It’s been my pleasure to write this series for the past two years. When I started writing “The Business of Dance Music” two years ago, it seemed as if all you Tastyfreshers knew where you wanted to go, but had no idea how to get there. In that two year span, I’ve seen many new faces come aboard, and many old faces step up their game. I’ve seen Christians take their production levels up to a standard that is now acceptable in the secular scene, as opposed to just settling for “good enough”. I’ve seen Christian events and events with Christians pop up all over the world on par with a product capable of standing on its own. I’d like to think that my advice has played some small part in this, but in reality, it’s the Christian Dance Music microcosm stepping up and deciding to put out a better product. For that, I am very proud of all of you.

I just wanted to go into showing everybody what it took to make an event like “After Hours – The Cornerstone Dance Barn” happen.  Dave and I started talking about the possibility of taking over the Dance Barn back in December.  After getting the blessing from the previous management we got started planning the week’s events.

Ever heard of a man named Andrew Carnegie?  He was an industrialist back in the 1800’s who founded a company called Carnegie Steel, which later was bought by J.P. Morgan and because US Steel.  He came from humble beginnings as a Scottish immigrant, to becoming one of the wealthiest men in the world.  He achieved this through hard work, dedication to a task, and having good people around him.  Carnegie is one of the people I try to model myself after because of his work ethic, but also because of a little philosophy he had called the “Gospel of Wealth.”

"You know you’re at GMA when you drink more cups of coffee than hours of sleep you had the night before".  That was my epiphany when I found my self-telling people "Good Morning" at 4:30 Monday afternoon.  There is a lot more to GMA than coffee and music.  The following article is my general ramblings of a DJ’s view of the GMA experience.

Music is an expensive business, isn’t it?  There are pressings, CDs and mastering.  Then there’s equipment, travel, promotional materials, administration, and did I mention that every once in a while, you might like to purchase new music.  Before you know it, expenses are running rampant, and you are left holding the bill for everything.  This doesn’t have to happen.  With a little caution (and a lot of receipt saving) you can make your music happen on a small budget.  Here are a few tips on how to make it happen.

One of the questions I am most often asked is, how can I make a living with my music? The most obvious answer is "charge for your services" if you don't already, but it goes deeper than that - you have to have a business mindset if you want to make money. If you're only interested in doing it for fun, and don't want to make it a business, don't expect to make much money.

Imagine walking into a venue with hundreds of people dancing as hard as they can, totally lost in the moment, enjoying themselves like they never have before. As you walk around, you’re thinking about profit margins, what the door is looking like, and just where have those headliners of yours run off to? That’s right – You’re a promoter! This is your element. This is your night. After months of planning, it’s time to make it all happen. In this issue’s article, I’d like to share some insight about event promotion I’ve gained while working on this past November 3’s “BTU Weekend Live featuring Shiloh” at Club Red.

Networking is the single most important thing you'll do as a DJ/Producer.  I CANNOT stress this enough.  Networking is something you do 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  The best thing about networking is the fact that it is so simple and natural to do.

In this series, we’ve primarily dealt with business aspects of electronic music.  We've covered contracting, marketing, and networking.  This time, I’d like to say a bit about something not normally covered along with business, and that's providing value.  See, value is when someone makes an investment that returns more in reward than the initial cost.  How do you provide value as a DJ/Producer?  What can you provide to make your potential services more attractive?  This can be summed up in three simple words; promotion, performance, and networking.

There's an old saying: it’s not what you know, but whom you know.  How true is this in the world of dance music!  The most talented DJ in the world is still nothing if nobody hears their music.  I know many DJs who are quite talented, but stuck toiling by themselves in bedrooms and basements all because they do not grasp the full concept of networking.