This will be a simple, do's and don'ts blog. If you are doing any of the don'ts... Stop. IMMEDIATELY. Let's Begin. 

1. Don't try to have a conversation with them while they are actively spinning. (Duh)

2. Don't make your FIRST communication with them be about them playing your music. 
Why? Well imagine this. You're a popular DJ that gets literally 100 artist messaging you a day about how they are "The hottest in the city" (95% of them are not). Your inbox is constantly being flooded with music, and most of those artists don't follow you on social media or do anything for your brand. So why would you check for them? 

3. Stop getting mad when they ignore you. Don't take it personal. Read point #2 again. They are most likely just really busy. 

4. Stop harassing them just because they are not playing your music. 
​
5. Stop trying to "Buy" a DJ's support. If you're paying them to play your song on their station or in the club... the moment you stop, their support will usually stop.
(Please note that this is different from having a radio budget and having a campaign. For a song to blow up on radio, a budget is a necessity. However, we are speaking of paying ONE DJ to play your song.)

1. If you meet them in a club.... ask them what they want to drink. (I know, so simple.) Hand them a business card and tell them that you'll talk to them soon. Then send them a follow up email or DM a few days later, and remind them who you are. 

2. Provide value to them, or in better words, actually do something for them first. If you have a merch line, get them a T-Shirt. (I did this and it worked... BIG TIME.) If you know what radio station they work at, make all of the DJ's personalized snack bags. Put your business card in the snack bag (I did this too... and it worked... BIG TIME.) 

3. Comment on their posts on social media. Like their pics. But still don't ask them to play your music in the comment section. Just show genuine support. 

4. Try to get to know them, naturally. But don't be weird. For some of you... you're just too weird to do this step, so you may have to skip it. 

5. If you are having a big release... (example: album release party, listening party, etc) invite them to it. This works great after successfully doing tip #2. Roll out the red carpet for them. Do it big. Treat them like royalty! Why? Because if the right DJ in the right situation begins to support you, it can help your buzz grow IMMEDIATELY. And remember, if one DJ at the station starts playing your song, the other DJ's will hear it too!

This blog will be short and sweet. I pray that it doesn't hurt your pride, but rather makes you look at things differently. Let's get the painful part out of the way. *Clears throat*

See, that wasn't too bad, was it? Ok, let me get one more out. 

The days of record labels and management companies investing in artists that have "potential" are almost totally gone. Labels want a finished product... or in other words, they want someone who already has 1,000,000+ views on Youtube or has a single that's buzzing. You'll already need to be actively branding yourself, have an image and notoriety. And you should have a firm knowledge of how the industry works on the business side, or you'll be taken advantage of. 

Yikes. So what if you're starting from nothing? How do you get all of those views, radio spins, networking opportunities, etc. How Sway??? How? 

YOU 
HAVE 
TO 
INVEST
IN 
YOURSELF. 

It costs money to promote yourself. But it's necessary. Running ads cost money. But It will help you get new fans everyday. Radio campaigns cost money. But your favorite artist that you hear on the radio everyday has a radio budget. It's not free for them either. Do not be afraid to invest in yourself. After all, if you don't believe in yourself enough to invest in your craft... then why should anyone else? At one time in my life, I believed that everybody in the industry that asked me about a budget was trying to cheat me (truthfully a lot of them were). However, a budget is necessary. 

Now, I am not saying recklessly throw your money to everyone who asks for it. Research first. Make sure people are who they say they are. Fact check. Honestly, most promotional companies scam artists. This is why I encourage artists to learn how to do things independently themselves. But even when you are doing things yourself... it'll still cost some money. 

Remember this in closing: Great songs are not just recorded. They are marketed. Marketing & advertising requires a budget. Does this sound familiar?
A rapper goes to the studio and records a ton of songs, thinking each one of them will be "THE ONE" that helps them blow up. They finally drop a Youtube video for their new song and.... and.... and... it gets 100 views. Why? Because going to the studio and recording 100 songs is not marketing.

​What if you only recorded one song, but continually invested money into it and developed a campaign for it? The answer? The one song would be more powerful than the other 100 songs that weren't getting traction. 

Kayo Out