During this unprecedented time of #socialdistancing what is a DJ to do to better themselves and their businesses?

What is DJ to do in 2020?  We are living in crazy times right now. The hospitality industry has essentially come to a halt.  We always like to stay positive, so we figured it would be a great idea to share some helpful tips. Today, we’ll talk about utilizing this time off. We want to make sure you’re prepared for the inevitable BOOM to come when this all ends. Check out these helpful tips below!

Organize and expand your music library

One of the most important things a DJ can do during off time is to organize and expand their music library.  A DJ is only as good as his music collection. He’s also only as good as his ability to recall that music when needed quickly, easily, and efficiently.  Why don’t you spend some time listening to and then downloading new music that you haven’t played before?  This is a great time to learn some new styles and genres that you may not have tapped into in the past.  Or check out sites like Spotify, Tidal, Beatport or Deezer and expand your music collection by listening to new stuff.

You also may be holding on to songs you have and will never play. Get rid of them!  Why waste the storage space on something you’ll never play?  Time to purge!  Oh yeah, and those crates. Are they in good shape?  How are you organizing them?  Are you doing it by mood, style, genre, or just event to event?

Test, clean, and service your gear & lighting

Another thing a DJ can do in 2020 off time is to test, clean and service gear.  Your DJ gear & lighting is the lifeblood of your business and a huge investment you have made.  Shouldn’t you take some time to make sure it’s in the best working condition it can be?  Shouldn’t your speakers, DJ booth, lighting etc. look clean and presentable?  We all know that our gear takes a beating while we gig, so this is a great opportunity to touch up or spot clean anything that may need a refreshment.

For testing & maintenance, take out your speakers and run them with several different songs in several different environments. Make sure the sound is to your standards.  A simple buzz or rumbling could be caused by a loose screw and easily fixed with a screwdriver.  Most speakers have manufacturer warranties and now would be a great time to have them serviced.  Have a fog machine or other fluid-based machine?  Now is a great time to clean it out. For fog and haze machines, run a combination of 50% vinegar and 50% distilled water through it to make sure its not clogged when you’re ready to use it.

What is a DJ to do in 2020? Even more cleaning tips

Have up-lighting?  Are all the batteries working at full capacity?  If not, maybe it’s time to grab some spares from your dealer. You don’t want to have issues when you need them.  Have moving heads?  Are the lenses clean so that the light can punch through the way you’re used to?   These are just some examples of maintenance you can do on your largest investment, your DJ GEAR and LIGHTING!

For cleaning, this is a great opportunity to wipe everything down. Make sure that it’s in showroom condition.  Your brand is everything in this business. That relates to everything you do, including your presentation and the way you and your gear look. Make sure your speakers are free from scratches and dings, your up-lights are clean and spot-free and your DJ booth appears as perfect as it can.  All these things are important in a business where aesthetics are becoming more and more important.

Reach out to local DJs (Even competitors) and network

Here’s one that many DJs never do during off time that can greatly benefit them, especially now in 2020.  As we’re living in a strange world of cancellations and postponements that will surely affect other dates in the future,  it is inevitable that gigs that were “Booked” may open up.   Having an open dialogue with local trusted DJs allows you to collaborate & work together to secure the dates and jobs in a barter-style system.  If you are in the unfortunate situation of having to deal with cancellations, other local DJs may also have work for you (As they’re dealing with rescheduling) so you can try to mitigate your losses that way too.

Lastly, even if no business or barter can be made at the current time its always good to have friendly fires locally.  That way you can potentially work with them in the future and gain or help in some way moving forward.  Collaborating is the new currency of 2020 and having friends in the industry (Especially locally) can only help you.  There is always something to learn and there may be times when you’ll need help, so use this time to make some new friends.

Work on your branding (website, social media)

What else can a DJ do in 2020?  Music and service should always be at the forefront of why you’re a DJ and what you focus on in this business, however branding is becoming more and more important in today’s digital age.  More and more people are looking for recommendations and searching for services on the internet and social media, and your first impression many times are your landing pages like you website and social media profile pages.

Are they all up to par in a way that you’re proud of?  Has that Facebook business page shown a post lately?  Does your website homepage look like something that was created in the 90s?  By having a dated website and a social media page that is public but not maintained, you’re sending a message to your potential clients that this is how you operate.  If you can’t manage to present your brand well, how can you be trusted to present their event well?

Spend this time building a plan & focus on implementing it consistently when it comes to social media.  There is no sense having a page on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, linkedin, YouTube, Snapchat, Tik Tok and Pinterest if you’re only going to maintain your Facebook account.  Focus on Facebook and hide the others until you have the time to manage them properly, sometimes less is more and a page that is not maintained can hurt more than help.

Practice, practice, practice

We first talked about how important it is to have a vast and effective library of music that you can easily recall and use efficiently during your gigs.  Now that our music is all ready to go, are we performing as well as we want to be?  Are you beat mixing and if not, do you think now would be a good opportunity to learn how to do it?  What about key mixing, is that something you haven’t tried or never understood but want to start applying it to your sets?

This is something that a working DJ sometimes forgets about or feels they do not need to do.  There is always something to improve on and to learn and trust me when I tell you, the better you become at your craft the more successful you will be.  There are a lot of DJs out there, shouldn’t you be able to do everything they can if not more?

We hope you gained some valuable information from this and plan to utilize at least 1 of the tips to make the best use of this time off.  What are some things that you’re doing that we didn’t mention?

Also now is a great time to learn, grow and succeed, let us know how we can help and check out our coaching sessions and instructors.