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Apr 16, 04
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Being A DJ In Vancouver
Seeing as how there's a lot of local dj's on FNK I thought I'd pose the question.
How hard is it to make a living in vancouver being a dj, not only that but getting venues themselves? What if you produce your original music? Does that give you an edge? And what about styles? Like hardhouse, trance, DNB, jungle, progressive...etc 
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Apr 16, 04
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Its pretty damn hard to make a living on djing alone, especially for "rave djs" who at most usually get a couple gigs a month. For myself and probably the majority of djs on here I just do it because its something i love, if anything its a money loosing process.
Not sure what you mean by getting the venues... thats usually the promoter doing that. As far as producing your own music id say it does give you an edge, its something that you have over other djs, which is important. Theres tonnes of djs out there so you need something to make you stand out... I havent done much producing as of yet but im hoping to get a little more done this summer.
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Apr 16, 04
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Producing can be really important , as you make friends chatting with other producers, have some collaborations, and exchange dubplates(unreleased tracks that u play out with the promission of the producer). this gives u an edge for being booked as you keep the heads happy with the new material..
as for making a living, i doubt it without a lot of work and promotion over many years, and a huge following. If u wanted to make a living in the music industry.. it be best to get into everything u can, producing, live sound setup, volunteering at recording studios, knowing people, being a muscian(classically trained in piano and being able to play more then one instrument). If you are able to do all that , as well as being a solid mixer or turntabalist on the old 1 and 2's. Then you are more versatile, being able to jump to any job that your lucky enough to get.
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Apr 16, 04
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its on the border between very unlikely and almost impossible..heheh records are expensive, and djs dont get paid that much...the ebst advice is to keep your day job hehe
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Apr 16, 04
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hehe you'd need to be pretty damn popular and not just limited to Vancouver. You would need to be in high demand all over the world, or the continent at least, and if you can charge a grand a gig, then yeah, i guess you can quit your day job and live like a "rockstar" dj... usually if you get to the travelling dj level, your flights, food, transportation are paid for (not all the time but in most cases) so if you can land 4-6 gigs a month charging 1000us, i guess thats the borderline right there.
many djs out there who are much more famous charge alot more. 2000 to like 10's to maybe even 100's. In the trance game, i've heard seriously ridiculous prices for guys like oakenfold and sasha, who are guaranteed a full packed sold out house most of the time, so i guess they can charge whatever they want. another alternative is to move to somewhere like shanghai or tokyo thats much more densely populated. theres a better chance on making a living off of djing if you arn't so world renown. but in vancouver? i'd say your best bet to make a living off djing is to become a promoter as well. The money that can potentially be made at clubs is very consistant (if you can fill up the place of course), but raves... whooooo.... if you do the math, the potential to be made is huuuuuuge depending on how much you initially invest. but wow... what a life to live. It can either be just flying on clouds or living in a burning bottomless pit of heat... You won't be able to survive just as a dj/producer imo. Record sales are bs and you won't see royalties very soon, if not at all.... getting gigs requires alotta star power, ass kissing, etc etc... Its a sketchy life living as a dj. Unless you're EXTREMELY successful and totally recognized for your talent.... I say keep it strictly recreational, focussing on setting your own economic and financially stable mark in society, while always sustaining your love for the music Stay in school kids! Maybe once you get a degree in something, then you can think about kicking back a few years and trying to live off djing while you're young.
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Apr 16, 04
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I am a DJ in Vancouver, never played here... but I've played in other cities. I spin UK Hard House/NRG, Psytrance/Psytekk, and Happy Hardcore. I also produce Psytrance. I think it's safe to say none of us are in it to make a living, we do it cause we like it. If we were doing this for money, we'd all spin Hip-Hop
Last edited by Séguin; Apr 16, 04 at 07:30 AM.
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Apr 16, 04
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Apr 16, 04
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If you're planning on making a living as a DJ, I highly recommend that you take some classes in music theory or something like that, so that you actually look like you have a valid career.
If you're that keen that you want to make music a central part of your life, just become a musician.
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Apr 16, 04
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Getting involved in any way shape or form is the best way to get an edge. Yes, I would say producing your own material is a great means of promoting yourself as an artist, and a DJ, any means of raising awareness helps. I found that even being an engineer and a sound tech, titles which you might not directly associate with DJ'ing per say, helps you to get work.
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