So You Want to Be a Club DJ? Here Are 4 Ways to Tell If You Suck

Coming from a guy who's been a professional turntable DJ for 20 years, the fact that every clown with a laptop and a bedroom thinks they can be a DJ bugs me! It bugs me because there are so many DJs out there that don't know what they're doing, and they're willing play for no money, that they're most likely the DJs you're seeing in the clubs you're going to.

They're using crappy equipment, with no training, and the sad thing is most people in bars don't care.

If you're interested in being a DJ, here are some quick tips to get your started so you will NOT be one of the people I'm talking about.

No. 1 Get the right equipment. Anything that is cheap (couple hundred bucks) is not good equipment. Your entire set up should cost $3,000 AT LEAST. If it doesn't, you have crappy equipment and you shouldn't be playing professional gigs because your equipment will break down in six months and consistency is key in this business.

No. 2 Before you EVER get in front of a crowd, you should be practicing by yourself for months. You should be challenging other DJs and bouncing your stuff off more experienced people who've been doing it for years.

No. 3 Know your music. Read charts. Belong to record pools. Listen to the radio. Do your research. These are all things very importantly to do WEEKLY -- not once a month or once in a while. You should be able to tell someone requesting a song, "No, that's not a hit." If you don't know the hits, you're in trouble.

No. 4 Quit listening to idiot DJs who say you can only play a song once a night. Who dictated that idiot rule anyway? Does that person even understand how people listen? Do you think every person in that crowd has been there all night? Or do people rotate? Do they spend some time in the bar, then the floor, then the bar? And do people like their favorite song once? Or do they want to listen to their favorite song OVER AND OVER AND OVER?