Hey Guys,
One of my favorite aspects of DJing is actually organizing, booking, and promoting parties. Of course I enjoy DJing these same parties but there’s something to be said about the behind-the-scenes aspect of nightlife.
I DJ around campus at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and as soon as I started holding residencies DJs from all over town were nice enough to introduce themselves while I was DJing. As new DJs came after me I was sure to extend the same courtesy. Before I knew it I had an amazing and supportive DJ family. The point of this story is get to know your local DJs because with experience and leadership you’ll come across the opportunity to organize events at local bars. By taking on this added responsibility your DJ status is increased because you are not only a DJ but also a sort of unofficial booking agent to your fellow DJs.
Bottom line: When DJs know that you can book them they are more likely to book you or share gigs which translates into more exposure.
When organizing an event of course you’re going to want to start with a Facebook event: eg. Here’s the event for the last party I organized http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=102577273134449 (register & login to view link)
When choosing a title, obviously start with the name of the event and I find adding the DJs performing will catch the attention of friends. Facebook seems to constantly change the way events are handled so make sure the event title is as informative and attention getting as possible. Sometimes Facebook only displays events as text so an informative title is essential. Additionally, although my Photoshop skills are limited, I tried to make a professional looking flyer. In my opinion, the quality of the flyer and event title/description is a person’s first impression of the entire event.
Bottom line: Especially when starting out with little to no reputation as a promoter/DJ, it is essential to keep the quality of content high because it will help people decide if the event is indeed worthwhile to attend and even pay a cover charge for (which you will collect part of – another perk of organizing parties).
When I’m organizing an event I like to create the Facebook event two weeks in advance. As you can imagine people will forget that your event exists shortly after they come across the Facebook invite. That’s why you’ll want to use your Facebook status on your personal page and Facebook fan page to remind the masses of the event. Also, tagging the event in the status will help hype the event. Don’t forget to get everyone involved which includes fellow DJs, promoters, and popular friends.
Bottom line: When many DJs and promoters are posting about the party people will catch on and make it a point to attend because of the hype.
For the last event I also made a very simple iMovie YouTube video:
Not only does a video continue to build the quality of your event (ie. “dang this party even has a video on YouTube about it”) but it also gives DJs and promoters something else to hand around Facebook. Especially when Facebook events are displayed only as text in a little corner (which means people don’t even see the flyer) it is essential to advertise your event in multiple ways. Uploading a 30 second YouTube video advertisement is a great way to really capture an audience for your event. Don’t rely on the number of people attending as a guideline for your event. I’ve seen it go both ways, hundreds “attending” and no one shows vs 50 attending and a packed club.
Bottom line: To maximize the chance of a successful party attack advertising from all angles.
Ironically, the biggest payoff when organizing an event is after the party. To show that the event was a success I like to make a recap video:
After the event is done you can Facebook message all the attendees with a link to the video. If you had party photographers at the event post links to the photos too. Keep in mind with Facebook you can tag people so when people tag themselves you can invite them to your fan page and build your following. This is also a good time to send links to your mixes so people start downloading your mixes and putting it on their iPod for working out and driving in their car. As a side note this is also a good reason to release mixes on a regular basis – people will count on a new mix every so often just like a favorite TV show.
You’ll notice in both videos I put the event description in the YouTube video description which includes links to Facebook pages and Soundcloud accounts. This adds exposure for all DJs and lets people find their way to your mixes and can steadily increase interest in your DJ career.
The videos and photos also help build your resume and overall status/quality as a DJ-promoter-organizer. You also increase your booking power so when out of town acts are interested or you want to pull an out of town act that you think would be successful in your market you have plenty of proof of your promotional power as well as skill as a DJ.
Eventually, when you pull a big out of town act that’s going to draw a big crowd and you’re organizing it guess who gets to pick the opening DJ… you.
Bonus: Bombs from My Last Set 01
Enough reading! How about some freakin music! Here’s a few songs that got that booty movin:
WTF?! & Dead Prez – It’s Bigger Than Hip Hop (Sidney Samson Remix) (register & login to view link) [dutch house & dubstep]
Vato Gonzalez – Badman Riddim (register & login to view link) [house]
Reso – Beasts In The Basement (register & login to view link) [dubstep]
Excision & Datsik – Boom (SkisM’s Got A Big Boomstick Remix) (register & login to view link) [dubstep]
Missy Elliot – Pass That Dutch (Angger Dimas Bootleg) (register & login to view link) [dutch house]
Axwell – Nothing But Love (Remode Mix) (register & login to view link) [progressive house]
Extra Bonus: Speaking of Axwell, let’s talk about the Swedish House Mafia’s newest single. I like it better than One and have had it on repeat for days. It won’t be out for a while but it’s good to stay current with upcoming releases especially with arguably the biggest House group on earth at the moment.
I will be posting my complete mix from “Let the Bass Kick Vol 1″ on my Soundcloud (register & login to view link) account and if you’re interested in the mix I played opening for Flosstradamus (register & login to view link) it’s already up.
Love & Bass,
CZO
Soundcloud Mixes (register & login to view link) / Facebook Fan Page (register & login to view link)
Categories Dubstep, Electro, Electro-House, House, News, Progressive House
Keywords: booking, czo, Dubstep, Electro, House, organizing, promoting
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