Yes, that’s what the name ‘Avicii’ meant, the lowest level of Buddhist hell. Tim Bergling a.k.a. Avicii who has collaborated with dozens of talented artists and singers yet was the quintessential shy, superstar who, despite contrary belief disliked the razzle-dazzle of the glamorous industry he belonged to. Heart-throb of millions, this Swedish DJ had changed a lot of lives with many marvellous dance numbers, especially the super hit track ‘Wake Me Up’.
As a homage to his incredible life and his journey as one of the top EDM artists, we’d like to get under the skin of DJing as a profession.
How did DJs come into existence?
How did DJs come into existence?The term Disc Jockey wasn’t coined until the 1930s.In 1935, an American radio commander Walter Winchell coined the term Disc Jockey. The world’s first DJ party was thrown by radio DJ Jimmy Savile who played jazz records for his guests in 1943.
DJ in Olden times vs Present time DJ
In olden days, it was radio personalities who played different individual recordings on the radio stations. The person who claims to be the first DJ used twin turntables for continuous play.
Today, the DJs use equipment that plays music from 2 different sources and mixes them together to give a different and remixed version of music. The DJ equipment is huge and requires a podium where all can be placed in a certain order to function and have an efficient performance.
Now coming to the main topic. DJing as a career. How wise and efficient will DJing as a career be? Is it in demand? Will society accept you? Will your parents agree? All these questions often pop up when you think of a career not often opted. I will give you a basic gist of this section which will help you with the decision making.
What does a DJ do?
A disc jockey has a job description of turning, twisting and mixing music in a way that it sounds pumping and the atmosphere gets lively so that the people start moving to the beats and jump according to the music. DJs use various complex equipment like turntables, mixers, graphic equalizers and various other fancy music processors.
How can one become a DJ?
It’s pretty simple actually. A person who wants to be a DJ needs to be well acquainted with music. His life needs to revolve around music or at least he needs to have that dedication and passion towards music. He needs to be updated with all genres and artists of music and needs to know whats trending and what’s turned into a music fad. One needs to be updated with peoples music taste and at the same time needs to understand what kind of music is required for a specific type of occasions. Having the basic knowledge of how to use the equipment efficiently and make the best use of it is a bonus to start the journey.
Eligibility criteria:
There are no eligibility criteria as such. Some places might ask for a graduation certificate before hiring you but it’s majorly just your skills and love for music and just the correct taste for music that works. A degree in mass communication might just add on to the advantage.
Institutes Offering Courses:
There are quite a few institutes that offer courses on DJing but the best ones are
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- Global DJ, Mumbai
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- TSM, Mumbai
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- Electronyk Academy, New Delhi
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- ILM, Bengaluru
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- Spin Gurus DJ
- Music Production Academy
DJ salaries:
DJ salaries:Now, salaries are very subjective and can completely depend on a place to place and events that one covers. One can choose to be a freelancer or work at a club or under a bigger artist. Usually, DJs start from small. They work at local cafes or clubs and cover small events and then slowly form contacts and jump from one place to another until they set their own group or work individually under their own label.
A DJ can earn 30,000 -70,000 INR an event depending on the expanse of the event. It also depends on your popularity and demand. There are a few DJ artists who are houseful within 2 days of announcing an event. So it all depends on how far your fame reaches and how much has your music has brought people on the stage and made their bodies groove.
DJing as a lifestyle:
DJing is again a part of the glamour field and in glamour, nothing is certain. You could be shining in glory one day and the next day your entire empire has fallen down. There could be various reasons, but the truth is, its always a chase. To keep your name going on the track, you have to keep going on in the fear that someone else will steal your position and all your hard work will go down the drain. Your past success will obviously act as a stepping stone for you and will help you climb further but in this era of never-ending competition, one must never rely on that. A DJ’s life is very uncertain. The timings are quite odd and the requirements are crazy. In the spur of the moment, what drives you is the audience that’s waiting to groove on your beats. Also, because glamour is involved, one can easily get blinded by it. Hence, once you reach the top it is easy to get involved with drugs and drinking and smoking which excessively harms the health.
Thus, DJing can be a pretty decent and a career in demand. But just like all the other glamorous fields, if not been careful, one can be pulled into the dark hole. It’s a booming career and DJs are rocking it all across the globe. So what are you waiting for? Take careful steps and pull all those people on the floor.
Also, check out: How To Convince Your Parents To Let You Pursue Your Passion
