When people look at the DJ it’s usually in the moment of glory – nobody else is controlling the music so all attention is on the DJ -well hopefully the music – but let’s be honest the DJ is in the spotlight up there.
But how many rejections to do it take for that DJ take to get up there into that position?
It’s certainly not something people think about when looking at you up there doing your thing
But realistically to secure a gig takes some work, and typically like any job you’re probably dealing with many more rejections than successes
So it really is necessary to have a thick skin in this business. There can be an urge to lash out when something that you’ve invested time pursuing doesn’t work out – always resist that. Maybe write it down. Definitely sit on it. Sometimes it’s worth communicating your frustration. Usually not.
There really are a lot of factors in booking and there’s a huge field to compete against
Remember that no matter how much work you may have put into finding a gig (and it might also be that you put in too much effort in that case or had unrealistic expectations), the organizer still doesn’t owe you anything.
It just feels that way, but put it aside because negative energy isn’t helpful. Don’t lash out, be gracious even if it’s more than they deserve. Who knows, put it on the shelf, pay them no mind then maybe they’ll come back to you and maybe it’ll work out. At this point energy is best put towards pursuing other opportunities. And getting ready mentally for more rejections.
Yes, rejection sucks, but if a regular job accepts hundreds of resumes for one position then it’s no surprise the same is true for a popular festival. So on the bright side it’s not that fun to be rejected in the regular job market for a just-above minimum wage job you don’t really want anyway, and that process is longer and more tedious. At least we don’t have to fill out a big stupid application every time we apply to DJ, right? (unless you think that doing that for a festival will lead to much lol)
All we have to do is put our hearts and souls on the line and be ready for a little rejection 🙂 Maybe they’re not gonna like the style, maybe their not even going to listen, maybe they don’t want to pay you, maybe they’d rather hire a local who’s not as good but cheaper and has more contacts in the area – that’s their call, you just make yourself as attractive as possible.
Best advice is to do good research, set realistic goals for who you think will be interested in you, and be tactful and efficient in communication. And last, be patient! Sometimes it takes months or years to get hired by a promoter you really want to. Good things are worth waiting for!