Career in Disc Jockeying (DJ)
The role of a Disc Jockey (DJ) is to perform in nightclubs or dance clubs, or for TV and radio broadcasts. Candidates interested in exploring Disc Jockeying field can read on to know more about its career prospects, eligibility criteria and required skills.
Disc jockeys play music on the radio to entertain listeners, using news, jokes, advertisements, and announcements to punctuate their presentation. They are the entertainers at parties and special events. A Disc Jockey actually creates music by mixing different styles and tracks through a variety of equipment such as turntables, mixers, graphic equalizers, tape decks and many other sophisticated sound processors. Disc jockeying in India gained popularity over the last few decades and gradually emerged as a popular career option among the youth. Becoming a Disc Jockey requires training as well as a sound knowledge of music and an understanding of popular global trends and audience preferences. Candidates interested in making a career in Disc Jockeying can read the article below.
Types of Disc Jockey
Most Disc Jockeys sign freelance contracts with event management companies and perform for their events. Some DJs are engaged in full-time employment in the broadcast and hospitality industry. Opportunities in this field may be limited for those who just want to be a DJ, but if you look for new possibilities like creating your own music tracks or music albums, you can reach new heights in the music industry. The job profiles of Disc Jockeys are explained in detail below:
Club Disc Jockey: These work in nightclubs or music events. Their job is to entertain the audience by playing music according to the surroundings and the crowd.
Radio Disc Jockey or RJ: Radio Disc Jockeys play music on various radio programmes for listeners. Along with playing music, they also share jokes, news updates, weather forecast reports, traffic reports, etc. with the listeners.
Mobile Disc Jockey: They work in small-scale public and private events like weddings, family parties or festivals etc.
Turntablists or Performance Disc Jockey: These use record players, usually turntables, to manipulate the sounds on phonograph records. Such DJs often gain popularity because of their good reputation, creativity and skills.
Tutor: As the name suggests, the job of a tutor is to train aspiring youth to become a Disc Jockey. Many experienced DJs have opened their own DJ academies.
Music Producer: You can also become a music producer after gaining experience in this field and composing your own music track. This will also earn you music royalties.
Disc Jockey Roles & Responsibilities
Talking about the roles and responsibilities of a Disc Jockey, a DJ has to perform many other responsibilities along with playing music, such as-
- Follow the assignment (specific music) from the program director
- Select music to suit the theme of the program
- Sequence the recorded music to be played on air
- Check recorded ads and announcement script and their number and schedule to intersperse the music on air
- Prepare a brief outline of the fillers
- Handle problems in equipment
- Interview guests during a program
- Make announcements, give topical news briefs or weather updates during the program
- May interact with the listeners during a live program
- Play music in parties or for special events keeping in mind the occasion and the choice of the guest
- Responsible for creating an atmosphere of enjoyment and fun during the event
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Disc Jockey Popular Recruiters
A Disc Jockey can pursue their career in various industries, such as:
- Banquets halls
- Clubs
- Discotheques
- Event companies
- Radio stations
Skills Required for Disc Jockey
If you are passionate about music and love to entertain the crowd by playing and mixing music tracks, then your journey as a DJ is going to be great. However, to become a good Disc Jockey, there are many other skills that you must possess like-
| An outgoing personality | An ear for music | Sound knowledge of queuing, equalization, audio-mixing, beat-matching, scratching and beat juggling |
| Ability to be relaxed yet jubilant | Ability to know people's moods | Must be well versed with popular music i.e. hit songs |
| The art of mixing songs to make them trendy | Flair for music | Well informed and chatty |
How To Become Disc Jockey
To become a Disc Jockey the most important thing is knowledge and passion for music. Talking about the educational qualification, candidates having passed class 12th can enrol in various diploma and graduate level courses such as BA (Hons) in instrumental music, BA in vocal music, BA in musicology, or Diploma in Hindustani Classical Vocal Music, Diploma in Music, etc. They can also opt for a master's degree in Disc Jockeying to gain more knowledge. Furthermore, job experience is of paramount importance in this industry. Students can gain suitable experience by working on college radio stations, FM channels, All India Radio etc. Experience and understanding of the technical aspects of music and the intricacies of rhythm are preferred over educational qualifications for jobs offered in this field. The colleges offering course related to Disc jockeying trains students in different styles and genres of music.
Popular Colleges For Disc Jockey
There are many private institutes and training centres in India, mainly in cities like Mumbai, Delhi (NCR), Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kolkata, which offer courses in DJ development and other related skills. Apart from this, many institutes have been established by DJs themselves. The admissions to these institutes are given on a merit basis. The institutes offering courses in Disc jockeying are mentioned below:
- Mumbai Music Institute
- Asian Academy of Film and Television (AAFT)
- Zebra Institute
- Ramoji Kiran Universe
- I Love Music Academy, Gurgaon
- Electronyk Academy, Delhi
- Jazzy Joe, Delhi
- Skratchlab DJ Academy, Chennai
- Global DJ Music Production & DJ Training Academy, Mumbai
- Sound of Soul, Delhi
- Excel DJ Academy, West Bengal
- TSM (The True School of Music), Mumbai
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