How to Get DJ Gigs in INDIA | DJing TIPS

Hello, DJs of India. And in today’s blog, we’re gonna talk about that one question that is often asked to me personally and online through comments. And that question is how to get gigs. Well, I strongly believe that this question doesn’t have a hard and fast rule answer like the answer for it, because there are different ways of getting a gig. But I believe you must ask yourself a question. Why should they book you? Why should you get a gig? What is it that you bring different on the table that will make you stand out from all the other thousands of DJs that are already out there? I can definitely answer this question or give my opinion on this, but I don’t think I’m the right person to give an opinion or an answer for a question like this.

Even though I have about ten years of DJing experience, I think we should ask this question to somebody who is much more experienced than I am. Say somebody who is at least 15-20 years in DJing. So let me call someone from my friend list and see if they are willing to answer this question. What’s happening bro? Bro, there’s a question that I wanted to ask you. Most Indian DJs are asking. Who’s asking? Most Indian DJs are asking. Most Indian DJs? Yeah. What’s happening? Will you be able to answer, bro? Can I come over? What’s the question? The question is, it’s very simple but controversial. It’s how to get gigs. How to get gigs? Gigs, yeah. The DJs are asking. Which DJs? Are they out of gigs or what?

No, no. All DJs, bro. In India, there are a lot of DJs who are not getting gigs and they need to know this answer. You’re talking about aspiring? DJs. Yeah, new upcoming DJs. Okay, yeah, sure. But will you be able to answer? Yeah, I can answer but it’s more like out of my experience, it’s an opinion, okay? I mean, it’s up to them to, it’s not something that if I say and you will get it. It’s just an opinion out of my experience. Okay

Before that, finish your homework. Finish making your press kit. Get those social media profiles running for the last few years. get your photographs taken, your portfolio made, get all those sets up. Okay. I need to see. So if you got, suppose I’m a club manager, you come to me, I need to see one years of work done. What have you done? What have you uploaded? Have you uploaded nice pictures of yourself? Have you made a press kit? Have you made your website? What are the sets that you’ve uploaded? What are the remixes? What are the music that you’ve done? Have you done something on your own? I need you to see yourself do some work before I can do some work for you.

Okay. that’s how it works, guys, okay? You need to spend time on yourself, energy on yourself before coming to me, any senior dj or a club promoter for that matter, okay? Once you’ve done that, you’re ready to go into the market, all right? Now, getting into the market. How does it work now and in a scenario 50, 20 years ago when i started? Down the line when i started, there was no social media. The internet streets were also slow. As of now, you have a social media presence, which you have to capitalize on. Make your presence felt. Get your personality out there. Get your music out there. Make people want to watch your channel, watch your music, hear your music, see your pictures.

Get a personality that is you. That’s a unique selling point. It’s different from the other. Suppose you like a particular DJ. Don’t just blindly copy him. have something unique, have something different that is you. Because I want to see you and I don’t want to see him. Your music is going to be different from him and the others. So that if I put you on a club, on a stage, people come for your music and then you build an audience which is yours. Okay? Go to the clubs, have an organic talk. And when I say organic, go personally meet club owners, club promoters. They may not want to meet you initially, but you gotta be persistent. I was persistent for seven, eight months before he allowed me standing next to him.

The senior DJ allowed me to be standing next to him. Okay. So you’ve got to be persistent, make friends with the people in the right places. It is really, really, really important. Don’t just give up. You don’t just send one Instagram message or WhatsApp. Hey bro, I want to meet you. And if he doesn’t respond, don’t be like, Oh, he didn’t respond to me. Don’t be that guy. Okay. Be consistent. Every day message him, talk to him. Don’t spam him. Talk to him, go meet him where his event is, go meet the senior DJ, okay? Because there is a lot to learn from these guys, mind you, okay? There’s a lot you can learn. Why are they playing this track at this time?

Why is this BPM at this, you know, at this moment of the evening? Why is he talking on the mic? What is he talking? There’s so much to learn and only help you be better when you get an event. You have to go out there, go attend events, go attend parties, Make yourself be seen, be noticed. Because then you go talk to the promoter. You know, also, you know, build your audience there. If you think that’s the genre of music that you’re going to play and the people are enjoying that, meet people, you know, get talking, build an audience, make friends. Because you know what? When you go to a club, a club will also ask you, how many people are you bringing in?

What’s the business you’re bringing into my club? Okay? And I don’t think there’s anything wrong in it. It’s good. It is part of the business. You have to bring an audience. How will you get paid otherwise? Okay, you have to get paid. So a lot of DJs argue with me on that. No, we’re not bringing an audience. That’s wrong. You’ve got to build, make at least a few people come into your event. So niche it where you want to be. Do you want to be a club DJ? Do you want to be a wedding DJ? Do you want to be a corporate DJ? I mean, India, we have a lot of choices. So it’s up to you, you know. You can do it all.

Like I do it all. I’m an open format DJ. do radio I do clubs do weddings because I can. Can you ask yourself that question and accordingly target that market, target that audience, target those clubs, target those promoters. Okay. Also don’t think that, you know, your first event is going to be a big major festival. No, you have to play in those smaller rooms or smaller clubs you have to listen to your audience trust me you have to listen to your audience what their need is, what they want and at that point of time and accordingly, mend it according to and present it on a way that you would like to showcase it to them, okay? Play in those smaller rooms, play in those private parties, play in those after parties then you uh what do you say, graduate to a bigger club or a bigger festival, okay?

Just don’t come out, you know, I have a lot of djs telling me, I want to play in that big festival that happens once a year. It’ll happen, but it won’t happen immediately, okay? You have to grow step by step, okay? So, use that opportunity and don’t be in a hurry. It takes 10-20 years of some great DJs to be where they are at this moment, okay? And some of them have a big backing, they have big production houses, they’ve got big finances, they’ve got a lot of capital behind them, they’ve got a lot of money being spent on them. Do you have that? Realize your potential first. What are your positives and what are your negatives? And accordingly capitalize on it, okay? to sum it up, how do i get my first club gig? How do i get my events? Is that putting all these aspects together and then with the full force, full confidence and a persistent performance and consistency, go all out and market yourself and be there. It’s not difficult. it’s never is. But at the same time, be patient and be unique and be you. All right. Thank you. So there you go. You heard it from the man himself. You need to have credible content before approaching clubs or event managers. You must have already done some level of hard work before somebody else sees it and gives you an opportunity. But don’t give up. I’m pretty sure that if you really work hard and if you think you are one of them, you are the one who can shine through.