dj business?

[soundop]

hey guys, im thinking of strating a dj bussiness but i would like to know if theres any where were i can get speakers cds (or a laptop with music on it) a mixer a cd deck and lighting equipment all in one shot

[Radman]

unless you've got cash up the wazoo, it might not be so easy at 15 years old...

[len]

There's some places that specialize in dj products, moreso than production stuff.

One is http://www.pro-mix.com in Chicagoland. There are others. I say pro-mix because they sell music, although I don't know how much they have or if it's all karaoke.

You could also go the used route.

Music is the most difficult thing to acquire, because you'll need so much of it, but you may never need any of it. Say you buy an album that you think you'll play a lot. But you never do. But to be well rounded and have a good variety, you will need it. Multiply that times about 5000 songs. You can download, but do it legally. Plus, for new stuff there's a lot of services to look into, like TopHitsUSA, Promo Only, and some others the names of which escape me.

If you're serious about the dj biz, go to http://www.start.prodj.com a chat board which always had good advice for me.

Also is http://www.djgold.com, http://www.djchat.com and http://www.discjockeyamerica.com/ and there are others beyond that.

[BillESC]

Hey Len,

You don't love me anymore? LOL

[len]

Originally Posted by BillESC

Hey Len,

You don't love me anymore? LOL

Of course I do. I'd even have your children if I weren't menopausal. (intended as a joke for those who are too concrete in their thinking)

I only listed pro-mix because you post here, they don't, and I was trying to avoid another whole issue of selling stuff here, and because I know pro-mix sells some music. I didn't think you did. Even tho your prices are typically better than pro-mix.

[soundop]

thanks alot guys

[Mayhem]

I’m with Len – having a good music library is probably the most important thing to have when contemplating starting out as a DJ. You can get away with not having the top brand equipment, as long as it is reliable. However, you will struggle if you don’t have the music.

I often get people that want to come out on a show to learn and most make the same mistake and want to play what they like to listen to. You need to be more flexible than this – be prepared to play stuff that you may personally hate. If you are offering your services to a client, then you need to be playing what they or their guest want to hear. A good aim is to keep the dance floor working. If you can do that then you are doing ok.

Take requests and be polite when that one person is requesting something inappropriate. This all gets noticed and will go a long way in defining you as a professional. I hear lots of horror stories from clients and a lot relate to the DJ being rude, arrogant or just plain lazy.

A lot of it is knowing your music and what will fit where and how to step it up or take it down as required.

Good luck.