DjBooth - Introduce Your Audience to New Talent

DjBooth.Net is an online destination for DJs, artists, and music industry taste makers to network, share, listen to new music releases, and stay up to date on the latest DJ technology.

The site which mainly caters to the hip-hop community has been around since 2003 and was created by two DJs, Brian "Z" Zisook and Dave Macli.

Below are the results of an interview I had last week with "The Booths" Co-Founder Brian "Z" Zisook.

How did DJBooth.net start?

DJBooth.net first started as a DJs-only oriented site, offering reviews of DJ gear and posting DJ playlists from across the country. Over several years, it expanded and became the full-scale online music magazine and digital distribution arm you see today. All of these decisions were made based on a love for hip hop music and the culture of DJing.

How you explain your site to those that are unfamiliar with it?

For someone unfamiliar with our brand or website I would explain the DJBooth as a professional platform where artists, mainstream and independent alike, are given the chance to showcase their very best work for an audience that is ripe with trend setters and taste makers.

How do you select the music that is included on your site?

Along with a staff of music scouts and our two editors I select all of the music that is featured on our site(s) on a daily basis. We receive several thousand submissions per month. If the music is quality it will find its way onto our homepage.

You guys have been around for quite some time how have you maintained your relevancy?

The DJBooth has been around since late 2003, but it has been reformatted and redesigned several times over the past 8+ years. In order to remain relevant in the current online marketplace you must always freshen up your look, continue to stay ahead of the proverbial curve (which we feel is one of our specialties), and be willing to task risks and make decisions knowing that the end result could be negative. For every handful of ideas that become regular features or staples of our site, there have been just as many that never amounted to anything. Additionally, we maintain journalistic integrity - something that has been lost in today's current copy and paste blogger climate.

Have streaming music services like Spotify and Rdio changed the way you do business at all?

We have been streaming music since we first morphed The DJBooth into a full-scale online music magazine so it came as no surprise that streaming would become popular. The difference between a service like Spotify and The DJBooth is that we are a destination to discover new artists. You go to Spotify to listen to who you already know of and like.

Do you have plans to roll-out a mobile platform in the near future?

We are actually in the middle of creating a brand new, mobile-friendly version of The DJBooth, which will focus on our streaming features, our editorial content, our ratings/feedback system, and our weekly updated charts. This is very exciting for us and we are looking forward to rolling out a beta version before the end of the calendar year.

What kind of advice would you give any up and coming Dj?

The best advice I could give to an up-in-coming DJ would be to stand out from the pack. It's easy to see what other DJs are spinning/playing and follow their lead. Unfortunately, it is this way of thinking that has absolutely ruined commercial radio. Take risks, introduce your audience to new talent that you believe in. Blaze your own trail! Its easier now than ever before to get your hands on new music, play it for your crowd/following, and connect with the artist to make sure they're aware of your efforts to help break them in your market/area.