Getting booked as a DJ can feel tough, but it’s not impossible. If you want to know how to get more DJ sets and live gigs, the key is building your reputation, networking smartly, and making it easy for promoters to trust you.
Here’s a step-by-step breakdown.
Define your brand and sound
Promoters book DJs who bring something unique. Ask yourself:
- What genre(s) do I want to be known for?
- What’s my vibe: underground selector, party DJ, eclectic, genre-specialist?
- How do I stand out visually — logo, style, artwork?
Having a clear identity makes it easier for bookers to see where you fit.
Work on your craft
Performing live is a process. It’s unlikely you’ll be the finished article the first few times out, especially if it’s new to you. But making sure you’re as ready as possible will set you up for great gigs that can lead to more down the road. The first and most important thing you need is something to play with: your music. So, make sure you have a catalog of tracks you can practice. Whether it’s a collection of songs if you’re an artist, or tried and tested DJ sets if you’re a DJ. You could be playing your own original compositions or part of a cover band playing Mariah Carey’s greatest hits. Knowing what you’re playing will make performing that much better. It will give your sets structure, organization and an expectation of yourself and what you can do.
If you’re looking for a confidence boost, practice performing to your closest friends, family, collaborators and people you trust. Ask them for constructive feedback and use it to build up your skills before gig day. For a little more insight, connect with other musicians and DJs and practice with them. Pick their brain about how best to perform and captivate a crowd. It could be crowd interaction or a particular style you play an instrument. Incorporate their advice into your set and over time, you’ll find your own spin on them and bring originality whenever you perform.
Build your online profile and following
Having the talent and skill to perform live is one part of the journey. But in today’s age, where appearances and presentation have taken on more importance, building a strong online profile will put you in a good position to attract bookers and venues and keep you playing out. To that end, you’ll need to present yourself as professionally as you can.
Social media can often be your shop window to who you are as an artist and your personality. So, make sure your social media channels are up to date for any potential onlookers. Share clips and updates on Instagram and TikTok. Send these clips to collaborators and ask them to share, as this could put you in the direction of bookers. While you’re at it, communicate with your followers and subtly ask them to engage with your content. That way, it can reach more people and potentially those looking for talent for venues. It could be as simple as asking them to drop an emoji in the comment section or a call and response post asking for feedback on a new track. You can get creative with it!
If you want to pitch yourself, put together an electronic press kit (EPK). This contains links to your mixes, music, videos of you performing live and press images. This will give them all they need to consider you for their next gig. If you’re a DJ, Mixcloud can be your home for all of your creative projects. From your DJ mixes and radio shows to original productions. You can build your own personal DJ CV, with all of your music in one place. This makes it easier for you to present yourself to those who might want to book you for shows. Keep your Mixcloud profile up to date with recent mixes. That way, you can point venues and bookers in the direction of new content.
Sign up to a live music marketplace
The live music market has been completely transformed by GigPig, a free platform which gives you more authority when it comes to securing more gigs. The platform, founded in 2022, is the UK’s fastest-growing hospitality music marketplace and connects musicians, DJs and entertainers with the touch of a button. GigPig facilitates live music whilst providing artists with a platform to connect to hundreds of the best venues across the country. That way, you can increase your bookings in the hospitality sector.
We spoke to GigPig co-founder Kit Muir-Rogers to learn more: “Live music is fragmented as a trade. There’s no one set shop window for artists telling them where all the gigs are. We wanted to change that. Our aim was to connect both sides of the market – artists and venues – and let them do the work when it comes to booking and hopefully for more gigs for everyone. Now, we work with over 7000 artists, just under 1000 venues and we’re booking over 1000 gigs a week. ”
GigPig’s purpose-built platform gives artists all the tools you need to seamlessly book and manage live music. From editing your profile and directly requesting to play at venues to a monthly calendar displaying your schedule and rating systems for artists and venues. “Artists can create their own shop window,” Muir-Rogers says. “They can define themselves as artists and DJs and get matched to venues based on their own merit and criteria. It’s getting harder and harder for artists to make money from music and it’s not enough to just be a musician. You have to be a finance expert, self-promotion expert, all of these things. We give you the tools to be able to take some of that admin-heavy workload off your shoulders.”
GigPig specialize in what they call the Seed Sector, a pre-grassroots level of venues including pubs, bars, restaurants and clubs, allowing artists to play at a hyperlocal level and giving them the potential to earn thousands of pounds monthly. Seed music consists of DJs, bands and soloists playing music in these hospitality venues. “The volume of gigs in this space that we’re in is so big,” Muir-Rogers continues. “There are 96,000 bars in the UK. At least half of them would like to be playing music. So if you extrapolate that across a week, you have 45,000 gigs. So the size of the prize is huge, and it was our ambition to connect the dots for artists.”
A live music marketplace like GigPig will put you front and center of endless possibilities to play out. It can be your one-stop shop for your talents and make it easy to find locations that suit you, or for these venues to seek you out. Either way, your chances of playing out could change significantly.
Put yourself out there
When you’re not gigging, getting involved in wider music communities can keep your name in rotation and consideration for more live work. Not only do you stay informed on what’s going on around you, but you might also find inspiration to try new things when you perform. Engage in artist communities like Discord and ask if they know of any venues that need artists to play.
Build relationships so that other artists can refer you in future. Or bring you in as opening act for them when they’re performing. This can be as valuable as putting you in front of bookers, because you’ll have first hand experience of performing that will build your skills. Follow your favorite bookers and venues on social media, reach out and keep a dialogue with them so that they know you’re available for gigs as and when they need talent.
It also pays to attend other gigs and music industry events IRL. Things like live panel discussions, listening parties or club nights. That way, you can get closer to the people you want to book you. Talk to those in charge on the night and put a face to your name; an opportunity may arise from that. If you’re a producer, you might find some gems from a night with CDR, which hosts regular production talks and masterclasses. Networking is very important in the process of securing more gigs, so don’t take it lightly!
Put your best foot forward
If you want to get more DJ sets and live gigs, focus on three essentials: build your brand, share your mixes, and connect with promoters. From there, consistency and reliability will do the rest. Start local, grow step by step, and soon you’ll be getting booked more often.
Sign up to GigPig today to connect to thousands of live music and entertainment venues.