To separate yourself from the crowd. To show that you are a professional. To have a third-party independent organisation confirm your credentials. To let clients, promoters, venues and event organisers know that you are not a amateur. There are many reasons to join the DJAA.

From 1 July 2019 the onus for having a public performance licence has shifted to the venue or the client, accordingly Mobile DJs in Australia & New Zealand no longer require a PPCA licence to become a member of the DJAA.

NOTE: The information below will be updated when more information is obtained from OneMusic.

Whilst not required for membership, the DJAA strongly encourages all DJs to have all the appropriate music licences required for their own particular business circumstances, basic details and links are provided below for your information:

ARIA Reproduction Licence for Format shifting by Disc Jockeys: The Copyright Act provides that the making of reproductions of copyright sound recordings must be licensed. This includes the reproduction of music from a CD or LP into electronic form.

If you are a professional DJ and you want to copy all your legitimately purchased CDs and LPs for the purpose of storing them in electronic form on a central hard drive database from which they can be played, a licence can be obtained from ARIA which covers all sound recordings of ARIA licensors as listed on the ARIA website. ARIA Information Sheet on Format Shifting for DJs.

PPCA also offer a Supplemental “Z” Class licence (Business Copying Licence for Sound Recordings) only in conjunction with a public performance licence which covers cover the electronic or physical copying of sound recordings by the licence holder from a licensed physical copy (e.g. a CD) or from a licensed electronic copy (e.g. an MP3 download purchased from a legal online music store) to either one electronic copy or one physical copy.

The Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS) represents both composers and music publishers for the mechanical right – i.e. the right to license the reproduction of musical works (in audio format). Generally, AMCOS will offer a “blanket” licence which allows you to be covered for all reproduction of musical and literary works for certain purposes. Information on the tariffs involved can be found in the Casual Blanket Licence Application Form.

Check out this Information Sheet from Music Rights Australia which summarises all the licencing requirements quite well and contains links to all the licencing organisations.

For sole traders, Duck for Cover provides the lowest cost Public Liability insurance. Duck for Cover also offer other optional covers such as Personal Accident, Performing Equipment and Professional Indemnity Insurance extensions, however these may be limited as to the amount they will cover and you may be better served enquiring with other insurance companies if you find these inadequate for your needs.

Action Entertainment Insurance covers Pty Ltd companies, partnerships, sole traders and private individuals for Public Liability, Equipment Insurance, Workers Compensation and more.

Aon Insurance offers Public Liability and Equipment Insurance primarily for sole traders but is able to tailor insurance cover solutions to individual business circumstances.

DJ Insurance Services is an insurance broker that can provide all types of insurance cover specific to DJs and music entertainers regardless whether you are a sole trader, partnership or any other business structure.

Disclaimer: The links above are provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by the DJAA of any of the products, information, services or opinions  contained therein. The DJAA bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of the external sites or for that of subsequent links.

One of the minimum standards required to be continuously met for DJAA Accredited membership is that all equipment is test and tagged in accordance with AS/NZS 3760.

AS/NZS 3760 is a standard created by Standards Australia and Standards New Zealand that outlines a testing method and frequency for portable electrical appliances. Its main goal is to ensure workplaces are safe by setting out recommendations in relation to testing 240V, 3 phase and low voltage electrical equipment.

Specifically, these recommendations focus on topics that range from Test and Tag frequencies, inspection and testing specifications, record keeping and other general guidelines. This extends to any equipment or appliances brought into the workplace i.e. battery charger, laptop chargers, electric drill etc. If the equipment is not safe and causes an accident, both the employer and the person who provided the appliance may be liable. This standard is used in both Australia and New Zealand.

AS/NZS 3760 also stipulates the requirements that a person needs to fulfill to be considered a Competent Person.  Test and Tagging can be carried out by anyone deemed competent by training, qualification or experience. It does not require a registered electrician.

As the employer or self-employed person is responsible for determining that the person carrying out inspection, testing and tagging of electrical equipment has the required competencies and there are many overnight test and tag company’s looking for your business,  the DJAA suggests that you use a reputable test and tag company with many years behind them and verify their certification as a Competent Person by asking to see certification of appropriate training etc.

You can also undertake a recognised test & tag course through a Registered Training Organisation and carry out the test and tagging yourself. This will also necessitate the purchase of appropriate testing equipment.

The DJAA requires that the test & tagging is continually carried out within prescribed time periods. This is evidenced by submitting a copy of the test log completed by your qualified tester.

For Accredited Level Membership, in addition to client references, the DJAA also requires at least 3 industry references. An industry reference is some other industry professional that you have worked with regularly and that knows the level of service you provide, can vouch for your professionalism, presentation, ethics, etc.

Examples of industry references are; a venue you regularly perform at or are a preferred supplier, a photographer/videographer you work with regularly, a celebrant you have worked with on a number of occasions, or a florist, cake maker, etc. Really any industry related person who can vouch for you, your business and services delivered.

Yes! Whilst membership is on an individual basis, if you work or sub-contract for another DJ and that entity covers you for (i) Public Liability Insurance, (ii) test & tagging and/or (iii) covers you for any music licence required, you are very welcome to submit your application for DJAA membership. The DJAA will need to verify that the employer DJ does actually cover you for the stated requirements, so you may need to ask for some documentation or the employer DJ may need to be contacted directly by the DJAA.

If you subsequently leave this employer and start with another, verification of continuing coverage is required from the new employer or evidence that you have taken care of it on your own accord will be necessary for continued membership.

Of course! Just let us know that you require help via this form and a DJAA representative will contact you directly to provide any information you require and guide you in completing the Accredited Membership Application.

Once your Accredited Membership Application is received, the first thing that happens is that all the submitted material is reviewed to ensure that everything required has been provided and valid. If all is in order and there have been no omissions, the Membership Officer or one of the Executive Committee Members,  will commence the background reference checks. If there is something missing or any clarification required, you be contacted to resolve these matters so that your application may proceed  to the next step.

Please be aware that the reference checks can in some instances, take a little time as those listed may be somewhat difficult to contact or fail to respond which is why both a telephone number and email address being provided is advised. If we are unable to contact or obtain a reference from any of those listed, you will be contacted to provide some additional referees. Feedback received from reference check process is documented and kept with the Application.

Once the reference checks have been satisfactorily completed and all required evidence of compliance with membership requirements has been validated, a review of everything is undertaken by a Member of the Executive who was not involved in the process. Should there be any issue which was missed or overlooked the applicant will be contacted to clarify or obtain additional verification. The Webmaster will be forwarded details for the member listing for the web site.

Your achievement will be announced on the DJAA Public Facebook Page, you will be given access to and announced as a new member on the DJAA Members Only Facebook Group and your listing made live on the web site.

Only DJAA Accredited members receive a detailed listing on the DJAA web site.

The DJAA has set minimum standards and associated requirements of membership to raise the perception and professionalism of DJs & MCs within the industry and the community in general. The standards and requirements are based on some minimum requirements one would logically expect a professional DJ or MC business to already have. Unfortunately, this is not always the case and having the standards and requirements helps separate the professional DJ & MCs from the amateurs. These standards reassures venues, event organisers, clients and others that you are not only professional, but that you are also playing by the rules and conducting your business in a professional manner.

The DJAA is governed by it’s Constitution and this comes under Section 5(d) which states that:

“A person ceases to be a member of the association if the person:

(d)  fails to maintain minimum requirements under section 14,”

The process of Disciplining Members is covered in Section 12, while Section 13 covers the process and Right of Appeal of a Disciplined Member.

In extenuating circumstances, the Committee may be able to grant exemption from compliance with the requirements for a certain time period. This is considered on a case by case basis, by the Committee, but only in truly extenuating circumstances.

An Accredited Member who is not in compliance with the requirements, except in extenuating circumstances, will have their membership downgraded to a General Member.

Membership fees may be made via the DJAA website. We accept the major credit cards or via PayPal. Membership may be paid for on a monthly or yearly basis. When you first join you will be asked to agree to monthly or annual  automatic renewals. Automatic renewals may be cancelled at any time via your specific Member Area.

Yes – DJAA Members may take advantage of numerous mentoring opportunities. Whilst a lot of informal mentoring naturally occurs between our members, the DJAA also has a formal structured Mentor Program framework which provides some checks and balances that allows both Mentee and Mentor to evaluate and track progress against goals. Details of this process can be found in the DJAA Mentor Program Guidelines Document.

For Members interested in mentoring, the first step should be to approach a member of the Committee to discuss possibilities, ascertain options and obtain direction.

Section 39 (1) of the DJAA Constitution states that: “Subject to any resolution passed by the association in general meeting, the funds of the association are to be used in pursuance of the objects of the association in such manner as the committee determines.”

Membership funds are used in the running of the Association, such as web hosting, domain names, email and business apps, accounting software services, marketing, Annual Conference promotion and expenses, providing educational opportunities for members and promotion of the DJAA in general.

Should you have any question regarding membership which has not been covered above, please complete this form and an appropriate DJAA representative will revert with the answer in a timely manner.