DJ/Producer duo Project 46 is one to watch on the dance music scene.
Jumping 30 to find themselves at #70 on this year’s DJ MAG TOP 100,
they’ve shared the stage with the likes of Morgan Page and collaborated
with massive names, such as Kaskade. It’s clear we’ll be hearing much
more from them.
The duo is comprised of Ryan Henderson, who owns a popular EDM
club, Beta, in his hometown of Waterloo, Ontario and Thomas Shaw
from Vancouver; to say these guys are busy is an understatement. On
top of being DJs, the guys focus heavily on building their fan base and
interacting with everyone on social media.
With over 14,000 Twitter followers and 120,000 Facebook fans,
Henderson said managing the social side of the business it comes with
it’s own challenges.
“The crazy thing is that [your fans] go through cycles,” he said. “They
support you, but once you become more successful they start hating on
you. You have to learn to ignore it, do your thing, and do your best.”
Aside from fans, Henderson says he often has to think about other DJs
and producers when he’s posting stuff to social media. Many DJs like
to poke at friends or competitors, like Deadmau5 for example, who’s
always stirring up controversy on Twitter with jabs at Tiesto and Afrojack
(to name a few).
Henderson says that he used to say whatever he wanted on social media,
but has since learned his lesson.
“I found myself saying things about songs, but it would get back to
certain producers,” he said. “I’m not trying to be an asshole, but
maybe I personally shouldn’t be doing that anymore. It’s not what
I want from a personal Facebook account so I’ve detached myself
from it.”
Social media aside, the duo is highly focused on their music.
Henderson comes from a business background and Shaw brings
music knowledge to the table. Living across the country may
seem like a challenge, but the two of them say they’ve found
harmony working together.
“I think we’ve spent a long time teaching each other a lot of
stuff,” said Henderson. “If you talked to Shaw two years ago he
would be in a very different place. Same thing if you talked to
me about music two years ago. I think this partnership has really
worked in a sense that we’ve taught each other a lot.”