Jul202009
The best way to set up your CD wallet is to have a double-height wallet with the track listing in the top pocket and the CD in the pocket below.
If you are anything like me, you don’t want to faff about sizing up margins in a Word document, or trying to cut out your track listing in a million different shapes trying to get it to fit.
So what I’ve done is I have created a template for you. All you need to do is replace the text with your own track listing and click print. Theres even a thin black border as a guide for you to cut along.
There are tonnes of programmes and applications out there that will help you with this, there’s probably even one built into your CD burning software but chances are they are for making DVDs, or are for creating CD inserts or J-cards.
These templates are designed to fit exactly into your CD wallet and are perfect for the working DJ. Feel free to download and share!
Feb072009
I’ve been doing the whole DJ thing for well over 10 years now and I’ve played across a variety of venues for many different promoters - some of who I know and some who I have never met before. But one thing I have come to learn over the years is to always protect yourself with a contract no matter how well you know the promoter.
Don’t be scared by thinking all this legal stuff is beyond you becasue all a contract does is promise to the promoter that you will turn up on time and it promises you the DJ that you will get paid your agreed fee. It’s pretty much a guarantee betwen DJ and promoter that helps to protect both parties involved.
Among other things a contract will do the following things:
- Makes you look more professional
- Ensures you get paid
- Establishes some ground rules in case things go wrong
- Re-assures the promoter
Contracts are important because sometimes you might fall ill, you might have to book travel expenses in advance, the promoter is slow at paying you, even the event itself can get cancelled at short notice. I myself have even turned up to play a venue only to find that the doors were closed and the event was cancelled. I had not been notified of this and I was extremely pissed off. Unfortunately, I had no contract in place to protect me and to this day I am still owed money. I got proper stiched up. The booking was for a friend of a friend and ever since I have had to sadly stop working with them on principle. This is one of the main reasons why it is so important to get a contract established and put in place from the start - no matter how well you know the promoter, even if the booking is for your best friend.
It’s not difficult to set up a DJ contract. In fact, below you will find a link to the very same contract template that I use to send out to each and every promoter. Simply download it, change the details to be your own and get the promoter to sign the contract before the event takes place.
It’s usually a good idea to get the signed copy of the contract in your hand as early as possible, but as a rule I now don’t even unpack my gear unless the signed contract is in my hand. I played a boat party a few years back and was stood at the dock where I got the contract signed before I would even step on the boat.
For further help with protecting yourself, you should get yourself signed up to the Musician’s Union if you live in the UK. It will cost you about £10 per month but it is useful for two main reasons.
Firstly, you will get Limited Liability Insurance included as part of your subscription. This is important in case you do something stupid like drop a speaker on someone, or blow up all the venues amps. Terms and conditions apply, but the short of it is that Limited Liability Insurance will pay out for you if anything serious happens. Imagine if that dropped speaker broke someones leg and they sued you for medical expenses. Unlikely I know, but how many of us are paying £10 a week for car insurance right now? Limited Liability Insurance has become pretty much a standard for professional working DJs, again it offers re-assurance to the promoter that you are serious about your profession, plus if you purchase Limited Liability Insurance elsewhere, this can cost from £500 upwards. So from joining the Musicians Union you get it a bit cheaper too.
Secondly, if the promoter that booked you fails to pay up in time, you can report them to the Musicians Union who will then help you to chase up your outstanding invoice. Sending your debtor a letter from an official organisation definitely has a lot more gusto behind it.
Download my DJ contract (PDF 62Kb), change the details to be your own and start using it today. I promise you now, there will be at least one time in the future where you will be glad of it.
