Promoters & Breaking the Barriers to Your Music
Promoters today get tons of mixtapes, CDs, soundclouds, etc handed to them by individuals giving the same talk about how they are better than the previous DJ. Which in some cases it may be true, but chances are if you are doing this method it has a slim chance of working. Through my experience majority of the time, the promoters tend to actually zone out and would just toss your cd or whatever out before he/she even leaves the venue and heads home.
In today’s market the concept of passing CDs or emailing soundcloud mixes to venue owners/promoters is becoming very archaic and ineffective. Majority of these requests are ignored because:
- They don’t have the time
- Resources to keep up with these requests
- The DJ hasn’t built enough draw or skill to perform at that venue
My suggestion
Start small, but be very prepared to work. That means you should try first meeting some up-and-coming promoters and show you are willing to joining their crew to help them throw events. The world isn’t any more about showing up, playing, getting paid, and leaving. There’s more to it these days. Promoters look at DJs as investments and it is important that you can prove ROI (Return Of Investment).
DJs who get gigs are the people who actually get things done. They tell you that they’re working on remix projects with local producers and they network with artists. They tell you they’re going to land a gig at “Venue X” and they do. It is also very important to engage with the fans in an email, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Another valuable thing would be to consistently put out podcasts. Try getting your gigs listed in local newspapers and blogs. You need to over-deliver and communicate back with influencers showing the progress you’ve made. Before you know it, you’ll become a hometown hero and an influencer too.