Throw Your Own DJ Event

How To Throw a Party

If you've already been working on all this stuff we've been talking about, and still are having trouble landing gigs, the next best step is to throw your own events. If you decide to go this route, it's a whole new ballgame. I highly recommend it though. Throwing your own parties can catapult you to local, even national fame if done right. Have you been telling yourself you think you could throw a better party than that other guy? Well here's your chance. It's risky, stressful, but can be extremely satisfying if done right. It can also be financially rewarding.

You'll Need Some Money

If you are planning on throwing a good party, you'll need some money to invest. A good minimum is about $300 (feel free to invest more for larger events). This is for flyer design, advertising, and paying other DJs that help out. If you have some friends that are willing to partner up with you on the idea, gathering the funds shouldn't be that hard. If you have DJ friends that are pitching in, you won't have to pay them (they'll only make money if the party makes money) and can probably throw the party for less of an investment. We'll get into the specific breakdown of the funds a little later.

Find A Venue

Most small clubs will entertain the idea of you throwing a party one night and getting compensated by a percentage of the drink sales. Go hunting for a small club in a high traffic area, preferably with its own sound system. Ask to speak with the manager about possibly throwing a party there, and what the club's guidelines are. Be professional, and don't dress like a slob. You don't need a suit and tie, but don't look like a crack dealer either. A typical compensation agreement from a nightclub is 10% of drink sales for the night. Many times there is a minimum involved, meaning if the club doesn't make a certain amount of money at the bar, you will be responsible for the difference. The bar minimum can be anywhere from $500 to $3000 for the night in drink sales, depending on the size of the club and the day of the week. Obviously, weekend bar sales are higher, and that will make the minimum higher on weekends. Make sure you find a venue that has a drink sales minimum you can handle, should the party not go as you planned. If the bar minimum is $1000, and your party only brings in $800 in drink sales, you are going to owe the bar $200. As you can see, throwing a party can be a risky endeavor.

Plan the Party

Now it's time for the good stuff. You'll have to figure out a name for the party, hire some DJs, and advertise. Probably the best thing to do for your very first party is to find a couple DJ friends who want to pitch in. These should be people you trust, because should you not make the bar minimum for whatever reason, they will have to pitch in to make up the difference. Or if you are very confident in your ability to throw a successful party, maybe you can offer to pay the difference on your own should the party fail.

Parties Can Fail

I want to make sure you realize throwing events can be risky. Sometimes you may think that there is no possible way your party will fail, and then it does. It's happened to me, and every promoter/event producer in their lifetime. Maybe it's the weather. Maybe it's the party across the street who advertised better than you did, or the bar that has Tiesto djing next door. MAKE SURE YOU CAN AFFORD TO FAIL. One surefire way to wreck your reputation is to run out on the bar minimum that you owe the venue because your party flopped. So only proceed if you can afford to loose some money. Because you may end up owing the bar $500 because not enough people bought drinks.

Parties Can Be Wildly Successful

Don't let me scare you too much though. If a party is successful, you can make some big money by throwing them regularly. Not to mention the fact that as a headlining DJ, your name and popularity will soar. There are a few keys to throwing a successful event. Number one is ADVERTISING. You may be POSITIVE that your party is going to be the best thing going on next weekend, but you have to make sure everyone else in town knows this too.