It’s every successful DJ’s secret weapon. Take a close look at any successful DJ and you’ll notice right away they all have two things in common: Passion and an uncanny knack for taking their shows in exciting and unexpected directions. Variety is the spdnt of any good DJ set. Whether you want to throw your audience the occasional curve or work a new niche into your calendar, your success depends on your command of a variety of genres. “People’s tastes in music change,” offers LA’s mega-successful DJ Kris P. “But classics are always classics, so whether you throw in a classic rock song or classic hip-hop song mixed in with some of the newest dubstep or electro or club bangers, you should play everything and keep it hot and fresh all night.” This month we’ve got a quick look at some Promo Only selections that can quickly open the door to some lesser-known, lucrative genres, as well as some expert tips on how to take your current niche to the max by adding more variety…
It’s true - go to college and you’ll earn more! Whether you take them alphabetically (Abilene Christian University; Adams State College; Adelphi University) or by state (New York, Pennsylvania and North Carolina all top 50 college campuses each) there are, give or take, roughly a bazillion bastions of higher education in these United States. That’s a LOT of frat parties, homecomings and campus events in need of a DJ. Of course, when it comes to pleasing the Tappa Kegga crowd -- or any crowd -- we suggest you roll with Modern Rock Radio and Modern Rock Video. One look at a typical college radio station playlist says it all: The Killers, My Chemical Romance, The Strokes, Panic At The Disco!, Nickelback, The Offspring, Arctic Monkeys, Hawthorne Heights, Beck; all consistently top the college radio charts at campuses as far flung as Ball State (IN), Arizona State U, and the University of Florida. You’ll find those artists -- and more -- on each issue of Modern Rock Radio and Modern Rock Video. Modern Rock Radio and Modern Rock Video feature a monthly mix of the Add Modern Rock to your CD or DVD subscription and all you’ll need to book your first college party is your toga!
For a COMPLETE guide to America’s colleges visit http://www.utexas.edu/world/univ/state/
Cashing in on the Country Craze Country Radio and Country Video feature all the newest Country releases, along with the latest line-dance favorites. As a bonus, CD tracklistings also feature dance-style suggestions. The Quick List (some final suggestions):
Latin Events - A subscription to Tropical Latin, Regional Latin, Pop Latin or Latin Video can provide pay-back a’plenty. We’ve kind of gotten used to comments like this, from DJ Jerry Loporto of Acworth GA: “By booking Cinco de Mayo alone, I made three times what my Latin subscriptions cost me. The rest has all been gravy. Thanks Promo Only!” Pool Parties - You’d be surprised at how many DJs are adding to their weekend income by booking pool parties. Long a staple of condo organizations and apartment complexes, poolside events (that often run long into the evening) offer residents the chance to wet more than their whistle while they enjoy the sounds of summer any time of the year, courtesy of you and the reggae, reggaeton, dancehall, and soca you’ll find on every issue of our Caribbean Series. Opportunity. It’s everywhere. And it begins right here at Promo Only. For more information on how your investment in one new series can pay off in as little as one new booking, call 407-331-3600 and speak with your music rep today!
For more info on DJ Kris P visit http://www.djkrisp.com/ |
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The legendary New Music Seminar is coming to Chicago on Tuesday, October 6th. This affordable one-day seminar will give you the knowledge, tools and connections to explode your career NOW. Featuring a keynote by Yahoo! Music head Michael Spiegelman and four blockbuster seminars, the NMS will blow your mind and change your life. The only conference designed to show you the secrets of the next music business, new music business visionaries will reveal a whole new way of looking at your art and your business.
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The New Music Seminar is your fast track to success.
Promo Only has secured a special deal for our members. Save 10% before October 4th on the already discounted advance registration rate for the Chicago New Music Seminar. This is one offer you cannot afford to miss. Register today at http://www.reverbnation.com/c./a4/1232222/510260/Artist/510260/Artist/link and register through Google checkout.
Use the code NMSChicago25986 to save 10%.
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The next time your liability & property insurance rates skyrocket, a discriminating client asks for references or your leads slow to a trickle, you could shut up and pay up, offer a few local testimonials, or enjoy some involuntary down time for the duration – or – you could reap the benefits of low-cost group rates, the prestige of belonging to a national affiliation of professionals, and the steady stream of leads that comes with having your business listed in a national database... Your call. Our advice? Check out the many advantages of belonging to a nationally recognized DJ organization. DJ organizations like the ADJA (American Disc Jockey Association) take the strength in numbers philosophy seriously and use their numbers to offer members a lot of perks unavailable to those who fly solo. For example, did you know membership in the ADJA includes...
Add to that the on-going education the ADJA provides via its national and local gatherings and it pretty easy to see that membership with the ADJA pays for itself in no time -- and then some. “We help DJs build and grow their business,” says ADJA president, DJ Dr. Drax. “Everything we do comes down to offering our members opportunities that translate to greater success not just for the individual, but for our industry as a whole.” If we’ve learned anything in our 17 plus years of servicing the DJ industry it’s this: No DJ is an island. Successful DJs surround themselves with pros in the know... For more info on the ADJA visit www.adja.org. |
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Upfront, the new CDJ-2000 is a DJ controller with a difference. Two differences, actually. First there’s a whopping big 6.1 inch color screen to help you navigate through like a gazillion new features, including song info, album art, wave data and other advanced song info. Secondly, it can also be used as a MIDI controller, making it ideal for SD and USB DJs who can program its 35 buttons to do anything they like. Samples, loops, effects: they can all be triggered by the control keys.
Suggested retail price? $2,150. Street price will undoubtedly be significantly less... Our take on the CDJ-2000? Multi-format players just got sexier. |
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There’s good news for those of you sitting on a stack of pre-Promo Only DFF (digital file format) DVDs: Last April when we announced our new DFF (digital format file) DVDs and the convenience of MPEG4 video files that they offer, we solved one problem and created another. True, thanks to our new DFF DVDs transferring your new Promo Only music videos to hard drive is now as easy as drag and drop. But what about tagging and converting your older Promo Only DVDs? You asked. We’ve responded… We’re pleased to offer a simple solution to the problems that go with transferring our standard DVDs to hard drive… Introducing Handbrake. Safe to download. Easy to use. And 100% legal (Handbrake will not defeat copy-protected discs). Here’s where to find it – and how to use it. Start by downloading Handbrake (click here). This is the program that will convert the MPEG2 files on our DVDs to the MPEG4 files you'll want to store on your desktop/hard drive. Step 1: Check the 2-pass encoding box. Increase the Average bitrate to 2500 or even 3000 if you want a higher quality picture and don't mind a slightly larger file.
Step 2: You'll want to rip each song as an individual track. Here's how: Just put "1" in the first chapter and "1" in the ending chapter. It should read Chapter 1 to 1.  To name the file, just go to www.promoonly.com, look up the DVD you're converting and copy and paste the information from our website to the destination window.
Step 3: Click the "Add to Queue" button…
Step 4: Input Chapter 2 to 2, and add to queue. And so on.
Repeat as needed for each track. Step 5: When you've got all the tracks in the queue, click the show queue button.
Step 6: Click Start button in queue window, and let her rip...
Keep in mind if you are ripping a track that is two chapter you'll need to select both chapters if you want to keep the intro on your ripped video.
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Breaking News:You may have heard that Promo Only friend and contributor Brett Belcastro (aka DJ 2nd Nature) and his family recently lost their home to the floods that have ravaged Atlanta. Like many of those hardest hit by the floods, Brett did not have flood insurance. We’re calling on all friend and fans of DJ 2nd Nature to help by giving what they can to help Brett and his family rebuild. Your donation will be anonymous and much appreciated. [Click here to make a difference.] |
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 The Hitlist -- Find all the hottest top 40, hip-hop, country, rock, dance and Latin hits -- and where they appear on your Promo Only series -- [click here] |
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Coming Soon: The Promo Only Blog
Breaking news, music and music video
Got a suggestion for futures issues or care to comment on our look or content? Drop us a line at promo@promoonly.com and watch our e-newsletter evolve...