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Nov '25 •
As promised, I'm going to go over your first $1,000 as a DJ
Okay, so let's get into it. As promised, I'm going to go over your first $1,000 as a DJ. If you're new here, I go by Primo. I've been a DJ for the last four years and have been making mixes since I was sixteen. I recently spent the last five months abroad learning how to become a producer and teaching my Intro to Serato Course. I created this particular community for those who are serious about learning the business of music and entertainment. This is for anyone looking to move from a hobby to a professional career. My Intro to Serato Course will take you from practicing in your bedroom to performing. Your $1000 as a DJ is a combination of skills, validation from your audience, and a business foundation. I want you to understand that you do not need a massive setup to get started. You want to focus on minimal viable equipment to perform professionally. This includes a mixer/controller and a reliable laptop. For most venues, a basic speaker system/PA system and cables are typically provided. However, the more equipment you can get your hands on and use at a mastered level, the higher your rate. When I first started out as a DJ, I had a turntable that my ex-boyfriend bought me and a Mac computer. Over time, I bought all necessary cords, a microphone, lighting, a backdrop and camera that I used for streaming, and speakers. I want you to know that having all the equipment you need is a luxury. The standard you want to get to is having literally everything you could need—or even anything anyone else would need—during your time working as a DJ. Having the necessary equipment proves that you are a professional, and being able to use the equipment effectively shows that you have experience. People are more likely to trust you, and this will help you along the way to network and build relationships with other DJs and performers in your industry. Where the Money Comes From... So I'm sure you're wondering where exactly this money will come from? Will it be from weddings, birthday parties, local bars, clubs, or even streaming? You want to take some time to narrow down your focus, simply because this makes marketing yourself easier. When I first started out as a DJ, I knew that I would be performing in places where I went to party frequently with friends. I already knew a lot of the business owners and venue owners who would eventually hire me or ask me to take residency at their location.
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Feb 11 •
IF YOUR NEW HERE (START WITH THIS)
We're so excited you’re here! This is more than a membership — it’s a movement. You’ve just joined a powerful network of purpose-driven entrepreneurs who happen to be artist, djs, and producers committed to learning how money work in the music industry, distributing your music, and resources for people like us. 🚀 NEXT STEPS TO GET STARTED: ✅ Make Your First Post & Introduce Yourself Share in the community: - Your Name - Where You're From - What you're most excited to learn or accomplish in the Network 📸 Pro Tip: Add a GIF or selfie to show your personality! ✅ Download the Skool App (if you're on our Skool platform) Stay connected and get notifications on the go: - 📲 iOS App - 📲 Android App ✅ Step 4: Set Up Your Profile Like a Pro - Add a clear profile picture - Share your business name or niche - Start liking and commenting on posts
4d •
So, you had your first DJ gig. Now what?
Once the gig has been completed, you want to have a strategy for asking for feedback. Of course, the owner and some audience members will have already told you how great of a job you did, but you want to follow up with the person that hired you and ask for specific feedback. Ask how they felt about certain things specific to the gig. Maybe your thing is playing mash-ups or your thing is ‘90s nostalgia. Ask them to rate your performance and even for feedback on what you could improve upon. By now, you have a strategy on how to get gigs and also maintain them so that way you can gain future residency and be hired often by people you know. Rinse and repeat this strategy as many times as you need to until you reach your first thousand dollars. I’ll let you know now, this process isn’t a quick one, but it is extremely effective, and the sooner you implement the techniques listed here, the sooner your hard work and energy will pay off for you. Now, I’m going to throw you off on your own. Take some time to think about potential locations you can reach out to. Again, make sure you have your pitch deck ready and have given yourself a full social media audit before moving forward. Go into the Classroom Where I have what to do to earn your first $1000 as a DJ.
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5d •
How to Prepare, Perform, and Get Booked Again
Deliver on the Day of the Gig Let's go over what it actually takes to deliver on the day of the gig. Of course, by now, you've completed my Intro to DJ Course. If you have not, it is what's going to take you from being a practicing DJ to actually performing. Music Preparation When you're planning for a gig, you want to start with music preparation. You've already reached out to the person who hired you and got a good understanding of the venue and the vibe that you should be creating for the event. Now you want to take some time to pick out your song selection and prepare for the night. I personally do not accept requests unless it's an artist or vibe I'm already playing at the time. It is totally up to your own discretion whether or not you want to play requested songs. I do recommend having three to four crates per gig. Now, of course, if your gig is one hour, maybe you'll only need two crates maximum. You want to make sure one of those crates is for emergencies. I like to put together my crates based on the number of hours I will be DJing: - First Hour: I want to start off strong and captivate the audience as soon as possible, so I will play songs that people absolutely love. - Second Hour: I may introduce some mash-ups and see how far I can take the crowd. - Third Hour: I will begin to read things back up and play music that people know along with very popular mash-ups or songs that are known on the Internet. - Fourth Hour: I want to basically put the pedal to the metal and max out by playing music that people absolutely love and making the last hour as memorable as possible. Professionalism & Networking You want to make sure you are always being as professional as possible. This includes arriving an hour early for your set and dressing properly. You want to make sure you arrive early enough to communicate with everyone in the room. This includes managers, bartenders, any crew that's setting up—introduce yourself to everyone. You want to make sure you are meeting as many people as you possibly can during your gigs. This is going to leave memorable impressions and lead to more gigs in the future.
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6d •
Consultations Happen AFTER You Secure the Gig
Securing Your First Gigs So now the question is: Where do you find and secure gigs? You’ve completed the Intro to DJ Course, you have a demo, and you know your pricing, so it’s time to go out there and secure your first gig. I’ll need to start by saying that your first gig, and perhaps even the first few, will likely come very naturally. You’ll have a friend or family member invite you to DJ at an event. Of course, because they love you, they will pay more than you’re probably worth. I say that to make you aware that you won’t be very good at your first few gigs; you just might be good enough. And because these are the people who love you, they will tolerate it and have low expectations. I remember my first gig was for a fashion show! Everyone loved it, and I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. They paid me what I asked for, and more importantly, the money helped me start to build confidence in myself and in my sound as a DJ. After your first few gigs, you’ll probably hit a drought where no one is asking you to DJ because, as I said before, people were tolerating you—you weren’t the best DJ in the world, they were just throwing you a bone. So now it’s time to go hunting for yourself. The Consultation All right. Once you have someone who agrees to hire you, you want to take them through a very in-depth consultation. You want to talk about their needs: Why did they hire you? What are their expectations? How many people are they expecting to show up? Will there be any other DJs involved? What is the vibe of the venue and the age range of the people? All of this matters. You may not understand just yet if you haven’t had your first gig, but you’ll find that every place is different, and you want to collect as much data as possible. That way, you know what to expect going forward, and you can start to categorize venues based on where you have already been. This allows you to prepare for success. Now, I’m going to throw you off on your own. Take some time to think about potential locations you can reach out to. Again, make sure you have your pitch deck ready and have given yourself a full social media audit before moving forward.
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I help Producers release music as Independent Artist and earn money as a DJ.
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