How Do I Start Learning How to Be a DJ in 2025?

Becoming a DJ is a popular goal for 2025 and a journey that combines creativity, technical skills and a passion for music. Whether you dream of playing your music to packed stadiums, on the main stage of Tomorrowland or simply for your friends and loved ones, DJing is a fantastic skill to learn.

The first step is to understand the different types DJ and then start learning the craft. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get started.

Step 1: Understand the Role of a DJ

There are many different types of DJ and jobs within the DJ industry. It's a growing sector and there are tons of opportunities for new DJs. As an aspiring DJ, you should spend some time researching the history of DJing, and electronic dance music (EDM). Get to know the various EDM genres and learn about the famous artists within your niche. Once you've got to grips with how things in the EDM world work you can consider what type of DJ you want to become. Here are some of the different types of DJ to inspire you:

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Radio DJ

A DJ who plays music on the radio, often as a presenter selecting the best tracks of the moment.

Mobile DJ

Mobile DJs perform at events like weddings, birthdays and corporate parties. These DJs often take the whole sound system to their gigs and are hired on a nightly basis.

Club & Pub DJ

A DJ who plays at small and medium-sized venues and seeks to balance crowd-pleasing with their personal mixing style.

Producer DJ

A more advanced DJ who can also create their own tracks and remixes. They often performs as headliners or up-and-coming artists within a specific scene.

International DJ Producer

Globally renowned DJs, performing worldwide at large clubs and music festivals.

Niche DJ

DJs who play specific industry niches like sporting events, fashion shows, retail, resorts and on cruise ships.

‍Other Related Jobs in the DJ Industry

• Promoter: Organises and promotes events, booking DJs for gigs.
• Label Owner: Runs record labels, releases music for a profit.
• Producer: Creates music for themselves or other artists.
• Engineer: Works on music production for artists, sometimes as a ghost producer.
• Tour Manager: Manages artist tours, including travel, bookings, and logistics.
• Artist Manager: Handles business aspects like deals, schedules, and opportunities.
• A&R (Artist & Repertoire): Scouts new talent, develops artist profiles, and works with record labels.
• Booking Agent: Works for a DJ agency and handles DJ bookings for a roster of artists.
• Music Publisher: Secures royalties and licensing deals for songwriters and composers.
• Music PR/Plugger: Promotes artists and their music releases to the media.
• DJ Photographer/Videographer or Content Producer: Documents artist tours and performances through photos and videos.

Step 2: Learn How To DJ (Properly)

Mastering how to DJ properly is key to any DJs future success. DJing is a creative and technological art form that encompasses many different skills. Learning how to DJ can seem daunting at first so finding a professional DJ course will help you find your feet and to become a DJ.

It is possible to teach yourself using free resources like YouTube but many students will find it much faster and easier to join a reputable DJ school. Having a structured DJ course taught by experienced DJ tutors is vital to help you learn how to DJ the correct way. Here are some benefits of taking professional tuition vs learning on your own.

A structured curriculum covering all the essential theory and topics

Learn on industry-standard DJ equipment

Learn directly from a professional DJ with experience

Find out how to promote yourself as a DJ and launch your DJ career

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While most DJ schools will cover those essentials by booking at a world-class DJ academy such as London Sound Academy will provide you with further benefits such as: recognised qualifications, access to DJ gigs and support for new DJs, a community group, joining a role-call of famous alumni, working with famous DJs.

What if you don't live near a DJ school?

If you're not able to get to a local DJ school consider taking online DJ lessons, taught 1-1 over Zoom. Click here to book online DJ lessons.

Step 3: Get Your First DJ Gig Experience

Actual DJ experience is essential for the growth of any new DJ but one of the hardest steps for new DJs is to get their very first DJ gigs. Many DJs who have self-taught will struggle because they have no network or community to help them get a foot in the door. Whereas, learning with a DJ school will often help you meet other DJs and join graduate events.

London Sound Academy is famous for doing this and guarantees that all their DJ course graduates will receive DJ gigs at their various club partners including the world famous Ministry of Sound in London. DJ Gym graduates can also benefit from these connections as part of the wider LSA community within the UK. International students studying with LSA online can also qualify!

What if you don't have access to gigs?

If you don't have any access to DJ gigs you can try and get your own by following this guide.

42 Ways To Get More DJ Gigs

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Step 4: Promote Your New DJ Career Online

Knowing how to DJ is just one part of the puzzle. Once you've got the skills and some DJ experience you'll need to develop your own business plan to grow your DJ career step-by-step. Many DJs are self-employed, meaning they are responsible for all aspects of the job including promotion and marketing.

As a new DJ you'll need to:

Create a DJ name and logo

Create a DJ brand image or concept including a USP (Unique Selling Point)

Launch your social media profiles including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Soundcloud and more.

Create engaging and viral content to attract followers

Grow a fanbase and send regular communications and invites to your gigs

If you need help with the business side of DJing consider working with a mentor or taking a music business or social media marketing course.

Step 5: Learn How To Produce Unique Music

There are thousands of DJs who dream of making it big and touring the world. The question is how do you stand out and attract a global fanbase who will buy tickets to see your shows? The answer is to produce unique music that goes viral.

Music production is the art of creating your own original music using a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) like Ableton, FL Studio or Logic (all subjects taught here at DJ Gym!) If you want to become a famous DJ in 2025 you'll need to master the art of music production. 

Start with a Beginner Music Production Course to learn the basics and see how quickly you can start making your own beats. If you want to know how long it takes to learn how to produce click here for the best guide on the internet.

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The Round Up

We hope we answered the question of how you can start learning how to be a DJ in 2025! We've been teaching DJing since 2008 and have mentored thousands of aspiring artists. We are proud to have launched the careers of countless DJs and music producers. If you'll looking for one of the best ways to not just become a DJ but thrive get in touch!

Click here to contact our team.