I am honestly asking this because I really want to move forward in my career as a DJ. Every event, minus maybe two, that I have ever spun at, I was an opening act. While that's fine and all, I believe that I have the required "whatever" to be a headliner now. I have worked my butt off since 1999 on many projects from radio to mixsets to (trying) production to event planning and promotion.

There's something I have not done that I regret.
 - sending demos to labels, promoters, etc. In my defense, I was told that doing that would be just as good as throwing the cd away as most demos never get listened to and end up in the trash. I was told the best way to get your demo heard was to get them in the hands of the people in the clubs and build a buzz from within those who go to the clubs.

I have promoted the heck outta myself and have gotten little or no results. I know guys who eventually do become headliners have played like 100 shows a year or whatever. I'd love that to happen, but I am just not getting booked.

I guess the question I should be asking is how can I get booked when nobody will give me the time of day when I try to get booked to their show?

I just want to play out and be respected for what I am contributing. My entire being longs to do this full time.

not entirely true. I know a few dj's who do not produce who are considered headliners. If being a solid producer is the key to being a headliner, I might as well hang up my headphones. I simply do not have the talent or the money for that.

I don't know what this means.

Break all the other DJ's fingers youll get all slots hahahaha thats just sick!!!!!

Chris,

   I hate to break this to you man, but if you are attempting to make a living as a full time EDM dj, there is a 99.9% chance you are completely wasting your time. The plain fact of the matter is that most of the "name" guys you think are out there doing that as their sole source of income, aren't. As a matter of fact, I don't know if I've ever met a guy living much above the poverty level who worked solely as a club dj. The guys who are out there touring fight and scrap for bookings, using connections they make by promoting their own events, or through making their own music, or owning a label, or printing flyers, or hosting a successful radio show, and most of the time more than one of the aforementioned. The reality of the situation is that club deejaying is not a wise career path in any sense unless you just don't care about financial prosperity. If you incorporate one of the other industry related ventures and perform both at a high level you will likely see more doors open up, but even then it will be tough with long odds against measurable success. I recommend pursuing it as a hobby or part time thing, letting the "full time" dream go, and just give it your best shot in your spare time. If you strike gold, find a niche, or discover an angle to success, then you can jump on board 100% at that time. Otherwise, you are likely just in for plenty of disappointment and frustration.

I'm kinda wondering if there's a difference between a club dj and a rave dj. I always wanted to be a rave dj. I've never been to a rave but in my imagination it would seem to be more like a rock concert where the dj's are like characters in an epic story. The dj would be more like a storyteller and have more freedom to express his/her own style than at a club. Also, I was thinkin... what if a dj were to play hard to get? This could be a cheesy analogy but take dating for example. A guy is desperate for a date and he'll go after every girl that looks at him. A guy that appears desperate is usually a turn off, but the guy that could care less always has girls chasing after him. If you've got something that people want then let them chase you. Don't take anything and everything you can get. Be picky and choosy. Once they realize you're harder to get ahold of and if they really want you then they will be willing to do more to get you booked. I could be talking out of my tail but I'm a trucker so all I do is think about this stuff. I'm lookin at this as if I were a club owner or a rave promoter. I'm not lookin for a dj that sounds like every other dj, I'm lookin for someone that really knows how to take control of a crowd and brings his own style to the table.
Anyway... I'll shut up now. I really don't have a clue.

Back in my clubber/raver days there was really only one local DJ I can think of who was not a well known producer in the local scene who could draw big enough crowds to be a headliner (Jimmy Joslin), and even he ended up pretty much having to put out a mix CD to keep up with the producer/DJs in the area--not to mention the fact that he was a 20+ year veteran DJ working the same local area the whole time.  Even the popular resident DJs at the local clubs were never headliners at any local events unless they were also a producer (i.e. DJ Icey, Baby Anne, Magic Mike), and even a lot of the popular residents who were producers weren't exactly headliners.  Shoot even Baby Anne was on about her 3rd mix CD before she was a headliner--except at one of her own CD release parties.

However, I can think of a couple local DJ/producers who sort of cheated -- they simply remixed a track that was somewhat popular in Europe but hadn't quite made it to the States yet, and released it on their own label.  I don't know for sure, but I would venture to guess that it was a bootleg remix rather than a licensed legal release.  And honestly, I loved the track when I thought it was their own original piece of work (was not marketed or labeled as a remix). Then I heard the original and realized just how close it was.  And then I liked the original more and never spun the remix again.  To this day it collects dust in a bin in a closet and will remain to do so.  But, it did the trick in getting them that "producer" level of exposure and they did seem to become more well known locally and get more gigs, at least for a little while.

Other than that, the only real headliners from anywhere around here were live acts (i.e. Prophecy Collective, Spacemen, Ford, [and my personal favorite] Rabbitt in the Moon).  Most of the rest of the headliners that came to town were from across the Atlantic somewhere, with the exception of the likes of The Crystal Method.

Of course, I'm also going by memories from the shows I actually bothered to go to, so I might be a bit off in my perception of things, too.  There were a lot names I just never made it out to see.  Which I guess goes to show how well of a headliner they turned out to be.

On a side note, I was billed as a headliner for a rave in Tampa once (though I would never claim to be a headliner DJ).  Good times.  I guess God had different plans for me, though, 'cause He got a hold of me not much longer after that and I never played another rave again.  I was under the perception back then that it would be wrong of me to be involved in such activities, knowing that the better I did my job, the more someone was going to enjoy their roll, trip, drunkeness, etc.  Now I realize that salt that stays in the jar doesn't do anyone any good, but that's a whole other convo . . .

Anyways, my point is just that headliner DJs are almost always, with few exceptions, also well-known producers.  The best DJ I've ever had the privilege of knowing (DJ Soul) could spin the likes of Icey, Baby Anne, or ANY of the other headliners I've seen in the breakbeat genre (which absolutely ruled Central Florida in those days, and is still very popular here) right out of the club on any given night, but never seems to get the respect he deserves because he doesn't have the celebrity factor (although I've heard that that is not true in Brevard County, where I've heard he is very respected in the local scene).  Sure, he's headlined some events, but nowhere near as many as Icey.

In fact, a DJ who started spinning last year but was previously a well-known producer will usually draw a bigger crowd than a veteran DJ who's never produced a well-known track--whether a remix or an original.  Take the Crystal Method for example.  When they started touring as DJs, no one seemed to know if they were any good at it or not, but they still drew big crowds because they were The Crystal Method (and for the record, were actually pretty good DJs, too).

It's time to learn then.

You talk to someone at least 27 times before they start to "recognize" you. You network. You make sure that your name is on the tip of their tongue whenever they think of DJs.

Throwing a promoter a demo cd is a waste if you don't follow up with that promoter. Period. It's the follow up that puts value in that demo cd.

Here I am, giving advice when I don't DJ out. The thing is though, I network. I network A LOT. Now... I am blowing that a bit right now b/c I keep telling ppl I'm too busy right now. It's true, but it's still not the best thing to do.

I also don't keep making posts on the net asking how move to a headliner spot every few months.

I'm not picking on you for that Chris, but the first step to being that headliner is to believe that you can be and to exude that. I'm not talking ego, but I am talking about a professional attitude.