I’ve been a DJ in SecondLife for about 4 years, and learned a few things. Its not as easy as you might think. Why you may be asking? Its Simple, not everyone can talk to other’s or you may be mic shy, embarrassed or you may be simply to nervous to say anything. Maybe you don’t have a microphone hooked up etc. Being a DJ is a job, no different then say a Carpenter, Plumber even a Doctor or maybe a SL Club owner.
All jobs, no matter how big or small have their own little ways of getting it done the right way. While DJing in SL I have had the opportunity to introduce to the audience many of SL’s Biggest Blues and Rock performers. I’ve done Charity Events, Auctions, opening’s for new Clubs, Wedding’s, even been in a few DJ Battles and Won 
.
DJing, for the most part, is a lot of fun. You get to mingle with the audience which gives you the chance to listen to what the people want to hear. After all, isn’t that what a DJ is supposed to do?. DJ’s spin tunes for the crowd. That’s what we do, cut and dry. We make people happy. Every now and then we introduce new music, or play the top hits. Or as a DJ, you might even have a specific genre you like, and play only that. It really doesn’t matter what you play as long as it keeps the people’s interest.
As a DJ it helps to have more then one type of music taste. What I mean by this is…
- Blues
- Rock
- Country
- Techno
- Rap
- Hip-Hop
- Swing
- Heavy Metal
- Classical
lol not much call for Classical in SL but you get my point.
My experience in SL is I’m always spinning a lot of Blues, Pop, Dance, Classic Rock and New-age Rock, even some Country Music and yes even Weddings. The variety of music is so large no one DJ can have it all. So you need to have a very large library of Tunes, This way you should be able to handle what comes at you.
Its been said that without DJ’s, Musicians wouldn’t be noticed as quick. DJs have introduced so many of the worlds best Musicians to the masses via the air waves. And let it be said that without Musicians, DJ’s wouldn’t have much to do. We both complement each other without question.
Ok so lets get a few tips
As with any job you need some training even if it’s only 2 hrs There are a few DJ training courses available in SL look under Education in Search. Some even provide the tools you will need to be a DJ in SL. Same as Real Life you need to learn the basics.
Fact! as a DJ in SL you will probably Not be Paid for your services…you Will on the other hand probably get 100% of the tips people will send your way. Some Clubs offer 80% with the other 20% in their pocket. Pick your Clubs or job offers carefully.
Try and use your own tip jar, this way you can give out things like T-Shirts, Hats SL Gifts, you know, those Drinks that make you fall over and slam the floor lol. And you keep 100% of the Tips.
Develop a Show or a Style, something to set you apart from the rest of the line. Do things that people will remember and want to come back and see or hear again. Try sound effects, Promos, Beginning and Ending Tunes etc.
Never repeat the same list, its ok to pull some tunes and put them in another list but never ever play the same list over and over boring and you will lose all hope of being successful. Always create a fresh list to play.
Get to your Gig at least 15 mins early so you can make sure everything works. In SL crap happens lol so its best to try and get done ahead of time . It also gives you a chance to mingle and find out what the patrons want to hear.
Always mention the name of the Club, your host or hostess’s name and the audience name ex Hello I’m (your name ex DJ Fatman Sparks) Welcome to ABC Blues. Hello Mickey Mothchild its good to see you and Folks let me introduce my Host/Hostess Rayne Overme her tip jar is over there by… by mentioning the tip jars for the club and staff they will mention you and yours get the picture:). That’s a good way to really make things comfortable and profitable for both you the host staff and the club. If your gig is 2hrs then you would plug the Club and Host/Hostess every 30 mins or so, don’t over due it people hate being asked for Donations so be easy about it.
It costs Real Life Money to do anything in SL Everyone from the Club Owners, Musicians, DJ’s, Merchants, Designers etc. Even the Training schools it all cost money. Usually the Clubs have to reach in their pockets to pull out a lot of RL CASH to have a great place. They sometimes have outside help from Sponsors. As a DJ you can help offset the cost’s and get tipped or even paid +tip per gig just by giving them a shout-out now and then.
It will cost you some $USD/L$ to get setup as a DJ in SL, same as it would in RL.
One thing you may want is a Tip board /web site /info-Bio card, style board. You may want a DJ Headset which has effects, how about a portable DJ stand. You can, with some time, build all this stuff and save, but its faster to buy it and build in your spare time. In RL, a DJ must spend Hundreds if not Thousands of dollars USD to have the best equipment. Not to worry! In SL it only looks expensive. Its actually cheap. You can have the best and may not pay more then 20-30$ USD.
As I said the initial cost is about 20-30$ USD to get setup. Now you should have your own Stream and a way of broadcasting your music and voice into SL. You can Broadcast using Free Software that is easily obtainable Like Winamp. Simplecast or pay for other Good programs like Virtual DJ, Sam Broadcaster etc. I Prefer Sam Broadcaster because it’s very easy to use, but that’s just my opinion.
Now you’ll need a stream. Its a suggestion to rent a Stream with guaranteed up time, if you want to be thought of as a good DJ. Clubs will sometimes provide and tell you to use their stream, that’s fine just make another encoder. You want a Stream with lowest Port Numbers if possible, because the lower the port the less problems you’ll have its a tech thing lol.
You’ll also want a set of IP numbers instead of …
Example; http:// A DOMAINNAMEHERE
Example; http://191.123.100.48:8200… This is a direct hookup to your server instead of the Domain Name. The 4 groups of 3 numbers each, are the IP Address Numbers, the last 4 numbers, are the Port numbers. You can rent a stream from hundreds of places, they are all sort of cheap but read all packages very carefully because you want to get the best deal for your money. There are to many variables in these Packages to go over in this Tips Helper.
Choices for streams would be SHOUTcast or Icecast there are other services for those running Mac’s. Streams could be as high in Price as 10.00 $USD a month that’s alot of cash so buyer beware. I offer SHOUTcast streaming rentals for less then half that price online thru MJ’s Stream Solutions or in SL in the MJ’s Streaming barn located on the Island of intuitive Get there by clicking here. Just pop in its easy and you’ll be up and streaming in less then 15 mins . A stream is a stream. They are pretty much all the same…the difference is Service and Support.
There are a couple of things you should know about SHOUTcast and Icecast, the major 2 Differences is, Shoutcast’s auto DJ is not as Good as Icecast’s and Icecast can Send Video. Shoutcast can also do video but that’s a Different package. Most resellers of these products have the same pricing. You just have to Shop and get what you need. What you will need to figure out is …What do I want to do with my Stream Audio, Video, Both. After that decision then you field of choices becomes clear.
Other things you should consider:
You need a recent computer. Something with a lot of Memory and a Good sound system that is configured with a stereo mixer, this would be usually part of Windows or a program you can get for your system thru its Manufacture like Dell, HP, or who ever lol I built mine so . You should have at least a 1.8 processor, Programs like SL and Sam as a Example use a lot of system resources to bring in and send out simultaneously.
There is a lot more info I will post about many of the tips and topics I covered in this brief Tips paper so please check back and see
I hope some of this info was helpful, if it did GREAT to know. If not, write me and let me know, what info you need and I will see what I can do for you.
capnjac at comcast.net
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Thank you
CapnJac
January 21st, 2012 
Mae 
