I’d spent the better half of my morning crafting an email template that I could tweak as needed and send to prospective clients as part of my cold outreach. I felt good about it; updated headshots and uniquely curated sample DJ mixes, coupled with a short bio that boasted my accomplishments without sounding like bragging. Being a self-employed artist means that you’re not only your own booker, but also your manager, marketer, graphic designer, accountant…you name it. If you asked me as a teenager if I wanted to be chained to a computer doing office work, I’d have let out a ferocious “hell no!”. But here I am in my 30’s doing exactly that, except I’m doing it for myself rather than working for someone else…
They say that if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. I think it’s the opposite. If you do what you love, you will never not work a day in your life. As an entrepreneur you are constantly in work mode. Every interaction is networking. Every book you read, movie you see, music you consume is all research and inspiration.
More often than not, I’m working on my business rather than actually in it. I’m doing the cold outreach, the networking, the industry research and practicing my craft. All of it adds up to me having a successful DJ gig and being a pro at what I do because I’m constantly putting in the work. So it should come as no surprise when we as artists want to make a decent wage.
I recently conversed with a bar/restaurant whose main focus was being a hi-fi listening bar. If you aren’t familiar, they’re quickly becoming all the rage; an elevated bar and/or dinner service in an intimate setting with high quality sound from all-vinyl DJs, for both the foodie and audiophile alike. The whole point of these sonic supper clubs is to place the focus on non-mainstream music and creating intimate connections over an expertly crafted menu. So surely an establishment that cites music as part of the foundation of their business plan would understand the importance of booking talent that takes the craft seriously, and puts in the effort to source unique music, riiight? Wrong. My jaw dropped as I read that the pay rate for DJing vinyl at said establishment was a measly $75.00.
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