When the coronavirus shut us down, clubs and festivals ceased, and everyone was essentially forced inside with no definitive end in sight, DJ Times wondered: How is our tribe coping? How are DJs getting by? So, we sent out our “Coronavirus Questionnaire” to DJs from all musical genres to find out.
During the crisis, DJ Times will be presenting the questionnaire responses from talented jocks the world over. Here’s our latest installment, this time from South Beach, the official DJ of the Miami Heat NBA team, DJ Irie
What’s it like where you are? We are on lockdown in Miami Beach. It’s super-quiet, but at least we can go out and get some exercise and walk around a bit – for now. I’m spending most of my time catching up on the endless number of things I “haven’t had time” to do over the past number of years.
What kind of income-producing work have you lost? I’ve lost some huge gigs and literally all of my income-producing work has been wiped out clear until May/June. The first dates to get cancelled were my corporate gigs, which make up about half of my yearly revenue. I had dates for CNN, Google, T-Mobile, etc., all of which were cancelled. Ten the club dates were cancelled shortly after that.
Are you doing anything now that can or will produce music-related income? I’m working on a few things, mainly on ways to monetize Instagram Live performances.
What are you doing now that’s ultimately constructive to your music life/career? I’m doing a deep dive into reorganizing my music library. It’s something that’s long overdue and time-consuming that I can properly take on now.
What’s the most surprising thing you’ve realized during this period of social distancing? What a normal and regular sleep schedule feels like. It’s amazing, yet overrated at the same time.
Are you doing anything online? Have you seen anything you like? Yes, I’m working on a concept that’s a live mix with a twist. I saw D-Nice and Alex Sensation’s live streams, and they were great.
Any theme tunes recommended for the moment? Yes, Bob Marley’s “So Much Trouble in the World.”
Any advice on staying sane & relatively positive through this situation? Focus on one thing during this time – becoming a better version of you. Do whatever it takes to emerge from this situation, a better version of yourself.
To check out more Life in Lockdown features, click here.
DJ Times Magazine is copyright © 2020 by DJ Publishing, Inc. www.djtimes.com
