How To Pick A Great DJ Name
Amusingly, the vast majority of us pick our DJ name on a lark before thinking anything will actually happen to it, and then after are left with to a great extent accidental outcomes. Regardless of whether you are picking your DJ personality for the first time, or re-branding a more established moniker, this article aims to assist you with settling on a significant choice simpler. In regular DJ Name Generator, we get into the study of DJ names, branding, and give realities; not simply soft recommendations.
REAL NAME VS. NOM DE PLUME
For what reason would it be advisable for you to pick a fake DJ stage name or moniker in any case, why not a real name? It's an interesting balance – a "fake" DJ name permits you to make a character around the real word itself. Skrillex, for instance, has an edgy sense about his name – and it nearly puts on a show of being sound to word imitation of the sound of his music.
In the business world, concocting an company name regularly has a similar situation: do you name your company something descriptive "Mike's Racing Tires" or something more conceptual and suggestive like "Racerz"? In a 2008 piece on Mashable about naming startups, Nina Beckhardt, leader of The Naming Group, an organization whose employees have crafted names for Walmart, Target and Puma, notes:
As DJs, remember that you have similar options. Three, to be exact:
Descriptive: Suggests or depicts the type of DJ you areÂ
Abstract: Non-English words and hybrids are normal
Abstract offers the most potential from a branding and adaptability standpoint, which we will cover all the more later.
In the DJ Mag 2011 list of the best 100 most popular DJs, we see a lot of the both types of DJ names. 42 of the DJs on the list utilize their real birth names (or an abbreviated form), while 58 of them utilize a one of a unique name. In the best 10, only three DJs utilize their real names: David Guetta, Armin van Buuren, and Markus Schulz.
There is no hard science that we've discovered that discloses to us which style is additionally appealing to expected fans, so you may need to go with your gut here.
The main thing (as far as promotion and securing your personality) to consider when picking a name is the means by which it will appear on a search engine. Is it unique? Will you really own it? Will individuals hear it and then effectively have the option to Google it? As discussed in our recent article on the present status of online DJ promotion, you would in a perfect world have control of the entirety of the significant DJ sources with your DJ name as your username. Has any other person taken them? Here is a decent checklist to follow while considering a name:
Is the .com domain accessible?
Is the Facebook custom URL accessible?
Is the Twitter handle accessible?
What are the top organic search results for that name?
Are there some other DJs listed under that name?
That last point is significant. If another person is utilizing a similar DJ name and you become successful with it, quite possibly's they could return and try to sue you for confusing the general population. Their argument would resemble this:
The most surefire approach to stay away from this issue is by leading a basic Google search, and afterward if you are truly serious, a brand name search.
Trademarking your DJ name is going the additional mile from a legitimate viewpoint. This isn't generally simple, and the process that you'll have to continue in the US with the United States Patent and Trademark Office can be dubious. While each circumstance is unique, and we're not legal advisors nor would we be able to offer legitimate guidance, we discovered this supportive comment from Pamela Koslyn, a Hollywood Business Attorney, in an Avvo conversation on artist trademarks:
You may have seen that finding a memorable simple, single word DJ name that is not taken may be a challenge. That leads most DJs to begin utilizing longer names and different words – but will this hurt you?
Taking a look at the DJ Mag list to check whether the famous players have any trends in name length, the information tips a smidgen all the more intensely towards names with at least two words in them, with 68 of the names on the list being more than single word.
A couple of the names on the list have less than three syllables – Deadmau5, Skrillex, Felguk, Arty and Axwell are snappy names to state, yet it doesn't appear to offer a specific advantage over the other longer to articulate names that make up a large portion of the whole list.
Is there a connection between what names sound like and how well they perform? Is there a social predisposition against specific names? In his notorious book "Freakanomics", economist Steven Levitt recommended that individuals subconsciously get on prompts in the sound of a name and form inclination for that individual. Could similar be true for DJ names?
We looked into this a couple of years back and discovered a few patterns in the best 10 DJs list of 2010.
All the more as of late, Steven Levitte brought up a fascinating study on his Freakanomics blog that recommends individuals with simple to pronounce names will in general ascend higher in associations.
"Studies 1–3 exhibit that individuals form more positive impressions of simple to-pronounce names than of hard to-articulate names."
Indeed, even with all the marketing trends throughout the most recent 100 years, one strategy for communication is by all accounts reliably in a way that is better than some other type of advertisement: verbal. At the point when a fan loves your music and educates another person regarding it, the chances of your sound turning into a viral is solid. Help things along by making it truly simple for fans to remember your name and tell others concerning you.
Would it be a good idea for you to call yourself DJ So And So? Numerous individuals do – and this surely is a strong method of distinguishing what you do. Unfortunately, that could in all likelihood be a bad thing.
Just a single individual in the top 100 has "DJ" in their official name (DJ Feel). Sure, we are for the most part doing whatever it takes not to land top 100 spaces yet that is a strong indicator that it is certainly not needed. Branding yourself as exclusively a DJ could likewise be a really childish move.
I know you simply care about the music, but we should confront facts: if you succeed, your DJ name will turn into a brand, and it will have a ton of value. Brands can be substantially more valuable if they are flexible and very well crafted, so here are a couple of things to consider:
1. Name Flexibility: Don't categorize yourself!
2. Brand Fit: Does your name fit the style and vibe?
3. Visual Appeal: People will see your name, in all likelihood in written form (ideally in lights) – so in what capacity will it look as a logo? What will that convey?
The main thing to remember here is brand flexibility. If you start off as "DJ AfroRhythm" and afterward three years in choose to move into turning into a techno maker, your choices will be exceptionally limited. I was as of late perusing Richard Branson's biography and he put it best:
Brand fit is somewhat more subjective, and here and there repudiates flexibility yet it's as yet significant. Certain names will fit in a Genre and scene, giving a superior opportunity for success. Skratchcr8zy, for instance is most likely not the best name for negligible techno craftsman – or any artist so far as that is concerned. The flier trick is a decent one once again.
Coming up with something from scratch is tough – so start with something you like or definitely know, and take a stab at modifying it.
Alter your own name: This is a typical road for some DJs that feel incredible about their name, but tweak it a little for a more original look.
Alter a famous name or brand: We've seen a great deal of this as of late in the electronic music scene, utilizing a familiar name and exchanging it around. Two effective examples of this are Mord Fustang and Com Truise, yet there are a lot of other astute approaches to get back to a name that individuals as of now have relationship with.
FOCUS GROUPS: FRIEND-SOURCING A NAME
Generally, our self image isn't generally predictable with the way the rest of the world sees us. In a perfect world your name would be predictable and authentic to the way your fans (and possible fans) see you and your music. Authenticity is extraordinarily significant in a world crowded by counterfeit organizations selling over-hyped products that contain no real worth. If your self image is a rockstar batboy yet your real character is a geeky thoughtful person then "BillySlash!" likely won't keep going long.
Ask your friends what they'd call you, and remember nicknames (only the great ones) that those nearby presented on you in earlier days. After the alternatives are trimmed down to the most ideal decisions, run them past your dearest friends and ask them things like:
How can this name cause you to feel?
What kind of music do you consider when you hear this name?
How might you spell my DJ name?
If any alternative scores high on all marks, chances are that it's a strong candidate. Return a couple of days after the fact and check whether they remember the name you let them know. If it sticks, you may have a winner.
The absolute best names come from significant references or personal points in absolutely unrelated spots. For example,"The Doors" comes from "The Doors Of Perception", a well known book by Aldous Huxley that inspired Jim Morrison (and myself!)
Don't be afraid to get abstract. Forget what you anticipate that a DJ should be called and go towards things that inspire you and added to who you are today. By the day's end, there still is nobody single equation for an extraordinary melody, and we're confident that similar remains true for an incredible DJ name. with DJ Name Generator.
