In the DJ world you can never tell who the next big act will be. As with anything, becoming a big DJ/Artist takes a lot of hard work, talent and certainly an element of luck. However there are always a few things we look for as agents that are tell tale signs of an act that is on the rise. Here are 4 keys to becoming a big DJ/Artist in the eyes of agent.
1. Organization – Typically acts that are successful are ones that have great organization and understand structure. Having the ability to put together a proper plan for success as well as creating and meeting goals within that plan are essential to developing an artist’s career. A strong plan and the ability to execute that plan will not always guarantee success, but will put an artist in a much better position to gain success.
2. Focus/Work Ethic – They say that nothing worth achieving is easy and that is very true in the case of the music business. In my experience improving an artist profile is a very difficult process which takes alot of time effort and energy. Artists without strong work ethics and focus on developing themselves over a long period of time typically end up not achieving their goals especially in an environment where there is a significant amount of competition. Every DJ wants to be big, but only a few have the work ethic and focus to put in the effort to reach the goal. These traits are essential!
3. Financial Backing – This is one piece which I think many artists don’t realize. The early 90s was the time I felt artists could really reach star status without necessarily having a lot of financial funds to build their brand as it was less of a social media frenzy and more of a word of mouth type of environment. Artists who played amazing sets were seen and talked about which increased notoriety. In today’s day and age, not only is production important, but marketing and social media have also taken on a pivotal role in brand development. Financial capability is far more essential in allowing an artist to stand out in the crowd. Marketing and Brand Development are extremely important pieces to develop an artist these days and without the funds to dump into these platforms it becomes an uphill climb to get noticed which is why having capitol to help create these avenues is ever so important to helping an artist rise to the top.
4. Management – Getting to the top is not a one man/woman show as it takes a team to get there. Proper artist management is essential to helping artists achieve their goals, develop sponsorship avenues , pitch releases to labels, land the proper booking agents, and manage the overall operations for an artist. In addition to these items a good manager sets the tone for an artist’s career by helping to create an effective marketing campaign and executing that campaign. These are important tasks that really help to move things along. In my experience, one of the biggest hurdles which hold an artist from getting over the top is lack of proper management.
In closing I would mention that having these four items in place may not ensure an artists success as there are many variables that make or break an artist’s career. However, if a DJ/Artist can have these 4 items in place they will be putting themselves in better position to be successful then 90% of the DJs/Artists out there.
Troy Gilmore
Vice President
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