As working DJs, we are part of the "entertainment industry." Unfortunately, this sector will be hit the hardest by the Corona virus. So now that ALL your gigs are canceled- what can YOU do? First, realize this transition will be a hard one, but this too shall pass, so here's some ideas on what you can do NOW that you have a lot of downtime (and no GIGS).
1) Start a side hustle. The reality is without gigs, your income is now ZERO, but you still have bills to pay, so priority number one is right now is producing income. How? Get a part-time or full-time gig at some of these places which are hiring: Amazon.com, Home Depot, Safeway, Costco and many more. Another option is driving for Uber, Lyft, or even delivering goods via Instacart. The point is, this is not a career, but will at least get you back on your feet so you can make some income while things hopefully settle down and you can get back to DJing.
2) Practice, "You talkin' 'bout practice??" That's right, practice your mixing and scratching or any other performance skills to upgrade your game so when things pick-up again, you can come back better than before!
3) Use your practice time (above), to not just practice but also record and upload mixes on Mixcloud.com. People are told to stay home and avoid contact, which means they will spend MUCH MORE time online- hopefully listening to YOUR mixes!
4) Organize your music crates (and or video crates). Its also a good time to clean up your crates and get rid of stuff you will never play. Check out THIS VIDEO on just how to do that...
5) Get an EPK done (EPK stands for electronic press kit). Once things get under control and slowly you start to get gigs again, you can hit the ground running by having your EPK ready to go- you can send it to anyone interested in your DJ services to hopefully get more gigs.
6) Get a new DJ logo, business cards, or DJ drops. Just like having a good EPK, your image as a DJ is very important in your marketing, and also getting more gigs! Click HERE to get DJ drops, logos and more...
7) Learn how to do your own DJ EDITS! We made a video on how to do it, CLICK HERE to see it. Not only can it be fun to learn something new, but it can also help you stand out as a DJ if you have custom edits you make which you can play in our sets to stand out from other DJs.
8) Learn how to edit video and make custom DJ friendly video edits for DJing! Guess what? "YouTube" University is FREE, and you can find TONS of how to tutorials on how to do just about ANYTHING.
9) Learn how to use Adobe Photoshop or online editors to edit images and make FLYERS for events, clubs, etc. When things return to normal (or somewhat normal), people will always need good, professional graphic design services, so think of this as a learning opportunity. Best of all if you're worried about human contact, this can be done from home. You can also learn about other skills, like web design, coding, or any other craft which can be related or not related to DJing. Here's a FREE tutorial courtesy of YouTube University.
10) Realize while things are difficult right now, and will continue for a while, this too shall pass eventually. The idea is to adapt to the new normal and do the best with your time and be productive, and NOT dwell on things you cannot control, but rather take control of what you can do for the better.
Of course we gave you more than 5 tips, us DJs need ALL the help we can get at this time. If this was helpful, please click the HEART icon to "like" this blog post. Thanks for reading- feel free to SHARE.
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