How Seriously Do You Have To Take Your Image To Succeed?

This topic has 23 replies, 1 voice, and was last updated 14 years, 1 month ago by Phil Morse.

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February 6, 2012 at 11:02 pm #14348

Paul Hill
Participant

if you go into dolce and gabana you may look good,but will you get a gig?.its the tunes that count not the image.just feel comfortable with your style.jeans and a t-shirt will do.

February 6, 2012 at 11:17 pm #14351

Sumir
Member

Dave Korfman, post: 14405, member: 1422 wrote: It strikes me that almost every DJ profile out there is like a clone of the previous. A moody B&W picture in some urban setting of the person looking nonchalantly at the ground, shades on, coupled with a bio about how they first picked up one of their parents Rod Stewart albums and tried to put in on the record player but they couldn’t even stand let alone walk by that stage..

So how seriously do you have to take your image to succeed in this industry? Do you have to go down the same route and produce an image of coolness that probably doesn’t reflect the reality or is there room to be different? Or do you at least have to play the game until you have enough support to do what you want?

I ask as I’m in the process of finishing my website, writing my biography etc. I assuming this technique of marketing works or everyone wouldn’t do it. But I don’t want to do it. I want to project my true self. Sometimes I wear sunglasses in urban settings and I’m sure I look down at the ground from time to time but I don’t remember ever having an incidental picture taken at the right moment.

Thoughts?

said it before, and I’ll say it again. just read my quote brother, be true to yourself ..the only way to live. being dishonest with yourself only leads to being dishonest with others. and ya can’t see it for what it is ..because of the lies upon lies built up so thick over so long ..and the unwillingness to let go of the now near impossible false reality built around a false image with false people.

be your self brotha

February 6, 2012 at 11:59 pm #14357

Dave Korfman
Member

Thanks for the response so far guys, I am a believer in being true but given this is a marketing heavy industry, what response would I get if I went the other way? If my bio read something like this:

Ex dickhead and former model, Dave was in a bit of a pickle after the technology bubble burst and he lost his contract as the face of cleftpalate.com.

This was a terrible blow, things just really hadn’t been the same since his cat died some years earlier but it was these unfortunate events that lead Dave to realise that the only consistent thing in his life had been electronic music. Maybe he was cursed, maybe that would end up in the neighbour’s bin too but he decided to get stuck in anyway.

After several years behind the scenes at the legendary Teflon parties in Madrid in the mid 00’s, Dave has been more recently been having a ridiculous winter in Mexico City, topping the bill at places such as El Colmillo and Area and now it’s time to give the rest of Mexico a turn. From deep to tech to techno, expect a delicious dose of European Flavours before his return to Ibiza via London, Miami and a yet to be announced monster party at SONAR in Barcelona. Come listen and get up there.

(Real names and places changed for now but the legendary parties and the ridiclous winter/future movements are true)

February 7, 2012 at 1:42 am #14364

Mike Check
Member

It might suck but the marketing piece is extremely important because the fact is there are a sh!t-ton of DJ’s out there that have equivalent skills and this element helps differentiate. Having said that you can still do it in a way that reflects yourself & is unique. I think of someone like Martin Solveig, he’s definitely taken a twist on the traditional DJ image.

February 7, 2012 at 2:34 am #14367

Sumir
Member

Mike Check, post: 14426, member: 1342 wrote: It might suck but the marketing piece is extremely important because the fact is there are a sh!t-ton of DJ’s out there that have equivalent skills and this element helps differentiate. Having said that you can still do it in a way that reflects yourself & is unique. I think of someone like Martin Solveig, he’s definitely taken a twist on the traditional DJ image.

I suppose to each their own, never have and never will live my life like that. I came from a different scene , perhaps DJ’s outside the underground rave scene of my time do such things ..and it’s accepted..and considered the norm.

February 7, 2012 at 4:31 am #14370

Todd Oddity
Participant

Write whatever you want – your bio is part of your personality, and personality does matter in the business. Just make sure your target audience appreciates your sense of humour. My bio starts with:

[INDENT=1]“Oddity is an odd fellow, hence the name. Really you should have been able to figure that out for yourself without the aid of this multi-million dollar web presence. In any case, the story of Oddity is long and boring, so we will just make up something here…”[/INDENT]
[INDENT=1] [/INDENT]

And ends with:
[INDENT=1] [/INDENT]
[INDENT=1]“This leads us to the present day. By lacing all of the music he plays with subliminal messages, Oddity has made himself more addictive then both crack and speed, and by investing in clothes made out of non-potato-sack fabric, he has quickly become a sex symbol. Oddity is now looking to expand his reach, or failing that, die in a fabulous Leaving Las Vegas style way. In either case, sooner or later, a movie will be made about him.”[/INDENT]
[INDENT=1] [/INDENT]

To be fair, I did write a shorter, more traditional bio recently, but it still talks about hitting people with frying pans, so ya. Do your own thing and be proud of it.

February 7, 2012 at 6:10 am #14374

Albin0Panda
Participant

Get this to your head:

As a DJ, you can sugarcoat the f*** out of your bio, you can be the prettiest/hardest/coolest little boy in the entire universe, but if you suck as a DJ, and you’re trying to be a DJ, you are going NOWHERE. I hope, for the sake of humanity, that 90% of the people who respond to this thread will tell you that it’s your ability that will get you there.

If you’re worried about your image, then quit bro. On the real. Not being a dick, but you just aren’t at the right place in your head to succeed. Unless you have the drive, passion, and tenacity, you should quit or be content with where you are now, and maybe even forever.

February 7, 2012 at 1:26 pm #14398

tylervulgar
Member

I’m breaking the DJ mold. I dump blood on my head, I throw glitter and confetti, I wear a laser glove. Also I play a really really really killer song selection. Music choice is what get’s me remebered more then my over the top theatrics or crazy outfits. A great dj will always stand out. A great dj that has awesome stage presence and just looks like they belong there, That’s what get’s you remebered. We are a very sensory species. We like lights lasers awesome bass. Look at say Dillon francis for marketing, He’s out of his mind. His website has some generally funny things that he’s “Selling” such as ruining your stepdads birthday for 100,000 dollars. I’m not saying dump blood on your head like me, Music comes first always. Find your sound and mixing style first. I mix everything but I never touch top 40 so the people that listen to me know they are going to hear some crazy EDM from a ton of genres. After a few shows I started adding more theatrics and now people are coming for that too. It’s building an image you enjoy not what everyone else tells you is cool, or awesome.

February 7, 2012 at 5:40 pm #1002891

Dave Korfman
Member

So a range of responses as expected. Thank you Todd Oddity and respect to you for doing what you feel like rather than the crowd. And to you Sumir and Tylervulgar.

Albin0Panda, I think you missed the point of the question and I’m not sure if advising me to quit based on a question to bring up a discussion on this forum is very bright. Perhaps I’m misunderstanding what you’re really saying and perhaps my question wasn’t clear enough. Questioning what is best in terms of marketing doesn’t amount to worrying about one’s image. I was really wondering whether you are likely to harm your chances of getting booked if you don’t follow the standard pattern of looking stereotypically cool as fuck because without bookings you’ll never be heard and if no one hears you then that’s end of sports. If I send a demo mix with a presskit to a promoter and my presskit contains a left field bio and a good quality photo of me in a dress and I send another with the same demo and a bio about how seriously I have been in to music since day dot and a black and white photo of me on a yacht with the ocean in the background, which one is more likely to get the booking?

February 7, 2012 at 6:19 pm #14415

tylervulgar
Member

For booking it’s the same as any job, Breaking in is hard. Who is more likely to get a job as a waitress or waiter. The pretty well kept buisness woman/ Clean cut well shaven man. or the drag queen or person who looks like they haven’t showered or obese person. It’s a visual society as I’ve said. Everyone has an image of what you should be. That’s why i said make an image you want to be you’ll be much happier in the long run.

February 7, 2012 at 6:57 pm #14416

Chris Collins
Member

Well, I’m never going to be ‘cool’, so it’s never something I have to worry about.

Having said that, be careful not to take things to extremes. You want to stand out, but you don’t want to be known as a novelty act.

The best advice I can give is make it less about telling what you are, and more about showing who you are (if that even makes any sense). This can apply to anything really. If you’re off-beat, don’t go out of your way to prove it, because if it’s genuine, it will show on its own.

Also, think of it from the other end as an event promoter. Every promoter will have a different idea of what makes a successful event. The job will go to the person that the promoter feels will make his event successful. I don’t care if the sounds you made as a baby were sampled into hit singles by David Bowie in the 80s, how can I use that to get people at the door?

A picture of you in a dress might be off-putting. A picture of you in a dress in front of a PACKED crowd going BANANAS for your set will get you work.

February 7, 2012 at 7:02 pm #14417

Sumir
Member

wasn’t there a song that had lyrics like “III gotttaaa beee meeeee” ??

February 7, 2012 at 7:09 pm #14418

LoveLand
Member

Valid question Dave, worth asking. I’d agree with the sentiments of other DDJers to be yourself. You’ve pointed out, standing outside, arms folded in a run down urban estate in sunglasses may not be very ‘you’. Take your image seriously, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be a serious image. A lot of the symbolisms and logos DJ’s use on this site aren’t as you described. Mark Ronson went from doin that ‘ooo wee’ hip-hoppy track wearing traditional hip hop gear. Moved on to the East London, skinny jeans, scruffy check shirt, plimsoles favoured by the Hoxton gays, to appearing in GQ in tailored D&G sharp suits. However, his music (wether you like it or not) is what he is most famous for.

IMHO having professional looking marketing material, graphic design, website, business cards goes much further than moody looks in cheap clothes in a poor neighbourhood. Let your music back your chat dude. I always think ” if your too late to be the first, be the best, if you aint the best then at least be DIFFERENT”

February 7, 2012 at 7:57 pm #14421

Todd Oddity
Participant

Albin0Panda, post: 14436, member: 1414 wrote:

Albin0Panda, post: 14436, member: 1414 wrote:

Albin0Panda, post: 14436, member: 1414 wrote:

Albin0Panda, post: 14436, member: 1414 wrote: Blah blah blah blah… On the real. Not being a dick… blah blah blah blah.

Albin0Panda, get this to your head:

If you need to add “not being a dick” to whatever it is you are blathering on about, then odds are quite likely you are being a giant dick. Your comment was rude and completely out of line.

Dave had a perfectly valid question – he wanted to know what is working for people with regards to their marketing materials and how they are positioning themselves. He didn’t say he didn’t think music mattered, or any of the other bs you ranted on about.

The whole purpose of this forum is to share what is working and what isn’t so that those with more experience can help out those with less. Your attitude brings nothing to the discussion. Get over yourself.

February 7, 2012 at 8:25 pm #14424

Paul Hill
Participant

obviously there will be a queue of people offering help and experience to Albin0Panda if he needs it i presume!!!
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