10 Valuable Pieces Of Advice For Young Producers/DJ’s

When a fresh face is ready to launch their talent into the vast music industry, it can be incredibly exciting, but nerve-wracking at the same time. As an up and comer in the hard dance scene, it’s unlikely that you would know all the tips of the trade so early on and quite frankly, most young producers and DJ’s are only interested in making music and performing – not all the other business crap in between.

Hate to say it, but sometimes things can turn very pear-shaped for the young-ins involved in the music industry and it’s extremely important that they are aware of some of the consequences to certain actions prior to getting themselves stuck in sticky situations! For all of the newcomers out there who want to make their mark on the scene, we took a look at some common downfalls that a young DJ or producer may face on their journey within the music industry and some general things to be extra-wary of.

-Don’t sign to the first label that is interested in you

Talents, let’s just get this straight – if a big label has contacted you with interest, it’s likely that other labels would also be interested in what you have to offer too! Before committing yourself to a contract that will bind you legally for a matter of years, make sure that your chosen label will give your career the boost it deserves!

Although having your first offer is incredibly exciting, at the same time, jumping at the first opportunity that you get isn’t always the right thing to do. Be sure to explore all options and have plenty of meetings with different labels so that you can experience these differing teams and speak in person about the different things that they can offer you. You may be surprised to find that your music or persona might not exactly fit with your ‘dream’ label and that’s okay, there are plenty of other great labels around to cater to your style! It’s also important to do your research; maybe it’s better to make the decision to release your music across various labels before committing to one? There are many things to consider when it comes to releasing your music and having a steady and supportive platform is one of the most important things for talents.

-Find somebody to handle your bookings

Having somebody handling your bookings can really take a huge stress off a DJ’s shoulders, especially when the number of requests you receive are growing. If you perform on the extremely casual instance and less than a few times per year, having a booking agency is not necessary, however if you are extremely dedicated to getting more bookings and boosting your career then an agency is highly preferred.
Even if you only have one booking every two months a booking agency is recommended because of this reason: payment. ‘Hassling’ somebody to hurry the fuck up and pay you can be incredibly annoying, however you are entitled to what you work for and when you are signed to a bookings agency you can leave the hassling part to them!

-Read your contracts properly before signing them

This is probably one of the most important points. Contracts are legally binding documents and you cannot break them without facing serious consequences. Although you may be extremely excited to hurry up and sign to a label, booking agency or a business deal it’s important that you carefully read over all of the terms before you sign off on it. Another thing to remember is to read the finer points and do not hesitate to ask if you don’t quite understand any of the formal language because sometimes people try and sneak extra’s in there that aren’t verbally communicated.

Your signature indicates that you read and agreed to the terms stated and sometimes if things don’t work out with your given deal then it will be incredibly stressful and costly to break out of the contract. For example, if a young artist wants to break out of their contract, I doubt that they will have the funds to pay for a lawyer and (if the case is lost) pay for any fees the opponent requires. Not observing the finer details of your contract will cause a lot of unnecessary stress that could have been prevented.

-Buddy up

  **Adrenalize & Heady back in the days**

Seeking out a ‘mentor’ or somebody who knows the scene like the back of their hand is vital for young artists when they are attempting to break-through. Sometimes artists find this in the form of a manager who can help with marketing and other cool ideas whereas some other artists find this support from the big names. Having one of the ‘big guys’ supporting is not only exhilarating, but it can also boost your career in ways that you would never have imagined!

Remember when Adrenalize started out? Who boosted him? Headhunterz. Because he had one of the main pioneers supporting him, he had incredible booking opportunities, his name was known worldwide and he probably picked up a lot of tips from Heady along the way.
So upcomers, don’t be afraid to send your music to your biggest idols because you never know, they may just love it!

-Don’t spam too much

Social media presence and the way you present yourself to the world is extremely important, especially in the music industry. There are a large number of talents who are trying to break through and it’s vital that you act accordingly in order to break through. We know that you’re excited about your new track that you finished or the new kick that you made, but you don’t need to spam it every 10 minutes on Facebook or constantly send daily updates to artists you look up to. They will eventually stop replying or get annoyed.

It’s important to keep boundaries when it comes to sending out your work, it’s better to be modest and post something once or twice than post it every single day and continuously ‘remind’ people that you have serious spamming problems.

-Focus on being original

Kids, let’s just get this straight. We DO NOT need 22 carbon copies of Radical Redemption, nor do we need replicas of Code Black. Falling into the mind-set and thinking “if I produce music that sounds like this producer or act like that DJ does on stage” is not useful at all and only stops growth within our scene. Labels and organisations don’t look for copies, they look for original and fresh talent and although the ‘easy way’ may seem like the right way, in the long run nobody will know your name.

The best way to stay original is to not worry about trends, not worry about what style is most popular and just focus on creating quality music that makes you happy and excited. Trust me; if you spend time focussing on making genuinely innovative tunes then you will see results!

-Have every agreement that you make in paper form

**Seriously though, beware of sketchy cunts**

I cannot stress how important it is to have every single agreement you have made in paper form. This makes things professional and even legal and if somebody breaks what they literally wrote down to you then it will be hard for them to say “Oh, but I never said that!” I’m not going to sugar-coat things; there are some sketchy cunts around (in the general music industry) and having everything solidified in paper form is safe and may cost you bucket loads of stress in the long run.

I’m just going to speak about bookings here for this example. A friend of mine DJ’s for fun every once in a while. She was asked to play at a club one night and they agreed on a fee for her to play for two hours. After her set she approached the club promoter who then ran away from her; he then later said that he only had 50 euros and couldn’t pay her full fee at the moment, she took the 50 and kept hassling him for the remainder of her fee, however he never paid her. With a solid contract or a bookings agency to back her, this would have given the promoter a reason to hurry the fuck up and pay. In the case of this situation ever going to court, anything via written form is required to push a case, so make sure that you always have that to back you up because it’s damn important!!

-Image is important

**Anklepants: no comment**

Taking care of yourself and dressing appropriately is a tip that I cannot stress enough! Before you jump to conclusions and call me shallow, you should finish reading this paragraph first. First of all, let me start by saying that part of being a DJ is presenting yourself to an audience. People may say that it’s all about the music, but the main part of DJing is being observed while you perform on stage.

Having a clean and tidy image suggests that you value the way you portray yourself to the public, you care about yourself and that you take yourself seriously enough. Of course when you’re sitting in the studio producing you want to wear your most comfortable attire, but rocking up to a booking un-groomed and wearing a stained t-shirt and jeans that are two sizes too big actually sends the message across that you don’t take pride in who you are.

Also, another mentionable point is press photos. In terms of press photos, you don’t want to be the 100th person doing the ordinary ‘cap and leather jacket combo’ – these pictures represent you as an artist being and it’s your opportunity to show people what you offer! You should take pride in your photos and take some time to figure out the image that you want to go for.

Is your image lagging? What can you do?
I suggest that you confide in anybody but your mother, perhaps a sister, your girlfriend or a close friend (male or female) that dresses well. Ask them to take you shopping to buy some new clothes and to get a haircut. If you don’t have anybody that can help you, look online at different fashion blogs to see if you can gather some inspiration!

-Keep your personal life separate

As a solid and close-knit scene it’s common that some individuals are susceptible to over-share at times. As Facebook is becoming a dictator tool for how we live our lives and there’s always people sharing their entire life on there, it’s extremely important to still keep that small gap with your fans and avoid posting things that can be too personal.

By all means, share big milestones in your music career, things that are relevant to music and also a cheeky selfie every now and again (but not too many, that’s just annoying), but we really don’t need to know about your three cats, two dogs, eight birds and the details of an argument that you had with your girlfriend. Somewhat establishing a boundary is something that all budding producers and DJ’s should remember; the music industry is a no bullshit industry and if you don’t look professional and ‘together’ then it will probably lower your chances of people taking you seriously.

-Be open to feedback

Your track may have been released on a small label, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t have the capabilities to improve and release your stuff on bigger labels! The only ways that you can improve is by practicing and by accepting feedback and trying to utilise that wisely.
Ask your friends and family for feedback on tracks, but most importantly ask other producers, labels and professionals within the scene. You should always approach them in a friendly and non-spamming manner and kindly ask them if they have a few minutes to give some feedback. Even if it’s brief, it’s better than nothing!

 

Well, that’s all the advice we have for today. For the up and comers who have dreams of furthering their career, we really hope that this advice helped you in your future endeavours and remember, opportunities will always come along if you have real talent, so don’t settle for anything dodgy!