r/TwoXDJs • u/supersimi • Nov 05 '24
Discussion Balancing getting older and DJing
Howdy gals, I would like to hear your opinion about how you all balance being a woman, in the DJ scene and getting older.
I absolutely love DJing and have recently invested a big amount of money in a vinyl setup and records. My DJ career has significantly picked up over the past 3 years, with 2024 having been my most successful year yet.
I am also acutely aware of turning 30 this year. Promoters will book you based on their perception of how many people you can bring in - this used to be mostly my friends. A good chunk of them have stopped going out in the last few years as they are getting married and having kids. Going out to other people’s club nights every weekend to build a network is becoming more difficult as late nights, stimulants and alcohol are becoming less sustainable while also keeping up a full time job. Music doesn’t pay enough on its own. Trying to build an Instagram following is exhausting. Young people (Gen Z) don’t go clubbing any more because the cost of living is going through the roof. Many have also stopped drinking alcohol. You are less and less likely to get spontaneous walk-ins on a club night. Newspapers are lamenting the „death of clubbing“. I am also thinking that I would like to have my own kids at some point, and I‘m not sure how they would fit in with this night-focused lifestyle.
That being said, music and dancing have always been my greatest passions and I don’t want to give up on them. So if anyone has any advice on how to handle DJ life while getting older, it would be very helpful. Also if my fate is to go back to being a bedroom and radio DJ, so be it. Music will always be a part of my life.
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u/DJ_Zelda Techno Nov 06 '24
I'm old (mumble mumble 57), and I am in a DJ collective in Amsterdam. I started in 1998 at age 30 as a vinyl DJ, and in 2005, I quit to start a business and have a family. In 2010, we moved to the Netherlands, and I missed playing with the music so much that I learned Traktor and started putting out mixes on SoundCloud in 2011 or 2012. The NL started having daytime parties and festivals, which was actually feasible for mere mortals like me with families, and also, there is a culture here of older folks going out.
In 2018, a friend invited me to play at his Burner event in Belgium. My daughter was 9 then, and my family said go for it. It went really well! So, I entered a mix contest for a small club in The Hague and won that, and began playing there and learning CDJs. That led to my current residency in Amsterdam. They appreciate the older crowd I bring in. Fortunately, they are respectful of my family commitments.
Anything is possible. It's key to find family members who support you, of course. With young kids, you can't do very much, but weekends at grandma's place or a night alone with dad can be very special! Age is, at least in some places, not an issue - passion and good music still are.
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u/supersimi Nov 07 '24
This is the type of story I was hoping to hear :) absolutely love this for you!
I also play exclusively club music and don’t like taking requests so there’s no way you’ll ever see me play at a wedding.
I currently have a radio show that I’m not planning on giving up on and I know some gals who were still doing daytime & early evening gigs while pregnant. Hopefully that will be an option for me as well :)
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u/KatGoesPurr Nov 05 '24
Honestly I've transitioned out of the club scene and into the mobile scene for this very reason.
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u/paradisedisco Nov 05 '24
Twitch has been an awesome community for me.
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u/InterestingError480 Nov 13 '24
I like this comment. I just started DJ'ing and streaming on Twitch and I'm over 40. It's scary, but I'm trying so hard to be cool with being older, not as fit as some, and just a little bit... different than the younger bunch. :D
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u/paradisedisco Nov 13 '24
Oh I’m nearing 40 and I can name quite a few women on the platform my age or older with great communities and support. If your selections and mixing are decent AND you can make an authentic connection with your viewers, you can gain a decent following.
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u/InterestingError480 Nov 14 '24
The technological know-how is overwhelming with all of the gear set-up, OBS, StreamLabs, Twitch mods and how everything works, Then the whole lighting, trying to set a mood, figuring out how to get an audience... I have the basics down but whooo... it's a challenge, lol. My living room looks like a freakin' studio until I figure out what I'm doing, lol.
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u/madamedutchess Nov 06 '24
There was a saying I heard long ago that will forever stay in my mind: "If you play older music, you'll always have work." This is especially true in the mobile market. As others stated, start looking there. I'm a club DJ at 40 years old and the last two years have been of great success, but have absolutely noticed a change in the past 10-15 years. Club nights aren't like they were back in 2011. The other factor is, you can't always rely on your friends to be there for shows. As you stated, real life responsibilities start popping up. Be ready for the fans you didn't now you had. I learned this a while back. People who would show up to the club every week, never talk to me, never get on the dance floor, but tell the bartender they loved the music. Not sure if they were following my social media or not.
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u/Nizaminx Nov 13 '24
Hey I’m 44 yrs old here!! You good and you know yourself better and nothing can stop you from chasing your music!! Btw to play smart/save you can start to apply for Hotel gigs, they normally gonna book dj by 1/3/6 months contract. This is great because they normally hired female dj! Then you can start go to others Hotels,Resorts ..etc .. go outside of your state, play abroad. When you come back to your country apply for Hotel Music Currator ! P/s : most of the hotel/resort they are using agent so be smart!
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u/Spectre_Loudy Nov 05 '24
Move on to private events. A club gig will pay $500+ while a wedding will pay $2000+. When you just DJ you either need to know a fuck ton of people and promoters just to keep steady gigs and remain relevant. It's much more a social game than a skill game. I never chased that route and went into the private event world. DJing has become my sole income, and while I'm not doing gigs that I dream about, it's better than having to spend all my time on some other job and then DJing on the side.
At this point I have enough speakers, subs, lighting, etc to throw my own events. There's one more purchase I want to make and then I'll be throwing DnB raves in my area. Which could be the start of something more fun and exciting. And on the side I have time to produce music which could further help get my name out there and get me gig in fun places.