How to Become a D.J. in India: If you are passionate about music and mixing tracks and are grinding your head, wondering how to move forward with your passion? Disco Jockey is a viable career option worth pursuing.
An offbeat career makes a sound like an added choice a few years back. However, it is now gaining popularity in the present contemporary world. Creating upbeat music requires an upscale in the levels of creativity, artistry, and skills. Those who carefully mentor their creativity and skills possess the quality of Sound producers and D.J.s.
To make your mark in the highly competitive music industry, make sure you turn your spark and passion into a successful career. Those individuals passionate about music and Deejaying, the below-mentioned report on the domain, will be highly beneficial.
- Types of DJ’s
- Skillset and Attributes Required for a DJ
- Eligibility Criteria for DJ in India
- Skillset Courses alongside DJ Courses
- Institutes That Offer D.J. Courses
- Career Prospects of DJ in India
- Job Profiles of DJ in India
- Scope of DJ’s in India
- What is the skill set required for the DJ?
- What are the career prospects of DJs in India?
- How is a D.J different from a Sound Producer?
Who is a D.J.?
D.J. or Disco Jockey refers to the person who professionally plays pre-recorded discs or music at clubs or parties. The pre-recorded music is usually drawn from an extensive collection of music that fits the theme of the event.
A DJ can also take up the role of a sound producer. The combined role of D.J. and sound producer involves creativity.
The role of D.J. is a bit complex than its definition. A DJ is often misunderstood and can be easily replaced by a music playlist. However, there are certain accomplishments that a D.J. can take over a piece of canned music.
Types of DJ’s
- CLUB DJs: Club D.J.s work during the night at clubs and similar venues, providing the music for the crowds to dance and have fun. A Club D.J. maintains the dance floor through the performance of long blends known as transitions between songs to keep people moving.
- Resident DJs: A permanent D.J. performing at a particular venue is known as ‘Resident D.J..’ HE/she ramps up the energy up and down and maintains a constant balance between a busy bar and an active dance floor.
- Mobile DJs: This category is often the entrepreneurial type D.J.s that perform at corporate events, weddings, or even offer a memorable prom party. They keep track of all their work and are solely responsible for the setup and teardown of the equipment, managing the crowd, planning the show, or even making announcements. A Mobile D.J. takes easy steps using the microphone and, at times, even investing in a piece of sound equipment.
- Radio DJs: This is the origin of D.J. across the globe. Radio D.J.s job varies from host celebrity gossip, answer requests, share news, to play music on air. They make small in-between announcements of weather during the songs, to full-on music accusations. Through radio D.J.s art lives in podcast format.
- Turntablists/ Performance DJs: People often attend an event to see a D.J. because of their reputation, skill, and creative artistry behind the decks. A turntablist’s work displays raw dexterity, clever transitions, and impressive tricks that draw the audience’s attention.
Skillset and Attributes Required for a DJ
- Should have an ear to music
- Be familiar with equalization, cueing, Beat-matching and juggling, and audio mixing.
- He/she should possess the qualities of an outgoing personality.
- Candidates should possess the ability to mix with people and learn their mood of preference.
- Should possess excellent interpersonal skills to assist networking.
- He/she should be well-versed with music in vogue- They should be familiar with the hit songs and convert them into a trendy mix.
- Technical ability
- A sense of timing that plays the right track at the right time
- The ability to manage business accounts.
- Candidates should possess a creative talent for mixing music.
- Candidates must have enough stamina and energy to motivate people.
Eligibility Criteria for DJ in India
To hit the audience with juggling music, an aspiring individual must meet the eligibility criteria. The eligibility criteria are quite straightforward- the individual is passionate and must possess music knowledge, understand the intricacies, and the technical aspects of rhythms.
A few places draw a line. The eligible candidate must hold a Bachelor’s Degree, while some accept based on the timeline of experience. Internships play a vital role; those who have learned the ropes by adding practical experience as interns in F.M. Radio channels are slightly preferred. A Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism or Communications is an added advantage.
Skillset Courses alongside DJ Courses
To become a Disco Jockey, there are no full-time courses or programs with defined syllabus and curriculum. There are no universities or colleges that enhance the skillset or provides D.J. development or training.
However, certain training centers and private institutions cater to the needed skill set, training, and development across the globe. In India, DJ training and development centers have sprung up in Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi(N.C.R.), and Kolkata that offer short duration courses in D.J. training and development and other related skillsets.
A few skills set courses that are given training alongside are
- D.J. Training and Development course
- Pro D.J.
- Audio Engineering course
- Digital Live DJ’ing course
Institutes That Offer D.J. Courses
Institutes that offer D.J. Courses are as follows
- I Love Music Academy, Gurgaon
- Electronic Academy, Delhi
- Jazzy Joe, Delhi
- Skratchlab DJ Academy, Chennai
- Global D.J. Music Production & D.J. Training Academy, Mumbai
- Spin Gurus, New Delhi
I Love Music Academy, Gurgaon
This institute offers Music Production, Audio Engineering, D.J., and Electronic DJ Performances Courses.
Course Duration and Fee Structure: This institution offers the “Pro D.J.” course for three months as a part-time course. The course “D.J. Producer” provides a course duration of nine months as a part-time course.
Electronic Academy, Delhi
This is an institution set up by DJ N.Y.K. – Nikhil Sahni. The institutions offer D.J. courses, Music Production Courses, Podcast production courses, and Visual Performance Courses.
Course Duration and Fee Structure: The Serato D.J. course offered by the institution is for INR 30,000 for two months. The pioneer C.D.J. course is for INR 65,000 for a duration of two to three months.
Jazzy Joe, Delhi
This is one of the oldest institutions set up in 1997 in Delhi. The institution offers Basic Mobile D.J., Professional Club D.J., Sunday Professional Course, and Turntablist Vinyl Course.
Course Duration and Fee Structure: The professional D.J. Courses cost INR 6000 for 100 hours. The Basic Mobile D.J. course costs INR 30,000 for 60 hours, split between 6 days and a field trip. The Sunday Professional Course costs INR 36,00 for eight Sundays inclusive of a field trip. The Tutntabilist Vinyl Course costs INR36,000 for 60 hours for six days.
Skratchlab DJ Academy, Chennai
This institution was developed by D.J. Kave, twice D.M.C. World DJ championship Indian representative. He was also the official D.J. for A R Rahman, Blaaze & Hardkaur.
The institution offers advanced Professional DJ Courses 2.0, D.J. Crash Courses, Home D.J. Tuition, Online D.J. Course, Rockstar D.J. 2020, and Electronic Music producer offered for D.J.s Course.
Course Duration and Fee structure: Advanced Professional DJ Courses 2.0 is for a duration of 32 sessions, with a session for an hour for a fee of 70,000. The D.J. Crash Course offers 16 sessions for INR 35,000. The Home D.J. Tuition is an hour session that costs INR 40,000.
The Online D.J. Course offers ten sessions for INR 20,000. The Rockstar D.J. 2020 offers ten sessions for INR 30,000. The Electronic Music producer offered for D.J.s Course offers 16 sessions for INR 55,000.
Global D.J. Music Production & D.J. Training Academy, Mumbai
This is a well-established institution since 2009. The institution offers several adaptive music courses, mainly D.J. Training Courses, Digital D.J. Courses, and Music Business Development.
Course Duration and Fee Structure: The course duration ranges from a month to three months, depending on individual talents and learning capacity. The Fee structure fluctuates between INR 8,500 to INR 10,000 depending on the courses.
Spin Gurus, New Delhi
Spin Gurus marked its foundation in 2005 by Super Dang as India’s first professional D.J. & Music Production Academy. The institution offers both campuses as well as online courses.
Course Duration and Fee structure: The Complete D.J. Course is for two months, and the fee structure is INR 59,000. The Serato Video D.J. Course is for a month with a fee structure of INR 39,999. The Ableton Live D.J. Course if for a month with a fee structure of INR 39,999. The Online D.J. Course is for a month with a fee structure of INR 29,999.
Career Prospects of DJ in India
Most DJs work as freelancers based on contracts or are self-employed artists. However, depending on the field of experience and credentials, a DJ earns between INR 30,000 to INR 70,000 per night. Several DJs are fully employed in hospital industries and broadcast and earn INR 3 lakh to INR 8 lakh per annum, depending on the experience and popularity.
Job Profiles of DJ in India
Based on experience and popularity, a DJ can hold the following Job Profiles:
- DJ Tutor
- Music Producer
- Club Promotor
- Music Journalist
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Scope of DJ’s in India
The present contemporary era in India sees a DJ and a dance floor in most celebrations. However, DJing has extended further along with clubs and weddings.
India homes several international music festivals like Vh1 Supersonic, NH7 Weekender, Sunburn, Magnetic Fields, etc. that opens the doors for various international DJs
Therefore, DJing has a vital scope in Indian and offers a platform for aspiring DJs to take the road less traveled with passion and brave heart.
FAQ’s on How to Become a DJ in India
Question 1.
What is the skill set required for the DJ?
Answer:
Aspiring candidates must hold the following skillset: technical ability, A sense of timing that plays the right track at the right time, The ability to manage business accounts, creative talent for mixing music, and should possess enough stamina and energy to motivate people.
Question 2.
What are the career prospects of DJs in India?
Answer:
Most DJs work as freelancers based on contracts or are self-employed artists. However, depending on the field of experience and credentials, a DJ earns between INR 30,000 to INR 70,000 per night. Several DJs are fully employed in hospital industries and broadcast and earn INR 3 lakh to INR 8 lakh per annum, depending on the experience and popularity.
Question 3.
How is a D.J different from a Sound Producer?
Answer:
The primary difference holds with the audience – A D.J tailors the needs of the audience while a sound producer performs original music in front of the audience. Also, a DJ works with pre-recorded music, while a sound producer creates his music.
Summary
We hope that the information mentioned above regarding How to Become a DJ in India has helped improve your understanding of the subject with in-depth knowledge.