3 truths about being a dance music DJ you need to hear before you get started

If you’ve always dreamed about becoming an EDM DJ, you need to know what life as one is really like. The market for DJs is very competitive and if you aren’t ready to do the work it takes, you might struggle to stay afloat. Even if you have great talent, it will take work if you want to get discovered. That’s just one of the realities of being a DJ. But there are many other things that you may not know about the business, or things you haven’t considered. Let’s take a look at some truths about the EDM DJ world and some tips to prepare for them.

You Will Have to Take Odd Jobs for Little Money

You don’t get to pick who you play for when you get started as an EDM DJ. You can go out and try to pursue specific gigs, but in most cases, you will work with a booking agent who will match you with offers that work with your level of experience and your brand as a DJ. So, you may get offered some strange gigs in the beginning in spaces you’re not totally comfortable in, but that’s just part of the job.

You’ll Need to do More than DJing to Become World-Known

If your goal is to become a massive DJ and fill stadiums, you’ll have a hard time doing this just by running your sets. While people like Tiesto and Marshmallow make most of their income from mixing at top festivals around the world, most of them got to that level by producing their own records and working with vocal artists.

You might not be able to connect with an international artist for a single, but some EDM DJs have been able to get hits with powerful vocalists who were barely known, so there’s a chance that you could get a breakout hit if you know how to produce great tracks and mix vocals.

We suggest that you start learning production as soon as possible if you want to become a star DJ. You can start by picking up an easy-to-use DAW like Fruity Loops and plug-ins like Autotune-Unlimited for vocals. Pick it up right now and you’ll get the Classic Microphone Modeler plug-in which allows you to replicate the sound of different mics and apply different effects on vocals to make them sound even more professional.

Once you have the basics down you can start looking for a formal production and/or sound engineer course.

It’s Very Much About Who You Know

If you aren’t a people person, you’ll have to learn how to become one or hire someone who is if you want to be successful. The gigs you get at the beginning will in large part come from word of mouth and networking if you’re doing everything alone, and DJs who actually go to other DJs’ sets and get involved in the community have much less trouble getting work. You also have to be ready and willing to go to industry events and congregate with the people.

Having realistic expectations is very important when embarking on any career path and becoming an EDM DJ is no different. Make sure that you know exactly what the job entails and if you have the skills needed to succeed before you start investing your time and money into DJing.

Image Credit: Arturo Rey on Unsplash