Where to Go From Here

We hope that all the topics we've covered in this book, from mixing techniques to marketing approaches and business practices, have given you a clearer idea of what it takes to be a better DJ. To elaborate on a point that world-class manager Ash Pournouri makes in our

interview with him (Chapter 14), there are three paths to success for every professional DJ: get musical with your mixing, hone your performance skills (and crowd

instincts), and curate your brand.

When you think about yourself as a DJ, it's crucial to

identify what you're great at, and then move forward. (As we've said before: pick a niche, and then own it.). Once you're comfortable with the music you play and what you can do with it, the other paths to success--performance and brand--will follow.

So to sum up, if you want to improve the musical aspect of your repertoire, here's what we recommend:

• Learn all the tricks of advanced DJing--harmonic mixing, energy level mixing, energy boosts and mashups.

• Follow the latest trends in music, but make sure you have an ample collection of classics.

• Be adventurous with your music choices. It's important to know the latest bangers and club staples, but you need to stand out from other DJs too.

• Stock your music library with unique and eclectic material.

• Understand the progression of music throughout the night, and be ready to play in any time slot.

To improve your performance chops, remember these steps:

• Get a feel for what creates a great experience for your fans.

• Make sure you have a reliable DJ equipment setup that you can count on.

• Always have a "rescue plan" so you can keep playing if something goes wrong.

• Make backups of your music and be able to use them in any situation.

Familiarize yourself with the roles of everyone in the club scene, respect their hard work, and do what you can to keep them happy.

Finally, to improve your brand, focus on the four main aspects of marketing:

• Design a simple but eye-catching DJ logo for yourself.

• Get your promotional pictures done so they look as professional as you can make them, regardless of your budget.

• Carry business cards that are high-quality, simple and sleek.

• Launch a Facebook page where you engage your fans with frequent updates and useful posts--not just

about you and your music, but about anything that might interest the people who follow you.

It's entirely possible to make a career out of being a DJ.

As we can assure you, it's an amazing feeling to play in front of a live audience. All the information in this book is intended to support your efforts and improve your chances for success.

On that note, if anything you've learned here has

contributed to your success story, we want to hear about it. Please post it anywhere online and let us know...and keep mixing!

16. Credits

First and foremost, a sincere "thank you" to thousands of Mixed In Key fans who told their friends about our

software. We have a fantastic community of DJs who use Mixed In Key, and we appreciate all the feedback and ideas that we receive every day.

We want to thank a remarkable group of people whose work had a big impact on this book. Thank you to:

Above & Beyond * Allen & Heath * Andrew Aziz *

Andrew Madsen * Andy Rigby-Jones * Antonio Diaz * Ash Pournouri * A-Trak * Axwell * Beatport * Betsy Magde * Bill Murphy * Biz Martinez * Brian Tappert * Brooks Pettus * BT * Cathy Guetta * Chad Pranke * David Guetta * Debbie Maxted * Devin Ludlow * DJ Download

* DJ Prince * Dubfire * Ed Carruthers * Endo (Mike

Henderson) * Enferno * Eric Jensen * Glen Scott at 1010 Collective * Heather Schulz * Hernan Cattaneo * High Contrast * Jeremy Sallee * Joe Ok * Joe Sill * John Digweed * John Steventon * Jonas Tempel * Joona

Puurunen * Karl Detken * Kaskade * Kendall Woodford * Kristin Walinski * Laurialie Pow * Louis Ng * Mark Davis

* Mark Walker * Markus Schulz * Martin Douglas * Meta Weiss * Mike Levine * Morgan Page * Native Instruments

* Nick Warren * Olga Kaganova * Patrick Machielse * Paul Oakenfold * Paul van Dyk * Pete Tong * Phil at Digital DJ Tips * Samuel Jack * Sara Griggs * Sasha * Sebastien Gabriel * Sebastian Ingrosso * Serato *

Stephanie LaFera * Steve Angello * Traxsource * Victor Vorobyev * zplane development

About the Authors:

Yakov Vorobyev is the creator and founder of Mixed In Key, which has grown to become the DJ industry

standard for key detection software. Vorobyev grew up in Washington, D.C., where he discovered a dual passion for writing computer code and DJing; while he worked by day at Bethesda Softworks (creators of The Elder Scrolls video game series) and various technology firms, he took to DJing by night at the top clubs in the city. In 2005, he graduated from George Washington University with a degree in Computer Science. He currently lives and works in Miami Beach, where he manages an

international team of software developers to create new tools for DJs.

Eric Coomes is a forward-thinking DJ, nightlife consultant, event marketer and copywriter. After graduating magna cum laude from William Jewell

College in 2003, Eric spent six years working at Cerner Corporation in copywriting, interactive/web design, and marketing. In 2009, Eric turned his passion and hobby into a career, leaving Cerner to DJ full time. Eric

currently holds DJ residencies at several nightclubs and DJs at philanthropic events around Kansas City. In 2011, Eric worked with the LAVO New York marketing team to help execute events for Sidney Samson, A-Trak, Tiesto and LMFAO. In addition to DJing Eric is currently a copywriter for Mixed In Key, the award-winning DJ software company.

About the Editor:

Bill Murphy is a freelance writer based in New York City, and has contributed to Time Out New York, Guitar

World, Bass Player, The Wire, Remix, Electronic

Musician and other outlets. From 1996 to 2003, he ran producer Bill Laswell's Axiom label, distributed through Island Def Jam and Chris Blackwell's Palm Pictures.