Starting a small night…

The challenge here is that you want to be a (narrow/niche?) genre DJ here. Yet, you don’t have a reputation that will make people recognize your name and say “hey, Rob is playing, I want to go there”.

And with the totally immense offering out there, people can choose from very many options to go and spend their time and money.

My personal opinion is that in this day and age your audience comes and finds you and not the other way around, that is if you want to be very genre specific or even niche. If you don’t have a niche or a very clear signature, then you will be one of a thousand and getting that gathering happening will be even more difficult.

So, the chance of having your dream scenario happen by throwing your money at organizing your own night, imho, would be rather minimal. Even with promo, promo, promo.

You’d have to set up a night with a scope that is broad enough to encompass your genre/style but also to be able to find one or two (local) name DJs that will bring in the crowd. You can then program your own set at a good spot around those guys. It would hopefully make you some money, so you can rinse/repeat. Make sure you make the most out of social networking and the collaboration with the name DJs. You might even get asked to come play at some other gigs where the name guys play. But more importantly, your target audience comes to see someone else, but get to see you too.

Like with any performing artist, it’s a lot of work, lots of empty venues and sheer perseverance. And having a bit of luck being picked up by the right “leaders” in your target audience will help too.

I realize this isn’t much help, but I don’t think there is a cut and dried “template” to get where you want to be. Too many variables there. If it were as easy as a mathematical equation or cook book recipe, more people would be (successfully) doing it.

maybe Im wrong but I understand what you say to mean you are trying to make your night succesful for fame (have a sizable audience and following while you play your great music) rather than fortune (tons of ticket sales and drink sales commission) … In this case you should try to figure out how to make things free in order to attract a crowd, you can contact someone from any alcohol or soft drink company and ask them to sponsor your night meaning they give you x amount of free cases of their beverage for your night and you put their brand name on your flyers so its a kind of free advertising / marketing for them and also attracts people to come party with you win/win If your night is free entrance and free drinks or free anything it will be easy to get a big crowd, Your bringing more djs idea is cool but the truth is most people that go to the clubs arent that cooncerned with the music unless its really bad Anyone who just really wants to hear great music has the internet and radio to fulfill that so do try to fulfill what bar goers want apart from music, see lots of pretty people , free drinks, etc.

I’m dropping these lines to share the strategy which brought me to events acting as principal DJ; just looked for events presenting a genre within my comfort zone, contacted the administrators, PRs or owners and offered them a pre event live show instead of some CDs played, often not bringing the hoped for warm up, with the bonus of being free and not affecting the tech set up for the main event, know what? They accepted, some colleagues had arguments with me, but if the owner of the place gave the ok and you prove to be a good opener, it can only get better, it got better for me! Even the closing of an event can expose you positively, I was booked from Monday till Thursday for five years in Germany ( not for free anymore…) being very niche with my ’70s fusion, funk and soul through this approach, which is now working again with my very niche nu jazz and own productions here in Lima Perú ( tough ground… ), hope this can open new perspectives Rob, in the meantime wish you Good Luck, ciao!

Yeah, I am no big advocate of doing anything for “free”, but that is a personal choice of course.

P.S.: it’s important to have a commercial status for V.A.T., I.G.V., Mw.St. bills, otherwise it becomes difficult to be taken seriously as a pro, and a self promo shouldn’t offer the features of a payed session, of course…Better stop, many things are to be considered, it’ll come with experience, Rob, just do your thing, choose wisely your steps, first impressions and stuff, Good Luck & inspiration!

Honestly, my choice of words can indeed lead to confusion too and those free sessions are in fact a problem, ruining prices, implanting bad habits becoming a default procedure, remaining a sensitive point for many: my advice to those unsure of their art is to stay away from a market we are trying to keep at a certain level and a quality generating expenses to be absorbed partly through the adequate billing; jobs went sour because of certain “originals” and it’s not right to ignore driving distances, variable price calculations considering time factor, specific client preferences and so on; just because we love music and it’s fun we will be paid a misery?