Networking for gigs
Get known. As with all businesses, when it comes to finding job opportunities, it's not about what you know but all about who knows you. Typically, in the beginning of your DJ career, not too many people out there will know you as a DJ. But that's okay. Every star was a beginner at some point without much of a supporting network. A network can be built up. This section explains how to do that.
Go through all your current contacts. Check whether any of your acquaintances is related to the DJ scene. Reach out the them, be honest about where you are in your DJ career and ask them if they know of a gig opportunity for you. And if they don't, ask if they can introduce you to someone who does. You'll be surprised how many people, even if they can't offer you a gig, still know someone who might. Follow up with those introductions.
Get to know club owners and event organizers. This is easy to do because these people will be present and approachable during their club nights and events most of the time. Find out who is the manager of the club (ask the bartender), introduce yourself with a prepared little 30-second presentation and hand over your demo CD. Find the people you met this way on Facebook and start interacting with them. One important thing to know about club managers: They don't care much about your music. This can be difficult to digest for enthusiastic young DJs, but these folks are mostly interested in the cash they bring home at the end of a night. No way to blame them - that's their job. So in order to cater for your client's needs––which is the essence of every service, including DJing––focus on how you can bring a spending crowd to the place rather than on how fancy your music is.
Do follow ups every time. Now that you have your list of potential clients, the most important part is to follow up. The biggest mistake you can make now is to walk away after the first "no". There is a rule of thumb in marketing that you have to get into your client's face seven times before he or she will consider to buy from you. Be persistent. Come back again and again, always being polite, of course. Establish a relationship. People are impressed with persistence. If you don't give up easily, they will know you are serious and determined. Nothing can stop true determination.
The producer way
Look at the big DJ names out there, the international ones, making six figures per gig. Ask yourself: How did they get there? Do they mix a hundred times better then the average club DJ? In most cases, definitely not. Some even do much worse.
Be aware that these producer DJs had a hit at some point in their career. They managed to produce and publish a track which got some international attention. And when people around the world, even if it's in a tiny underground music niche, know your name, love your music and want to see you play live - that's when the bookers will start calling you and asking you to play in Ibiza. Production is not for everyone and is a topic to be covered in books rather than articles, but if you have some musical talent and an drive to make music, this could be very well worth the effort. A label deal to happen will probably take years rather than months. But if make it happen, this is how you become an internationally renowned DJ.
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