Approaching Club Owners and Promoters

i think Dj D-Jam did a real nice piece here on this forum on how to get gigs. Just look at his posts. Also I think this was a topic DDJT did a hole article or maybe a series on this. The main thing that worked for me is you really got to support the cause and not just show up with a demo. Get to know the scene, the promoters by name and really come out to support them. Down the line they will get to know you and then you can introduce your demo. These guys probably get hit up a 100 times a day since everybody and their grand mama baby daddys a Dj. So be proactive in it and you came to the right place to ask. People in this forum are cool and the wealth of knowledge here is 2nd to none

Go read the series, but here’s the shortened version:

1. Go out and hang out. Go to the events you would love to play at and be a patron first.
2. Network at the event. Come regularly, get to know the regulars, and then later if you meet them, the promoter. Don’t push a demo on him immediately.
3. Make your demo fit the venue and the slot you know you would play. If you see he’s always booking known names playing big room anthems, and you’re not known…then make a darker demo set meant for opening the night.
4. Have demos with you all the time. The best opportunity is when you’re yacking with the promoter about things, and he asks you about your DJing. THEN you give it to him and simply ask him to listen to it and let you know what he thinks of your set.
5. If he ever asks you “what do you play?”, never answer with genres. It’s a trick question. Answer with “I play to the crowd”, because that’s the kinds of DJs he wants.
6. Show you can promote and promote well. If you do online shows or anything like that, promote it like you do, build that following, because promoters generally want people who bring heads or might bring heads. Not bedroom savants who can’t talk to anyone and has no friends.

I know for me, one big hitch that kept me from landing gigs is that my friends were all “done” with clubbing when I was building up a bit. The usual faces never gave me any loyalty as a DJ (despite that they liked me), and my actual friends were now “too old” in their eyes to go clubbing. So I couldn’t bring anyone out on my own accord, thus promoters never bothered with me.
If you play more underground, try to get to know the rave promoters and even offer to help. Most of them are not as cold as club promoters, and will give unknowns an early slot if they see this person supports their efforts. So if you’re willing to push and promote and work for it, they’ll give you a start.
Don’t pass up chances to play online shows in your local area. This is part of how you build fans.