Introduction

Everyone always asked me if it mattered.

“Does what you say to the crowd matter?” “Does it matter if you can beatmix well?” “Do my scratching skills

matter?” “Do the games you play at private affairs or the promotions you do at clubs matter?” And the number

one “matter” question: “Does the music really matter?”

Typically, if you’re a bedroom DJ, nothing really matters, although it’s more fun to play songs you like rather than

music that systematically fits into the technical aspects of what you’re trying to do. If you’re a radio DJ, the music

doesn’t really matter, because you won’t be choosing it, and you won’t have a clue how your audience responds to

it anyway. If you’re a nightclub DJ, it absolutely matters, but only early in the night before people have had enough

alcohol or drugs to forget the difference. And if you’re a mobile private party DJ, it depends on the crowd, and

your answer will always be different. Some crowds would respond to you banging two sticks together on the

microphone, and others wouldn’t dance if you held a large cannon to their butts with a shaky trigger finger.

For more than fifteen years of my life, I worked as a radio, club and mobile DJ. I went to bed at about 4 AM and

slept until 10 AM most mornings (when not working a day job for insurance benefits). I lost touch with most of my

high school friends because I was working while they were out partying.

There is one good point, now that I look back[el] I missed the entire Cosbyshow.

But I was having fun. I was earning money doing what I loved to do[em]writing and playing music. And I got to do

many things most people would never dream of doing, including but not limited to acting as a pseudo-psychiatrist,

relationship counselor, bouncer, director of marketing, bartender, maitre’d, camp counselor, concierge, deal

broker, buyer, sales rep, sound and lighting engineer, national act producer, PC repair technician, video producer,

gigolo, and other things I simply can’t remember at this point.

I was building a career that would ultimately include feature magazine articles, radio commercials all over the

world, a stint with a local rock band, and ultimately the creation of this book. We all make sacrifices in life, and

I’d do it all over again, the same exact way.

So now you’re thinking about becoming a DJ. Maybe you’re already a DJ looking to advance to the next level.

Or maybe you’ve been DJing in your bedroom and decided it’s time to start making some money at this madness.

The first question you must answer, as honestly as humanly possible, is which kind of DJ you truly want to be.

The second question, that’s much more important if you’re interested in a career as a DJ, is which you’d be best at.

It’s pretty common to see a DJ on MTV, in TV commercials, or in music videos doing all kinds of crazy things with

records in front of an audience of screaming fans. And virtually every private affair now has a DJ rather than a

live band. DJs are everywhere today. I have to admit…it’s hard to believe that all these people get paid for talking,

playing music and having fun! Now you can too. This book will help demystify the three different types of Disc

Jockey jobs and help you fulfill your DJ dreams.

As I wandered the halls of my corporate day jobs, bleary and bloodshot eyes giving away the fact that I had a

hangover and was up until at least 4 AM the night before, yet still managing to force a friendly smile, people

always asked me about my “other” life as a DJ. Some of the more popular questions were, “Is it fun?” “Do you

make good money?” “Do you get a lot of chicks?”

Yes, I guess, and oh, yeah! The first thing I tell folks is that it can be a huge pain in the butt to break in to this

business. But once you do, you’re officially involved in the multi-billion dollar entertainment industry. If you’ve

got a few spare bucks for equipment and music, a lot of time to practice, and if you’re dedicated and you have

the know-how, you too can make a comfortable living at this nonsense. Yes, you can have fun while getting paid

playing music for a living. And for whatever reason, chicks seem to love DJs.

Contrary to what some egocentric New York DJs will tell you, you don’t need a ton of raw talent to be a successful

DJ. You don’t need to know music theory; how to play an instrument; how to sing or how to dance. You don’t have

to be born with special DNA. Many basic DJ skills can be learned from the information and diagrams in this book.

You can watch and listen to those considered “successful” in their part of the DJ business for other skills. About 95

percent of this job consists of purely mechanical actions and good judgment calls, and the rest is schmoozing to get

ahead. This book will teach you everything you’ll need to be successful in all three of the main DJ fields.

It’s been my personal experience that about three out of five existing “professional” DJs, in all three DJ fields, are

immature, insecure, irresponsible idiots. They’re lazy, inconsistent, and often dangerously unpredictable. I used to

think it was a Northeast thing, but it’s much wider than that, spanning the entire nation. Maybe it’s the insecurity

of the industry as a whole that forces DJs to act this way, I’m not sure. There are more backstabbing people in

this field than any other field I’ve ever seen, surprisingly including Corporate America! Of the thousands of DJs

I met early in my career, only three offered to help me learn my craft. Almost everyone is in it for themselves,

and it’s pretty rare to find someone who’s willing to give you a hand and teach you what you need to know.

Hopefully, you’ll sway the odds and help repair this crazy industry.

Starting out in the DJ business can cost you about three to several thousand dollars in music and equipment, most of

which will be wasted if you’re not careful. Don’t make the same mistakes the rest of us made. Depending on which

type of DJ you choose to be, your music, equipment, and accessory needs will vary widely. You might also need tons

of music, much of which you won’t like (unless you actually like “The Chicken Dance”). If you’re just into it for the

glamour (or to make mixtapes for your friends from your bedroom), you’ve chosen a fun but expensive hobby.

No matter which DJ direction you choose, you’ll need to invest lots of time figuring out the intricacies of your

equipment as well as learning your music inside and out. Your number one priorities will be practicing with your

equipment and performance, and researching new trends, music, and promotions. If you think being a DJ is just

showing up at 9 PM and leaving at 2, you’re in for a rude awakening! Radio DJs spend hours on something called

“Show Prep.” Nightclub and bar DJs must always be at the forefront of new music, so they’ll spend hours listening,

evaluating, and learning new songs. Mobile DJs spend several hours in the sales process, and then even more

hours organizing events directly with their clients. Bad DJs don’t spend nearly enough time in preparation, and

it shows in their sloppy work. These bad DJs will be your first targets when looking for a job.

This book investigates the radio, club and bar, and mobile DJ fields. We’ll show you what you need to do to get

started and how to be successful at each. We’ll explain the major advantages and disadvantages of each individual

field. We’ll cover Group Dynamics, contests and promotions, music, equipment, terminology, sneaky tricks, and so

much more. Based on this information, you should be able to decide which field will be best for you and have a

running head start over most of the other knuckleheads all competing for the same job.

Unlike most other DJ books, my goal is to get you out of your bedroom and into the real DJ world. I’ve shared

years of not only my own personal experiences, but those of other successful DJs from various DJ fields. If you

read thoroughly, pay attention to the world around you, work hard, and do a bit more than is expected of you,

you too can have a great career as a professional DJ.

So do all those aforementioned things matter?

Well, yes, and no. I never had a perfect answer for that question. You’ll have to figure out the right answer for

your situation yourself. And that’s what makes it fun….