For the longest time since the creation of phonograph records and compact discs, people have relied on music as the main source of entertainment. Radios, television and now the internet all have the access to the world’s best music. Even during back at the day, our ancestors have used music; creating them with ancient instruments like harps, flutes and even human whistling , to make songs of worship, or entertainment or simply to express one’s emotions. This is one of the important reasons why the number of aspiring and current disc jockeys is increasing today.

A disc jockey is someone who plays recorded music for a crowd of spectators or listeners. Through the years a DJ emerged from someone who plays them through the radio to someone who mixes beats and tunes together at a concert or a club; from playing phonographic records or compact discs to playing MP3s and multi-layered audio files. Surely, the industry of music for DJs has widely evolved.

Why Become a DJ?

To say that the reason is simple is to say that the job of being a disc jockey is something anyone can do and do well easy as pie. Becoming a DJ is one real work. With a massive crowd of criticizing audience today, not just any music will gain a grand applause. But of course, if one wants to just get by it then he no longer needs a pleased crowd. But even for an average and neophyte DJ, to create unique, one-of-a-kind, even addictive music if possible is very necessary to last the industry for a long period of time.

To become a disc jockey, it is important to have complete and the most trusted equipment – from sound system, to sequencers, digital controllers, software for mixing, and many others. These equipments would cost around thousands of cash to put up as if one started a whole studio recording business. The even greater hassle is to bring them from place to place when gigs come about.

A lot of DJs today are self-educated. They did not take a degree in music to officially be called a DJ. Most of them learned how to mix beats and tunes by exploring their own world of songs themselves. They mastered their equipments by trial-and-error and let new music bloom from their own mixture of sounds and pounds. The disc jockey has total creative freedom with his creation of melodies and his simplest fulfillment would be to have crafted an original and something not everyone or most of mankind could be able to produce.

Radio DJs, unlike concert or club disc jockeys are usually required to have a broadcasting degree to bag the job. This is primarily because broadcasting techniques and basic ethics that are important in the industry are being taught in the academe. In this manner, station managers and owners can make sure that their jockeys are professionals and know exactly what they are doing.

Today, radio DJs have proven to be still one of the most wanted jobs in the Media in spite of the presence of television, internet and mobile. When all else fails, people will cling to the radio to get a dose of the most important reports and news to get by day by day.

Perks and Benefits

Since the job for a concert or club disc jockey is still quite informal (especially compared to other professions, such as a lawyer or maid or helping people raise their credit score) and more referred to as an artistic craft, the perks are also as intangible. DJs get to play their originals and get known for it. Locals start to recognize their craft, get compliments and have a chance to bag bigger gigs. For more experienced and known DJs, this job could be their bread and butter especially now that hip-hop, RNB and upbeat music are more and more becoming popular in selected countries and cultures. They can be recommended to be produced their own albums and guest in concerts. At this level, this serves a high-paying job.

For the radio DJ, this job is not as glamorous as that of television anchors, internet superstars and more. They live day to day with their voices as capital and sometimes hidden behind a pen name. The recognition they get is not as much as deserved. However, this work as at referred to as an artistic craft and a profession at the same time. As a DJ one must have enough intelligence and creativity to cope with the goings-on of the Radio and Broadcasting Industry.

For some countries, being a disc jockey has been one of the dangerous jobs there is specifically when these DJs are radio journalists. As so-called watchdogs, journalists are expected to expose wrong-doings in society, politics and the government as a whole. Radio journalists are often being threatened of death or kidnap either of themselves or their families. Nonetheless, they opt to continue with their jobs as the Fourth Estate and raise the banner of disc jockeys worldwide.

Life as a DJ as we know it isn’t actually what it seems. It takes hard work, passion, creativity, intelligence and love for the craft. It can be glamorous but oftentimes it isn’t. Either way, one thing that has to be sure when one wants to become a DJ is that he has to be all there – 100 percent.