mix tapes. who is putting them out?

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We obviously play different genres, but I have made more than my share of mixes in my time and I may have some wisdom for you.

First off, let me introduce you to a magical little phrase that has saved my ass many times over. "For Promotional Use Only" is the holy grail of DJ'ing. Essentially, if some label bitches that you played one of their songs without clearance, just point to the FPUO tag and say, "I was just trying to promote your artists". Every label who has ever tried that with me shuts up immediately.

There is one caveat for the FPUO. If you make a CD/tape/DAT/whatever and label it FPUO, then you CAN'T make any money off of it. You are limited to charging your actual costs.

Another thing I always do to soothe any bruised egos is prop all the artists whose work I have stolen.

The coolest thing about making a mix is taking like 250 copies and sending them out to promoters, friends, and then giving them out. It is amazing to see how much your music actually spreads. Four years ago, I got an eMail from a guy in Japan who thought that a mix I put out back in 96 was the most amazing thing he had ever heard. Upon shaking my head, I realized how amazingly cool it was to have had people from all over the world listen to and appreciate my music. Granted, I still think it was likely a joke some evil friend played on me, but..........

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Okay bro.......

You need more help than I imagined.......First off, the number one rule of being a real live musician/DJ......NEVER sell your reproduction rights.........I have known way too many people who have had their careers ruined because they sold repro rights to a sketchy company that went and made them seem like idiots.

The key to putting out a mix that doesn't ruin your career is to treat it like a promotional tool. The era of a mix being the quickest way to get booked died out in about 1996 when EVERYONE started to put out mixes........Make one in reasonably small quantities and put it into select hands.........

Don't put out a mix more than every six months and make sure that you always have a core group of 50 promoters/record store owners who ALWAYS get a copy........Then, make sure that some kids get it as well. Remember, your mix has to PROMOTE you and make you bookable........

I remember when I first started throwing parties........The first three years I was putting on shows, I got a grand total of 30 or 40 mixes. Now, I get at least four or five a week.......Most of these completely suck and get filed under G within three minutes of the one........

So, I guess that brings me to the real number one rule of making a mix. Please make sure that it doesn't suck.......There is way too much crappy music in the world and too many kids who wouldn't know a G-sharp from a G-string putting out more crappy music........