hm maybe a no brainer but still...

[snow angel]

ok stupid question.....how do you go about getting signed? just sending demos to crews?

[Lailoni]

Signed to what exactly?

[burnt]

see my earlier post (http://www.nwtekno.org/vb/showthread.php?threadid=59370) on the similar topic of playing publicly. who do you want to get "signed" for? why do you want to get "signed"? =)

[James Capricorn]

http://www.internetsoccer.com/images/Anne_Getting_Signed_1-Internet.jpg

[James Capricorn]

http://alumni.imsa.edu/~belle/images/west%20side%20wifebeaters.jpg

[Lailoni]

OMG, James....your too much honey...just plain too much.

[ProblematicBeat]

Originally posted by James Capricorn
http://alumni.imsa.edu/~belle/images/west%20side%20wifebeaters.jpg

Is that you in the middle James? LOL And get in touch before you move so we can sit and have a beer. Peace

Jason

[kixotek]

ok stupid question.....how do you go about getting signed? just sending demos to crews?

basically yeah... but usually if it's a very established promoter, they'll want to see you play live first before they actually want you to put your name next to theirs. so you send em a demo, if they like it they'll usually ask you to play at one of their parties, they'll give your set a listen, and get in touch with you later.

[snow angel]

Originally posted by kixotek


basically yeah... but usually if it's a very established promoter, they'll want to see you play live first before they actually want you to put your name next to theirs. so you send em a demo, if they like it they'll usually ask you to play at one of their parties, they'll give your set a listen, and get in touch with you later.

thank you.

[Headphones Dude]

You mean signed to a crew? Hmmm, well, I do know this. If I thought I was ready, I'd get a buzz going on.

First I'd make a quality demo of whatever genre I'll be spinning. If I could spin more than one genre, then I'd probably focus on the one that I will want to spin the most.

Then, I'd pick out a dozen or so records for a set I'd want to create, and if any mistakes are there, do it again, until I've got a quality demo. Then start burning copies of that to hand out.

Meet anybody and everybody who would be serious about letting me spin in public for little or even no money. If they are already pre-booked, do the next best thing, and volunteer that crew helping out doing anything from selling water to doing security, or clean-up crew. Showing that you care to help the promoter/crew throw a phat party might earn you some brownie points on a future booking.

Then from there, get in touch with any friends or people you know that throw house parties. You can't expect to get paid, but if 10, 20, even 100 people get to see you spin, and know you're out there, soon enough they might demand to see you again. But this is going to depend highly on your mixing skills, so if you're not ready, go back to your room and keep practicing until you are....

Are you still not getting booked? Okay, now the next thing to try. Remember your demos? Start selling them! Or better yet, just give them away at a party. "Forget" them on a table, hand them out to F-8, Platinum, DownLow, etc....

Hope that helps....

[snow angel]

yeah it does help, and besides the demo part (which im working on) im pretty much doing just that.

[JungleSelekta]

you produce?

if you were to ask Ludacris your question, he would say "we were born to do this!" and that's how you get 'signed'........

[snow angel]

yeah.....i dont really care that much about being with a crew ive just heard its easier to get gigs that way. *shrug*

[Cuban B]

If you're spinning DnB get a demo to Dirty (Steve) as soon as it's done. dasBEBEN is always looking for new quality talent and people to help out with parties. If you don't know how to get ahold of Steve pm me and I'll give his contact info. He's rarely on the internet now a days so you probably don't want to email him. Good luck

[snow angel]

Originally posted by Cuban B
If you're spinning DnB get a demo to Dirty (Steve) as soon as it's done. dasBEBEN is always looking for new quality talent and people to help out with parties. If you don't know how to get ahold of Steve pm me and I'll give his contact info. He's rarely on the internet now a days so you probably don't want to email him. Good luck

yea i do spin dnb. thanks for the tip, im waiting on a computer setup to record a demo with, but will get one to you/das beben asap. db is tight. so's dirty.

[nicktornetta]

this whole thing isnt a no-brainer. you would be surprised at the amount of people that forget the basics. from newbie to seasoned :(

anyhow, you need to create a quality mix cd that depicts your ability, creativity and effort. if you really want to play out, there are a few common rules that must be followed:

- put together a track selection that makes sense. just like a quality live set, the cd should flow smoothly and be easy to listen to. remember that this is your musical interpretation of a story.

- limit tracks from the same artist, unless it really makes sense. there is no genre or subgenre of music that has less than 15 artists that have "good" tracks out. try not to use anthems or popular tracks that anyone could identify (perfect example: AK1200 remix of Cleveland Lounge - Drowning).

- the length should be at least 70 minutes and should have at least 13 tracks. that gives you 5-6 minutes for each track including the overlay of the next.

- mix as long as you can. anyone can hold a beat for 32 bars. try for a minimum of 30 secs to a minute. as you progress, you will be able to hold it for much more time.

- TRACK THE MIX!! if you dont, you are seriously skimping on effort. if you dont know how, there are many people (including myself) that would be glad to show you.

- dont worry about mistakes in the cd (trainwrecks, off key mixes, off measure etc) if you are just giving it out to your friends. however since this is supposed to land you a booking, make this mix as flawless as you can. you know what is good. mix over and over until you really feel satisfied.

- before you mass market the cd, give it to some people that will give you an honest opinion. you should expect lots of praise, especially in the beginning stages of being a dj, however you shoudl have some people on hand that will give you a good opinion of how the cd makes them feel. if you can hand the cd to someone and tell them "hey this cd isnt that good..etcetc", then you should put it back in your pocket.

- you need to be ACCESSIBLE. make sure your relevant contact information is on the cd. if the cd is all that someone gets, then the information on it is all they are going to have when they need to get ahold of you.


Check out Ishkur's site on DJ Mix Reviews for things that make a cd (or the whole package) more exciting. Some of these are pretty funny, but for the most part, he has a pretty good idea of what to look for.
http://www.ishkur.com/memes/djmixes/index.htm


aside from the technical, dont forget POLITICS. they are a serious part of success in this industry. who you know really matters. identify yourself with promoters, djs, etc within the scene. this is where a crew can help. if you can find a group of individuals that are interested in the same type of music as you, then you all can grow together. however, dont expect a "crew" to do it for you (especially if it is a large one). you are going to have to put in a lot of the promotion effort on your own.

do you really want to be a dj? then be serious about it, if you really want this, you have to earn it.. this isnt an easy hobby (there are very few people in the world that can call it a job). it takes a lot of time and money, and really becomes a large part of your life. dont expect things to happen TO you. MAKE them happen FOR you. And dont get frustrated by mixing, by the music, by the promoters, or even by the scene. be persistent, things tend to happen slowly.

[nicktornetta]

theres so much more i could add.

heh, asking what it takes to succeed as a dj is almost like asking "what is the meaning of life" :)

[snow angel]

yes, i realize this is something thats going to be very consuming. i have a pasion for it and am willing to chase a dream by building skill and manevering in the world full of other djs.....thank you for the advice, it will be well taken.

[Cuban B]

I like your attitude. I want to hear a demo AS SOON as it's done...

[Soular]

Yeah, just have a good demo and rawk the place whenever you get booked. A demo, in my opinion, is just a platform that shows the kind of style that you spin. It can't really show what you can do, or how you do live. It's just something to get peoples attention so that they may want to give a listen to you when they get the chance.