DJ Visagie

[Studio Touch Visagie]

Heya. What is the process to become a DJ in south arfrica? Do I just buy the CD's from Game and play it or can I buy bulk music from distributors?

And what about royalty fees, is there a license fee or sumthing that has to be paid?

[Synthesis]

I don't know but unless you're spinning vinyls and creating your own samples you're not a DJ.

Wait, I do know you need a license to be able to play public.

[hamin_aus]

I know quite a few DJ's - none of them pay any royalties of any kind for the music they play. Call the cops, see if they care - I doubt they do.
They just buy the music and that is that.
If you are playing for a club or a big event, the organizers or proprietors will handle all of that. Anything smaller and nobody cares.

Most DJ's I know don't even buy CD's anymore, they just buy individual tracks they want online and play them through Serato or something similar.

There are a lot of DJ sites where DJ's will remix songs and put them up for download. Clear IP violations, but they are more than tolerated by the industry. Some sites are so popular that the artists even visit and comment on some of the remixed tracks!

[Jonboy]

I use to use vinyl, those were the days, there was nothing cooler than buying a new 12". Nowadays final scratch is what a lot of serious guys use as this provides the interface between your digital collection and a dummy 12". If you play at a venue they will be including a SAMPRA fee in their costing to cover the license to play the music. Check out this site