DJing Discussion

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Is it possible to redeem myself after a truly disastrous festival gig?

DJLatina 8:18 AM - 14 December, 2017
So, this past year, I got into the lineup for a major music festival.

At that point, I had just started deejaying. During that time, I was working three jobs in a completely unrelated field and didn't have much time to devote to practicing. I just saw deejaying as a hobby at that time and didn't take preparing my set seriously enough. Anyway, I had no clue what I was doing. It was disastrous. I just played YouTube and Soundcloud rips from an iTunes playlist and had my set cut short because the sound quality was so poor. When I look back on it now, it makes me cringe.

Since then, I've started taking deejaying a lot more seriously and have really ramped my skills. I've dropped some serious cash on gear, cut down on the hours at my day jobs to practice more, and took lessons. I'm even looking to transition into a full-time DJ career.

Anyways, this is a festival I want to play at again this upcoming year, but since I messed up so badly this past year, I don't know if that's even a possibility. I have close ties to the nonprofit that runs the festival and have asked to DJ other events for them and got shut down every time. I'm started to wonder if they blacklisted me for having messed up so badly at the festival.

I'm sad because this festival is the highlight of my year. I've been attending it for many years and the fact that I'll probably never get to play there again makes me sad.
577er 3:18 PM - 14 December, 2017
I would be surprised if you dj that festival again for sometime. You need to have a reputation, following, accomplishments, history before people normally come to you for any event let alone big ones. Somehow you jumped the line and it bit you in the ass. Learn from that mistake and keep your head down until you have skills to pay the bills. A year of taking it serious ain't enough to rock a festival let alone make DJing a full time job.

Ingnore all of this advice if you're really good looking in that case strike while you are young and fake it till you make it.
Logisticalstyles 9:46 PM - 14 December, 2017
Quote:
A year of taking it serious ain't enough to rock a festival let alone make DJing a full time job.


I remember when she posted about getting festival gigs previously. I thought it was too soon for a newcomer that didn't have time to practice. I didn't push the issue because usually when an older DJ tells newer DJs that they need to put in more time they get called a hater.

I hope you learned a very real lesson about DJing. When you put yourself on the big stage you need to perform at a certain level and Youtube rips are not going to cut it.

Just put in some real time practicing, and recording your mixes. Get feedback on the mixes from friends and family and then put it out for strangers to listen to and critique. Do more local parties and try to build a name for yourself.
DJ Matty Stiles 2:12 PM - 15 December, 2017
I wouldn’t play soundcloud rips at a dive bar, or even my own home, let alone a festival
HK1200 5:58 PM - 15 December, 2017
You can forget about ever getting booked again by those promoters, or anyone else they're associated with. If I booked someone and they pulled that I would never hire them again.

If you sold yourself for an event and came out streaming SoundCloud and YouTube, no one is going to take your word regarding your dj skills again after that. I wouldn't.

If you really have evolved into a competent DJ you're going to have to prove it if you want redemption. Back in the day it would mean flooding the streets with a hot mixtape, but since I'm the only cat I know with a cassette deck your best bet is flooding Facebook and YouTube with videos of you showcasing your skills.

I'd advise you to double check and make sure you're skills are up to par before posting those vids though. If it turns out you're still whack, it ain't gonna bolster your career.

...and don't quit your day job quite yet.
The Silver Boombox Thief 5:32 PM - 16 December, 2017
Why wouldn’t a promoter do their due diligence when hiring someone? They got what they hired.
Logisticalstyles 4:45 AM - 17 December, 2017
Quote:
Why wouldn’t a promoter do their due diligence when hiring someone?

Yeah, just how "major" was this music festival?
DJLatina 4:48 AM - 17 December, 2017
The audience liked my track selection and didn't seem to notice anything was wrong, but it was painfully obvious to the sound techs/other DJs there that I had no clue what I was doing. The stage manager was a seasoned club DJ and he was horrified by my lack of knowledge/skill.

Thankfully, it was a local festival (in a large city) and I was given a time slot in the morning when not many people were present. Still, though, that awful memory still haunts me 24/7 and I wonder if I can ever truly overcome something that horrible.

I've improved significantly since then, but I don't delude myself into thinking I'm amazing when I still have many ways to improve. I'm practicing daily and have many people training/teaching me. I'm holding off on seeking out similar gigs until I'm 100% sure I'm ready. In the meantime, I'm playing at small, local, informal events.

I truly hate my day job. It's financially lucrative and in high demand, but it makes me miserable. I have money saved up, so I can afford to comfortably take a year or two off from the workforce to pursue this more seriously.
O.B.1 6:57 AM - 17 December, 2017
Don't quit you day job until your night job pays.
577er 3:25 PM - 17 December, 2017
Quote:
Don't quit you day job until your night job pays.


This!

Quitting your job for DJing sounds oddly similar to taking a gig you weren't ready for... Set a goal of making X money DJing in the next year. If you can then quit your job and follow your passions but don't make the same mistake twice.

And if you don't know the lyrics to Show Business by Tribe by heart... do your self a favor and learn them.