The coronavirus has brought many changes into our lives, especially into our entertainment and leisure time. Now, instead of a full nightlife in Edinburgh with all its clubs and bars, we are left with online broadcasts of music by DJs in their kitchens and home studios on YouTube and Facebook Live. As music venues start to reopen in some countries, one question pops up: will the clubs in Edinburgh open soon, and, more importantly, will it be safe?

How Covid-19 Has Changed Edinburgh’s Nightlife?

We all remember the feeling – the one of anticipation and excitement as you enter the dimly lit basement or traverse a corridor into a gigantic room full of moving bodies in sync with loud music. The sweet sentiment of letting go of everything you might have enjoyed alongside the bass and people-watching seems like a distant memory now.

We’re now more than a year into a global pandemic that has closed up the whole world for some time, banned traveling and any hospitality-related activities including our beloved clubs in its effort to stop the spread of the virus. Early on, music fans in the whole world have turned to online alternatives such as Instagram and Facebook Live Parties with famous DJs and other notorious names of the industry. And this shift in the music industry can be seen among Edinburgh residents that until recently enjoyed a nightlife full of nocturnal activities in the city. Edinburgh nightlife as we knew it isn’t going to be the same,  but that could be fertile ground for opportunity. People throughout history have created incredible things out of struggle and will continue to do so. Now is the time to get creative and rethink what is possible, challenge the status quo and maybe develop something more inclusive.

Becoming a Dj in Edinburgh During The Pandemic

What about those who dreamed and worked towards becoming a Dj? And this is when it can get more creative, as we now possess the knowledge and the technology never available previously, aspiring DJs can try themselves in the live streaming setting.

Becoming a DJ is something most people dream about. Most people begin their DJ career by focusing their efforts on clubbing and getting known at local nightclubs, but this is not the case during a pandemic. Therefore, instead of concentrating on clubbing, your focus should be building a list of songs that you can mix to fit a variety of different audiences. This can take a while to do but is very important to expanding your music repertoire and DJ career.

Another important thing you need to do if you want to use live streaming as a means of promoting your music is to get yourself properly protected. Music copyright is a very real thing that can hurt you in a very serious way if you don’t protect yourself from it. Music copyright laws can make it very difficult for DJs to get the music they perform on the radio or stage across the world without running into some serious legal troubles. Some DJs will go the extra mile and actually purchase their own master recordings so that they do not run into any legal trouble. However, even if you purchase your own recordings you should still make sure that they are not being pirated or duplicated in any way.

When you are using a DJ live stream you want to make sure that you are wearing the right type of gear to ensure that you are playing at a very loud volume and that you are able to hear the sounds coming through your headphones or earbuds. You want to make sure that your DJ equipment is in top working condition and that you are not using any illegal or pirated DJ equipment. By taking all of the above into consideration you can find that setting up a website and getting the right DJ equipment is the best way to promote yourself as a DJ. You can then put together a great show that your audience will remember and enjoy.

Final Thoughts

Regardless of how and when the nightlife in Edinburgh is gonna get more active, it is important to enjoy every night and not live with the expectation that the normal is coming back soon. We should enjoy our time and work for our dreams with what we got, and as they say about the lemons we can transcend that and say ” When life gives you free time, enjoy it and use it to your best advantage, and maybe something even greater will come out of it.