Students enrolled in Milton District High School\’s audio production program got a surprise guest talk from two of the industry\’s most knowledgeable leaders, Deadmau5 & Steve Duda. Admittedly, Deadmau5 was more nervous speaking to the thirty students than he was performing a sold out show in front of thousands. Nonetheless, he was able to make an impactful impression while sharing his experiences with the eager students interested in the music industry.
\”Don\’t follow the gospel of someone else.\” – Deadmau5
Deadmau5 began by explaining to the students the importance of face-to-face networking as a musician:
\”The most important connections I made were made in real life. I went to radio stations, \’Can I intern here?\’\” He went on to be hired by a station in Niagara falls, where he produced a radio show.
He recalled his first time experiencing success as a producer, hearing his 30 second Jiffy Lube jingle appearing in a radio ad:
\”That was so empowering, hearing it on the radio, and then someone said to me ‘How much did you get for that? And I was like \’Ah, nothing, experience.\’\”
He went on to explain that prior to producing full-time he was fitting suits for a Portuguese tailor in Toronto, and used the money he saved to earn his equipment:
\”There’s 57 measurements to the perfect suit…Versace is like McDonald’s compared to the suits these people would have custom-tailored. People would drop $15,000 to $20,000 on a suit.”
Deadmau5 was also asked to comment on his advice for aspiring musicians:
\”My biggest advice to people who want to become rock stars is… don’t even shoot for that, unplug from social media, get off Twitter, get off Instagram, and start learning the tools. Music is the most subjective thing you could possibly do.\”
Deadmau5 later explained to the media his reasons for taking the guest interview:
\”I like sharing my experiences, not necessarily that I like teaching, because I don\’t, I hate it, I get frustrated. I enjoy sharing my experiences in the hopes that somebody benefits from that in some way.\”
