All About: How To Get Your First DJ Gig

So you've progressed through the Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced levels and completed our LSA accredited Pro DJ course, what next?

Now you'll want to find out how to get your first DJ gig and gain experience playing in real venues to a real crowd!

It's time to step out of the bedroom and into the main room! So, how do you get your first DJ gig?

Getting your first DJ gig can be the hard, but luckily we organise them for you! Rest assured, on completion of our DJ course you'll get many DJ gig opportunities through our alumni community. BUT, that shouldn't stop you also reaching out and finding your own DJ gigs. Here's our top tips on finding your first DJ gig and getting booked!

DJ Gigs For Graduates

Working closely with London Sound Academy we organise DJ gigs for all our DJ course graduates. A graduate is someone who has completed the Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced DJ Courses at DJ Gym or LSA. Once you've completed all three levels you will gain your LSA certification and be invited to join our private alumni community group. This is the hub you will use to find your first DJ gigs. In the group, we post DJ opportunities for all our alumni. In addition, many of the alumni themselves also organise their own events and book fellow students to play! Being part of this family will give you many on-going opportunities. Membership lasts a lifetime too!

Expect to see gigs from famous venues and festivals including Ministry of Sound, Egg LDN, SW4 Festival, and many more. We also have a huge amount of smaller bar gigs alongside big club gigs so you can gain experience from the bottom up. We also organise a yearly tour in Ibiza where our DJs play all over the island during an unforgettable week!

‍

Alumni Community Group

The alumni group is a private community group on Facebook. Once you complete the course you will be invited. Only alumni can join the group. There are now more than 1200 alumni in the group from all over the UK and further afield around the globe!

One of the best things about the group is everyone works together to help each other get ahead in the music industry. Perks of the group include:

A community that supports equality in the electronic music scene.

Support and help when you need it - ask the community anything!

Count on us to vote for you in many DJ and remix competitions!

DJ gigs posted by the alumni themselves along with gigs posted from DJ Gym and LSA.

A place for people to share their achievements and get loving praise.

A place for people to share other opportunities, think of it as a central hub of information.

Find help for producers as well as DJs

DJ in Ibiza

One of the highlights of the yearly calendar of DJ gigs is our Ibiza Tour that happens in August. This is a week-long DJ tour where alumni can DJ in Ibiza at many venues. Click here to learn more about our annual Ibiza Tour. Maybe your first DJ gig will be on the famous island!

DJ gigs in Ibiza that we organise include super-clubs like Sankeys (Now Octan), Amnesia and Es Paradis! We also play at numerous beach bars, hotels, pool parties and boat parties! It's a crazy week that you'll remember for the rest of your life!

If you want advice on how to get your own DJ gigs in Ibiza click here for our guide...

‍

Networking

If you want to find your first DJ gigs on your own you need to start networking. Networking is a skill that all DJs need to learn. First of all, have your profiles ready so that once you have found a good contact you have something professional to share with them like a business card or links to your online profiles. Click here to find out more about how DJs can manage their social media profiles.

Once you have a business card or links to your DJ social media profiles or website you can find suitable places to network. Mostly, you will find that clubs and events are the best places to find other DJs and promoters. Make sure you support the events you want to DJ at, show up, grab a drink and introduce yourself to the promoter. Don't send cold emails to them, actually go and meet them in person.

You might also want to check our music conferences. They are a great place to meet people who work behind the scenes in the industry. These people might not actually be on the dancefloor but instead work backstage or in the office. Often they are the people pulling the strings. Make sure you visit conferences and get to know all the different aspects of the industry. You'll also learn tons by talking to more experienced people. There are event virtual music conferences you can attend from the comfort of your own home.

Door to Door

If you're looking for your first DJ gigs sometimes the old way is the best way. You can go door to door and visit the venues and bars that often have DJs playing. Ask to speak to the manager or the promotions manager. Sometimes they will outsource their DJ bookings so ask for the contacts for the agencies they work with. Put all of this information in your contacts book.

Why not offer to play a trial set for free, get your foot in the door and then take it from there.

Again, make sure you have your business card or digital links to cement the relationship in a professional way. Be super friendly and polite and you'll find that a smile goes a long way!

Create Your Own Gigs

Often, finding your first DJ gig on your own can be a challenge. Sometimes promoters only book their friends to DJ or people they already know and can rely on. This can leave little room for a newcomer. In this case, you should think about starting your own event. You don't have to spend a lot of money doing this either. Work with a bar that is free entry and ask for a small percentage of the bar take or bar profits in return for you DJing and promoting the bar. Often a venue will give you 10% of the bar.

The next step up would be to hire a venue and charge on the door but that carries more financial risk. It's often better to start small with free entry events and then work your way up. Keep a mailing list so you can stay in touch with your fans and help sell tickets to future DJ gigs.

‍

Looking for more tips and tricks on how to find your first DJ gig? Click here for 42 ideas to help you find DJ gigs.

If you have any questions or would like more information about how to join our DJ course and get help finding your first DJ gig click here to contact us.

‍