Professional Disc Jockey or Not?
Professional Disc Jockeys
What is a professional disc jockey, because nowadays all sorts of people are calling themselves “professional” disc jockeys.
Does performing every day, belonging to an association or organization, being priced higher than average in their local area, or owning a business qualify someone as “professional”?
Professional Disc Jockey Defined
Professional is defined as: A. participating for gain or livelihood in an activity or field of endeavor often engaged in by amateurs B. having a particular profession as a permanent career C. engaged in by persons receiving financial return (according to Merriam-Websters Dictionary)
Disc Jockey is defined as: A. announcer of a radio show of popular recorded music B. one who plays recorded music for dancing at a nightclub or party (according to Merriam-Websters Dictionary)
Put professional and disc jockey together and you get something like this: Someone announcing or playing recorded music as a profession and receiving financial returns.
Qualifications – Professional Disc Jockey
There are no qualifications or certifications for a professional disc jockey. Professional is just a title people freely use. If you can find some qualifications to make someone a professional, please leave a comment below.
Associations – Professional Disc Jockey
Does belonging to American Disc Jockey Association (ADJA), National Association for Mobile Entertainers (NAME), or Wedding Entertainment Directors Guild make someone a professional?
Those groups may have qualifications, certifications, codes of conduct, etc to become a member or achieve a certain status, but none make you a “professional” disc jockey.
Schooling – Professional Disc Jockey
Does taking courses at Scratch DJ Academy, Music Industry Workshops, or a local college like Columbia College Chicago make someone a professional?
Again, these places have qualifications, certifications, books, training, etc to help you become a professional, but none make you a “professional” disc jockey.
Awards – Professional Disc Jockey
Does winning awards from Wedding Wire, theKnot, your local newspaper or chamber of commerce make someone a professional?
All the awards may have some type of criteria or voting system, but none make you a “professional” disc jockey.
For the Record – Professional Disc Jockey
We eat, breath, blink, sleep everyday, does that make us professionals at any of those?
Disc Jockeys work for wages from zero to thousands of dollars, does that make them professionals?
So, ask your prospective disc jockey if they are a “Professional” and, if so– what or why is it they are considered “Professional?”