There are many types of Mobile DJs as there are types of music. So you will have to decide what type of Mobile DJ you will be and what kind of music is best suited for your style?
I’ll tell myself as an example; My clients tend to be older to senior clients with some corporate events to round out the bulk of what I do. So it would not be a smart move for me to show up as a Hip Hop DJ or Death Metal DJ. It just fits my style or my clients’ desires. It’s all about branding.
If you focus on being a wedding DJ, you will most likely be playing Top 100 for R & B, Rock, or Country.
I would recommend that you have at least one specialty genre. I have two that I use for the bulk of venues “Old School Fool” and “Hot Nights, Cool Jazz” every person looking for a Mobile Dj understands what they are going to get when they hire me.
Determined what type of music you will most likely be playing, it’s time to find and download it to your controller or hard drive. Here is one note of caution: “DO NOT DOWN RANDOM FILES FROM THE INTERNET TO USE IN YOUR BUSINESS.”
Two main reasons: The dynamic range on most of those files have been compressed to such a degree that they will not sound good on a professional sound system. The second reason is that there is this thing called copyright law.
Where to get Mobile DJ Music?
- Free Music Archive. As the name suggests, FMA is a place to legally download free DJ music that you can use in your sets. …
- SoundCloud.
- Bandcamp.
- Bensound.
- CCTrax.
- Facebook Pages.
- Jamendo.
- BeatStars.
DJs get their music from Record Pools; Record pools are very popular with DJs because of their ease of use. Using licensed music is just a part of doing business as a Mobile DJ. Knowing how to stay out of trouble is just as important as knowing what to play for your clients.
How do I set up my music Folders?
Let’s talk about the one thing that aid when it comes to delivering the DJ performances. That is how you set up your music folders so that you can do any song in any genre at the tip of your fingers. If you are playing current dance songs, create a file with that list in mind. If you are doing a wedding, get the songs most requested for a wedding a create a folder. You understand if you are doing old-school soul or R & B, right?.
So let us look at a couple of different formats for putting songs into folders.
Music, Artist, Release, and Track. Neo-soul funk, Maxwell, 1996, Ascension (Do You Ever Wonder). It would be one format that would help you find the song in a hurry. You could search by date, genre, and by style.
Let us say your clients want to listen to the top 10 every year in the 1960s. That’s 100 songs, different genres, and different moods. Think about how you might want to put a playlist together and how you would organize the folders.
How do I create backup Files?
Backup and file protection will save tons of headaches. Cloud Services; You have most probably read many articles that teach you about cloud storage and what it is exactly. The following list is the top cloud services available as of this date.
Sync. Sync – Secure Cloud Storage.
IDrive. IDrive Online Cloud Backup and Storage.
Elephant Drive. ElephantDrive.
Splice. Splice: Royalty-Free Sounds.
Carbonite. Carbonite Cloud Backup Solutions.
Tresorit. Tresorit.
Dropbox. Use USB Flash Drives. Back up to an External Hard Drive. I prefer using one terabyte hard drive plus cloud storage. Back up files to CD or DVD Disc.
When you back up your music playlists by the date, you create a quick chronological reference that you can refer to as necessary. For example, I cannot remember the number of times someone asked for the playlist from an event I was working on, but I could not remember. So be the Hero, and have it ready.
What music to play?
Deciding what music to play is the most significant factor in how DJs know what song to play next. After starting their set, a DJ will gauge their audience very quickly. Then, depending on the direction, the DJ wants to go and the crowd’s energy, they will select tracks they know will get a good response.
Know what type of music your clients like and what kind of music they would like at their event. It is just as important to ask if there are any songs or types of music they don’t want to hear.
Conclusion
One critical thing for you to remember is that it is your clients’ event, not yours. Unless they hired you because of the type of music you play. Many factors go into selecting what kind of music you have chosen to play at your clients’ event. First, consider putting together a playlist and recording the music so your clients will know what to expect. Then, save one or two songs as a surprise.
Before I close this article out, let’s talk about the 500-pound elephant in the room, COPYRIGHT.
YouTube’s copyright penalties are tough, but they pale compared to what you may face in the real world. While it is rare, copyright owners can take you to court to demand payment.
Violation of copyright will result in the following fees for each act of individual infringement can range from $750 to $150,000 depending on whether the breach was unintentional or willful. In addition, the infringer will usually pay actual damages between $750 to $30,000 per song for an accidental infringement.
Hate to leave on a down note, but it is essential that you understand you are running a real business here. Following the rule are just part of doing business.