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Professional Designers HIDE This From You! (Beginners)

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How To Be Creative | Off Book | PBS Digital Studios

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Investis Digital, Formerly Vertical Measures

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Brainstorming: Is Your Mind Wild Enough to Make a Conceptual Leap? | Bill Burnett

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Moodboard | Quickly build beautiful moodboards and easily share the results

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Build beautiful, simple, free moodboards for sharing designs, inspiration, and ideas quickly and easily!

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(Image credit: Getty Images)

Learning how to create mood boards will transform your pitching experience. Mood boards communicate a designer's vision at the start of a project. They should be visually stunning collections of ideas, full of textures and images that paint a picture better than words alone. A mood board is the closest you can get to inviting someone to climb inside your creative mind.

It's crucial that your mood board is more than a confusing, messy collage. Instead, it should be a cohesive, beautiful expression of your vision. But how do you achieve this? We've put together a series of tips that'll let your inner creative genius sing by replicating your creativity on a fantastic mood board.

Have you got an awesome design portfolio to accompany your mood board at your next pitch? If you think it needs some work, we've got lots of portfolio examples to inspire you.

01. Look beyond the digital world

When putting together mood boards, it's easy (and therefore tempting) to just use images found online. But just because you're working on a digital product doesn't mean you have to stick to digital inspiration. Plus, you may be breaking copyright laws by using them.

For example, while working on the ITV news website, digital product design company Made by Many looked at copies of the veteran Picture Post magazine in order to express how powerful and effective an image plus a caption can be for telling a news story. Real world inspiration such as this can be a very powerful 'convincer' when putting together a board for a client.

02. Take pictures

Real-world inspiration is all around us. So use the camera on your phone to take pictures of everything you see that inspires you, whether that be a bird in flight, great use of typography on a sign, or the brickwork on a building. Or maybe it's just a little corner of your house.

They don't have to be great photos in the traditional sense - it's all about capturing thoughts, impressions, themes and feelings.

03. Curate what you include

Have you ever had the misfortune of going to a gallery exhibition and it just not doing anything for you? You weren't 'touched' by the exhibition or 'moved' by what was on show - and other similar emotive profusions. It's very easy to shove a load of stuff together and call it an exhibition; it's an absolute talent to curate threads and synergies between works and call it an exhibition.

When putting together mood boards, think of yourself as a curator rather than a collector, and try to introduce meaning and threads from one image to the next. It makes for easier interpretation.

04. Choose the right format

From the outset, establish how you mood board is going to be presented, as this will determine how you go about it and how much or little detail to go into.

An 'offline' mood board will generally be looser in style and could still be presented online, with some explanation, while a completely online mood board should be tighter and will generally need to work harder to convey a theme or style. Think about how a person viewing your mood board solely via email would view it.

05. Build things up around a large image

Whether your mood board is electronic or physical, the layout needs to give prominence to key theme images. You can then surround these with smaller supporting images that enhance the theme.

It's a subliminal trick. When someone sees a large image on your board in their heads they'll have questions about it - and they'll quickly scan the rest of the board to find answers for those questions. If you place smaller supporting images around the larger image they should answer these questions by clarifying the messaging given in the larger one.

06. Get tactile

When making a physical mood board, don't be afraid to get, well, physical. Traditionally, mood boards are made from foam board. Although cutting this stuff up with a scalpel and spray mounting cut-out images onto it can be a pain (especially if you're not dexterous with a blade), it's extremely effective as a presentation tool. The tactile nature of cut-out images glued onto boards enhances the emotiveness of what's being explained.

It may seem like an old-fashioned thing to do, but perception-wise it's a real ace up your sleeve as a designer. Just be careful with your fingers on that blade...

07. Incorporate your board into your pitch

Generally mood boards are considered to be separate to pitch or presentation work: they stand alone to show mood and tone. This is standard practice, but consider instead making them part of your pitch or presentation. Remember, you're trying to use subliminal visual tricks to make a client 'get it'.

Mixing mood board elements in with the presentation - rather than bolting them on at the end - can be an effective way of communicating your concept to the client.

08. Don't reveal it too early

It's important to make sure that a well-meaning project manager doesn't email an offline mood board ahead of the presentation 'so the client knows what we're presenting'.

For an offline mood board, it's far better to let it all sink in to the client's mind as you showcase it, rather than come armed with lots of questions before you even start.

09. Present your own mood board

In a similar vein, if your mood board is being presented to the client, try to be involved yourself. It makes no sense to have something that originated in your head being communicated by someone else, because that way meaning can become muddled in a Chinese whispers-type mess.

10. Keep things loose

Locking an idea or a style down in a mood board can be detrimental, as the client will feel shoehorned into going with a particular aesthetic. Keep everything a little loose and don't make everything look too final.

If you're using preview images from image libraries, don't worry about the watermarking on them - it all adds up to a 'hey look, we can change this, these are ideas' feel to the board.

11. Watch the audience

When you're presenting a mood board, watch the faces of those you're showing it to. Ignore any verbal client 'oohs and ahhs' but instead watch their facial and emotive reactions as they look around the board. This will give you a much more honest take on whether the board is doing its job and if they're reacting well or badly to what you're showing them.

You have to put these people 'in your mood', so ignore their mutterings and watch their emotive reactions.

12. Hone your mood board skills

Employees at branding agency Landor Associates use a form of mood board to showcase themselves to other members of the team. Individuals put together nine images in a 3 x 3 grid to give their work colleagues an insight into what they're like; their interests, passions, cares and worries.

If you ever want to test out your mood boarding skills, try this out and showcase it to your colleagues.

13. Text it up

Don't ignore the power of a few isolated words on a board. Well-chosen words can be fantastic show-stoppers and give your viewer pause for thought as they have to mentally read what's in front of them. Big, bold words juxtaposed together work very well at creating drama, tone and meaning for any project.

14. Make the theme obvious

Obscure references can be fun, but try to have a number of relatable items or 'touchpoints' in your mood board. You want to let others in, so being deliberately obtuse will earn you no points at all. It's easy to fill out a board with a pile of incomprehensible references; it's much harder to be clear and use imagery to sell your vision. But it's worth the effort.

15. Aim to spark an emotional response

Think a little bit left of centre if you're presenting a mood board to a client. What would give them a genuine emotive response? Real world objects are good for this. If you were inspired by the beach, bring in a shell. If your eureka moment happened on the train, bring in the ticket. This type of thing intrigues people's brains and gains that all-important emotive reaction.

16. Don't make presumptions

Expecting too much of the audience can be the difference between a successful mood board and one that's dismissed as being too cerebral. There's a danger of assuming they'll 'know what you mean' - chances are they won't. So if it takes a few more references, images or textures to get what's inside your head into a client's then add them in.

17. Test your mood board

Don't forget to test out your boards before you send them off. It's not a game of Pictionary, so if your testing audience have to ask too many times what an image means or why it's there, then it probably shouldn't be there.

18. Have fun

The whole process of creating mood boards should be fun - a refreshing break from the often tedious tasks of the jobbing designer. If you're not having fun then it's a sure sign you're going about things the wrong way...

19. Use mood boards to brief designers

Following on from the previous point, mood boards are a good way to brief a creative. Don't be afraid to go into detail. The mood board above was compiled for animator Tom Baker as a mood and style guide for creating cartoon versions of The Avengers TV series characters. Instead of relying on one example of a character, several types were found in many different poses, which gave Baker a clear take on the style and direction of the piece.

20. Speed up client sign-off

Mood boards shouldn't just be for pitches. Consider preparing mood boards to show other similarly themed projects, websites or functions before creating polished visuals.

'I'll know it when I see it' is a phrase that most of us are familiar with. But to hear this when finished artwork comes back from a client is gutting, signifying that it's back to square one. Using mood boards at different stages of the process can help you avoid this happening.
Related articles:

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How to create mood boards that inspire: 20 pro tips

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(Image credit: Getty Images) Learning how to create mood boards will transform your pitching experience. Mood boards communicate a designer's vision at the start of a project. They should be visually stunning collections of ideas, full of textures and images that paint a picture better than words alone.

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You get better at any skill through practice. Prompts are a great way to practice writing (as you might imagine, we're really into practice here), and in this post, I have ten of our best creative writing prompts.

Try a few out, and if you're ready to take the next step in your writing, check out our 100 Best Short Story Ideas.

How To Use These Creative Writing Prompts

At the end of every article on The Write Practice, we include a writing prompt so you can put what you just learned to use immediately. And we invite you to share your writing with our community so you can get feedback on your work.

The Write Practice is more than just a writing blog. It's a writing workbook, and we think it's the best one on the Internet (of course, we're a bit biased).

One of the most important parts of practice is getting feedback, and we want to help YOU get feedback on your writing. To do that, below each prompt on this page is a link to share your practice in the comments section on a page dedicated to that prompt.

After you share your writing, please be sure to give feedback to at least three other writers there in the comments. That way everyone can get feedback!

And if you want even more prompts, you can download our workbook, 14 Prompts, for free here (it's normally, $5.99).

Our Most Popular Creative Writing Prompts

Why not try using two or three of these creative writing prompts in your writing today? Who knows, you might even begin something that becomes your next novel to write or short story. It's happened to Write Practicers before!

Enjoy the writing prompts!

My 3 Favorite Writing Prompts

Write about a time you felt out of place, awkward, and uncomfortable. Try not to focus on your feelings, but project your feelings onto the things around you.

Write about a ghost. How do they feel about the world? What do they see and hear? How did they become a ghost?

Your characters haven't gotten any sleep. Write about why, and how they respond to being sleepless.

1. Grandfathers

Write about a grandfather, maybe your grandfather or your character's grandfather. What memories do you/does your character associate with him.

Write for fifteen minutes. When you're finished, post your writing practice in the comments section on this page. If you post, be sure to give feedback to three other writers as well.
See the prompt: Grandfathers
2. Sleepless

Your characters haven't gotten any sleep. Write about it.

Write for fifteen minutes. When you're finished, post your writing practice in the comments section on this page. If you post, be sure to give feedback to three other writers as well.
See the prompt: Sleepless
3. Out of Place

Write about a time you felt out of place, awkward, and uncomfortable. Try not to focus on your feelings, but project your feelings onto the things around you.

Write for fifteen minutes. When you're finished, post your writing practice in the comments section on this page. If you post, be sure to give feedback to three other writers as well.
See the prompt: Out of Place
4. Longing

Write about longing. How does it feel to go about a normal day when your character wants something else?

Write for fifteen minutes. When you're finished, post your writing practice in the comments section on this page. If you post, be sure to give feedback to three other writers as well.
See the prompt: Longing
5. Write About Yourself

Write about yourself.

Write for fifteen minutes. When you're finished, post your writing practice in the comments section on this page. If you post, be sure to give feedback to three other writers as well.
See the writing prompt: Write About Yourself
6. Ghosts

Write about a ghost. How do they feel about the world? What do they see and hear? How did they become a ghost?

Write for fifteen minutes. When you're finished, post your writing practice in the comments section on this page. If you post, be sure to give feedback to three other writers as well.
See the prompt: 3 Reasons to Write About Ghosts
7. Road Trip

Write about a roadtrip. Is your character escaping something? Is your character looking for something? Hint at the thing without telling us while describing what the character sees.

Write for fifteen minutes. When you're finished, post your writing practice in the comments section on this page. If you post, be sure to give feedback to three other writers as well.
See the writing prompt: Road Trip
8. Morning

Write about the morning. What are your character's morning routines? What is special about this morning?

Write for fifteen minutes. When you're finished, post your writing practice in the comments section on this page. If you post, be sure to give feedback to three other writers as well.
See the prompt: Morning
9. The Beach

Write about the beach. Is your character reflecting on something important that has happened to them? Describe the memory while overlaying the sights, sounds, and smells of the beach onto them.

Write for fifteen minutes. When you're finished, post your writing practice in the comments section on this page. If you post, be sure to give feedback to three other writers as well.
See the prompt: The Beach
10. Autumn

Write about autumn. Natural surroundings can bring up old memories and odd feelings. Describe what your character sees, feels, and most of all does.

Write for fifteen minutes. When you're finished, post your writing practice in the comments section on this page. If you post, be sure to give feedback to three other writers as well.
See the prompt: Autumn
Other Great Resources
Do you use writing prompts in your writing?
PRACTICE

For today's practice, choose one of these prompts and write for fifteen minutes. When you're finished with your practice, share it in that post's comments section.

Happy writing!

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You get better at any skill through practice. Prompts are a great way to practice writing (as you might imagine, we're really into practice here), and in this post, I have ten of our best creative writing prompts. Try a few out, and if you're ready to take the next step in your writing, check out our 100 Best Short Story Ideas.

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How To Brainstorm Using Google Search & Stock Photo Sites

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How to Prepare for a Brand Identity Mood Board

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Selena Gomez is a well known name, she's got it all dancing, singing, acting. Her music is raw, pouring her emotions into the lyrics. She's not afraid to explore new terrain, using her platform to advocate for issues dear to her. She introduces many types of music, such as her recent collabs and songs in spanish where she navigates her hispanic roots. She's a role model for young girls everywhere. She is a lupus surviver, a strong feminist who's not afraid to challenge the rules of society. Selena's mulitiple collabs brought light to small and/or big artist. Advocator, Pop-Star, trend setting, a figure little girls can look up to.

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How To Make A Logo Mood Board. (Simple method) 😲

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Romeo And Juliet Prologue & Act 1 scenes 1-5

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Romeo And Juliet Prologue & Act 1 scenes 1-5

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A Chic Semi-Custom PreMade Brand & Logo Design

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- les ideeën
- verbeteren eigen vaardigheden
beter beeld creëren

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Basketball fuels my spirit with teamwork and competition. Finance allures me with smart choices and market rhythms. Cars and watches captivate my aesthetics - La Ferrari, Pagani Huayra BC's, and the Jacob and Co 1/1 The Godfather watch's uniqueness.

Amid these passions, my father shapes my character .

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My adoration for the Pagani Hydra BC knows no bounds; its breathtaking design and exhilarating performance fuel my passion endlessly. 

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Basketball fuels my spirit with teamwork and competition. Finance allures me with smart choices and market rhythms. Cars and watches captivate my aesthetics - La Ferrari, Pagani Huayra BC's, and the Jacob and Co 1/1 The Godfather watch's uniqueness.

My parents made me who I am now and I am so proud of them

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Objetos viajeros

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Een volk in een staat, sterke centrale leider, staat beslist over zichzelf, ziet eigen volk als goed, 'beter'

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what could be a red thread for our theme?

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what could be a red thread for our theme?

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‘Beau Travail’ Finds the Rhythm of Life (and Dances Away the Pain) (Published 2020)

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time travel

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Vertikale Aufnahme des Forêt de Soignes, Belgien, Brüssel mit der Sonne, die durch die Zweige scheint _ Kostenlose Foto

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Global consumption of music from India soared 2,000% in 5 years on Spotify - Music Business Worldwide

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Spotify has been operating in India for five years…

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Northern Ireland DJs The Fully Automatic Model (Johnathan Delaney), Cartin (Cartin Caolan) and Alan Mooney from Queen & Disco, toured India in late 2022 as part of a collaboration between music festival Celtronic and Delhi online radio station Boxout.fm.
They were recently joined on the final leg of this #Delhi2Derry: Together In Sound project by fellow Derry DJs Aaron Thomas and Shay Whelan, who toured to Delhi, Mumbai and Goa last week. As the project comes to a close, we ask the trio about the experience, their thoughts on the electronic music scene in India and their biggest musical influences.
Tell us a bit about the tour, how did it come about?
Johnny: This tour is a by-product of the hard work of amazing humans that operate in the background of music scenes the world over. One such person is Gareth Stewart, the founder of Celtronic, who has been helping artists from across Ireland and further afield for over 22 years. Gareth searched the world for a like-minded soul and collaborator for this project, which he found in New Delhi, India. This was Mo, from Boxout.FM. Together they wanted to build new creative partnerships between artists in Derry and Delhi and through British Council's India:UK Together Season of Culture, they were able to join the dots.

I had the pleasure to launch the season in Delhi in June 2022 with a live DJ set.

Cartin: I've been involved with Celtronic for the last two years, playing at the festival and at Celtronic studios. Gareth mentioned some sort of India tour a while back, but at the time I thought it was so random that I didn't think it would ever happen. I've never been to India before, so ahead of the trip there was a mix of excitement and nerves.

Johnny: In December 2022 I toured with Indian DJ Kaleekarma - performing live at some of the most incredible spaces in India - the Red Fort, Delhi, Magnetic Fields Festival, Rajasthan and Serendipity Arts Festival, Goa. I expected the production values at each show to be high (and they were), so I built a completely new visual element to accompany the show. I knew it had to be something special, so I gave it everything I had, and I believe it paid off.

The music we collaborated on was completely new and this was the first time performing the material anywhere. The pressure was on, however that helped push our creative and technical boundaries forward into new territories.

Johnny: Each place I visited had its own energy, so they aren't really comparable. I loved the chaoticness of Delhi. Especially the traffic, for some strange reason. And the food of course. I had a little more time to soak up the vibe of Goa. The scenery, the people, the pace of life, its proximity to the water, all made it pretty special for me. I especially loved the area of Panjim (Goa), where Serendipity Arts Festival was held. I spent hours walking around the Latin quarter and old town looking at the different architecture and cultural influences of the area, it was incredible.

Johnny: As this was the first time touring this show, I wasn't sure what to expect. My first live show was at the Red Fort in Delhi, supporting Grandbrothers. People in the crowd from the offset of our performance looked hypnotised by the repetition and groove of the music; to the extent where I witnessed a group breaking out into a hybrid of contemporary dance and yoga moves. It was very impressive! The feedback that we received was overwhelmingly positive throughout the tour.

Alan: It's big for sure but also still emerging in many respects. From what I've seen it's on the right track. It seems like more and more DJs and artists are going there every month so that can only be a good thing. It was great to see so many different events happening during the festival/clubbing season. It was a busy time for the people I met so that was super positive.

Cartin: It's definitely building and getter better out there, especially with the work that the Boxout crew are doing, where they put on shows every Wednesday night. They are bringing artists from all over the world to their club nights including really big UK artists. Surprisingly, a lot of the music that I would play would be a lot like the guys in Delhi -with their sound heavily influenced by the UK music scene. Other cities are a bit more commercial, but it's clear that they are just building and growing.

Johnny: Next up, I'm launching a collaboration EP with my good friend Sullem Voe on the 24 March. I would also love to collaborate with more Indian artists in the future and have already been speaking with a few that I met on my travels, so let's see how that pans out.

Alan: I'd say the music Queen & Disco play is a mix of disco and house music with international/world music influences throughout. My influences include not only DJs like Rahaan, Marcellus Pittman, Danilo Plessow (MCDE) but also my friends and fellow DJs from Queen & Disco, who have shaped the music I play now, so I'm very grateful for that.

Johnny: I would be mainly known for sculpting sound and performing live with modular synths, tape machines, DIY instruments and feedback / distortion circuits. I'm heavily influenced by the DIY ethos, where people just need to create something. Fundamentally that's what it's all about for me. It's about making something that resonates with me and it's nice when others like it too. Influential artists are many, however if I had to pick a 'few' heros they would include Shammen Delly, Boards of Canada, Laurie Spiegel, The KLF, Leftfield, AFX, Global Communication and William Onyeabor.

Listen to:
The Fully Automatic Model
Queen & Disco #Delhi2Derry: Together In Sound is part of the British Council's India: UK Together Season of Culture, which runs until the end of March 2023.

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'The EDM scene in India feels new and raw. I hope they hold onto that forever"

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Northern Ireland DJs The Fully Automatic Model (Johnathan Delaney), Cartin (Cartin Caolan) and Alan Mooney from Queen & Disco, toured India in late 2022.

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Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.

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65 nightclubs in the UK have closed down since the start of 2024, a new report from CGA Neilson has revealed.

Statistics show that three clubs in the UK are closing every single week as it stands, or around 11 per month - a higher rate of club closures than seen in previous years.

The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has called it an "alarming issue" which threatens to "jeopardise not only jobs but the very heart of nightlife and culture in communities across the country."
Read this next: One in five nightclubs have closed since the pandemic, study shows
"The nightclub and dance music sector is facing an unprecedented crisis. Since June 2020, we've been losing two nightclubs every week, but in the last six months, this has escalated to three per week," says NTIA CEO Michael Kill.

Kill says that the "rapid decline" in clubs will have a "devastating impact" on the UK's economy, culture, and communities in nightlife.

A previous report from CGA Neilson revealed that between June 2020 and June 2024, the UK lost 480 nightclubs with an average of around 10 closures per month.

The latest report shows that in the central region of the UK, only 118 of 200 clubs remain from 2020 to 2024, marking a "catastrophic loss" of 41%.
Read this next: Over 100 independent UK nightclubs have closed in the last 12 months, study shows
In Scotland and Wales, the number of nightclubs has dropped by more than a third since 2020. CGA Neilson notes that the hardest hit area of the UK is Yorkshire, with a 45% reduction.

The NTIA is now calling on the government to implement "immediate support" for the UK's nightlife sector. "Despite contributing millions in taxes, we are burdened with rising costs and a lack of essential public services," says Kill.

"While long-term reform is welcome, it will come too late for many businesses unless immediate support is provided to reverse the accelerating closure rate. The UK's nightclubs are irreplaceable, and urgent intervention is needed to ensure they remain a vibrant part of our cultural identity."

Read the full report here.
Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Assistant Editor, follow her on

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​65 UK nightclubs shut down in 2024 amidst "devastating" nightlife crisis

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A new report reveals that three clubs are closing in the UK every single week

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Paul Johnson Music & Downloads on Beatport

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Paul Johnson was born and raised on the south side of Chicago, the birthplace of house music where he started DJing in the mid-80s and started producing in 1990. He produced and released over 445 E.P’s for some of the most consistent labels like Dance Mania, Cajual, Relief, Dusttraxx, Peacefrog and Moody Recordings which sold over 3.5 million copies of his 1999’s hit record ‘Get Get Down’ worldwide.His remix work and collaborations with Destiny’s Child, Jon B, Steve “Silk” Hurley, DJ Skip, Ce Ce Peniston, Daft Punk, DJ Sneak, K-Alexi, Stacy Kidd, Joey Beltram, Green Velvet, Armando and Ron Trent made its way into all the big jocks boxes and remain there to this day.Johnson has released many singles which have made it to many countries top 50 billboard’s and higher. “He’s a hit making machine” say’s Yellow Records CEO Bob Sinclar and he’s shown so many artists the way. Much respect to everything that Paul Johnson has done for house music.When Paul Johnson plays you receive electrifying performances and an unwavering commitment to excellence crediting him the respect of both fans and peers alike. His distinctive rhythmic and soulful sound is what keeps house music fans craving for more. There is reason for Paul being mentioned as the very first artist in Daft Punk’steachers.“House music, from my mind, to my heart, Thru my hands. The message is universal.”

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The Chicago house legend is an all-time great dance music artist

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Abstract

Creativity is one of the most important assets we have to navigate through the fast changing world of the 21st century. Anecdotal accounts of creative individuals suggest that oftentimes, creative discoveries result from a process whereby initial conscious thought is followed by a period during which one refrains from task-related conscious thought. For example, one may spend an embarrassing amount of time thinking about a problem when the solution suddenly pops into consciousness while taking a shower. Not only creative individuals but also traditional theories of creativity have put a lot of emphasis on this incubation stage in creative thinking. The aim of the present article is twofold. First, an overview of the domain of incubation and creativity is provided by reviewing and discussing studies on incubation, mind-wandering, and sleep. Second, the causes of incubation effects are discussed. Previously, little attention has been paid to the causes of incubation effects and most findings do not really speak to whether the effects should be explained by unconscious processes or merely by consequences of a period of distraction. In the latter case, there is no need to assume active unconscious processes. The findings discussed in the current article support the idea that it is not merely the absence of conscious thought that drives incubation effects, but that during an incubation period unconscious processes contribute to creative thinking. Finally, practical implications and directions for future research will be discussed.

Keywords: creativity, problem solving, incubation, mind wandering, sleep, unconscious processes

Important achievements in the arts and sciences depend on creativity (Feist and Gorman, 1998; Kaufman, 2002), and creativity is associated with the development of new social institutions (Bass, 1990; Mumford, 2002) and economic growth (Amabile, 1997; Simonton, 1999). It is generally accepted that a creative idea or a creative solution to a problem has to be novel (i.e., original) and useful (Amabile, 1983; Runco and Pritzker, 1999). Creativity is not limited to the realms of greatness, but can also be found in daily life, for example, when one has to accomplish a task in a new way (Cropley, 1990) or when one has to adapt to changes (Runco, 2004). Today's world of continuous change thrives on creative individuals.

Creativity has been related to cognitive abilities, expertise, and practice (Patrick, 1986; Amabile, 1996; Runco, 2004; Ericsson, 2006; Sawyer, 2012), and one may expect that creativity mainly thrives on extensive conscious thought. However, creative individuals, in describing their work habits or the process of creative problem solving, have suggested that oftentimes, creative ideas result from a period of incubation-a process whereby initial conscious thought is followed by a period during which one refrains from task-related conscious thought (for anecdotal accounts, see Ghiselin, 1952). The most frequently cited anecdote is probably the one from the mathematician Poincaré:

"[...] I left Caen, where I was living, to go on a geologic excursion under the auspices of the School of Mines. The incidents of the travel made me forget my mathematical work. Having reached Coutances, we entered an omnibus to go some place or other. At the moment when I put my foot on the step, the idea came to me, without anything in my former thoughts seeming to have paved the way for it, that the transformations I had used to define the Fuchsian functions were identical with those of non-Euclidian geometry. I did not verify the idea; I should not have had the time, as, upon taking my seat in the omnibus, I went on with a conversation already commenced, but I felt a perfect certainty. On my return to Caen, for conscience' sake, I verified the result at my leisure." (Poincaré quoted in Hadamard, 1945, p. 13).

In addition, several famous anecdotes suggest that sleep facilitates creativity, ranging from musical compositions to scientific insights (Mazzarello, 2000). In speaking of the attainment of solutions, "Beatle" Paul McCartney announced that he came up with the melody for "Yesterday" in a dream, and the Nobel Prize winner Loewi woke up with the idea for how to experimentally prove his theory of chemical neurotransmission.

The idea that a period of incubation might facilitate creativity has not only been suggested by creative minds, but has also been stressed in creativity models. Wallas ( 1926) proposed that the creative process entails four stages: Preparation (acquisition of knowledge to some task), Incubation (process that occurs when conscious attention is diverted away from the task), Illumination (creative idea flashes into sight), and Verification (creative idea is subjected to evaluation). Certainly a creative idea may be found before a decrease in conscious effort, that is, before the Incubation stage. Sometimes, however, a period of incubation seems to precede creative breakthroughs as illustrated above for several scientific discoveries and artistic compositions.

Sparked by the anecdotal accounts on incubation and creativity, various attempts have been made to investigate incubation effects. As demonstrated by a Google Scholar search (Sio and Ormerod, 2009), with the search restricted to the years 1997-2007 and the subject areas to social sciences, arts, and humanities, the term incubation along with either creativity, insight, or problem, yielded more than 5000 articles. Empirical research has shown that a period of incubation indeed helps creativity (Dodds et al., 2003; Sio and Ormerod, 2009).

However, it is not yet clear why incubation is helpful. The moderators discovered thus far do not really speak to whether the effects should be explained by unconscious processes or merely by other consequences of a period of distraction (e.g., relaxation, forgetting of fixating elements, mental set-shifting) without the need to assume active unconscious processes (see also Orlet, 2008). The aim of the current article is to provide an overview of the domain of incubation and creativity, and to review and discuss findings that speak to whether during an incubation period unconscious processes contribute to creative thinking, or whether it is merely the absence of conscious thought that drives creativity. Finally, practical implications and directions for future research will be discussed.

Incubation

Many anecdotal accounts and traditional theories of creativity have put emphasis on incubation. The basic phenomenon is a familiar one: we are working on a problem, we can't solve the task, we leave it aside for some period of time-the incubation period-and when we return attention to the task we have some new insight that helps us to solve the problem. In general, there are two frequently used methods to conduct incubation experiments. In the "interpolated activity" method, participants work on a task or problem for a period of time, are then given an incubation period, and finally return to the task. Participants' performance is compared with that of a control group of people who worked on the same problem continuously. In the "multiple trial or multiple item" method, multiple tasks or problems are presented and, afterwards, items that have not been solved are re-administered. For example, participants work for one minute apiece on several problems. Then, the unsolved problems are re-administered for one minute apiece. It is presumed that the time between the first and second encounter with the tasks or problems allows incubation to occur. Some researchers using this approach also insert an incubation period between the first and second encounter with the problems. For example, after the first encounter with the problems participants perform a distractor task and after this incubation interval return to work for a certain time on problems that they did not solve. Participants' performance is compared with that of a control group, and if a within-participant design is used, the increase in number of problems is used.

Whereas some studies reported strong incubation effects (e.g., Kaplan, 1989; Smith and Blankenship, 1989; Smith and Dodds, 1999; Dodds et al., 2003), others have failed to find any effects at all (e.g., Olton and Johnson, 1976). To resolve the uncertainties surrounding incubation effects, Dodds et al. ( 2003) conducted a review of experimental literature on incubation in problem solving and creativity, and revealed that 29 out of 39 experiments have found a significant effect of incubation. The authors suggested that incubation length and preparatory activities can increase incubation effects. Moreover, the authors demonstrated that presenting a clue during the incubation period can either have strong positive (if the clue is useful) or negative effects (if the clue is misleading). For example, "ocean" or "floor" could be a misleading clue when trying to find a fourth word that functions as an associative link between the three items "ship, outer, crawl", whereas "space" could be a useful clue. Sio and Ormerod ( 2009) conducted a statistical meta-analytic review of empirical studies of incubation. In their meta-analysis 117 independent studies were included, and the contributions of moderators such as problem type, presence of cues, and lengths of preparation and incubation periods were investigated. Overall, a positive incubation effect was found. In a recent study, Gilhooly et al. ( 2013) investigated interactions between the type of creativity task (verbal or spatial) and the type of incubation activity (verbal or spatial) on creative performance. Experimental groups, after 5 min of conscious work on a verbal creativity task (Alternative Uses Task) or a spatial creativity task (Mental Synthesis), had a 5-min incubation period that involved either spatial (Mental Rotation) or verbal (Anagrams) tasks. Following incubation, participants resumed their main task for a further 5 min. Control groups undertook Alternative Uses or Mental Synthesis for 10 min without any incubation periods. Significant incubation effects were found overall and there were interactions in that spatial incubation benefited verbal fluency and verbal-rated creativity, and verbal incubation benefited spatial-task fluency and spatial-rated creativity but not vice versa. These findings suggest that an interpolated incubation activity of a dissimilar nature to the target task leads to stronger effects of incubation as compared to an interpolated activity similar to the target task.

Not only the task that is performed during an incubation period, but also the time interval of an incubation period can vary. It can vary from a few moments or a night of sleep through days or weeks away from the problem. An example of a relatively short incubation period is mind-wandering-a state of mind that occurs spontaneously, and largely autonomously, whenever an awake individual is not engaged in a cognitively demanding task. Research on mind-wandering has a long history, and was recently popularized by Smallwood et al. ( 2003) who used thought sampling and questionnaires to investigate mind-wandering. In past and recent literature, alternative names to the term mind-wandering (Smallwood and Schooler, 2006; Mason et al., 2007) have been used, such as "day dreaming" (Giambra, 1979), "spontaneous thought" (Christoff et al., 2011), "task-unrelated thought" (Giambra and Grodsky, 1989; Smallwood et al., 2003), and "stimulus independent thought" (Teasdale et al., 1995). In a recent study, Baird et al. ( 2012) examined whether creative performance was facilitated differentially by engaging in mind-wandering (i.e., a 0-back task, an undemanding task without memory load that has been shown to elicit mind-wandering, Smallwood et al., 2009), a demanding task (i.e., a 1-back working memory task), a rest period, or no break between creativity problems. To measure creative performance, the Unusual Uses Task (a task that requires participants to generate as many unusual uses as possible for a common object) was used. All participants performed two Unusual Uses Task problems (2 min per problem) to measure baseline creative performance. Subsequently, participants were assigned to one of the four between-subjects conditions. After the incubation interval (or following the baseline measure, in the case of the no-break condition), participants worked on the Unusual Uses Task again. Four problems (2 min per problem) were presented in a random order: two problems that were identical to the problems presented at baseline and two new problems. Engaging in an undemanding task during an incubation period led to significant increases in creative solutions to the target problems as compared to the demanding task, rest, and no break conditions. This improvement was observed only for repeated-exposure problems, which demonstrates that it resulted from an incubation process rather than a general increase in creative problem solving. The unrelated thoughts that occur during mind wandering uniquely seem to facilitate incubation. According to Baird et al., one possible explanation may be that mind wandering enhances creativity by increasing unconscious associative processing, as predicted by the spreading-activation account of incubation (e.g., Yaniv and Meyer, 1987; Dijksterhuis and Meurs, 2006).

In recent years, functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) research has been used to focus on understanding how the brain generates the spontaneous and relatively unconstrained thoughts that are experienced when the mind wanders. One candidate neural mechanism for mind-wandering is a network of regions in the frontal and parietal cortex known as the default mode network (Mason et al., 2007; Christoff et al., 2009). The default mode network, also called the default network, default state network, or task-negative network, is defined as a set of interconnected brain regions including the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), and lateral and medial temporal lobes (Spreng et al., 2010). It is a brain system that is especially active when an individual is not focused on the outside world (Buckner et al., 2008) and when cognitive control is low (Andreasen, 1995). Moreover, it has been related to complex, evaluative and unconscious forms of information processing (Vincent et al., 2007; Yang et al., 2010), and it contrasts with the cognitive control network (Fox et al., 2005)-a set of brain regions including the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), inferior frontal junction (IFJ), anterior insular cortex (AIC), dorsal pre-motor cortex (dPMC), and posterior parietal cortex (PPC; Cole and Schneider, 2007). Indeed, when one network is activated, the other is deactivated (Fox et al., 2005). In addition to these findings, structural MRI research has provided a first indication that the default mode network may be involved in creativity. Jung et al. ( 2010) have linked cortical thickness measures to psychometric measures of creativity and found a negative correlation between creative performance and activity in the lingual gyrus and a positive correlation between creative performance and grey matter volume in the right PCC, a brain area that is part of the default mode network.

In a recent structural MRI study, Kühn et al. ( 2013) provided further support for the involvement of the default mode network in creativity. Participants performed a well-established creativity task by which a participant's cognitive flexibility and the average uniqueness and average creativity of a participant's ideas were assessed. For all psychometric measures of creativity a positive correlation was observed between inter-individual differences in creative performance and inter-individual differences in volume of the default mode network. Based on these findings, it can be assumed that greater volume in the default mode network (i.e., in the counterpart of the cognitive control network) provides more neural resources for generating creative ideas. These findings suggest that less controlled processes such as mind-wandering are important in creativity. One relatively controversial finding is that periods of mind-wandering are associated with increased activation in both the default and executive system, a result that implies that mind-wandering may often be goal oriented (Smallwood and Schooler, 2006; Smallwood et al., 2009). Apart from studies about the default mode network, there are several important other studies on neuroimaging and creativity. For example, the research from Reverberi et al. ( 2005) demonstrates that the lateral frontal cortex impairs problem solving, and the research by Kounios and Jung-Beeman ( 2009) on the cognitive neuroscience of insight suggests that insight is the culmination of a series of brain states and processes operating at different time scales. Recently, Dietrich and Kanso ( 2010) reviewed 72 neuroimaging studies on creativity and insight and concluded that the neuroscientific literature on creativity, thus far, is self-contradicting and that creative thinking does not appear to critically depend on any single mental process or brain region. The default mode network can, therefore, be considered one, but not the single neural underpinning of creativity.

The link between creativity and sleep, especially dreaming, has long been a topic of intense speculation (Stickgold and Walker, 2004). In recent years, the facilitatory effect of sleep on creativity has also received empirical support. Research from Barrett ( 1993) has shown that college students incubated answers to real-life homework and other objective problems on which they were working, finding that in one week's time, half of the students had dreamed about their topic and 25% had a dream that provided an answer. Barrett ( 2001) also interviewed modern artists and scientists (including Nobel Prizes winners) about their use of their dreams and concluded that while anything-math, musical composition, business dilemmas-may get solved during dreaming, the two areas dreams are especially likely to help are anything where vivid visualization contributes to the solution and any problem where the solution lies in thinking outside the box-i.e., where the person is stuck because the conventional wisdom on how to approach the problem is wrong. Moreover, in an experimental study Wagner et al. ( 2004) have shown that sleep inspires creative insight. Subjects completed a number reduction task, and each numerical sequence could be completed in a slow, stepwise way, but the trials could also be completed according to a hidden, more abstract rule that would speed up participants' responses. The initial training was followed by 8 h of nighttime sleep, nighttime wakefulness, or daytime wakefulness. Of the people who slept before they resumed, almost 60% discovered the rule, as opposed to 23% of the people in the two groups that did not sleep. Thus, participants who got several hours of sleep were more than two times as likely during retesting to gain insight into a hidden rule built into the task.

In addition, sleep has been shown to enhance important aspects of creativity, including cognitive flexibility and the ability to find remote associations. In a study on cognitive flexibility across the sleep-wake cycle, Walker et al. ( 2002) found that when woken from REM sleep, participants had a 32% advantage in the number of anagrams solved compared with NREM awakenings, which were equal to that of wake time performance. These findings suggest that REM sleep may offer a different mode of problem solving compared with wake and NREM. The authors hypothesized that REM sleep is highly conducive to fluid reasoning and flexible thought due to the lack of aminergic dominance in REM sleep. In a study on the ability to find remote associations, Sio et al. ( 2012) participants were presented with a set of Remote Associates Test (RAT) items. Each RAT item contains a triplet of words presented horizontally along with a blank space. For each item, the participant has to find a fourth word that functions as an associative link between these three words (e.g., cookies, sixteen, heart: .........; the answer to this item is sweet: cookies are sweet, sweet sixteen, sweetheart). Reaching a solution requires creative thought as the first, most probable associate to each of the items is often not correct, so the participant must think of more remote associations (i.e., distantly related information) to connect the three words. In the current study the RAT items varied in difficulty as a function of the strength of the stimuli-answer associations. After a period of sleep, wake, or no delay, participants reattempted earlier unsolved problems. The sleep group solved a greater number of difficult RAT items than did the other groups, but no difference was found for easier RAT items. These findings suggest that sleep facilitates creative thinking for harder problems. While evidence for the role of sleep in creative problem-solving has been looked at by prior research, underlying mechanisms such as different stages of sleep had not been explored. Cai et al. ( 2009) used the RAT, and tested participants in the morning, and again in the afternoon, after either a nap with REM sleep, one without REM or a quiet rest period. Participants grouped by REM sleep, non-REM sleep and quiet rest were indistinguishable on measures of memory. Most importantly, although the quiet rest and NREM sleep groups received the same prior exposure to the task, they displayed no improvement on the RAT test, whereas the REM sleep group improved by almost 40% over their earlier performances. The authors hypothesized that the formation of associative networks from previously unassociated information in the brain, leading to creative problem-solving, is facilitated by changes to neurotransmitter systems during REM sleep. Thus, REM sleep is assumed to enhance the integration of unassociated information for creative problem solving.

To recap, various attempts have been made to investigate incubation effects in creativity and creative problem solving. The conclusion of the literature is that overall, a positive incubation effect can be observed. Especially the work by Dodds et al. ( 2003) and Sio and Ormerod ( 2009), who conducted reviews of empirical studies of incubation, justify the conclusion that incubation can enhance creative performance. This is also supported by research on mind-wandering and sleep, which can be seen as short and relatively long periods of incubation. However, the process(es) underlying incubation effects remain unclear. In the next section, we aim to shed light on the question whether during an incubation period unconscious processes contribute to creative thinking, or whether it is merely the absence of conscious thought that drives incubation effects.

Mechanisms Underlying Incubation Effects

Whereas the effects of incubation are generally accepted (Sio and Ormerod, 2009), its causes are controversial. The main debate between different theories is about whether during an incubation period unconscious processes contribute to creative thinking ( unconscious work theory), or whether it is merely the absence of conscious thought that drives creativity ( conscious work theory). Historically, incubation effects refer to the idea that setting a problem aside for a while helps creative thought and problem solving as unconscious processes are working on the problem while the individual is not consciously thinking about the problem (see Wallas, 1926, as well as, e.g., Hadamard, 1945; Kris, 1952; Rugg, 1963; Kubie, 1985). That is, the unconscious actively thinks and contributes to solving a problem (see also Koestler, 1964; Claxton, 1997). In contrast, conscious work theories have ascribed incubation effects on creative performance to relaxation (being well-rested, one can do better the next time one engages in the problem; Helmholtz, 1896; Woodworth and Schlosberg, 1954) and to the effects of facilitating cues from the environment (environmental cues trigger retrieval of previously un-retrieved relevant information; e.g., Yaniv and Meyer, 1987; Langley and Jones, 1988). Moreover, sometimes old and inappropriate ideas can cause mental fixation, impeding the generation of new and appropriate ideas (Smith, 2003). Therefore, in addition to relaxation and facilitating cues, it has been suggested that incubation effects can lead to forgetting of fixating elements (Smith and Blankenship, 1989; Segal, 2004) and to mental set-shifting (wrong cues become less accessible, leading to a fresh, new and unbiased start; Schooler and Melcher, 1995).

Recently, Gupta et al. ( 2012) investigated whether high-frequency candidate answers should be avoided in order to find creative solutions in for instance a RAT. They tested individual differences in creativity as measured with a complex problem-solving task, and developed a computational model of the RAT. Findings showed that individuals performed poorly on the RAT when they were biased to consider high-frequency candidate answers. Storm and Angelo ( 2010) investigated whether inhibition may facilitate creative problem solving by providing a mechanism by which to bypass fixation. They measured participants' retrieval-induced forgetting and, thereafter, participants had to solve RAT problems. Half of the participants were exposed to misleading associates prior to problem solving (fixation condition) and half were not (baseline condition). Correlating the retrieval-induced forgetting measure with performance on the RAT revealed that the propensity to inhibit irrelevant information comes at a price, as potentially relevant information may be inhibited. However, inhibition can also provide a means by which to overcome fixation and, thereby, facilitate creativity. There is no denying that a period of distraction allows for forgetting of fixation and/or mental set-shifting, relaxation, and exposure to environmental cues, and that these effects can contribute to creative thoughts or problem solving. However, it can be questioned whether these effects are the only benefit of an incubation period, or whether during an incubation period unconscious processes contribute to creative thinking.

The idea that during an incubation period unconscious processes are active was one of the building blocks of Unconscious Thought Theory (Dijksterhuis and Nordgren, 2006). Unconscious thought, that is, "deliberation in the absence of conscious attention directed at the problem," (Dijksterhuis et al., 2006, p.1005) has mainly been studied in the context of decision-making (Strick et al., 2011; see also Dijksterhuis and Nordgren, 2006; Bargh, 2011; Nieuwenstein and van Rijn, 2012). In the literature on unconscious thought in decision-making, participants are typically first presented with information pertaining to a decision. Thereafter, they are distracted for a while, before they make a decision. For example, Bos et al. ( 2008) compared participants decision performance after three conditions, a conscious thought condition and two incubation conditions, that is, an unconscious thought condition and a mere distraction condition. Whereas participants in the unconscious thought condition were told that they would engage in an unrelated task before returning to the actual task, participants in the mere distraction condition were told that they had finished the task and would move on to unrelated tasks. In the mere distraction condition participants were, thus, distracted just as in the unconscious thought condition, but did not have a problem-solving goal. A period of distraction only improved decision-making in the unconscious thought condition, that is, when participants expected to make a decision following the distraction period. Comparing an unconscious thought condition with a mere distraction condition provides evidence for true, active thought taking place unconsciously. Given the evidence for unconscious thought processes that we have from multiple research areas (e.g., decision making, lie detection), the question raises whether there is also evidence for unconscious thought effects in the domain of creativity.

Dijksterhuis and Meurs ( 2006) investigated the relation between different thought processes and the generation of creative ideas. In several experiments participants were asked to generate a list of items (new names for products, names of places beginning with a certain letter, things one can do with a brick), and three conditions were compared. In the immediate condition (i.e., the baseline condition) participants started right after receiving the instruction. In the conscious thought condition, participants were given three minutes to consciously think about the items before they were given time to list them. In the unconscious thought condition, people were first given the instruction, and were then distracted for three minutes before they were given the opportunity to list the items. Conscious thought led to more accessible items and to items in line with a cue, whereas unconscious thought led to more inaccessible items and to items diverging from the cue. Moreover, unconscious thought led to more creative and unusual items than conscious thought. In all experiments, unconscious thinkers also differed significantly from participants who were not given time to think at all. These findings suggest that whereas conscious thought may be focused and convergent, unconscious thought may be more associative and divergent. Ritter et al. ( 2012b) investigated the role of unconscious thought for both idea generation and idea selection. Participants generated creative ideas immediately, after conscious thought, or after a period of unconscious thought. After having listed their ideas, participants selected their most creative idea. Performance in idea generation was similar between conscious and unconscious thought; however, individuals who had unconsciously thought about ideas were better in selecting their most creative idea. These findings are in support of the idea that unconscious processes actively contribute to creativity, as it is unlikely that these findings are the consequence of set-shifting or relaxation. During task instruction no examples were provided and no hints or cues were given, meaning that no fixating elements or specific mental sets were induced that could have become less accessible, changed, or forgotten altogether during a period of distraction. Recovering from fatigue is also unlikely to account for the current findings, as incubation effects also occurred in the study when a cognitively demanding task (n-back task) was used as distracter task (Dijksterhuis and Meurs, 2006).

Zhong et al. ( 2008) investigated the effect of unconscious thought on the ability to find remote associations, as measured by the RAT. Participants were presented difficult RAT triads (selected from Bowden and Jung-Beeman, 2003). Afterwards, participants in the conscious thought condition were told that they had 5 min to think about these triads, and during this time, they were shown the screen containing all triads, but were not allowed to write down notes or answers. Participants in the unconscious-thought condition were told that they would engage in an unrelated task before returning to the word task. Participants in the distraction condition were told that they had finished the task and would move on to unrelated tasks. To prevent conscious thought about the RAT items in the unconscious thought and mere distraction conditions participants completed a 2-back task for 5 min (see Dijksterhuis ( 2004)). After 5 min of conscious thought or distraction, all participants engaged in a lexical decision task (Bargh et al., 1995). Strings of letters appeared on the center of the screen, and participants indicated whether or not each string constituted an English word by pressing one of two buttons. The letter strings included the RAT answers plus control words. After completing the lexical decision task, participants in all three conditions were again shown the RAT items and were asked to report their answers. In the current research two separate outcomes of the RAT test were assessed: implicit accessibility of correct RAT answers (i.e., mental accessibility of RAT answers, as measured by a lexical decision task) versus expression of those correct answers (Wegner and Smart, 1997). A period of incubation, compared with the same duration of conscious thought, did not increase the reporting of correct answers. The results on accessibility, however, revealed a striking difference: Unconscious thought, compared with conscious thought and mere distraction, increased the mental accessibility of RAT answers. These results are consistent with unconscious thought theory, which systematically differentiates conscious and unconscious thought processes, and suggest that unconscious processing is more adept at associating and integrating information than conscious processing is (Dijksterhuis and Nordgren, 2006). Importantly, in the unconscious-thought condition the level of activation of RAT answers was higher than in the mere-distraction condition, which suggests that the increased accessibility after unconscious thought was not due to relaxation, forgetting or the release of incorrect associations (i.e., "mental set-shifting"). These findings indicate that unconscious processes may actively facilitate the discovery of remote associations, an important mental skill underlying creative thinking, and may contribute to divergent thinking.

Gallate et al. ( 2012) and Ritter et al. ( 2012b) investigated whether one can manipulate unconscious thought processes. In the study from Gallate et al., participants were either aware or unaware that they would soon be returning to a divergent thinking task. During the break period, all participants were distracted from the task (they did an arithmetic task), ensuring that any ongoing problem solving was not conscious, but unconscious. Immediately after finishing the arithmetic task, participants returned to the divergent thinking task. Participants in the aware condition had significantly higher post-break creativity scores than those in the unaware condition. Ritter et al. ( 2012a) investigate whether one can actively enhance the beneficial effect of sleep on creativity by covertly reactivating the creativity task during sleep. Individuals' creative performance was compared after three different conditions: sleep-with-conditioned-odor; sleep-with-control- odor; or sleep-with-no-odor. In the evening prior to sleep, all participants were presented with a problem that required a creative solution. In the two odor conditions, a hidden scent-diffuser spread an odor while the problem was presented. In the sleep-with-conditioned-odor condition, task reactivation during sleep was induced by means of the odor that was also presented while participants were informed about the problem. In the sleep-with-control-odor condition, participants were exposed to a different odor during sleep than the one diffused during problem presentation. In the no odor condition, no odor was presented. After a night of sleep with the conditioned odor, participants were found to be more creative and better able to select their most creative idea than participants who had been exposed to a control odor or no odor while sleeping. Task reactivation during sleep seems to actively trigger creativity-related processes during sleep. These findings give a first indication that one can manipulate unconscious thought processes and, thereby, facilitate creative performance.

To conclude, several studies suggest that it is not merely the absence of conscious thought that drives creativity, but that during an incubation period unconscious processes can contribute to creative thinking. Often, it takes time to come up with creative ideas and solutions. It is reasonable to assume that most thought processes underlying creative thought are neither fully conscious nor fully unconscious. Instead, prolonged creative thought processes may have both conscious and unconscious elements, and conscious and unconscious thought may alternate. You think about a problem consciously, you get stuck and perform another task, you think some more, you sleep on it for a while, you then think a bit more after you've encountered relevant new information, et cetera.

Practical Applications and Future Research

Previous studies have shown that creativity training can enhance everyday creative performance (e.g., Scott et al., 2004), and many tactics have been identified to facilitate creative thinking skills, such as set-shifting, questioning assumptions, and using analogies (i.e., finding correspondence of inner relationship or function between different concepts). The application of unconscious processes, however, has not been systematically introduced to educational, innovation and business contexts. By demonstrating that unconscious processes can be important for creativity, the current findings may encourage practitioners to use unconscious processes in order to enhance creative thinking. Applying unconscious processes could, for example, entail that people set a goal to find creative solutions for a problem before they are distracted from the problem by doing something different. What people do in the meantime should be chosen carefully. Sio and Ormerod's ( 2009) meta-analytic review revealed that the benefits of an incubation period are greater when participants are occupied by an undemanding task than when they engage in a demanding task or no task at all. Moreover, Gilhooly et al. ( 2013) found that spatial incubation benefited verbal-rated creativity, and verbal incubation benefited spatial-rated creativity but not vice versa. Therefore, when stuck on a creative task, during an incubation period one should do something undemanding that is very different from the main task, before returning to it.

Although unconscious processes can be a powerful source to facilitate creativity, only engage in daydreaming or sleeping to produce groundbreaking discoveries or great artistic creations will not do the trick. A plethora of raw materials has to be available to be connected and one has to be able to focus on some options out of an array of options. In this sense, conscious processing is needed to establish a knowledge base, to know what problems to tackle, and to verify and implement new ideas. Future research may investigate what combination of conscious and unconscious processes is most fruitful for creativity. One could think about the order of the two processes (e.g., a period of task-related conscious thought that is followed by a period during which one refrains from task-related conscious thought, or repeatedly switch between the two modes of thought), and the optimal duration of each of the two processes. People are likely to benefit more from an incubation period when they get stuck and, therefore, one can assume that a relatively long period of conscious thought should be preferred above a short period of conscious thought. Also for unconscious processes the duration of the incubation period seems to be of importance. In a recent study from Yang et al. ( 2012), 3 min (as compared to 1 min and 5 min) seemed to be the optimal duration of unconscious thought. However, it is likely that 3 min of incubation is not the most appropriate duration for all creativity tasks. It can be assumed that the optimal duration is contingent on the task (Weisberg, 1999). Besides exploring the optimal duration of unconscious processes as a function of task characteristics and the optimal combination of conscious and unconscious processes, future research could also focus on the similarities and disparities between the different unconscious processes (i.e., incubation, unconscious thought, mind-wandering and sleep) and could investigate which process is most beneficial for creativity and for the distinct mental processes underlying creative thought (Baer, 1998). Finally, future research may study potential moderators, for example, whether experts and people with ample prior knowledge exhibit a different pattern of creative performance as a result of unconscious and conscious processes.

The present article aimed to provide an overview of the domain of incubation and creativity, and to shed more light on the causes of incubation effects. Research on incubation, mind wandering, and sleep was presented and discussed, and it was investigated whether people can think unconsciously and whether unconscious processes can contribute to creativity. The current findings provide first empirical support for the idea that during an incubation period unconscious processes contribute to creative thinking, and that it is not merely the absence of conscious thought that drives incubation effects. We hope that the current article inspires researchers to further tackle the unconscious foundations of creativity. This will not only increase our theoretical knowledge on the role of unconscious processes in creativity, but will also offer valuable insights for practical implication. Understanding and facilitating creativity is important, as the ability to think creatively plays an important role in many areas of our life, such as education, arts, sciences, and the economic sector.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Footnotes

¹ Note that the section below greatly overlaps with Dijksterhuis (submitted for publication).

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Articles from Frontiers in Human Neuroscience are provided here courtesy of Frontiers Media SA

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Creativity-the unconscious foundations of the incubation period

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Creativity is one of the most important assets we have to navigate through the fast changing world of the 21st century. Anecdotal accounts of creative individuals suggest that oftentimes, creative discoveries result from a process whereby initial ...

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This article talks about the basics of music marketing, catered especially for emerging musicians. From music production to social media marketing, we got you covered. Take a look to learn more!

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10 Modern Home Studio Setups That Nail The Vibe

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Looking for some modern home studio design options? Here are 10 of our favourite music production studio setups from this year.

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Planet X boss Ben Sterling returns to the label for new single, ‘Tribal Badman’.

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Unveiling his first material on the imprint this year following recent material via PIAS Electronique, Oblong, Higher Ground and more, the label boss serves up another requested anthem, with the track set to land on 26th July 2024.

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Tech-house has overtaken techno as the most popular genre of electronic music, according to a newly-published business report as part of the International Music Summit in Ibiza.

Released yesterday (27th April), the report states that sales of tech-house music overtook techno on online music store Beatport in 2021. According to the report, techno sits at second place, while house music remains third in the rankings. It also indicates that amapiano "exploded globally" last year.

The report also revealed some encouraging statistics about the health of electronic music in general. As well as noting that vinyl sales were up 51% in 2021 - with CD sales seeing a 9% rise - the report values the dance and electronic music market at $6 billion - a significant 71% rise on last year.

In a statement, the report's author David Boyle said: "The industry is buzzing. I heard tons of excitement in my interviews with artists, promoters, agents and labels in the last month. Partly because, as predicted last year, electronic music is back once again."

"Led by market share gains in the UK and Germany, we found growth in 16 countries as the joy and energy of electronic music soundtracks the world's post-pandemic recovery," added Boyle.

Check out the full report here.

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Tech-house overtakes techno as most popular electronic music genre

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House music remains at third in the Beatport rankings

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Only 21 years of age, Mason has already began to build a name for himself from his first ever production back in 2016 he has secured himself as a Solardo Sessions resident playing up and down the country in some of the most well respected clubs such as Mangle E8, Faversham Leeds, Stealth Nottingham and more. With his first release secured on Solardo's brainchild Sola which has already received support from some of the heavy weights in the scene. And with his forthcoming releases receiving support from Lee Foss, Patrick Topping, Green Velvet, Hot Since 82, Solardo, Skream, Richy Ahmed, Danny Howard, Hannah Wants, Latmun and more. There is no question that Mason is one to watch this year to see how this young lad evolves.

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Live music in the UK: what’s the state of the industry? - Economics Observatory

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Superstar musicians and sold-out arena tours indicate a thriving music business in the UK. But this hides another reality – one of rising costs, administrative barriers post-Brexit, declining earnings and grassroots venues closing. The live music industry is in urgent need of tailored support.

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London nightclubs closing at alarming rate - association

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Mayoral candidates have pledged to improve London nightlife with a variety of policies.

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Social media is a game-changer for musicians looking to build their careers. With over 4.48 billion people active on social platforms, the potential to connect with fans and grow a dedicated following is immense. But, exploring this crowded world requires more than just posting updates; it demands a strategic approach tailored to your unique style and audience.

You might be overwhelmed by the sheer number of platforms and the constant need for fresh content. But don't worry-by focusing on critical strategies like understanding your target audience and creating engaging visual content, you can effectively promote your music and keep your fans informed. Embrace the power of social media and watch as it transforms your musical journey.

Photo by greenwish _ on Pexels

Understanding Social Media Marketing for Musicians

Social media marketing plays a massive role in a musician's promotional strategy. Dialing in and riding the wave can enhance your reach and build lasting connections with fans.

Importance of Social Media for Musicians

Visibility and Reach: Billions of users on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter offer musicians immense exposure opportunities. These platforms can help you gain visibility and attract new fans across diverse demographics.

Direct Engagement: Social media fosters direct connections between musicians and fans. You can share your journey, respond to comments, and create a community around your music. This engagement boosts fan loyalty and deepens their connection to your work.

Content Diversity: You can showcase various content types, including music videos, live performances, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and personal stories. This variety keeps your audience engaged and invested in your artistic journey.

Brand Development: Establishing a solid brand identity is crucial. Use social media to showcase your music and your personal style, values, and stories. This multifaceted approach strengthens your connection with your audience.

Engagement Growth: Increasing engagement metrics, like likes, shares, and comments, can amplify your online presence. Focus on creating shareable content and initiating conversations that resonate with your target audience.

Fan Base Expansion: Social media marketing supports your efforts to grow your fan base. Use targeted advertising and collaborations with other artists to reach new audiences and encourage them to explore your music.

Feedback and Adaptation: Use social media as a tool for collecting feedback. Understand what resonates with your audience and adapt accordingly, improving your craft and content strategy based on their responses.

Identifying Your Audience

Understanding your fans significantly enhances how musicians can market to their audience. Different platforms cater to diverse groups, necessitating a targeted approach based on audience characteristics.

Demographic Factors

Demographic factors like age, gender, and location are essential in audience identification. For instance, Facebook's user demographic leans towards individuals over 30, making it a prime platform for artists whose music resonates with older listeners. However, TikTok and Snapchat predominantly attract younger users, which is ideal for musicians seeking to engage a youthful fan base. Thinking about the use cases of each network enables you to effectively tailor your content and marketing efforts, maximizing reach and engagement.

Music Genre Preferences

Music genre preferences often dictate which social media platform is most effective for promotional strategies. TikTok highlights various genres, especially those suitable for short, engaging videos. This platform provides a unique opportunity to promote new music and generate interaction through user-generated content. Musicians in pop, hip-hop, and electronic genres may find TikTok particularly beneficial, as these styles thrive in condensed formats. Think of shorts as micro-sync placements. Aligning your genre with the appropriate platform ensures your content reaches the most receptive audiences, fostering growth and sustaining engagement rates.

Developing a Unique Brand Presence

Creating a unique brand presence on social media is essential for musicians. A strong brand cultivates authenticity, enabling deeper connections with fans and making their online persona more relatable. Musicians should aim to share a mix of personal insights and music-related content, helping to build a sincere and engaging identity online.

Visual Identity and Aesthetics

A solid visual identity ensures recognition across platforms. Consistency in colors, fonts, and styles creates a cohesive image that stands out. Musicians should consider aligning their visuals with their music's tone. For example, bright colors can convey energy for pop artists, while darker tones might resonate with rock or indie genres. Engaging images and videos should reflect your brand's story, enhancing emotional connections with your audience.

Creating Compelling Content

Musicians must think beyond typical posts and shift to producing unique clips from previous performances or behind-the-scenes footage. Innovative storytelling can hook followers, encouraging shares and interactions. Prioritizing quality over quantity fosters consistency, allowing you to maintain a dynamic presence. Emphasizing creativity in your content leads to increased engagement and interaction, eventually strengthening your social media presence across platforms.

Optimizing Social Media Profiles

Compelling profiles enhance your online presence and enable better audience engagement.

Essential Elements of a Profile

Visual Presentation: Craft a cohesive visual identity. Use a consistent color palette, logos, and high-quality images that reflect your brand. Profile and cover photos should feature you or your band prominently for easy recognition.

Complete Information: Fill out all profile sections. Include your bio, contact details, and links to your music and website. Comprehensive profiles allow fans and industry professionals to connect with you effortlessly.

Consistent Branding: Maintain a unified brand image. Consistency across all platforms-such as Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube-reinforces recognition and establishes your artistic presence.

Content Variety: Post a mix of content types. Share personal stories, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and performance clips to engage audiences and provide value.

Engagement: Prioritize interaction. Respond to comments, ask questions, and create polls to foster a sense of community. Active engagement builds stronger connections with fans.

Post Frequency: Establish a regular posting schedule (build a content calendar for efficiency). Consistency keeps your audience engaged and informed while also enhancing your visibility on social media algorithms. Aim for at least three posts per week on your primary platforms. If you can't manage three, start with one per week and consistently for a year instead of sporadic posting.

By focusing on optimizing your social media profiles, you can effectively enhance your reach and connect with your audience.

Choosing the Right Social Media Channels

An optimized, strategic approach helps you efficiently reach and engage your target audience. To avoid overwhelming yourself, focus on one or two platforms instead of tackling multiple channels at once.

Overview of Popular Platforms

TikTok: TikTok boasts a vast user base where independent musicians can share clips of their songs. Its format allows for creative, engaging content that drives organic traffic to your streaming platforms. It's ideal for showcasing personality and style through short videos that resonate with audiences.

Instagram: Instagram thrives on visual content, making it perfect for promoting your music through images and short reels. You can create fan communities and interact directly with your audience, enhancing engagement and loyalty.

Tailoring Content to Each Platform

Each platform requires unique content strategies for maximum impact. For TikTok, create catchy and fun videos incorporating your music, engaging trends, and challenges that can go viral. Use hashtags effectively to increase the discoverability of your tracks.

For Instagram, focus on high-quality images and aesthetic reels. Share updates and behind-the-scenes content and engage with fans through Stories and polls to foster a more personal connection. Adapt your messaging and visuals to fit the tone and audience of each platform for optimal results.

Engaging with Your Audience

Interacting with your fans is necessary for successful social media marketing. Utilize a blend of innovative strategies to build genuine connections and strengthen fan loyalty.

Strategies for Interaction

Engagement starts with responding to comments and messages. Acknowledge fan enthusiasm, answer questions, and appreciate their support. Use live streaming on platforms like Instagram Live or YouTube Live to connect in real-time, offering virtual concerts or Q&A sessions. Post interactive content, such as polls or challenges, encouraging fans to participate by sharing their thoughts or favorite lyrics. These actions enhance visibility and establish a personal bond with your audience.

Building a Community Around Your Music

Building a community around your music helps long-term engagement. Create a mailing list to share exclusive updates, behind-the-scenes clips, and teasers about upcoming projects. Consider using platforms like Patreon to allow fans to support your work through subscriptions. This will help build a deeper connection and an additional revenue source. Collaborate with other musicians or artists, cross-promoting to tap into new audiences and expand your reach. Emphasizing a sense of community encourages a loyal fanbase that shares your music and projects, creating a network around your music.

Analyzing Performance and Adjusting Strategies

Analyzing performance in social media marketing for musicians involves a strategic approach that uses data to refine your efforts and enhance engagement.

Using Analytics for Improvements

Analytics tools provide valuable insights. Use in-built features such as Facebook Insights, Twitter Analytics, and Instagram Insights to track engagement metrics. You'll monitor likes, comments, shares, and follower growth to gauge your audience's reaction to different types of content. Identifying high-performing posts lets you refine your content strategy, focusing on the most resonating formats. Measure reach and impressions to determine how many users interact with your posts, allowing you to tailor your messaging accordingly. Watching what is working and then doing more of what is already working will help grow your profiles quickly.

Staying Current with Trends

You don't have to start doing dance routines, but staying current with trends might help you create viral content. Monitor platform-specific updates, viral challenges, and trending hashtags to keep your content relevant. Engage with popular topics that resonate with your audience, aligning your music promotion with ongoing cultural conversations. Participate in trending formats, like TikTok challenges or Instagram Reels, to expand your reach and attract new followers. Enhancing your ability to pivot quickly increases your chances of generating buzz around your releases and events. Integrating these trends into your strategy helps build a vibrant online presence that captivates and retains your audience's attention.

Conclusion

Embracing social media marketing is now necessary for musicians looking to grow. By focusing on strategic engagement and understanding your audience, you can create a solid online presence that resonates with fans.

Utilizing the right platforms and crafting tailored content will enhance visibility and foster meaningful connections. Remember to prioritize authenticity and creativity in your posts to build a relatable brand identity.

As you analyze your performance and adapt your strategies, you'll grow your fanbase and cultivate a loyal community that supports your music journey. With dedication and the right approach, social media can be a powerful tool in your musical career.

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Social Media Marketing for Musicians [2025 Guide]

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Social media is a game-changer for musicians looking to build their careers. With over 4.48 billion people active on social platforms, the potential to connect with fans and grow a dedicated following is immense.

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The Evolution of Dance Music: How the Industry is Changing in 2025

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The dance music industry is constantly evolving, with new trends, technologies, and platforms shaping the way artists and fans experience music. As we move through 2025 , the scene continues to adapt to streaming, AI-driven production, and the rise of underground communities. Whether you’re a DJ, p

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The million dollar question, or is it? How much are DJs paid? This is one of the main questions new DJs will ask when learning to DJ and when considering starting a DJ career. There is no simple answer to the question of how much DJs get paid for their work but we attempt to breakdown the variables in this guide on DJ fees and how much DJs get paid to perform.

DJ pay rates are a hot topic and many DJs want to know how their DJ salaries compare and how much they should be charging for their DJ gigs. While there is no average DJ pay or DJ fee, this guide we will help explain the different tiers of DJ income, pay rates and wages.

Firstly, we will break down the guide prices for DJs into types of DJ. There are lots of ways of DJing nowadays so it's an incredibly varied industry with some DJs playing for fun and others aiming for the top, and being paid accordingly.

We hope this DJ rates guide helps you understand how much money do DJs make and how to navigate DJ fees in general. Which type of DJ are you aiming to be and therefore how much money can you expect to earn as a DJ? Read on to find out!

Headline DJs

Headline DJs are the big names at the top of the flyer or poster. They are the main DJ of an event, club night or festival and the ones making the most in terms of DJ earnings and income from DJing. They are the most successful DJs who are touring internationally and recognised by electronic music fans in multiple countries.

Headline DJs normally rise to fame by releasing popular music and hit records or by establishing their name over a long time.

Below you can see a flyer from Ministry of Sound where the headliner Nicky Romero is clearly seen at the top in the biggest font in the typical headliner position. Lower down the poster you can see many other DJs including our very own DJ course graduates DJing in the Babybox! Generally speaking, the bigger the font the more the DJ is being paid for their performance. The biggest name will be the top-earning DJ of the event.

In clubs like Ministry of Sound where there are multiple rooms of different sizes the money will often gravitate toward the bigger main room. At Ministry of Sound the main room is called The Box.

The second room is called the 103 and is often hosted by brands and record labels. Brands will often be given a budget by the club or club promoter and then pay the DJs. Typically, DJs in the second room will be DJs who are working toward establishing their names and are called up-and-coming DJs.

Some clubs like Ministry have even more rooms and these make the perfect launch pad for new DJs to gain experience and new brands to establish themselves. In many cases smaller gigs like these are pro bono or for experience sake but it totally depends on the event and the promoter booking the DJs. After all, it's an amazing opportunity to DJ in a famous club on the same flyer as an epic headliner like Nicky Romero!

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Flyer from Ministry of Sound showing a range of DJs from headline acts to up-and-coming DJs

How much do Headline DJs get paid?

Headline DJs can be paid huge sums of money for a single performance. The amount of money they are paid to DJ depends on many factors that are not just limited to their fame and notoriety.

Other factors that influence the amount headline DJs are paid include the size and capacity of the venue, the city and location, the ticket price, the date and if it's a live show with visuals or just a DJ show.

You can imagine that if you have a club of 5000 capacity and tickets are £20 to enter that means ticket revenue of £100,000, if the event is sold out. With huge amounts of money coming in the headline DJ can negotiate a fee that reflects the promoters projected profits. Often, headline DJs can be paid up to 50% of all expected ticket revenue. That being said, there is no clear-cut guide on how much headliners are paid and it is often a secret.

Who is and who isn't a headline DJ is subjective and relative to the particular ecosystem that exists within the scene that they are operating in. A headline EDM DJ could be raking in massive sums of money but a headline DJ playing a niche genre like Moombahton might still be getting relatively small sums.

The bigger the scene the bigger the headline DJs are being paid. If you're purely interested in being paid huge amounts for your DJ performance you'll want to play and produce relatively commercial music. Calvin Harris is a good example of this and he is one of the most highly paid DJs in the world with combined income from DJing, production, writing and touring.

Here are some of the highest paid DJs in the world at the moment who have net worths between 10 and 150 million dollars.

Want to become a headline DJ? Click here to find out how.

Up & Coming Headliners

It often takes many years to build a headline DJ career and many successful music releases. Of course, sometimes DJs get lucky and perhaps have a break-out hit single but those people are really exception, not the rule. Most DJs will climb the ladder over years, if not decades, to reach the top.

Naturally, not everyone will become a headline DJ but the joy is really in the journey! Climbing the ladder often starts with small gigs and releases but once you establish yourself and your brand you might break into the realm of an up-and-coming headliner.

At a big event, like those hosted by Ministry of Sound, the headliner will occupy the peak slot in the main room or on the main stage. The rest of the time the support acts will DJ. These are the up-and-coming acts that are working their way to the top.

Some DJs have worked hard to establish their name within a music scene and have gained some fame within that circle. They could be performing internationally and even touring but not quite at the level of the main headliner.

They are up-and-coming DJs and often DJ as a career, for their main job and income. They would still charge a reasonable fee for a performance but not quite as ostentatious amounts as the bigger headline acts.

They may also become headliners for smaller clubs and events or headliners for smaller stages at music festivals.

How much do Up & Coming Headliners get paid?

DJ fees for smaller headliners and up and coming support acts often follow an exponential curve. You can expect the headline act to be paid ten times more than the support act. Of course there is no certainty here but in general this is a good guide. If the headline act is getting 10K the support acts are most likely getting 1k or less. The warmup act and the closing act might be closer to £300-£500 in club venues but more at music festivals.

Often the kudos and exposure of supporting a famous act goes some way toward the payment of the gig but remember no one can pay their bills with exposure alone!

Promoter DJs

There is a grey area here because some DJs aren't just DJs. Some DJs actually run the event and play the part of the DJ and the promoter at the same time. If a DJ has a brand other than themselves, perhaps a record label, they can potentially make more money.

Clubs love outsourcing and they will regularly ask brands and record labels to take over the programming of their events or rooms within their events in exchange for a fee.

Notice on the flyer above that Nicky Romero's name is also accompanied by his record labels brand name, Protocol Records.

I assume that Ministry have paid Nicky Romero a fee not just to headline the event but also to bring his brand to the club and his own support acts. This means he might be paid more than he would for a simple headline DJ set. Full disclaimer... this is just my hunch based on my experience in the music industry and may not be factual.

Protocol Records is an established record label brand and thus has its own followers and mailing list. This additional marketing will help the club sell tickets for the event and thus create more business through ticket sale revenue. Nicky Romero can therefore demand a higher fee because he is playing the part of both the DJ and the promoter.

Have a look at other flyers and you will often see that some of the DJs are not just performing but also creating a showcase of artists for their brand. If you want to extend your ability to make money from your DJ performance you might want to consider this strategy.

How much are promoter DJs paid?

This really depends on the situation but you can say with confidence it will be more than they would be paid as a lone DJ. Being a promoter is a fantastic way to further establish yourself as a DJ and earn extra money.

Click here if you would like to learn how to become a promoter.

Radio DJs

Another potential grey area when it comes to the question about how much are DJs paid for their DJ gigs is the case of radio DJs.

Radio DJs, or radio presenters, are often booked to DJ in clubs and music festivals and in some cases become headline acts even without having released any music of their own. This exception to the general rule works well for some DJs and they can demand big DJ fees due to their large followings.

Essentially becoming a radio DJ or presenter gives you a certain level of fame, the same can be said for tv personalities. This extra fame will help you become a headline act and thus get paid more to DJ.

How much do radio DJs get paid?

Radio DJs often get paid very well considering they sometimes don't have music of their own. Of course, the fee would depend on the size of the radio station and the popularity of the show. If it's a national radio station and one of the biggest shows then you can imagine the DJ fee would reflect that.

However if it's a small station, like an internet radio station, it might not make much of a difference to the amount of money a radio DJ can negotiate for the gig. Don't expect to be able to ask for big amounts of cash when you're station is tiny!

As with all DJs, the bigger the audience the higher the fee. This means even influencer DJs who might not even possess proper DJ skills can still get paid very well if their audience is sizeable and engaged.

Local Club & Bar DJs

There are many DJs who make a good living DJing at local venues, clubs and bars and who rarely perform outside of their local area. These DJs might be famous locally but not be well known beyond that.

Local bars and clubs will often be smaller, and DJs will often play more commercial music genres that cater for a broad audience. Many DJs playing at smaller bars and clubs will have to leave their own music taste at home and play whatever the crowd or booker wants. In exchange for this compromise those DJs are often paid quite well but not as much as headline DJs who have international fame.

How much are local club and bar DJs paid?

The fee that local DJs can be paid for a DJ gig will often be limited by the size of the venue, if the venue is free entry or ticketed and how much competition there is locally. A well established guide price for local DJs over the years has been £50 an hour but we think that with inflation in mind, bookers should now be paying closer to £75 an hour. Bear in mind that the fee should cover the costs of insurance, music and in some cases DJ equipment.

Smaller venues often book plug-and-play DJs who actually bring their own DJ equipment. Remember it's good practice to have public liability and equipment insurance if you're going this route.

There could be fee concessions for longer sets and repeat bookings factored into the price. If it were a one-off gig the £50-£75 per hour rate is a good guide price but if the venue is offering you a six hour set they might want you to lower the hourly rate. The same would go for repeat bookings, if a venue offers you four nights of work a week you might give them a discount in order to secure the booking.

You should never accept less than £30 an hour for commercial DJ gigs unless you are a beginner looking for your first experience. Even then, it's better not to undersell yourself and the DJ industry in general. If the venue is making a good profit never accept a below-industry rate. Only accept a low or compromised rate if it truly benefits you in some other way, it's a charitable cause or you're doing it for a friend or just for the love of it.

You may wish to charge per performance rather than per hour, use whichever is the greatest. For example you don't want to shoot yourself in the foot by asking for £50 an hour when the booker only wants an hour performance. In this situation you should charge something higher, the bare minimum we recommend would be £150, however you should try and get more money if possible.

As always, DJs who have more experience, a bigger name or more accolades will be able to negotiate higher fees. Make sure you have a few things you can use as leverage when negotiating your fee with the booker.

Click here for 10 ways to get better paying DJ gigs.

Agency DJs

Some DJs sign up to DJ agencies who will organise DJ gigs for them. There are two main types of DJ agency. You have agents who will look after headline acts and then you have agencies who book DJs for weddings, birthday partiers, PR events, restaurants, cruise ships, resorts and other events.

We have already covered headline DJs so in this paragraph we are talking about agency DJs who play at smaller events, meaning they are not famous enough to be headline acts.

How much do agency DJs get paid?

Most of the time DJs who get booked via an agency will get slightly less than they might if they handled their bookings independently. You might think, what's the point!? ‍

The advantage of being on the roster of an established DJ agency will be that they will secure more gigs for you, meaning they take the hassle out of the process.

As a reward for finding you DJ work they will take a percentage of the money paid by the booker, typically 30%. This arrangement fee will then go toward the running costs of the agency, namely administration costs.

In many cases the DJ agency will be more experienced at negotiating DJ fees than an independent DJ and might actually help you get higher rates of pay overall. This is a great solution for many DJs who don't want the hassle or seeking out and organising DJ gigs themselves.

The amount they are paid depends on the connections of the agency. In big cities like London DJ agencies will often secure high-profile bookings from hotels and corporations meaning that they gigs can be paid very well compared to small clubs and bars.

Wedding & Party DJs

Some DJs are not interested in becoming the next big famous headline DJ and are happy making an honest living DJing at low-key events, weddings and birthday parties.

Wedding and party DJs will often operate in their local area and build up business through local advertising and word-of-mouth.

Wedding and party DJs often also provide the DJ equipment, lights and soundsystem along with their DJ set. This means they can charge more money and in certain scenes can make a lot of cash.

How much do wedding and party DJs get paid?

People spend big on weddings and the DJ often gets a high fee. There is a lot of work involved by bringing the soundsystem, lights and equipment but the pay off can be worth it. Wedding DJ fees with equipment often start at £500 and will go into the thousands. Specialist music wedding DJs might earn even more, Indian wedding DJs in particular demand high fees.

Typically wedding DJs will offer different tiers or options for the booker. Gold, silver and bronze packages are the most common format.

A gold package might include the DJ, soundsystem, lights, dancefloor, fog machine and DJ equipment and will be the most expensive option. You would expect to pay 1k-5k for this level of service.

A silver package might include some but not all of the options, like the DJ and the soundsystem. You would expect to pay £750-£2000 for this level of service.

A bronze package would be the most budget-friendly option and just be the DJ and their equipment but no sound system or extras. Instead the booker would have to provide those. You would expect to pay £350 minimum for this kind of service but some local DJs might go cheaper, especially for kids birthday parties.

Beginner DJs

If you've just started out, learnt how to DJ and you're looking for your first DJ gigs you'll more than likely be happy to play for free. DJing in your bedroom is fun but not the goal for most new DJs. DJs want the buzz of playing to a live audience or a packed dancefloor!

Some DJs never even get a gig and might give up. Getting your first DJ gig and DJ experience can be the hardest hurdle for a DJ to traverse. This is why we organise DJ gigs for our DJ course graduates so they can launch their DJ career the fast way with our support and supervision.

If you are a beginner DJ looking for your first break click here to check out our DJ courses.

How much do Beginner DJs get paid?

If you're a new DJ wondering how much to charge for DJ gigs the general guide for a beginner is £50 an hour but you have to judge it based on the particulars of the opportunity. If you need the experience you might want to play for free just to get on the ladder.

If you're new to the game a promoter might realise that you have more to gain than them so might not offer any payment. Still, if you can haggle a fee try to do so! Failing this you might want to ask for payment in kind, like travel to the gig, beer money etc.

Just make sure you don't fall into the trap of always playing for free. In the long run this is not feasible because you do incur costs DJing. Other than your time, you have music costs to cover, equipment, training, studio time, insurance etc.

It's fine and normal too DJ for free to begin with but make sure you have a clear strategy of how to break away from freebies and into paid work. You don't always want to be the warm-up DJ!

If you want to find out how to find DJ gigs and get paid DJ work click here.

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Feb 27, 2023 - How Much Do DJs Get Paid?

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A Graduate visa gives you permission to stay in the UK for at least 2 years after successfully completing a course in the UK.

You must be in the UK when you apply.

Eligibility

You can apply for a Graduate visa if all of the following are true:

you're in the UK

your current visa is a Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa

you studied a UK bachelor's degree, postgraduate degree or other eligible course for a minimum period of time with your Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa

your education provider (such as your university or college) has told the Home Office you've successfully completed your course

You can ask your education provider if you're not sure whether they've told the Home Office you've successfully completed your course.

Check if your course is eligible and how long you need to have studied in the UK.

If you're not eligible for a Graduate visa, you may be eligible for another type of visa to stay in the UK.

How long you can stay

A Graduate visa lasts for 2 years. If you have a PHD or other doctoral qualification, it will last for 3 years.

Your visa will start from the day your application is approved.

If you want to stay longer in the UK

You cannot extend your Graduate visa. However, you may be able to switch to a different visa, for example a Skilled Worker visa.

Check you can apply for another type of visa to stay in the UK.

How to apply

You must apply online.

Your partner and children can also apply to stay in the UK if they are eligible.

When to apply

You must apply before your Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa expires.

You can apply after your education provider (such as your university or college) has told the Home Office that you've successfully completed the course you took with your Student or Tier 4 (General) student visa. You do not have to wait until you've graduated or have been given a certificate.

As part of your application, you'll need to prove your identity and provide your documents.

Your application may take longer if you need an appointment to do this. You'll find out if you need one when you start your application.

Getting a decision

Once you've applied online, proved your identity and provided your documents, you'll usually get a decision on your visa within 8 weeks.

You can stay in the UK while you wait for a decision.

How much it costs

When you apply for a Graduate visa, you'll need to:

pay the £822 application fee

pay the healthcare surcharge - this is usually £624 for each year you'll be in the UK

Check how much it will cost.

If you work in public sector healthcare

If you're a doctor or nurse, or you work in health or adult social care, check if you're eligible to apply for the Health and Care Worker visa instead. It's cheaper to apply for and you do not need to pay the annual immigration health surcharge.

If you get a job in public sector healthcare after you have paid the healthcare surcharge, you may be able to get a refund.

What you can and cannot do

With a Graduate visa you can:

You cannot:

apply for most benefits (public funds), or the State Pension

work as a professional sportsperson

If your application is successful, you'll get a full list of what you can and cannot do with a Graduate visa.

Studying with a Graduate visa

You can only study with a Graduate visa if your chosen course is not eligible for a Student visa. If your course is eligible for a Student visa, you can extend your Student visa instead.

You may need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate if you're studying or researching sensitive topics.

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Apply for a Graduate route visa if you've been on a student visa and want to stay in the UK to work - eligibility, fees, documents, extend, bring your partner and children.

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NTIA report reveals electronic music’s economic impact

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The economic benefits of electronic music in the UK have been revealed in a new report commissioned by the NTIA (Night Time Industries Association). Read on for more details…

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Latest news, bio, music and next events of Mason Maynard. Find out tour dates and buy tickets for Mason Maynard’s upcoming gigs, concerts and live shows.

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How Hyderabad’s electronic music scene has grown through four defining eras

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We speak with the pioneers of the electronic music scene in Hyderabad to understand how the local scene evolved over the years.

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Our story

Welcome to the Lion & Lamb, a freestanding 100-year-old heritage pub tucked away in Hoxton's backstreets. One of the world's best intimate music venues and a second home for our regulars, global artists and music lovers.

Alongside relaxed British pub interiors, the installation of soundproofing, a spring floor and world-class Martin Audio sound system transport attendees to a mystical dancefloor experience, crowned by a wave of jack plugs, our infamous immersive installation.

Stellar electronic music programming and an audiophile clientele come together alongside best-in-class promoters Wed-Sun to host music, arts and culture events with an extensive selection of classic pub drinks, local draughts, cocktails, mocktails and specialty spirits. Check out our listings for upcoming events at the pub, or email george@thelionandlamb.net to discuss hosting an event with us.

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Welcome to the Lion & Lamb, a freestanding 100-year-old heritage pub tucked away in Hoxton's backstreets. One of the world's best intimate music venues and a second home for our regulars, global artists and music lovers.

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How The Cost Of Living Crisis Is Impacting DJs And Producers

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Nightlife is under threat like never before. Patrick Hinton investigates the scale of problems facing dance music in 2023 and considers solutions, speaking to the industry’s most visible workers: artists

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DJMag.com Top 100 Clubs - 2025 - Position 1: Hï Ibiza

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Before they met (at a Thames riverboat party organized by Buxton), Ratcliffe grooved to the deep Latin funk of War and George Duke while Buxton was turned on to Chicago house. The pair formed Atlantic Jaxx Records in 1994, and were undoubtedly honored…