How to Start DJing with No Money
No money in your bank account but you would still love to learn how to DJ? You don’t need expensive equipment to learn how to DJ. In this post, I will show you how you can start DJing with no money at all.
DJing with no money shouldn’t be a problem. All you really need that costs money is a laptop. In this article, I am assuming that you have a laptop. If you don’t, then you could DJ on an app on your phone or iPad/Tablet, but it’s not something I recommend.
What do you need to start DJing for free?
There are 3 things that you will need:
- A laptop
- DJ Software
- Music
Laptop
If you are serious about learning how to DJ, you should at least have a laptop. Preferably a laptop that is not too old because you will have to run DJ software on it. Your laptop should be able to perform that task without any problems.
When checking out DJ software to start DJing, make sure you check the system requirements. Often you’ll find them in the download section, where you can download the DJ software of your choice.
I have successfully performed at live gigs with a Macbook Air as well as an HP Chromebook Pro. The link will lead you to the Amazon website if you’d like to take a look at the ones I used.
DJ Software
Your DJ software is the place where you will load up all your favorite tracks. With your DJ software, you can play, mix and manipulate your music.
Since you’ll be DJing on your laptop, because you want to DJ without having to spend money on DJ equipment, it is important that you choose DJ software that is very laptop-DJ friendly.
What I mean is that it should be very easy and user-friendly to assign keys on your keyboard to specific functions. For example, pressing “a” on your keyboard will start a track, and pressing “z” will pause the track.
Want some guidance to choose your DJ software? Check out my beginner guide to DJ Software, including my top 3.
My recommended free DJ Software
The DJ software that I recommend is Serato DJ Lite. Serato is one of the most popular DJ software used by DJs all over the world.
Serato DJ Lite is a great DJ software for beginners because it’s very user-friendly. The layout is easy on the eyes and simple. This is very important for beginner DJs because it’s easy to get overwhelmed or distracted in the beginning.
A good focus is key to starting learning DJing and mastering techniques.
Downloading DJ Software
We are all different, that is why I have listed a couple of DJ software programs for you down below, so you can check them all out and decide for yourself which one you like. I will put a link to the download sections right next to them.
| Brand | ||
|---|---|---|
| Serato DJ Lite | Download | Tutorial |
| Rekordbox DJ | Download (Mac users: visit this page too) | Tutorial |
| Virtual DJ | Download | Tutorial |
| Traktor DJ 2 | Download (You have to register first) | Tutorial |
Music
Once you’ve picked your software all you need now is some good music.
You might be wondering, where do I get good music to DJ with? Do I have to buy everything? Rip everything? Can I use Spotify? No worries, I’m going to talk about your free options and paid options.
The music you already own
Let’s start with the easiest one. If you have music on your computer you can start to DJ with them. If they’re on your computer you must like them right?
Check your folders on your computer. You could have some music laying around in one of your music folders. Especially when you’re of MP3 downloading generation. Do you remember Napster or Limewire? If you do, you should definitely check your music folders.
Another thing you could do is rip your CDs and save them on your computer. Again, you might now have CDs because you’re of a younger generation. The next options would probably be more fit for you.
iTunes
I think we all know iTunes. Most DJ Software can connect to your iTunes library. Did you buy any music on iTunes?
When I first connected iTunes to my DJ library, I was quite surprised by the music that I had collected over the years. It was enough music to practice my DJ skills for a couple of months, without buying any new music.
Streaming Services
Streaming services are a great way to explore new music for your DJ library. If you don’t have any music on your computer already then signing up for a (free) streaming service is a great choice.
Down below are the most used streaming services used by DJs. All streaming services have free trials. Maybe if you have the money by the end of the month you could subscribe eventually, if you like it.
| Streaming Service | Free version | Free Trial |
|---|---|---|
| Beatport | n.a. | 30 day |
| Beatsource | n.a. | 30 day |
| Tidal | n.a. | 30 day |
| Soundcloud | Yes | 30 day |
By now you should have some good music to choose from to DJ with for free. All you have to do now is upload your music to your DJ software and you’re good to go.
DJ Pools
The best place for DJs to get their music from is a DJ Pool. DJ Pools are websites/services where you can download music directly onto your computer. The difference with buying music from other platforms like iTunes is that DJ Pools have DJ-friendly edits and a lot more exclusives.
Because it’s a monthly subscription I won’t go into detail on DJ Pools in this post.
If you want to know more about DJ pools or other places to get the music you can check out my post: How DJs get their music
Low Budget DJ Gear
I can imagine you don’t want to DJ on your laptop forever. Just in case you want to check out some low-budget but good-quality DJ gear; I talk about my favorite beginner DJ controller for beginners right here.
I hope I convinced you that having no money should not stop you from learning how to DJ.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me through the contact page. Just click on the “contact” button on the top menu bar.
