How to make it as a DJ/Producer - Toolroom & Mark Knight

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  • Опубліковано 19 гру 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 102

  • @Ruby_Mullz
    @Ruby_Mullz 5 місяців тому +86

    I started my journey 4 years ago from crossfader tutorials and have from plugging my master into the headphone, wondering why there’s no sound, to finally getting my first gig. I’m blind and I trained for years because as Mark said “you need to get good” and not being big headed, but I think I’m better at mixing than most sighted people. I’ve only been trying professionally for a month and am so lucky to get booked already, but cheers for the advice in this podcast where u need a long term plan, so screw it. Next year I will have hosted my own event or be headlining.

    • @hangslow
      @hangslow 5 місяців тому

      👏👏

    • @Racoon_UK
      @Racoon_UK 5 місяців тому +1

      🎉 They compete with Bob Sinclar and stars on that kind of lvl. You definitely need more motivation 😅

    • @BenCook-j8v
      @BenCook-j8v 5 місяців тому +4

      Where are you based? I am in San Francisco and throw a nightlife series catered to disabled ravers. You'd be welcome to play at any of our parties if you can get out here :)

  • @titovalchev
    @titovalchev 4 місяці тому +12

    RAW and direct answers is what we need. People do not need sugarcoating the truth because the society is becoming too sensitive to accept it. Thank you for that guys. This conversation is insightful and a good reminder that we have to keep the momentum going. Set your goals and your mind to achieve them.

  • @hydrotahiti471
    @hydrotahiti471 2 дні тому

    I love this interview and how authentic this feels. Thank you for sharing those gems. I'm excited to implement them.

  • @ruleset
    @ruleset 2 місяці тому +1

    7:20 what motivates me the most is when someone understands me, love this talk so far

  • @phyles_music
    @phyles_music 5 місяців тому +11

    Thanks to invite the legends 🔥

  • @danjers77
    @danjers77 5 місяців тому +14

    When my energy is low, I love to see these videos, and they cheer me up!

  • @iOSHmosis
    @iOSHmosis 4 місяці тому +5

    I totally feel the fact that the DJ's and producers are the ones buying everything yet most are financially unstable. That support for each other is crucial.

  • @R1PPA-C
    @R1PPA-C 4 місяці тому +7

    You had me at "you don't have to be an extrovert"
    This is something that cripples my online presence and has stopped me even contacting any labels with any of my mastered tracks...!

  • @777BobbyJ
    @777BobbyJ 4 місяці тому +2

    The conversation around the 25 min mark is spot on. There is a sea of music out there these days and finding the time to find the best tracks is just becoming a thankless task. There is a lot of music out there but not all of it is good, I'd almost say 90% is rubbish.

  • @djpapakuma
    @djpapakuma 5 місяців тому

    Great interview with the gents over at Toolroom. Thank you!

  • @blaufinger
    @blaufinger 4 місяці тому

    Thank you so much for this podcast! As an new electronic live act without a big fanbase there are a lot of similarities and I'm glad you guys explained things I can relate to and already do "right" and other topics I can adjust :)

  • @YariBeatsMedia
    @YariBeatsMedia 4 місяці тому

    Learning as we speak. I work as a studio producer but I am seeing what else is there as far as beat-oriented music.

  • @angelonasso
    @angelonasso 3 місяці тому

    What a great session guys thank you.

  • @darkroomrobot
    @darkroomrobot 4 місяці тому +1

    Thanks guys, really good frank and pragmatic views on the industry and efforts required 👌

  • @prodbyocean
    @prodbyocean 5 місяців тому +4

    Great interview 🚀

  • @MJ-ru9iw
    @MJ-ru9iw 5 місяців тому +3

    Mark mentioned something here that took me years to realize and it was that I had it backwards regarding management. Years ago I used to think that you got signed and joined an agency at some point and that you worked for the agency and any manager was like a boss. It wasn't until I got my first agent that I realized its all on you mostly pal. This is why it is important to start your own label or get up in running with other labels as an independent artist first because your manager is working for you in sone sense not the other way around.

    • @offgroovecollective
      @offgroovecollective 4 місяці тому

      Any chance you shed some light on how it looked like getting an agent, did they reach out after you were making some buzz online, you produced a hit, etc..

    • @MJ-ru9iw
      @MJ-ru9iw 4 місяці тому

      @@offgroovecollective For many people that is the case and today it is a mixture of online and in person connections. In my case it was after having several nightclub residencies and booking my own tour and networking--none of this was online and it was all in person connections and eventually I crossed paths with an agent. Now my second and third agents were ones I hit up myself online and sent them my kit and applied however the second quit operating. The third is one that has a sort of anyone can apply deal with thousands of artists.
      I am still with them although seeking another agent as well. The deal with agents also is they also are mainly a buffer. I still ended up doing the leg work for all of them accept the first that had a few rare opportunities. In other words they were just liaisons in between and a contact point for third parties interested in booking me. You do in a sense might look more professional and having one as music business protocol plus many have done business with promoters and have relationships so exchange can sometimes be smooth although in my experience I mostly did all the work myself and they just took a small cut of what very little I was making so I still end up doing most the pitches and receiving offers directly on my own.
      Labels and really most institutions in the music industry are that way as well. It comes down to a matter of service needs and when you can no longer take on the workload on your own for most agencies and businesses. You have to be making some noise and running it on your own and either they want a piece of your pie or the best way to look at it is they take over some of the workload. I am now considering passing the hat to a developer service however I am rebranding and don't feel I am at that point and at first my block of being weary of giving them all access and passwords to everything.
      I wanted to mention a few more examples. My friend has a cousin named Charlotte that does Bluegrass and rock music. She worked at her local theatre as an intern then got hired on and got closer to the teams that were booking the talent locally, they had decades of established business connections and she eventually pitched it, started opening at home for traveling acts and years later became close to the local venue management that aided in puting her on tour through their connections and exchange; its another avenue some take. It comes down to knowing people and establishing connections to those circles booking the talent. I have gotten offers sending out online even on a local level however over the years I discovered most bookings are done on the inside in person through getting to know promoters directly. If you are a recluse and not so willing to go rub shoulders or party with these people every weekend sure it may be a challenge however it is still possible if you put some strategies in place. For most people they have something going so it is less if a challenge and it depends on how much you want to get booked and have time for if you have other obligations.
      Get in with people that are established locally and where there are available opportunities and if there are none then you will need to create them. How? By approaching businesses yourself that are open to having a Dj, some places you can book out if you have the budget or start your own night somewhere however this will usually require that you have a collective of Djs ready to start up their own themed event, brand, movement or even subculture.

    • @MadelnMachines
      @MadelnMachines 4 місяці тому

      So the agent did nothing much for you in terms of building a brand, promotion, getting gigs, signing to labels etc?

    • @MJ-ru9iw
      @MJ-ru9iw 4 місяці тому

      @@MadelnMachines Basically. They are merely representation. It is mainly meant to be a buffer between the promoter and artist. I got a few additional gigs however mainly did all the leg work and booked my own gigs directing everything to them. We worked together a little to reach out because they have their forms with their letterhead however not much was different.
      Branding or any signings were all me before I got the agent.
      I am planning how I will rollout my next song using Resident Advisor as one of the advertisement angles based on my budget and their media packages. Resident Advisor is something on the advertisement side that I would like to utilize more moving forward in addition to other advertisement agencies that are out there in a drawn out two year marketing plan I created for each release.
      Now there is something out there which is not a booking agency usually although can be done by a hybrid one called "Artist Development". This is a paid service. If there are ones part of a package I haven't came across it yet.
      The catch 22 is agents expect you to have branded yourself already, either run your own label or signed to another or a combination of both and are getting your own gigs. Tour management is similar and typically if you are progressively doing your own thing even on a local level then agents and managers become a factor. Any many agents or labels especially larger ones are through inside deals i.e. nothing unsolicited. You basically can't break in unless you have already broken in and have contacts on the inside.
      No one really wants to take the risk these days so the artist has to already be developed before anyone considers looking at them. The harsh reality is that unless you are making a lot of money and doing it on your own anything major is not going to even look at the artist; talent matters very little. That is why they say let them find you because if you are making a buzz and significant money at it the opportunities present themselves or simply they want a piece of your pie. That is why I mentioned efficiency because an artist might need assistance with managing their bookings and label if they grow independently and those services take that over for the artist.
      Now for Artist Development an artist could reach out midway and pay to expand on what they already have. The sector of the music industry called Artist Development is vanishing again because most of them don't develop an artist from the ground up and the ones that do are rare. The way the industry is today most of this from branding, promotion, photography, advertisement campaigns, media blitzes and running social media pages is something an artist can do all on their own so the field of Artist Development is vanishing because most artists are pigeon holed into doing it all independently anyhow. You are looking between $200 to $1,000 a month for the average joe so you have to weigh the option of either 1) Paying a developer that is pretty much going to do the same thing or 2) pump money into marketing yourself.
      Now I mentioned midway because if you get a little going first you will save money when you approach an Artist Development agency. Artist Development makes more sense when you need assistance in a plan to expand or get advances (loans) when you already have developed it as a small business or reached a good point as an artist in terms of exposure.
      However again there are Artist Development agencies that can build you from the ground up although it is smarter and cost efficient for an artist to do the basics themselves first.
      A Development service typically can run a total of between $4,000 to $10,000 a year. This is why Artist Development is vanishing since most independent artists do a lot of the branding, promotion, and nowadays social media on their own. Artist Development is actually much more complex than that however it boils down consulting for the most part typically from people in the music industry for a significant period of time that have established contacts and relationships. So, if an artist is willing to invest $500 to $800 a month for the service they can work with a consultant. As you get deeper these costs will add zeros. In other words there are often tiers with these agencies for as little as about $500 a month to as high as a flat $50k.
      It boils down to how you decide to invest your money into yourself and the industry as an artist. At some point money becomes as factor.

  • @distinctla
    @distinctla 5 місяців тому +2

    Thank you guys Loved this!!

  • @TAZS
    @TAZS 4 місяці тому +1

    22:02 i needed to hear this… thanks for being brutally honest !!

  • @432Bradley
    @432Bradley 4 місяці тому

    Great episode! Thank you for sharing🔥🚀

  • @aconemusic
    @aconemusic 5 місяців тому

    Making a career besides my other things as a dj producer and this is just a gem . Thanks guys!

  • @bohn_aus
    @bohn_aus 4 місяці тому

    Top episode this one. Thank you 😮‍💨🙌🏽

  • @ST-mw3zo
    @ST-mw3zo 5 місяців тому +2

    excellent interview. thanks guys

    • @Crossfader
      @Crossfader  5 місяців тому

      Glad you enjoyed it!

  • @ReluxeRecords
    @ReluxeRecords 5 місяців тому +3

    This interview is full packed with the best advices you can get as an up and coming artist! Thank you 🫶

  • @bsidestriad2377
    @bsidestriad2377 4 місяці тому

    Toolroom has some really great music and a 24hr lives stream. I don't know why there's not more views on that steam.I listen to it almost everyday.

  • @ryancole3462
    @ryancole3462 4 місяці тому

    This is great, thank you.

  • @pupriffmusic
    @pupriffmusic 5 місяців тому

    Great interview, solid advice! Thanks!

  • @ihatenjoi
    @ihatenjoi 4 місяці тому

    I had good momentum up until COVID shut it all down. Coming out of hiatus and trying to reorient myself back towards musical progress. Thank you for this discussion

  • @ryancole3462
    @ryancole3462 4 місяці тому

    Mark is the man!

  • @transcendance5358
    @transcendance5358 5 місяців тому +1

    It's deflating to see such cool musical pioneers talking about the industry with such a business leaning.

    • @vkolpdj
      @vkolpdj 4 місяці тому

      It is but at the end of the day, the music business, clubs, promoters, agents, beatport, festivals etc, they’re all about making money. Kinda sad because that tends to put good, quality music and artists second

  • @GreenHauseProject
    @GreenHauseProject 2 місяці тому

    Great Video!

  • @VioletRobots
    @VioletRobots 4 місяці тому

    Such a cool guy that mark, and lots of good tips from him.

  • @DEEP_PRACTICE
    @DEEP_PRACTICE 4 місяці тому

    Really great convo💪

  • @amananandmusic
    @amananandmusic 4 місяці тому

    Really awesome episode!

  • @spinningculture
    @spinningculture 5 місяців тому +1

    Great chat lads really amazing content for many starting out and even established djs/ producers.
    My main takeaway from this was about the importance of building a brand and marketing is key.
    Its just as important to have in place alongside the creative/ production side if your aim is to climb the ranks. 🤘👌

  • @Joehume1
    @Joehume1 4 місяці тому

    Brilliant. I’m a huge fan of the dance scene and have a track on cafe del mar compilation but I release piano music in the classical genre mostly. The information you guys give here is insightful to all genres. Brilliant interview.

  • @Protectaline
    @Protectaline 5 місяців тому +19

    Interesting that Mark Knight claims the biggest challenge is to 'get good at being you'. Is this not the same Mark Kinght who basically re-edited Laurent Garnier 'The Man with the Red face' and passed it off as his own work with zero mention of the original artist. Curious that you also choose to use a sample of Laurent Garnier's work in your intro video then hail Mark Knight as some kind of forward thinking producer.

    • @thr9449
      @thr9449 5 місяців тому +3

      Toolroom, an aptly named label.

    • @jvaddison
      @jvaddison 5 місяців тому

      Bitd i used a 2ch 3 band eq mixer (cannot remember the manufacturer) and that was big enough for what i did! I used to get 500+ rocking. And i knew i was better than all the dj pheta's i was pals/working with cos they all used to nick my mixes. What I'm saying is, as long as you know your good then you have to shoulder barge to the front of the queue, which i didn't. Incidentally most only know CUE and looking at waveforms for the droppoint nowadays, lol

    • @jasez8812
      @jasez8812 5 місяців тому +2

      I am a MK fan, no doubt that also bothers me also. This is such a prevalent thing in the dance music and it's such a shame. Like Steve Angello's 'Show me Love', they credit Robin S as a collaborator when it was literally her song that they simply made an edit to.

    • @MJ-ru9iw
      @MJ-ru9iw 5 місяців тому +6

      ​@@jasez8812So, I did some research on this and it is hard to say what the details are as to how it came about however I assume it was straight forward. If you are unaware there is an aspect to the music industry called Publishing. Back when Toolroom was doing vinyl releases and Beatport and other retailers had solidified the digital download side of music Mark and Funkagenda launched their version of Man With the Red Face as a cover. They licensed this directly through Laurent Garnier through his own French based company called Basic Groove Publishing so I would assume Laurent was part of the process. When looking into the fine print on the record it credits Laurent Garnier as the writer of the song and Mark & Funk as the producers. There is a formal practice of licensing and publishing in music when it comes to interpolations, covers, remixes and sample clearance. There are ways of bending the rules in some versions where artists are not credited or the complexities of music deals, protocol and money however in this case it appears that Toolroom paid Laurent's Publishing company to release a legal version of the song as a cover. There tends to be a lot of red tape in music through some avenues however in others it is a direct agreement as it appears this was between Toolroom Knights and Laurent Garnier's company. Today, Basic Groove is a part of another Publishing house however when Toolroom Records originally launched the cover all the parties were independent from what I understand.

    • @jasez8812
      @jasez8812 5 місяців тому +1

      @@MJ-ru9iw Hey man, much appreciate the insight! I figured it be something like that. However, I think it's more on the side where perhaps Mk should've credit the original artist more publicity. I dont think anyone would have respected MK less. I am still huge fan of MK, but wish dance music artist would be more publictly vocal about where they got their inspiration from, although there's probably bad side to that because of copy-right.

  • @justinbeck4197
    @justinbeck4197 4 місяці тому

    Nice and a true contribution these guys commissioned the report. Is one takeaway... "God helps those who help themselves" Can I get a Hallelujah?

  • @G.U.M
    @G.U.M 4 місяці тому

    Great advice keeping it real!

  • @neopunkmusic
    @neopunkmusic 5 місяців тому

    Brilliant. thank you!

  • @albatraussmusic
    @albatraussmusic 4 місяці тому

    Pay for a mentor! People value things they pay for!

  • @b.franklinpierce6187
    @b.franklinpierce6187 5 місяців тому

    Thank you!

  • @DaveCeeRocker
    @DaveCeeRocker 5 місяців тому +2

    Mark mentions filters a lot and i totally agree. the amount of dance music being released is crazy right now, and the quality level has dropped so much due to how easy it is to make music now with sample packs/sites etc. i can go through at least 150-200 tunes a week and only choose say 10 or 20. i just hear so much repetition in producers e,g, the latin house genre, its all the same structure and samples. so much just sounds bland (across all digital tunes).
    this is a great interview, for me TR are at the top of the game right now for quality releases.

  • @Erni3B
    @Erni3B 4 місяці тому

    54:11 whats the name of this book? Unable to find by the of the mentioned author

    • @RamonPangMusic
      @RamonPangMusic 4 місяці тому

      the author is Shawn Reynaldo, and the newsletter is called First Floor. He later took some of those articles and put them into a book. In this section, I believe the article he's mentioning is called - "'Just DJs' Seem to Be Making a Comeback. Not Everyone Is Happy About It."

  • @austinpnov
    @austinpnov 5 місяців тому

    Thanks for the info guys

  • @Mitch_Martin
    @Mitch_Martin 4 місяці тому

    Fuck yeah epic! Can’t wait to watch this.

  • @djsaulbliss
    @djsaulbliss 25 днів тому

    "life goals" thats killed me....

  • @milodjilodj
    @milodjilodj 4 місяці тому +1

    Make really great music, dj, do everything the labels do and you have to do it well, be your own manager and booking agent and the label will take everything and you earn 10 pounds from music and one gig in six months where you are going to have probably more costs than you earn from it. Thats it.

  • @ShaynAlmeida
    @ShaynAlmeida 5 місяців тому +1

    CREAMFIELDS ~ Let's Go!!! ;)

  • @underlorduk
    @underlorduk 4 місяці тому

    What's the name of the report. Where can we read it

  • @seanallen9697
    @seanallen9697 4 місяці тому

    Listen to what “Dave Clarke” said!.

  • @djsassafrass9126
    @djsassafrass9126 5 місяців тому +1

    WHAT is a DSP???

    • @Sledo_oledO
      @Sledo_oledO 5 місяців тому

      😢Digital Streaming Platform

  • @matthewsmith6051
    @matthewsmith6051 4 місяці тому +1

    I admire Mark Knight for his tenacity and business savvy in building up his label, but let's have it right, as a DJ he's the modern day Judge Jules. Watch him at Toolroom Miami 2024 - a DJ box full of selfie-taking, backslapping scenesters posing in front of a listless crowd being fed by-the-numbers cheesy house: everything that went wrong with dance music in the 90's still on full view today. I'd much rather watch a pure technician like John Digweed play pure underground electronic music with a serious face on. Authenticity counts.

  • @ChristopheBoucher-Rouleau
    @ChristopheBoucher-Rouleau 4 місяці тому

    The irony of Mark Knight saying 'Get good at being you' whilst his tech-house remake of Laurent Garnier is playing in the back 8)

    • @ItsWesSmithYo
      @ItsWesSmithYo 4 місяці тому

      I think that’s the point 😂

    • @matthewsmith6051
      @matthewsmith6051 4 місяці тому

      Sorry to burst your bubble, but that's as far away from genuine tech house as it gets.

  • @ItsWesSmithYo
    @ItsWesSmithYo 4 місяці тому

    DIY 🤙🏽😎🖤🕺

    • @ItsWesSmithYo
      @ItsWesSmithYo 4 місяці тому

      That report is a beast….and at a minimum it covers literally every topic in the business that you will at some point need to address. 🧮 Also, services for the win.

    • @ItsWesSmithYo
      @ItsWesSmithYo 4 місяці тому

      Fact is no matter what you pursue, you are an entrepreneur or an employee. Entrepreneur = no cap, employee = cap, that is what Mark is describing. That said, likely that same 75% would feel same about any entrepreneurial endeavor because it’s scary to most, no matter the subject, which is why most work for someone else 🤙🏽😎🖤🕺

    • @ItsWesSmithYo
      @ItsWesSmithYo 4 місяці тому

      Also, even if you are working for someone else, presumably less risk/reward, nobody expects to spend a weekend or even a year learning to code and then working as head of product management for Google. More like 12 years of school, 4 at uni, 3 more graduate…and then maybe you get to start at the bottom and work your way up. Let that soak in.

    • @ItsWesSmithYo
      @ItsWesSmithYo 4 місяці тому

      Solid lads, thanks 🙏

  • @djrapture4real
    @djrapture4real 5 місяців тому

    the noise gate on left guys mic makes it haaard to listen to this!

  • @stumilnermusic9017
    @stumilnermusic9017 4 місяці тому

    10-15 years to blow up, great I’m about ready now then 👴🏻😂

  • @vasiliszaxaropoulos8726
    @vasiliszaxaropoulos8726 5 місяців тому +1

    👏👏👏👏👍👍👍

  • @JUPITDER
    @JUPITDER 4 місяці тому

    i dont want to "make it" i just want to be able to create music and dj at the same level as the pro.

  • @Pete_TheWiz_YT
    @Pete_TheWiz_YT Місяць тому

    I have only 250 subs and 2 super fans!!

  • @Rave-agent
    @Rave-agent 5 місяців тому

    A great deal of 'pretenders' seem to be getting ahead of the true to yourselves crowd these days.

  • @FSwiftDJ
    @FSwiftDJ 4 місяці тому

    Too many Djs are producers and the reverse
    We need to go back to the old days when
    A DJ was just playing the tunes and mixing them up with talent
    A Music producer was only making quality tunes
    We had better Djs and Massive tunes being made then

  • @UnemployableFakeGuru
    @UnemployableFakeGuru 5 місяців тому +3

    I've been great for 30+y.... no major break through.

    • @JohannesNielsen
      @JohannesNielsen 5 місяців тому

      What were you hoping to achieve?

    • @Mogey_
      @Mogey_ 5 місяців тому

      Listen from 47:49 , best of luck bro

  • @bff6434
    @bff6434 4 місяці тому

    DJ's are probably the most overrated of all in the artistic fields.

  • @djcraigstyles-com
    @djcraigstyles-com 4 місяці тому

    Really great video with super useful info. Thank you for sharing. I have sent through my details as I am interested in taking the producer course to help me sharpen my skills. 🙏