Wait a minute, you are going to perform other people’s music in order to make a profit? There is one thing that you need to know before you become a hot, hot, hot DJ. You need to have a license for this. A mechanical license or mechanic license enables you to perform a song for profit that is under license by someone else. These are not difficult to get at all. Nor do you have to negotiate with the person who owns the catalog in most places.
The Harry Fox Agency is the place where you want to go to get a license to perform a song for profit. Because the songs that you are using are most likely under copyright, you do not want to risk copyright infringement by performing these songs without a license. The Harry Fox agency controls most of the licensing for all songs that are under copyright and you can get a license for using the songs for a nominal fee. If you are performing music at your sister’s wedding, chances are that you can get away with it without having a license. But if you get to the point where you are well known and are making big money as DJ, then you should have a license to use the music to make a profit.
While you are at it, if you come up with a mix that people like, you should copyright it yourself. You can do this easily by sending your music to the copyright office. It costs a fee to do this, but no one else will be able to use your music for profit unless they pay you. That means that even if the song is played on the radio, they have to pay you royalties.
If you have any questions about copyright law or how to obtain a license for songs that you want to use for profit, you should speak with an attorney who handles intellectual property law. Again, you may not need to do this when you are first starting out - it is unlikely that anyone will come after you for copyright infringement if you are just working a small club or playing at weddings. But as you become bigger in the industry, you will want to be sure that you understand how copyright works, protect your own work as well as make sure that you protect yourself from claims of copyright infringement. In most cases, the worst thing that will happen is that you will get a Cease and Desist order if you are using a certain song. However, the bigger you get and the more money you make, the more you stand to lose if you are infringing on copyrighted material.
You can become a DJ if you have a knowledge of music, a love of music and a desire to perform. You can get started with just a little bit of equipment and start to get paying gigs right away, most likely right in your own town. You can experiment with music so that you get the sound that you like. If you have a natural affection for music and like mixing sound, this may be the ideal career choice for you.
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