Aug262009
15 Free Online Self Promotion DJ Websites
Getting to the top in this industry is all about getting yourself heard and by using the technology of the internet this is now even easier than ever before. I thought I would share with you below some of my favourite and most effective free ways of getting yourself heard on the ‘net in a shameless self-promotion roundup of some of the better sites out there. All of these web sites are free to join.
Get yourself a Facebook account if you havent already done so. This will open up two worlds to you. You can create yourself your own self promotion Facebook Group and invite people to join, plus you can also set up your own Fan Page to allow members to become your fan. Both these options you can use to send out updates, mixes and information about forthcoming gigs.
The DJ List
If you sign up to be a member at the DJ list, you can get yourself listed into the worlds largest DJ directory for free. It is a place that will host your DJ biography and some pictures, but the real beauty of this site is it allows you to get your fan base voting for you to allow you to climb up the DJ rankings.
iTunes
Getting your mixes listed in iTunes is not as difficult as you might think. All you need is your mix hosted on a website somewhere and an iTunes account. iTunes is installed on millions of computers and mobile devices around the world and therefore having your mixes listed will help you to reach a global audience. For help and advice on how to do this, check out my post on getting listed in the iTunes directory.
MySpace
I am not a massive fan of MySpace but I do feel it has its place in this list. After all, it does have millions of members plus it launched the careers of artists such as Lilly Allen and Calvin Harris. MySpace gives you the freedom to create your own personal space on the internet, connect with friends and famous people and do pretty much anything you want. It’s a well recognised platform in the industry and one that should not be ignored.
Orkut
If you have yourself a Google email address or Google account then you can sign in and use the services of Orkut. Its a bit like Facebook but without the faff. You can find people with simmilar inerests on there, join communities and use the site like an open networking tool to spread the word of yourself and your talents.
Upcoming
Upcoming is a service run by Yahoo that can best be described as a social calendar. When you have a number of DJ bookings that you want to promote and spread the word, you can list up your DJ dates on Upcoming. This will give you an RSS feed of events that your fans can subscribe to and keep up to date with where you are playing and when. You can also find other like minded individuals and “friend & follow” them much you would with other social web sites. A good way to promote your DJ gigs.
This social network is a little bit like a business version of Facebook. You get to keep in touch with loads of business contacts and is really good for networking. If you come across a promoter or a fellow DJ that you think you would like to work with in future you can’t go wrong by adding them to your LinkedIn network profile.
Podomatic
Producing a regular podcast that is available for download is a great way to promote yourself as a DJ. It gives people an example of what they can expect when they come to book you for an event plus you can attract a large following of fans if you podcast on a regular basis. Podomatic takes the headache out of all the technical stuff and gives you a space on the web where you can publish your podcast for free. The paid for version gives you a bit more space but the free version is definitely worth a look.
I grow to love Twitter more and more each day. A lot of people (myself included) failed to see the point of Twitter on their first use. But I feel it is an essential networking weapon that you should have in your self promotion toolbox. You get to find out what people are doing right now in real time and you get to share what you are up to as well. It probably doesn’t sound that impressive right now but if you give it a couple of weeks you will start to understand what it is all about. There are currently thoughts that Twitter is looking to rival Google so this is one online bandwagon you don’t want to miss out on.
Wordpress
Getting yourself an online blog is a great online self promotion tool because of its flexibility. If you have a lot to say for yourself you can keep a blog updated with news, comments, forthcoming gigs and interesting things. If you have nothing to say you can just keep it updated with fresh mixes on a regular basis. A blog gives you the ability to receive feedback on what you do by allowing visitors to comment on the things you do and say plus you will find it opens yourself up to the whole blogging comunity where you can find like-minded people out there who also do what you do - it’s a great networking tool. There are many different blogging tools out there but my favourite is Wordpress. You can get a free Wordpress blog by going to wordpress.com or you can build your own custom blog at wordpress.org
Soonnight
Soonnight is a fairly new online dance community and magazine website dedicated to clubbing. They have loads of great information about events and parties happening around the UK. You can add a profile, pitcures, videos and list events you are/have attending/attended.
Dontstayin
Dontstayin (DSI) is simmilar to Soonnight but it has been around for a lot longer. DSI recently had a much needed re-design and now everything on the site is a lot easier to do. Again, you can add pics and videos, acknowledge your attendence to events but you can also start discussion threads and interact a lot more with other clubbers/punters. DSI is a great platform for getting to know the people who actually go to the events rather than the DJs who play there. From my own experience I feel DSI tends to lean towards the hard house/trance side of music but they do cover a wide range of music styles and tastes overall.
Youtube
Who hasn’t heard of Youtube? Ok, so you all know what it does. Get yourself some footage of yourself DJing and upload it to Youtube for the world to see. Make sure you use music that you have permission to use. If you don’t you might find your video gets pulled down. When you upload a Youtube video you have the opportuniy to add “tags”. Do not overlook this as tags are what lets other users find your video. Make sure you add about ten short descriptive words that are relevant to your video. Choosing the right tags will boost your views and in turn boost your exposure. Youtube also provides code for you to embed the video into your MySpace page or even your Wordpress blog. Also don’t forget you can link easily to your page by sending people to www.youtube.com/[username] for example: www.youtube.com/djpaulvelocity
Muzu
This is a bit of a weird one to describe as Muzu is kind of a mixture of a lot of the other websites mentioned before. Primarily it is used for adding videos much the same way as Youtube. You can add a profile, images and events just like Soonnight and DSI, plus you can modify and manage your profile a bit like MySpace. It describes itself as a new Music TV site where you can watch create and share music video playlists along with behind the scene footage, interviews and documentaries. You can favourite videos you like to create a playlist and in effect create your own personal TV channel of all the stuff you like. But upload a couple of videos of yourself in the mix and get spreading your sound to the masses.
UkFunkyHouse
Ok, so this site might be quite genre-specific, but I really love the way this website is put together. Someone has really thought about it as all the controls and buttons are in the right places and stuff just makes sense. This is a website dedicated to the UK Funky House scene where you can drop in your RSS feeds, latest gig dates, event and profile pictures and so on. It’s just a really nice niche self-promotion web site and I really like it - I think the future of online self promotion lies in this niche genre-specific style of website. I expect other genres not only of house but Trance and Drum & Bass to follow suit very soon.
This is just a brief summary of some of the online self promotion DJ tools that I use. If there are any others out there that you use, please add them to the comments below along with a couple of words about how they have helped you.
[...] DJ Paul Velocity, a Funky House DJ on the UK circuit for 12 years now has allowed us to feature his 15 Free Online Self Promotion DJ Websites article (16 with Dubzoo :p). Some you will know, some new to you, but this is a must read if you [...]
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