In this episode I welcome Stockton legend, DJ Frank G, founder and owner of Exclusive DJ. We talk about his intro to DJing the music industry, what it was like digging for music in the early days, why and how he built a mobile DJing business, simple and effective mobile marketing strategies. I really enjoyed this conversation and I hope you do too!
Note: some timestamps may vary by platform.
0:00 - Gumroad store announcement
2:14 - Intro to Frank
3:55 - Early events in Stockton, CA
8:25 - Frank’s intro to music and DJing
22:12 - Getting into radio
25:07 - Discovery of music in the vinyl era
30:00 - The value of finding a rare gem
34:00 - Starting Exclusive DJ
37:47 - Marketing at bridal shows
40:13 - Building a long term business
43:42 - How customer acquisition strategy changes over time
46:36 - Different styles of DJs
52:17 - Software tools to run a DJ business
54:35 - Recognizing where your money is coming from
59:34 - Advice for young DJs
1:06:49 - DJ Style: Music taste and library organization
Links
Follow DJ Frank G
Instagram: @exclusivedjgroup
Website: exclusivedj.net
Follow Jamie Selects
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamie_selects
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamie_selects
Website: https://www.jamieselects.com
In this episode I welcome Bay Area native Baywav. We talk about building residencies, how to break out of your city, building a brand, managing a rebrand, content creation, and much more! This was a great conversation and it was cool to connect with someone else who is helping DJs build their businesses.
0:31 - How did you get into djing?
2:11 - Transaction from practicing to real gigs
5:06 - The process of getting the residency
8:39 - Lessons learned from swapping gigs.
12:16 - Navigating difficult conversations with DJs you book
14:24 - Building Cornerstone post pandemic
19:40 - Optimizing for health
24:00 - Rebrand to Baywav
27:00 - Online presence
28:27 - Building out a team
30:45 - Gumroad and selling digital products
33:33 - The problem with committing to one style of content
36:13 - Strategy for content creation and video editing tips
42:55 - Goals for this year
46:34 - What’s your music style?
49:46 - Library organization
Links
Follow Baywav
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baywav/
Website: baywav.com
Follow Jamie Selects
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamie_selects
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamie_selects
Website: https://www.jamieselects.com
In this episode I welcome my long time best friend and music industry expert, Alán Hensley, aka Soul7. We go way back to our college days at Pacific and talk about how he came to study music business, learned to DJ, took a leap of faith going across the world to Berkeley College of Music, building EMPIRE Latino, and how DJs can market themselves professionally. I really enjoyed this conversation and I hope you do too!
0:00 - Intro
2:10 - The early days, finding a love for music
5:00 - Finding Pacific for studying music business
7:30 - Being music bro and getting the first DJ controller
9:50 - The Getdown days
15:10 - Marketing The Getdowns
20:10 - Utilizing a street team
22:10 - Getting stuck post grad and finding new opportunities
26:00 - Finding Berkeley College of Music and taking a leap of faith
30:10 - Arriving in Spain
32:10 - If you want to work in music business, do this...
33:55 - Find a DJ group chat
34:30 - Favorite guest speaker
35:45 - Getting DJ gigs in Spain
43:05 - Finding a job post Berkeley
47:00 - Transition to EMPIRE
50:40 - Preparing for the interview
53:00 - Leveling up from the position you're hired for
56:00 - What is the role of a Product Manager at a label?
58:40 - How to pitch music to a label?
1:02:34 - What can DJs learn from artists to promote themselves?
1:06:05 - Pro tips DJs can take away from the music industry
1:12:20 - Selecta Style, DJ taste and library organization
Follow Soul7
Follow Jamie Selects
In this episode I welcome DJ Fishfonics from San Diego, CA. He has been the main reason I've been able to gig since I moved to San Diego, so super grateful to him! In this conversation we talk about how he became a top booking manager with a bunch of venues in SD, how you can get booked as a new DJ, maintaining professionalism, negotiating rates, and more.
0:00 - Intro
1:03 - Start to DJing
3:37 - Transition to full time DJing
5:37 - Twitch phase
7:35 - How did you start doing the bookings?
10:25 - How can new DJs lock in their first gig?
15:00 - Gig swaps
16:22 - Maintaining professional relationships with venue staff
20:13 - Making sure your computer works with gear at new venues
22:30 - Facilitating gear purchases with venues
26:06 - How not to ask for a gig
27:00 - Negotiating rates
31:54 - Fish's style of DJing
33:22 - What do you listen to when you're off?
39:40 - Library organization
Follow DJ Fishfonics
Follow Jamie Selects
*NOTE*
This podcast is for entertainment purposes only does not offer constitute financial advice.
In this episode we cover tips for filing your taxes as a DJ. It's split into three sections: 1) tax basics for DJs, 2) filing current year taxes, and 3) how to prepare for next year's tax filing. Check out these time stamps if you want to jump around:
0:00 - Intro
1:32 - Tax Basics / Business Structure
7:41 - Current Year Taxes
25:50 - Next Year Taxes
In this episode of The Business of DJing I interview the cofounder of Plural Music, Selecta MC. We talk about the history of the company, how to go from being a bedroom DJ to owning your own production business, how we navigated the pandemic, and much more!
Follow Selecta MC and Plural Music @selecta_mc and @pluralmusic.
Five rules of Networking for DJs. Learn how I connected with one of my favorite DJs in the world, Miles Medina, and more.
In this episode Jamie Selects covers five financial tips for DJs that can be implemented immediately to improve your DJ business and financial situation. For more information and access to DJ Tools head to www.jamieselects.com/djtools.