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When I started my DJ career around 2010 as a college DJ and event promoter, I never thought I was going to be playing music festivals by the end of 2013.
There's a few key habits I can attribute to getting to my goals fast, and I want to share those with you guys.
1. I was OBSESSED with making music and put in the hours. I probably spent minimum 5 days a week making music for the first 2 years straight. I planned my life around making music, skipped social events, planned my college classes around it. I was working as a local DJ and had all day to make music since DJ hours were 10pm-2am. That left me with plenty of time during the days to learn Ableton.
2. I had mentors to learn from quickly. In my opinion, having experienced mentors or peers around you is the FASTEST way to get good at being a producer/DJ. I was lucky enough to meet the right crew of friends that showed me the ropes of production. This was the big inspiration behind creating my Artist Mentorship Program. Face to face time with somebody that's already done it the easiest way to jumpstart your artist career. Do everything in your power to surround yourself with likeminded peers or mentors.
3. I learned the art of online music promotion. Once I had my first few good songs ready, I dove into how I could get heard. I would research for hours every single music blog writer, email contact, DJ promo email. I sent thousands of emails and was relentless. In 2010-2013 music blogs were the predominant way people found music. I would remix songs and get them on the blogs and had some trend on Hype Machine (if you remember). Making professional music is not enough, you need to do everything in your power to increase your odds of getting heard, get obsessed with this the same way as making music. Nowadays, the best way to get heard fast is IG reels and TikTok algorithms. I would have killed for the ability to get shown to millions of people at the touch of a button in 2010. Master your content = master getting your music heard.
4. Favorable timing with the genre I was making. If the style of music you are making is trending upwards your odds increase a TON. This one is part luck, but also paying attention to the current state of music is crucial. 2010-2013 I was making electro house/bigroom stuff. That just so happened to be the next train that was leaving the station. It wasn't luck, I was DJing in clubs 4 days a week and knew exactly what was working on the dance floor. Some people may frown upon thinking about "art" this way, but any successful traditional business is always doing market research and building products around that research.
5. I networked hard and immersed myself in the culture. Before I left my hometown DJ gigs, I had met basically everyone in the city that was involved with dance music. I moved to LA and continued that by going to events every week. I met a local DJ that knew one of my remixes, and he got me my first DJ gig in LA closing for Bob Sinclair. Imagine if I didn't go out that night?
Every single person you meet just increase your odds of opportunity. Everyone knows networking is beneficial, but how many people are going to make it a point to go out and support local dance events every single week for years? Lot of big opportunities happen out in real time.
-Henry
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