DJ Marketing 101

DJs who also promote their own events often face a sometime uncomfortable challenge…how to bill yourself within a solid DJ lineup? If you’re throwing your own event and have other DJs, some well known and maybe some not so well known, where do you place your name on the promotion? At the top? In the middle? At the bottom? I don’t think anyone intends to come across as pretentious and usually tries to exercise a certain amount of modesty when doing this. However, it’s your event and NO ONE is going to promote it as hard as you are. So what should you consider when making this decision?

Your mission

If your true purpose of throwing events to not only to have a great time and play, but to promote yourself as a DJ, then making your name the least noticeable can be self-defeating. If you really want people to know who you are as a DJ then make sure that happens.

Banding

If your goal is to push your promotion company, label, or venue over yourself as a DJ, then it’s a safe to print “Your Company Presents…” If you’re also DJing then add yourself anywhere in the lineup.

Know your place

This depends on your own status in the club world. If you have well known DJs on the bill who clearly draw people to an event on their name recognition alone then you should definitely take a step back, show them their due respect, and present yourself as being honored to be on this event with them. It’s that simple. Remember, you are throwing the event to get your name out there and you probably booked the well known DJs to bring more attention to your event…so you need to respect them. If they are well known, then people will look at the promotion and see you too.

Set times

Choosing set times is a stacked lineup can be tough. You want to put yourself on but you don’t want to play early to an empty room. Like I said above, you have to know your place. If most of the crowd is coming to see your headliner than you have to open up. But, if you’re trying to get some quality stage time, don’t be afraid to find a way to work yourself in the prime slot from time to time.

Promotion Layout

As you create the marketing for your event you have to consider where talent names go on the flyer. Always place your headliner’s name first but don’t be afraid to put your name right under it even if there are several other DJs on the show. Remember, this is your event and you will be putting in far more work than anyone else involved so give yourself some credit and recognition.

Equal billing

The best way to go about this is to equally bill everyone’s name with the same size images and fonts. To avoid an appearance of DJ hierarchy you can list names from left to right instead of top to bottom.

Conclusion

No one wants to be hated on. Many DJs avoid seeming pretentious because they think that is what causes people to hate them. I’ve said this before and I will gladly say it again, if you have haters they will still hate on you no matter what you do. So don’t let fear of seeming pretentious get in the way of your career. Put your name prominently and equally on all of your marketing materials, but still give your true headliners their respect.