My first seminar wouldn't happen until late in the day on the first day of the four day symposium, Monday, August 11 from 4.30-5.30 in the Taj Mahal Hotel & Casino's Diamond Room A. This was due to the fact that I was hobnobbing with some key industry folk who I had befriended, albeit briefly and temporarily but none the less, I was busy being that fly on the wall in various social circles.
This would mark (as well as spark) my first industry panel that I had the distinct feeling would be a jam-packed hour filled with multiple discussions pertaining to the topic at hand: Alternative DJ Markets & Navigating The New Music-Business Paradigm.
The panel featured industry heavyweights from the likes of DJ Times magazine: Paul Dailey, editor Jim Tremayne, and Phil Turnipseed, in addition to DJ Theo, Gary Deane, Justin Paul, Paul Gadboise, and Lainie Copicotto.
One of the main questions addressed: what exists for DJs beyond the basic club and mobile markets? The answer wasn't all that surprising: lots, but you need to be and stay on top of what's going on in the industry.
For me, this panel discussion confirmed why I want to pursue writing about the dance industry as opposed to pursuing mobile DJing. This esteemed panel shot from the hip and off the cuff; they made me realize that DJing isn't for me, but yet I do have a voice to write and it's something that I've been doing for several years but recently has parlayed into the dance music industry.
Lainie Copicotto, president of marketing and promotions giant Aurelia Entertainment, succinctly grounded me when she said addressed the room and said, 'You gotta be a tastemaker… Take the risk—like Danger Mouse [but also get a good lawyer],' otherwise you're going to be labeled just another wanna-be DJ—in essence: talent-less.
Jim Tremayne had an interesting analogy. He suggested that DJ'g is an art and that art is your brand… and your brand has to be like your finger-print: unique.
What goes around comes around… Remember Kindergarten when you (may have) played a game called 'Show & Tell'? In today's overly-saturated marketplace, "showing" as opposed to "telling" will help you to get your word out there.
A few suggestions for aspiring DJs to consider in terms of expanding one's horizons:
- Join social networks such as MySpace, FaceBook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
- Don't turn down potential revenue streams. If your passion to DJ isn't working out, focus on another avenue of interest for as long as it takes before your passion can be realized.
- Stay informed with the goings-on within the industry: subscribe to various DJ magazines both online as well as off-line; attend networking events and go see other DJs spin.
Phil Turnipseed, DJ Time Magazine contributing writer and long-time DJ gave some great tips about DJing in a gentleman's club, which can net a prospective DJ anywhere from $100/night to well north of several thousand dollars, depending on the size of the gentleman's club as well as how many women it employs. And as customary, the DJ also has to pay the house a fee. But breaking in to this elusive if not exclusive industry takes a great deal of persistence and networking. Phil suggested a very clever idea: look into a possible 'Wrangler' position, which is to be an assistant to or shadow a DJ.
Other suggestions from Phil on how to handle a gentleman's club when you combine a stressful environment + nutty "personalities" = losing yourself, and how to deal:
- Keep your ego in check and always maintain the highest level of respect for those you work for.
- Find your voice, your niche because otherwise you'll be redundant.
- Smile, stay positive, and stay true to yourself but you need to be on your a-game all the time.
- Always maintain a professional demeanor, dress code and always show up on time.
Many years ago I went on a cruise with my family and I bought a particular t-shirt in the on-board gift shop that had a captivating adage on the front but was inside a giant "U". It said: 'Do what you love, love what you do and the world will come to you.' This proverb rings especially true with regards to DJing, and it's been one of the week's most recurring paraphrased quotations. While I've worn out the t-shirt, the message has stayed with me and I've especially parlayed it to my involvement DJing in a wine bar (since October 2007). I don't DJ with the hope that I'll attract a cute lass although it did initially sway me; I DJ because I know that I bring different types of music to the table. Sure, I play Top 40 stuff but I'm also afforded the rare opportunity to play music that's either not yet on the radar or if it is out there, I'm helping to spread the good gospel.
It's important to note that while keeping an optimistic, head-above-the-clouds, solid disposition should be adhered to in this business, it's equally important about being professional, as Lainie Copicotto pointed out towards the end of the panel discussion—having business cards, a demo reel on CD/DVD, a live DJ set on CD, and be willing to approach people. Because the pursuit of your goals in this industry whether you're pursuing being a DJ or a writer is to do it, go for it, bust a move and start making connections.
