How to become a professional club DJ

You already know the mechanics of DJing, but you want to be an international celebrity -- or at least drink for free while showing off your music collection. Here's how to spin your hobby into a career. Watch this video to learn how to become a professional club DJ.

You Will Need

* DJing equipment
* A broad and deep music collection
* Copies of a mix with decent cover art
* Friends who own bars or DJ -- and who will show up to your gigs
* Cool clothes that reflect your musical style

Step 1.

Decide whether you want to spin old-school vinyl or use a laptop and MP3 player, which are much more portable. Either way, you’ll be expected to provide your own equipment.

Step 2.

Amass a music collection that is both broad and deep. You’ll need to be able to provide a single style of music for over five hours, as well as handle any requests.

You should always bring twice the length of music that you’ll need for your set. In nightlife, you never know what will happen!

Step 3.

Check out local DJs and music scenes. Even if it’s not your style, it’s important to know who and what is out there.

Step 4.

Become a regular at clubs and bars that you like — get to know everyone from the bartender to the usual crowd. Show up looking good, and keep making friends. Be genuine, not genuinely annoying. Make friends — don’t harass people — and eventually they’ll hire you.

Step 5.

Make a mix of songs you would spin, add some cover art, and give it out to the key players in nightlife that you now know. Be sure to give it like a friendly gift to avoid the creep factor of handing out promotional schlock.

Step 6. Book a party

If you can’t seem to get hired as a DJ, and you have enough friends to fill a space, try asking a bar to let you book your very own party. That way you can pick yourself to DJ — and you’ll get a cut of the profits!

FACT: The record for the longest continuous broadcast by a single DJ is 110 hours.