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dj equipment - tape duplication, digital duplicators
DJ promotional copies - duplication of tapes, CDs and DVDs
Well, it seems DJ-man has wrangled another column. This month he shares some more insights on how to market yourself and your professional DJ talents. Take it away DJ-man!
Thanks AudioMan!
One thing I have learned: tenacity is the key to success. Whether you want to win a regular newsletter column or land a lucrative slamming gig -- you don't succeed by quitting in the middle of a jam.
Ok, so does this sound familiar?
You've practiced in your bedroom until you have giant, fader-flicking fingertips. Man, you're ready. I mean ready. You can mix like a high speed blender and your friends (who pretend to never get tired of you spinning the same tunes) all say you're the best DJ they've never heard of. So what's next?
Gigging, of course!
And the best way that I know of to get a DJ gig, without actually being friends with a promoter or club owner, is to make a really good mix CD and hand it out to as many people as you can.
I don't care who it is: the cute clerk at the record store; your new neighbor; the postman... you never can tell just who these people know. And the more samples you hand out, the greater the possibility of being heard by the one person who can deliver your first big break. That means "makin' the copies" - many, many copies.
That's why I've chosen to focus this month's column on Duplication.
In particular, I want to put in a plug for the much maligned cassette tape. I know you probably think this is uncool. But dollar for dollar and pound for pound the little buggers still make an impact. In fact, I'm going out on a limb here but if you can do both CD duplication and cassette tape duplication you are ahead of the game. Man - if I could - I'd dup some wax and send out records. Marketing is not what YOU want, it's what THEY want. And now you only have to find out who THEY are and you're set.
In a nutshell, there are 3 major manufacturers of cassette duplicators: Recordex, Sony and Telex. Sony has virtually abandoned the marketplace so that the only place to get their equipment is from a warehouse. Telex is basically relying on their prestigious brand name and has at least twice in the last year threatened to pull out of the market. But ya know, that's aok. Because the best manufacturer by far for this type of machine is Recordex and they still seem to be going strong. I recommend Recordex tape duplicators for your marketing and self-promotion needs and (God bless him) so does AudioMan.
The reasons we like Recordex are:
COMPARISON OF FEATURES BY MANUFACTURER
| |
Sony |
Telex |
Recordex |
| Ferrite Erase Heads |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
| All-Steel Construction |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
| 110/220 Volt Switch |
No |
No |
Yes |
| Price |
$3,549.00 |
2,599.00 |
$1,499.00 |
By the way, tape duplicators also work well if you want to protect your inventory of old cassettes by making back-up copies. The same of course goes for CD's and DVD's and in that department you have a lot of choice in the current marketplace.
Basically, digital duplication mixes and matches various components in different arrays to get you decent quantities at varied rates and quality of reproduction. The most expensive and the best of these machines can also print labels for you which are the heart of promotion. Your name and a contact address are a must on all the marketing material you send out.
You've probably heard of Microboards and of course AudioLinks carries their full line. There are a bewildering array of machines which are specialized and fit many broad applications. But I have recently learned about a relatively new product from AudioMan which blows away Microboards on price and is just the right size for the DJ just starting out: the Acronova Apus-EZ. After you burn your jams you can make up to hundred copies in one sitting.
The EZ-5810C is a powerful and high-speed automatic CD duplicator with simple operation at an affordable price. And, it's a true standalone auto-duplicator because no computer connection is necessary. With a 52x burning speed, the Apus-EZ completes duplicating a full-data CD in less than three minutes. As a result, one hundred CDs can be copied in approximately four hours. It's really quite impressive.
If you don't want to buy a machine, there are also some good companies where you can out source your duplication needs, and the prices are usually pretty good. But if you're going to duplicate CDs on a regular basis, especially if you are doing relatively small runs, you'll want to own your equipment.
In fact there is so much to consider on DVD and CD duplication that I want to devote a whole column to it later this summer. Stay tuned for that (AudioMan and space permitting).
One more thing before I leave this self-promotion topic. Always send a note (handwritten is ok) with your demos and always, always follow-up.
Remember persistence and tenacity matter.
Ultimately, it all comes down to being heard. Whatever you can do, go ahead and do it. I know it might be tough to promote yourself, but if you just make your best demo mix, have it duplicated, get out of the bedroom every once in a while and hand them out, you'll be very surprised by the response.
Hopefully these suggestions will help you find your way to becoming a paid professional.
Remember: if you're good - and you apply yourself - you'll land a regular gig. So keep at it!
Back to you AudioMan!
Thanks Deej - we'll see about a column on digital duplication in a future issue. I hear there are great thing on the horizon! Stay Tuned!
Getting Started as a DJ
Your First Mix
Mixing Techniques
Self-Promotion
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Hearing Protection
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