When you first started DJing you probably didn’t give much thought to your name. Many DJs choose the simple route and use their names—DJ Sean Gallagher, anyone??—while others choose nicknames or other identifiers like a ginger called DJ Red or DJ Ginger. But you were young then and the name you’ve chosen isn’t one you want following you around for the rest of your career. So you’re thinking about changing your DJ name.
Is that a cool thing to do or will you have to start your career over from scratch?
The truth is that you can change your DJ name whenever you want, but it will take some effort to maintain your current level of notoriety or celebrity. The key is to have a plan you can implement so people know that DJ Old Name is now DJ New Name.
You’re Too Old For Your DJ Name
Remember music groups like Immature or ABC? Ever wonder what happened to those guys? Well the simple answer is that they grew up and having an immature name was no longer appropriate. With a name like that you’re kind of pigeon-holing yourself as far as fan base and marketing goes.
If your DJ name is related to your youthful appearance, age or something to get you noticed by the pre-teen set (DJ Nintendo, for example) it is more than okay to change your DJ name.
You Plan To Relocate
In my travels I’ve come across tons of big fishes in little ponds. This isn’t a slight to local DJs, but DJ Georgia Peach obviously books a lot of work in Atlanta. So if you are a proverbial big fish and you’re looking to make the leap to a larger pond this is the perfect time to consider changing your DJ name.
Of course you don’t have to change your name if you change cities or countries, being a DJ from a certain area might make you a novelty, which gets your foot in the door. From there it is up to you how you make it work for you.
Change Of Schtick
There are plenty of DJs out there who have a gimmick or schtick, like Niki Belucci who’s known as the topless DJ. This is a great way to use everything you’ve got to get your foot in the door and start booking gigs. But…at some point gravity will take over (or whatever other time limit is on your gimmick) and then you will be known as the topless DJ who is no longer topless.
It’s okay to use a gimmick; we all have to use what we have to get an edge. But if you base your DJ name and career on that, the time will come when you might have to get a new DJ moniker.
You’ve Been Out Of Circulation
If you’ve taken a break from the world of DJing for any reason then you can re-launch your career under a new DJ name. This is especially true if you’re making the switch from vinyl or CDs to digital, if you’re changing music genres or you were part of a DJing duo or group. This is actually a really good time to change your DJ name since you can time the name change with your first gig or song release.
If you want to use your prior success with your new DJ name then you’ll have to acknowledge who you used to be. If you want to start over, then do so with just your new name.
Change It Everywhere
Changing your DJ name isn’t as simple as sending out a few emails and a Facebook post announcing your new name. You will need to grab the URL with your name…for your new website. You want to make sure you own that domain so you can control your online presence. In fact, you should keep both web addresses so people who visit your website will automatically be redirected to your new name and online home.
Change any merchandise with your old DJ name. If you have any merchandise, whether it is bumper stickers, hoodies, cup cozies or shoe laces you’ll need to reorder it with your new DJ name.
Of course the music will have to be changed. If you have any original tracks you’ll want to make sure you’ve done your due diligence to make sure the proper person is credited. If you do business under your DJ name this is particularly important, but if you do business under your legal name you might not have to worry about changing anything on your music other than the cover.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t remind you the importance of social media. Changing your DJ name means getting a new page for Facebook, Twitter and any other social media sites to which you belong.
Before you officially change your name, make sure you have timed the re-release of your website, social media presence and even new tracks. Do it all at once so there is no confusion. It would suck if you missed out on gigs because the booker can’t find you!
I hope I helped you learn how to be a DJ and change your DJ name. Email in the box below to get access to Free video DJ lessons that will answer all of your questions on how to become a disk jockey!
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