To get the gigs, you’ve got to promote yourself – some things never change. So it stands to reason that one of the biggest “issues” faced by DJs returning to DJing is not the tech or the music or the mixing, but getting the gigs.
Despite the social media age, and the need to have at least a regularly updated presence on social media, one thing remains true. If you want to play gigs in any town, city or neighbourhood, you still need to be seen, known and liked by both the people who attend the venues and the people who run them and book the DJs. This involves going out!
For younger DJs, DJing is often a natural extension of their social lives, and so this bit is easy. But for older DJs, when all your friends are not avid clubbers, it’s harder, and so you need to be realistic.
Your type of people ARE still going out, albeit nowhere near as often. Where do they go? What restaurants, bars or venues do they frequent? This is where you need to focus your efforts. Find “your” people, and work out from there.
However you do it, decide how many times you want to perform in, say, each season, then commit to doing so. A “performance” may be just providing background music at a restaurant’s anniversary (that you suggested to them), or at private parties – but if you commit to the number of gigs as a non-negotiable, then the job for you becomes to improve those gigs season by season.
Apply some of the steely determination you’ve learned through your working life to this, the kind of determination many younger people haven’t developed yet. See it as an advantage! For some extra help, download your free resource sheet by clicking here.