DJ’s Can Do This
Over the past year, I’ve found myself downloading more and more mixes and sets put online by DJ’s; so much so, I’d bet I have more memory taken up by mixes than individual songs on my iPod. It’s pretty practical to press play on one mix, go for a run and when the mix is done, so is your run! There are some DJ’s who clearly put in more time and effort with their productions than others and because of it, now have demands for their mixes even before they drop. The new demand for DJ mixes (as opposed to traditional musicians’ albums) got me thinking as to how DJ’s can come to leverage their somewhat new found celebrity to continue to get their mixes downloaded outside their immediate cadre of fans.
While I hope this does not deter rookie DJ’s, the idea I have will work easily for mid to well known DJ’s who put out mixes on a semi-set schedule. If you’re a DJ who puts together a set to share every month for example, your fans are aware of it and look forward to downloading it as soon as you tell them it is available. With that sort of demand, albeit from a small circle of people, you have the ability to create a substantial amount buzz for yourself - here’s how. Tell your fans you’re going to release your latest mix several days before it is officially available for those who want to donate money to your favorite charity. Pair the mix with a story fans can read explaining why you are passionate about the cause while stating you hope your latest set can benefit others. Set a goal, a manageable one, and communicate it with your fans where you tell them you’re looking to raise “x” amount of dollars. With the internet, donating and raising funds for charity is easier than ever for most causes, so you’ll be able to track everything online and see (and have others see) who is donating. Make sure you’re the first donor so everybody knows you’re dedicated to actualizing your goal.
To my knowledge, I haven’t witnessed any DJ attempt this (I can be wrong and I hope I am) but what I have seen is DJ’s tweeting their mixes all day long to their followers, attempting to spread it to raise awareness for themselves. When you do something like this however, it is special and bigger than the mix itself, so it is more likely to get retweeted on Twitter and shared on Facebook and other social media outlets without you self promoting for hours upon hours.
If you’re making the mix anyway, you might as well set out to raise some money for charity, while increasing your brand image as a DJ; philanthropy is always in style! Borrowing this idea will also allow you, the DJ, to monitor who is downloading your mix because you are individually emailing the link/file to them, so you’ll now know who your true fans are to better pay attention to in the future. You’ll likely be surprised at the number of people who will be down to donate to get a copy of your mix ahead of time.
I’ll even take it a step further for the first DJ who attempts this and be your second donor (because you’re the first donor, remember?). Sound good? Email me at: Mike@TheRealMikeClemente.com when the mix is complete and you’re looking to kick off your campaign and I’ll throw in $25. Scouts honor!
