7 Reasons Why You Should Compile a DJ Chart

Compiling a chart detailing your top new tunes on a regular basis is a good idea for any ambitious digital DJ.

If you are on promotional mailing lists, your reactions and charts will be expected by the record labels. Even if you’re not (and they’re become less and less important in the web-enabled digital world), you should still compile a chart. Here are some of the reasons why:

1. It helps you to get the best new tunes in your style – Posting a chart regularly will allow producers and digital labels to target you with tunes they may feel you will be interested in playing to your audiences
2. It encourages you to play new music – You can’t compile a chart of your top new records unless you are playing those records to your audiences and deciding how good you think they are. Sounds obvious, but unless you formally test and sort your new material, it runs the risk of sitting there unplayed. Anything that helps you to formally integrate your latest music with your existing library is a good idea
3. It promotes you – Posting your chart on your own website, in social media outlets and on specialised DJ websites against your profile lets the world see what kind of music you play and quickly helps promoters and venue owners learn whether you’re the kind of DJ they’d potentially want to book
4. It helps you with your new year’s eve gig – All people want to hear on new year’s eve are the biggest records of the year. If you have all of your year’s charts available, it is easier to sort through your previous 12 months’-worth of music and assemble your best-of-the-year set. Not to mention the fun you’ll have as you rediscover tunes that were rocking your floors months earlier
5. It gives you original content for your website – Search engines love new content. If you’re posting regular DJ charts, especially if you take the time to write up a short description of the tunes you are featuring in your chart, your website will do much better in the search engines than if you don’t do this. This will give you more visibility to the world and potentially help you to come to the notice of others more quickly and more often
6. It proves you’re serious – It takes time and commitment to compile a DJ chart. Showing you are serious gives the right signals to your peers and to those in the industry who could help you to forward your digital DJing career
7. It makes you spend more time listening to your music rather than mixing it – Putting your tunes on at home while you’re writing them up will make your descriptions of them more interesting, and it is a reason to just play your records and really listen to them, rather than having the distraction of trying to mix the next tune in all the time. Any excuse to listen to your music should be taken; really listening to your music can only make you a better DJ

If you don’t already compile a DJ chart, maybe it’s time you started!

Do you compile a DJ chart? What do you do with it once you’vc done so? Who do you send it to? Has your DJ chart ever got you a booking you wouldn’t have got without it? Please feel free to let us know in the comments below.

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