Reflecting on the Beginnings of a Revolution
By Rach Brosman
I started off 2024 solo, just me, with an idea to start a business throwing raves with all-women lineups. I didn’t know anyone in the industry. I put $30,000 of my hard earned savings into a business bank account and said, here goes nothing.
EVENTS
Support Women DJs hosted 54 music events this year and booked hundreds of femme-identifying DJs to showcase their talents. I don’t have an exact total for ticket sales, as we had many free parties and lots of guest lists, but my estimate is between three and five thousand total attendees. That being said, this was an unmanageable amount of parties- for execution and especially promotion. We will be having less frequent, more intentional parties in 2025.
SWDJ was invited to host parties at top NYC venues including SILO, H0L0, and even Elsewhere- the 4-stage venue that was voted by DJ Mag as one of the best clubs in the world. We tested out plenty more venues in Brooklyn and Manhattan- The Sultan Room, Virgo, Eris, Red Pavilion, Listen, Ponyboy, Hell Phone, Cafe Balearica, Our Wicked Lady, FirstLive, Neuehouse, Trans-Pecos, Heaven Can Wait, The Meadows, TBA, and Purgatory. I lost money at many of these venues due to high bar minimums and/or room fees.
We hosted our monthly open decks series, providing a unique safe space for femme DJs to practice at a no-judgement practice-only party. These open decks nights were special- our community created such a naturally supportive and friendly atmosphere that I always looked forward to. I remember when one DJ came all the way from my home state of Wisconsin to attend our open decks. Next year, we will be hosting these open decks weekly due to high demand. We also conducted three educational workshops at the Sound Collective- a DJ/production school based in Manhattan.
I was thrilled when I booked Canabliss- a dubstep artist who graces the stage of just about every EDM festival in the U.S. and Canada. The show was incredible, but I lost money because I paid her way too much- I didn’t know any better at the time. I remember sending the money via wire to Wasserman Agency in LA and holding my breath as I pressed the “complete” button. This financial loss was a prime example of me learning through trial & error, known in the entrepreneurial world as “failing fast”.
For GG Magree, another prominent bass artist known for collaborating with dubstep superstars like Zeds Dead and Sullivan King, we hosted a show at Market Hotel- an unequivocally cool Bushwick venue known for its ultra foggy dance floor and the Myrtle-Broadway subway train casually crossing behind the stage. I negotiated a great headliner rate, but failed to give the event enough time for promotion, resulting in underperforming ticket sales (and me running around like a chicken with its head cut off the week before the show.) Now I know- we need at least 3 months to effectively promote a headliner show. Other headliner acts we booked included Callie Reiff, Val Fleury, Blossom, and XKYLAR.
We had a successful summer rooftop residency at the Sultan Room, attracting new local audiences and music lovers visiting from all over the world. We also had an unsuccessful summer residency at Femme Fontaine. While the location wasn’t working out for SWDJ parties, I booked some events there for other promoters, friends of mine in the community who wanted to throw their own shows without a pesky bar minimum or room fee. When I found out the bar was closing, I shifted these events clients over to a new space. An opportunity came up at the perfect time to do event bookings at Keybar, a venue 5 minutes walking distance from my apartment with top-of-the-line DJ equipment and a 200 person capacity. I got tons of parties into their bar (taking a cut of bar sales for each one), but many of my clients complained about the owner, so I had to part ways at the end of the year.
PARTNERSHIPS
We partnered with organizations such as Cyclebar & Equinox (for spin classes with live DJs), and local women-owned brands like Sweet Baby’s Ray’s (merch supplier), Astrobabe (festival beauty products), Mother’s Milk (canned cocktails), Cacio Pop (popcorn vendor) and Moon Rox (tooth gem artist).
To my delight, we now have a marketing partnership with Avant Gardner- the biggest EDM venue in NYC that is known for booking the biggest talent at its world-famous stage- The Brooklyn Mirage. Not only do we execute ticket giveaways for our audience, but I have an all-access pass to every show at the venue (with a +1!) I got to be on stage for one of my favorite acts, Chase & Status, at their sold-out Halloween show this year. Looking out at the 8000 people on this pseudo festival stage made me so proud to think about how far I’ve come.
We collaborated with a multitude of NYC-based DJ communities including CitySoul (the most epic rave bus played on by legends Skrillex and Fred Again in their iconic Times Square set) and femme-led collectives Sisters in Sound & Dugout Radio. We also partnered with local renegade legend CRSPY to host a rave on the Williamsburg Bridge and started our own biweekly radio show on Newtown Radio.
MARKETING
Over the year, we have grown our Instagram presence to almost 4000 followers, with impressively high engagement rates. SWDJ uses Instagram as a market research tool (polls) and a communication tool (IG is LinkedIn for the music industry). We made YouTube videos and Spotify playlists and Partiful invites and countless Tik Toks. We promoted events through Discord groups and Whatsapp chats and all over Eventbrite.
We received press features from Time Out (a major NYC publication) and Beatportal (an EDM industry leading blog). I’ve been interviewed for a number of niche publications such as Curio Cabinet, Canvas Rebel, Exron, and The Groove City podcast. I also tried out some digital advertising with Time Out, a decision I later regretted, having spent thousands of dollars with a very low ROI.
Supportwomendjs.com launched, and we maintained an evolving website as an important info hub for our community. Due to the website’s strong organic SEO, we received booking inquiries for private events looking for female DJs. We booked high-paying gigs for community members at events including a tech conference, a Hamptons soiree, and a Halloween party (taking a booking cut for each of these, making for an unexpected income stream). Plus, we started a blog as a long-form content vehicle, with a waitlist of writers from across the country.
We have a growing database of 2000 email subscribers and 1000 SMS subscribers, plus we receive DMs every day from DJs pitching themselves to play a set at one of our shows. We loved our low-cost advertising, like the SUPPORT WOMEN DJS flyers we plastered all over subway stops and the stickers perched on our laptops, water bottles, and street lamps. We sold hundreds of merch items, and recently launched new products including lighters and baby tees. I remember when I saw a random man next to me at the laundromat wearing our hero tee. That made me smile.
Launching a podcast is something I’ve always wanted to check off my bucket list. Thanks to my heaven-sent producer, Aya, we recorded 10 professionally filmed and edited podcast episodes- full interviews with femme DJs, plus special content like mini mixes and music history, that are live on Spotify, Apple, YouTube, & more.
I have been able to grow my personal brand through Instagram as a community leader in the Brooklyn rave scene. I even get “recognized” now regularly when I’m out at parties by people that watch my content. My social community has taken a liking to my street interviews where I ask men to name a female DJ. I am particularly proud of the “me too” inspired video I shared explaining the details of sexual assault I was subjected to by a powerful agent in the industry.
EXPANSION
We laid the groundwork for a first-of-its-kind safe space for femme DJs. Having our own studio will be a game-changer for our community, and we have raised almost $5000 for the project so far, secured the space, and will be opening in January 2025.
Another offshoot project continuing next year is the agency. It started when Amanda, an ambitious DJ based in Austin, asked me to be her agent to get more bookings in the NYC market. Since then, more and more DJs have made the same request. Luckily, I have a business partner coming on board, Leyna, who is an experienced bookings agent with the same values, enthusiasm, and determination as me. She will be leading the agency side of Delirium Entertainment. I have an LLC under this company name (and a tattoo on my right arm).
Support Women DJs now has a team of 15 volunteers who own projects such as branding, social media, growth, & more. This volunteer system is a massive asset, but admittedly, not the easiest to manage. We also started a DJ tutor program (currently in beta) for aspiring DJs to get femme-to-femme tutoring to learn the craft with a hands-on approach.
I have learned that organizing finances and spreadsheets and admin tasks is NOT my strength. But it’s okay, because I can hire people to do them. I now have an assistant, a financial advisor/accountant, and a lawyer (pro-bono… BLESS). I even secured 6 months of 1:1 life coaching from a music industry psychologist for free.
Now, we have women from all over the world asking for Support Women DJs to come to their cities. We are approaching this with a chapter business model, identifying chapter leaders in each city to run events and build a grassroots community, just like we’ve established in New York. Our 1st SWDJ event outside of NYC is scheduled for January 23rd in San Francisco, and we are in chats with potential leaders in other cities.
CONCLUSION
If you’ve made it this far, you can probably guess that I have lost a lot of money throughout the course of this year. I certainly have, but I am RICH in self-fulfillment (cheesy, you’re welcome). I feel confident that the learnings, connections, and reputation I have built will result in a profitable 2025 with even more impact. SWDJ is now so much greater than myself- it is a blossoming organization of DJs, volunteers, ravers, and collaborators.
With love and gratitude,
Rach
