Wedding DJ, Event DJ - Cape Cod, MA to Fort Myers, FL - DJ and Karaoke Services - Tribute Performances

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

A. DJ, Karaoke Services and Tribute Performances delivered at Wedding Receptions, Wedding Rehearsal Dinners, Corporate Events, Family Parties including Birthdays, Anniversaries, Business Celebrations & Openings, Charity Events, Professional Conferences, and 55+ and Older Communities from Cape Cod, MA to Boston, MA and Providence, RI!

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

A. In addition to the food, your entertainment may be the most important aspect of your wedding or other special event.

1. Work closely with your entertainer; be certain that he or she is willing to meet with you, and/or communicate with you via email if distance is problematic.
2. Do not wait until the last minute to plan or organize your event; this can be disastrous. When possible, have all of your music playlists developed at least 45 days in advance of your wedding/event.
3. Be sure to minimize last minute changes.

When you are not familiar with the latest dance music, get some advice from a couple of your friends. Give the DJ something to work with; let him or her know what you want to hear, and what you do not want played (Genres, etc.). Remember that your guest usually cover a broad range of ages. Would you like to have them all involved in dancing at your wedding or other event? Do you like Disco, R & B, Country, Top 40, Oldies, Rap? Explicit lyrics ok or banned? etc. etc.

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

A. In all trades, there are unethical people and practices that you see occur, from time to time. It is by no means rampant, but there are DJ's and other entertainers who book gigs at a very low rate, then cancel, (sometimes at the last moment). (They do this to guarantee their income, knowing they'll cancel if someone is willing to pay them more.) Other DJ's sometimes take a down payment, and never meet or communicate with the planner to determine their vision for their event. They show up ready to play the music that they played at the last wedding, without any concern for the client's taste.

This is definitely not an ethical way to do business and fortunately most DJ's do not operate this way. Many contracts allow last minute cancelations - so, "planners" need to be aware of this and check references.

Q. What questions should a consumer ask to hire the right service professional?

A. 1. Do you charge extra for travel and set up?

2. Will you work closely with us to play the music that we want to hear?

3. Will you provide some guidance around the kind of music that gets people up and dancing?

4. What's the best way for us to communicate with each other? Are you willing to meet with us before the wedding/event?

5. Will you visit the venue prior to the wedding or event?

6. Do you MC the event?

7. Do you provide an organizer?

8. Can you provide references from couples or venues that have worked with you in the recent past?

Q. What important information should buyers have thought through before seeking you out?

A. Where is your event being held; when is it being held and what is the time frame? What is your budget? Are there any special circumstances that must be considered?
Example, is the wedding happening really soon because someone is in the military and being deployed? What kind of music (genres, e.g. disco, Hip Hop, R&B, 80's, etc.) do you like to dance to?

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

A. Our work stands out from others in several ways.

First, we believe that it's important to work closely with our clients in order to determine their vision and preferences in music and atmosphere for their wedding, conference, or other special event. (Some of our brides have chosen virtually every song for their wedding.) Also, we are able to provide a wide variety of entertainment options; from acoustic guitar solos, to live vocals, to standard DJ services and Karaoke.

Known in Massachusetts as "The Singing DJ's," we are versatile. We have worked in many different venues: from small family parties, to clubs, to very large weddings and conferences for several hundred people. We're often asked to sing during cocktail hours and for special dances at weddings and other events; then play dance music to get the "party" started, and then finish up with a karaoke show. We do it all for one competitive price.

Our equipment is excellent, reliable and backed up. We have JBL active and passive speakers; a Mackie Stereo Amplifier and Shure Mics. Three MAC computers (with wifi) provide the foundation for our dance music, and karaoke shows. We have our karaoke and dance songs available on our computers with the ability (wifi) to download requests on the spot.

We're a family operated business. My wife, Mary, daughter Emilie, and I are all singers and we're very well educated. (Doctorate, CAGS and Masters +30)

Q. What do you like most about your job?

A. Whether we are helping a bride and groom choose special songs for their wedding; or helping other "planners" with their special event, we always try to listen attentively and provide appropriate support so that the "planners" vision will be our vision. This is the most satisfying part of the job, in addition to working with Mary and/or Emilie at our events.

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

A. After they ask about the price, they often ask about our availability and for references.

Q. Do you have a favorite story from your work?

A. A DJ canceled at the last minute on one of our clients. She found us on the internet and we met with both the bride and groom and planned their wedding together. (We have a useful "Wedding Organizer.")

They weren't sure about karaoke at the end of their reception, but eventually decided to go with it; it was a massive success! People had a terrific time.

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

A. I'm a former Elementary School Counselor and Principal; my wife is a former Director of Special Needs; my daughter is a Speech and Language Pathologist working in the schools.

We have worked closely with students, colleagues and parents for years. We have pretty good communication skills and a solid education. We're comfortable performing in the public and working with others. I believe that this may be the most important characteristic to look for when you're planning entertainment.

Q. How did you decide to get in your line of work?

A. I've always loved music; and I enjoy working with people, so this is a natural line of work for me. (When I was an elementary school principal, I sang with my students at assemblies that we held on peaceful problem solving, etc! I became known in town as "the karaoke principal."

Q. Tell us about a recent job you did that you are particularly proud of.

A. Massachusetts School Nurse Association Conference in Hyannis, MA

Line Dancing and Karaoke Show - great time, lots of fun!

Q. Do you do any sort of continuing education to stay up on the latest developments in your field?

A. Yes and I also work closely with other DJ's, Karaoke providers and musicians in our area.

Q. What are the latest developments in your field? Are there any exciting things coming in the next few years or decade that will change your line of business?

A. Computers are revolutionizing the music industry. Not that long ago, a DJ would be hard pressed to "carry" all of the discs to and from the venue, in addition to the equipment need to play them all.
Modern DJ's show up with their computers and have the latest music available at their fingertips. If you can find the tune on the internet, it's downloadable immediately for about $1.00 to $2.00 dollars, and you can play it in a matter of minutes. Revolutionary!

Q. Describe your most recent project, what it involved, how much it cost, and how long it took.

A. Recently we provided the entertainment for both a rehearsal dinner and wedding for a young couple from California, who were planning a destination wedding on Cape Cod. Lots of email communications and several meetings once they arrived on the Cape led to an outstanding wedding. The rehearsal dinner was lots of fun (over 100 people attended) with great speeches from friends about the bride and groom, music during dinner and followed by karaoke for all! The wedding, with almost 300 guests, was also terrific with everyone getting involved regardless of age - everyone danced to the music they chose with a very nice blend of country, top 40's and hip hop. Great fun for everyone and a terrific experience for all involved!

Q. If you have a complicated pricing system for your service, please give all the details here.

A. We can provide standard MC and DJ services (no vocals or karaoke) for a wedding reception beginning at $649.00. (typical wedding reception with DJ Joe Anthony)

Our complete package of services begins at $799.00, for a typical wedding reception. This option includes MC services, and "The Singing DJ's," Ron & Emilie Larrivee. In that way you can elect any and all of our services including: live vocals, karaoke (often toward the end of the evening), open mic (if you have talented singers or performers in your family or among your friends), and of course DJ dance services!

Q. If you were advising someone who wanted to get into your profession, what would you suggest?

A. Offer to intern with someone first to determine whether or not you really enjoy the profession before you spend a lot of money on equipment and start up costs. (Go to at least a half-dozen different types of events to get a feel for the commitment and profession.)

Q. What is your greatest strength?

A. We have several strengths that separate us from other DJ services. First of all, we are well educated (graduate school degrees). Second, we always have two DJ's at every event in order to keep things organized and to meet everyone's needs. We're also excellent singers and we often perform at weddings which personalizes the event for the bride and groom (this, of course, is totally up to the bride and groom). Finally, we come with
back up equipment; always ready for any emergency.

Q. What are you currently working on improving?

A. We're always working on improving our communication with couples to be certain that their needs are met and that they will be happy with the results. It's their biggest day, and we intend to make it as special as we can by providing the music that they desire - we always wan't them to be happy with our services so we work real hard to meet all of their needs. From working on "names" and the appropriate pronunciation, to picking special dance songs, we always provide the resources necessary to make everything work smoothly and seamlessly.

Q. Write your own question and answer it.

A. When should I start planning my event?

As soon as you possibly can; if you know you're getting married about a year from now, you'd best start immediately. Decide on your budget; then find your venue; plan your food, decide on your entertainment budget what kind of entertainment you would prefer for your reception and rehearsal dinner (DJ or Band). There are many planning sites that you can find on line that will help you in your decision making and planning. Keep your sense of humor and have fun with your planning!