M.Pravda is one of the most popular Russian DJs and producers with many years of experience, that got knowledge from famous British and Canadian producers such as: Chris Liberator, Mark EG, M-Zone, Mike Shannon, Patrik DSP and others.
The geography of his performances covered Canada, Brazil, Latvia, Ukraine, Belarus and many other countries. After many years of creative work in Canada and travels to exchange experiences with talented musicians in legendary studios in England, a taste and a unique style have been formed. His tracks are regularly heard on radio stations, and are also used in the performances of the world’s best DJs such as: Tiesto, Ferry Corsten, Paul Oakenfold, Matt Darey and are released by the world’s leading labels: Armada Music, Black Hole Recordings, etc.
Modern DJing. How did the pandemic affect the club market?
The DJ market is undergoing another global change, this time related to a pandemic. Famous clubs and festivals are being closed, and scheduled performances are canceled. It is not yet known exactly when the situation will stabilize, and many promoters are not ready now to risk investing in future events. Many began to make spontaneous, local, small parties, where mainly local DJs perform. In this regime, many artists have lost their usual earnings. I personally know several famous DJs who have ended their careers during the pandemic or are planning to retrain in the near future. It is very sad. This transformation will greatly affect the DJ profession and the club industry in general. Much stronger than the previous ones, when there was a transition from vinyl to CDs, then there was a wave of DJs with MIDI controllers and a Sync button. This time, many will lose (promoters, artists, clubs, bars, etc.). But the most interesting thing may begin later, when the market stabilizes, it is quite possible that for some time there will even be a shortage of professional DJs and they will be snapped up. Therefore, you should not give up, you need to be on the alert and monitor the situation.
Radio shows, podcasts, Dj streaming. Since the introduction of the first restrictions related to Covid-19, it has become popular around the world to do Dj streams and a various podcast. What do you need to do to drive traffic and monetize your creativity?
DJ streaming is definitely an interesting format, a good way to keep fans from forgetting what their favorite artist looks like and what he does. In conditions of isolation and limited movement, this is almost the only way to gather several hundred or thousands of people and delight the audience with new music. But there is a very serious disadvantage. Such streams can never replace emotions and sensations when we are directly at the event, let alone monetize this type of creativity. The artist’s chance of earning a comparable streaming fee is practically nil.
Will this not be another situation that will devalue DJing, as it has become with free access to the global music database since the general availability of the Internet in the 2000s?
This situation will definitely affect the DJ market. The most devoted and persistent will remain. It is still difficult to say about depreciation, since there may well be a shortage of quality artists and clubs if the situation returns to normal. The market is always changing and artists need to be able to react quickly and adapt. It is hardly worth planning and counting on regular performances with good fees in the near future. But to focus on studio work, writing new tracks, remixes, or learning something new, which can potentially be useful later in creative activity, you definitely need to pay attention to this. The situation in the global music market related to labels. How to choose the right label for publishing your creativity is what you definitely need to pay attention to. Risks for aspiring musicians. It is not surprising that in isolation and during restrictions, people, according to statistics, began to listen to more music. Many artists have noticed this in their sales and royalty reports. The streaming market is growing as opposed to performing.
The question of choosing the right label for your music is becoming very relevant. How to choose the right label and not be mistaken?
This question worries many musicians. If you are looking for a label for your music on your own, pay attention to how regularly they release music, which of the artists they released, the quality of the content, in which stores their releases are sold, and who of the DJs plays them. All information can be easily found on the Internet. And also, if you received an offer for release, do not forget to study the contract so that there are no surprises in the future.
Recently, some musicians have tried to self-publish their music through affordable distributors, believing that they are getting rid of the services of the label, but in this case, they burden themselves with the work that the label has to do, but not many already do it. This is a separate profession that many musicians cannot master. Here it is important to determine whether you are engaged in creativity and leave doing business to professionals, or you are doing business to the detriment of your creativity.
