest an agent, he will work with you, and the problem with performances will be solved.

Launch Advertising on the Internet

The key methods are ads on Facebook, Instagram, and Google Ads. To receive more clicks and generally increase the efficiency of your advertising, you’ll need to have a website with an attractive UI. You may start advertising even with a low budget, gradually scaling it and increasing the budget. That is a rapid way to make a statement and find the right audience: both new fans and those who will be interested to invite you to a performance or cooperate with you in other related areas.

Perform as a DJ in Shops and Events on Opening New Places 

You must have seen DJs in shops, gyms, and restaurants. It’s a good idea for you to take part in it too and appeal to managers of these places. Besides managers of the place, you as a DJ may be interested in one of the visitors who might be preparing to open a new business or place soon.

Together with you, we’ve covered some ideas to get performances. Actually, there are hundreds of them, but it’s not possible physically to cover and work on all of them. Choose the most affordable and effective for you now and get the ball rolling. Over time, you’ll be able to hire different specialists who will organize concerts for you.