The Business of DJing
The Business of DJing is the podcast for DJs who want to turn their passion into a real business. Host Jamie Selects talks with a variety of DJs and industry professionals about the business side of DJing. You'll hear real stories and practical takeaways you can use at your next booking, whether you're just starting out or ready to leave the day job.New episodes feature guests from across the DJ world. Follow along on Instagram and TikTok at @businessofdjingpod.
14. Traknologist - OCDevious, DJ Products in the AI Era
This conversation with Valentino Paula, aka Traknologist, founder of RemixLabsXO and creator of OCDevious, covers how he started DJing at 13, landing DJ gigs for Xbox game releases, prepping clean music for corporate clients, engineering on Nicki Minaj mixtapes, ghost producing for an LA publishing company, what to watch out for in label contracts, building a DJ app with AI, how AI will change DJing, and much more!
OCDevious is an on-device Mac app that takes a client's must-play list, from an email, a text or a Spotify playlist, and finds up to 200 of those songs in your...
13. Tuna Bahadir - ORDO, Commission-Free DJ Booking for Private Events
This conversation with Tuna Bahadir, founder of ORDO, covers how a corporate lawyer from Istanbul who moved to London for his MBA ended up building a DJ booking platform, how ORDO works for hosts and DJs, how DJs get curated onto the platform, the rise of private and invite-only events in London, DJs playing coffee shops and pizza shops, corporate events, weddings in Turkey and Europe, and much more!
ORDO is a marketplace where private event hosts and DJs meet, and it's commission-free for DJs. About 170 DJs are on the platform, and it has had about 40 bookings...
12. DJ Munition - Building DJ Agencies and Formwav
This conversation with DJ Munition covers a wide range of topics including special event DJing, music selection, booking strategies, transitioning from corporate to full time DJing, business entity structures and accounting strategies, how DJs can use AI in their client interactions, content ideas, and much more!
DJ Munition has launched a new product called FormWav which aims to give DJs and their clients a premier experience when planning their events. DJs can use it increase their value during the process and clients will love the seamless integration with music libraries when planning their events...
11. DJ Chase Morgan
This conversation covers DJ Chase Morgan's journey into DJing, the evolution of his DJ business, the impact of parenthood on his business, and his business administration strategies and tech stack. We talk about music discovery and streaming, the use of Lexicon software for music management, DJing for sports events, and the Chase's DJ style evolution.
Chapters
00:00 Introductions09:00 Impact of Parenthood on DJ Business26:02 Music Discovery and Streaming31:30 Lexicon Software for Music Management36:43 DJing for Sports Events47:28 DJ Style and Musical PreferencesNotes and Links
DJ Chase Morgan's IG - @djchasemorganVibodj...10. Taxes for DJs Part 2: Christian Putnam, CPA
Summary
The episode features a conversation between Jamie Selects and Christian Putnam, a CPA, discussing DJ taxes, business structures, and financial operations. They cover topics such as business structures for DJs, including sole proprietorships, LLCs, and S corporations, as well as income, expenses, and sales tax considerations for DJ businesses. The conversation covers tax considerations for DJs, including sales tax, expenses, travel deductions, home studio deductions, estimated taxes, record-keeping, and hiring considerations. Christian P provides insights on tax deductions, self-employment tax, and the importance of tracking income and expenses. He also emphasizes the need for...
9. DJ Frank G - Founding and building Exclusive DJ
In this episode I welcome Stockton legend, DJ Frank G, founder and owner of Exclusive DJ. We talk about his intro to DJing the music industry, what it was like digging for music in the early days, why and how he built a mobile DJing business, simple and effective mobile marketing strategies. I really enjoyed this conversation and I hope you do too!
Note: some timestamps may vary by platform.
0:00 - Gumroad store announcement
2:14 - Intro to Frank
3:55 - Early events in Stockton, CA
8:25 - Frank’s intro to music...
8. Baywav - Residencies, building a brand, and content creation
In this episode I welcome Bay Area native Baywav. We talk about building residencies, how to break out of your city, building a brand, managing a rebrand, content creation, and much more! This was a great conversation and it was cool to connect with someone else who is helping DJs build their businesses.
0:31 - How did you get into djing?
2:11 - Transaction from practicing to real gigs
5:06 - The process of getting the residency
8:39 - Lessons learned from swapping gigs.
12:16 - Navigating difficult conversations with DJs you book
14...
7. Soul7 - Building EMPIRE Latino From the Ground Up
In this episode I welcome my long time best friend and music industry expert, Alán Hensley, aka Soul7. We go way back to our college days at Pacific and talk about how he came to study music business, learned to DJ, took a leap of faith going across the world to Berkeley College of Music, building EMPIRE Latino, and how DJs can market themselves professionally. I really enjoyed this conversation and I hope you do too!
0:00 - Intro
2:10 - The early days, finding a love for music
5:00 - Finding Pacific for studying musi...
6. DJ Fishfonics - How to Become a Premiere Booking Manager in Your City
In this episode I welcome DJ Fishfonics from San Diego, CA. He has been the main reason I've been able to gig since I moved to San Diego, so super grateful to him! In this conversation we talk about how he became a top booking manager with a bunch of venues in SD, how you can get booked as a new DJ, maintaining professionalism, negotiating rates, and more.
0:00 - Intro
1:03 - Start to DJing
3:37 - Transition to full time DJing
5:37 - Twitch phase
7:35 - How did you...
5. DJ KenZo: Becoming a Full Time DJ
In this episode I welcome DJ KenZo from Stockton, CA. He is a member of the Plural Music family and has been killing it in the Bay Area and is a DJ for the Stockton Kings and Cal Bears. We talk about how he came to DJ full time, what it's like DJing for Don Quez, and much more! 0:00 - Intro 3:50 - Love for learning 14:00 - Plural Music and the importance of community 18:45 - Transition to being a full time DJ 25:30 - Organizing gigs and filling up your calendar 28:40 - Locking in the Stockton Kings and Cal Bears 37:20 - Starting to pursue m...
4. Taxes for DJs
*NOTE*
This podcast is for entertainment purposes only does not offer constitute financial advice.
In this episode we cover tips for filing your taxes as a DJ. It's split into three sections: 1) tax basics for DJs, 2) filing current year taxes, and 3) how to prepare for next year's tax filing. Check out these time stamps if you want to jump around:
0:00 - Intro
1:32 - Tax Basics / Business Structure
7:41 - Current Year Taxes
25:50 - Next Year Taxes
3. Selecta MC: The History of Plural Music
In this episode of The Business of DJing I interview the cofounder of Plural Music, Selecta MC. We talk about the history of the company, how to go from being a bedroom DJ to owning your own production business, how we navigated the pandemic, and much more!
Follow Selecta MC and Plural Music @selecta_mc and @pluralmusic.
2. Networking for DJs
Five rules of Networking for DJs. Learn how I connected with one of my favorite DJs in the world, Miles Medina, and more.
1. Five Financial Tips for DJs
In this episode Jamie Selects covers five financial tips for DJs that can be implemented immediately to improve your DJ business and financial situation. For more information and access to DJ Tools head to www.jamieselects.com/djtools.
