What do DJs do on their days off?
We do the same things everybody else does on their days off. I started golfing seriously about ten years ago and I'm determined to get better. So whenever I get a chance, I'll definitely try to hit either the course for a quick nine or the driving range for some work on my swing. I also take lessons in spurts so sometimes I'll schedule a lesson on a day off.
However, [in my Bill Belichick voice...] there are no days off. In order to be a good DJ, you have to invest lots of time outside of gigs. So on off days (when I'm not golfing), here is a list of things that I do:
Consultations - For any event, especially a wedding, it really helps meet the hosts in order to get a feel for their vision, their story, their personalities, any playlists, and any other information that I can glean to make the event the best that it can be for them.
Site Surveys - If the planned venue is one that I haven't played before, it's crucial that I get eyes on before the actual event. I like to look at the layout of the room, anticipate avenues of approach and traffic areas, find power outlets, figure out parking, and where I can load and unload my gear. These are all things that a good DJ doesn't want to figure out the day of. The more work you put in the beginning of the gig, the smoother the gig will be.
Updating Playlists - In order to keep playlists current, a good DJ has to put in a fair amount of work. I spend considerable time canvassing the major music charts, some DJ specific charts, and perusing the major music and media websites. I like to keep up with what's hot and getting heavy rotation across the country, what new artists are coming out, and what music is trending and being heavily downloaded.
Research - A DJ is like being a musician except my "instrument" is a turntable. As a result, I do quite a bit of historical music research. I research the changes in different eras of music and DJing. I also research major DJs to how they progressed in their careers and what things they did that made them successful. Also, I research different genres of music and different artists. For example, I've got a military ball coming up so I've been researching John Phillip Sousa in order to fully understand and appreciate military marches.
Administrative Housekeeping - These are all the tedious tasks that require time and energy like marketing and promotion, drafting contracts, sending correspondence and direct mailings, so forth and so on. Since I don't have a personal secretary, I have to invest time and energy myself.
Practice - Yes, practice. Believe it or not, DJs practice. Well, good DJs practice. There is a certain amount of skill required and the only way to perfect those skills is through hours and hours of practice.