The Comment That Took Me Back 30 Years

A comment landed on my Instagram this week that stopped me dead in my tracks

Lana wrote under my post about how most of us fall into DJing: “I’m starting out and I’m offering to DJ for free. My passion for music, whatever genre, is what got me started.”

And I felt something shift. A father-to-daughter protective instinct I wasn’t expecting.

Because I was staring at myself. Thirty years younger. Spinning records at any opportunity. Not my music - yes. Playing for free - yes. Playing for “exposure” - yes.

Truth be told, I love DJing so much I would play for free. And therein lies the problem.

That’s hardly good business. But it often comes with the territory when your passion becomes your work. Even calling it work feels weird. It’s just fun. I’m playing records. Making people dance.

The problem is, others know this too. Promoters know it. Bookers know it. And it’s a competitive market. Most dream jobs are.

Most of us didn’t choose this as a business idea.

You didn’t throw a dart at a board and land on DJing because you saw dollar signs. No parent or teacher ever said, “You know what? Become a DJ - you’ll make a fortune.”

It starts from love. The business part comes later. Often completely by accident.

And without a mentor or a more experienced friend to guide you, nobody teaches you how to handle both - the passion and the ability to earn. You often figure this out yourself from the school of hard knocks.

When I first played for free and it felt right, I was supporting mates who were as broke as I was. They just wanted to throw parties. More often than not, they were out of pocket for the space, the sound system, the gear. These weren’t profit-driven nights. They were for fun.

Charity gigs felt right too. I’ve played events for the Valencia flood victims and the Australian bushfires - no fee, all proceeds donated. That felt completely right.

But the first time I played for free and realised I was being used? The beer was flowing. Money was being taken at the door. I kept the dance floor packed till close.

And the penny dropped: there’s a transaction happening. The question is whether you’re on the right side of it.

Playing for free isn’t always wrong. But often someone is building equity from your performance. “The question is whether it’s you.”

And that’s often when you hear the booker/promoter favourite: exposure. Play for us, get seen, it’ll lead to bigger things. It’s the currency they offer when they can’t - or won’t - offer money.

Here’s the test I use now: if that “exposure” doesn’t lead to tangible progress within six months - a paid gig, a connection that converts, a door that actually opens - it wasn’t exposure. It was exploitation.

I’m not saying think dollar signs from day one. But don’t let passion or excitement cloud your judgement either, it doesn’t hurt for you to wise up. Be prepared for how things might look if and when you start taking things seriously.

If I could help one person reading this to not get exploited - not undervalue what they bring to the table - I’d feel like writing this was all worth it.

If any of this is landing, I made something that goes deeper. The 3-Pillar Career Audit helps you see where you’re building equity and where you might be giving it away. Download The Career Audit 👇 https://www.heathholme.net/3-pillar-career-audit