Trevor Thomas - How to Be a DJ: The Complete Step by Step Guide to Getting Your First Show

How to Be a DJ

The Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Your First Show

By Trevor Thomas

Copyright 2019

All Rights Reserved

Published by ZML Corp LLC

Table of Contents

Disclaimer

T his book is written for informational purposes only. The author and publishing company are not affiliated with any websites, products, or software listed in this book, which includes but is not limited to DJ Pro, Amazon, Walmart, Thumbtack, Gigmasters, Spotify, and Gigsalad. The author or publisher may receive compensation for services recommended in this book if a referral link is used. It is illegal to copy or distribute this book without written permission from the author or publisher. I actively search the internet for people who violate my copyrights. Written by Trevor Thomas, published by ZML Corp LLC. Copyright 2019, all rights reserved.

Introduction

T he year is 1992. You , a spry young chicken, are at a nightclub and see a DJ spinning records on two turntables. He has his headphones on and is flipping from CD to CD, keeping the music going. You think what a fun job that would be! You get paid to play music and are the life of the party. So you think to yourself, I want to try to get into the industry. The next day you go to your local record store and start talking to the employees there about how to become a DJ. And then... your dream of becoming a DJ comes crashing down in front of you.

A set of Turntables is close to a thousand dollars. A nice set of speakers and stands is even more expensive. CDs are $8 a pop. You have to buy over 100 CDs just to keep up with the days current hits, and that's not including the requests you may get from party goers for anything from the past. Youd then have to learn how to work the turntables and the proper techniques for mixing music to keep the music going in-between songs. Not to mention the fact you havent even calculated the money it would take to market your new business. You decide you just dont have the time or money to get into the industry, and you decide DJing is for someone else.

Lucky for you, you were born in the right decade; becoming a DJ today is easier and less expensive than ever before in history! In this book, I will go over everything you need to do to become a DJ. Well go over the equipment you need to buy, where to get your music, how to get customers, and how to market yourself! There is still some startup costs to becoming a DJ, however you will easily make this money back after your first 2-3 events. So lets get started and learn how to become a DJ!

Part 1: Equipment Needed

Note: All the products in this book can be found at the page I created at fastlink.xyz/djlinks. On that page is a shortened link to the Ama-zon page for each individual product.

T he first thing youre going to need to do is get the equipment to play the music. When you go out, you may see DJs with electronic turntables, huge speakers, and a variety of other "DJ" equipment. While all this stuff is nice, its not all necessary, especially in the beginning of your DJ career when youre low on funds. At the bare minimum, all you need is a computer and speakers to start out as a DJ. For most of the events you will be entertaining, all the extra equipment really just isnt that necessary, and Id even go as far to say its more for show than actually practical.

So lets start with the equipment. First youre going to need a laptop. Most people already own a laptop, so youre welcome to use the one you already have. You dont need a super-fast laptop, as your standard, average one will work just fine. And you can use a Windows based laptop or a MacBook, its your choice.

Next youre going to need to get a speaker system. You, yourself, and I are going to be the only one lugging this stuff around. Youve probably seen some DJs with big huge speakers on big huge stands, however this type of heavy, large sound equipment is not necessary and ends up becoming a nuisance! Considering all this, my suggestion is to get a small, portable speaker system that you can easily carry around. And don't think because it's small it won't be loud; speakers have come a long way in recent years. While there are many types of speakers, the two examples on the next page are high quality systems that I would personally recommend. On the left is the LD Systems Maui 5, and on the right is the Bose L1 compact.