DJ & Videography

Q. Describe the most common types of jobs you do for your clients.

A. I can't say we have a 'common' type of event we do, although more than half of our events are weddings. However, we do corporate parties, holiday parties, Mitzvahs, Quinceaneras, Grand Openings, school dances, birthday parties, etc., any event that needs professional DJ entertainment.

Q. What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A. Make sure to ask plenty of questions, ask for referrals, check 'online' services such as the Better Business Bureau and get everything in writing.

Q. If you were a customer, what do you wish you knew about your trade? Any inside secrets to share?

A. If I were a client looking to book a DJ or videographer the first question I would want answered is how much experience do you have? I would also ask if referrals were available.

As far as a 'trade secret' always ask about a discount. Most DJs and videographers will offer an additional discount, especially if the event is being held during an 'off-peak' time i.e., Friday or Sunday or during the summer months.

Q. Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?

A. Experience. Desert Music Entertainment has been in business for 25 years. Anyone can plug in an iPod to some speakers and play music but deciding what to play and 'say' at the correct time takes skill and experience.

Q. What do you like most about your job?

A. First of all, it's not a job when you get to do what you love to do for a living. The best part of what I do is being able to entertain people and having them leave happy at the end of the event.

Q. What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A. The two most common questions I get are 'how much do we charge' and 'how much experience do we have.' My answer to the pricing question is that it really depends on what type of event it is, what amenities are required/desired, how long will the event go and what is the total budget for the event. We offer a number of different packages that will fit just about any want, need or budget.

Q. What do you wish customers knew about you or your profession?

A. What we do is a lot more than just playing music. I will occasionally get a response from a client, after being given a price, "all you are doing is playing music." Several things that a prospective client needs to remember is that they are paying for more than just us playing music. They are paying for our investment in the professional grade equipment that we use (which costs thousands of dollars), the extensive music library that we bring to each event (again, the cost is in the thousands of dollars) and years of experience (priceless). Also, included in the price is the preparation of the event, in some cases (weddings) there can be hours of preparation and, finally, for the DJ a four hour event is actually closer to eight hours considering the time to travel to the event, the time involved in setting up the equipment and tearing it down at the end of the event.