DJ Services

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

A. There are a few very important factors to consider when you're choosing a disc jockey.
1) EXPERIENCE - An experienced DJ knows what music will get the crowd on the dance floor. There isn't one "sure thing" song that works at every event. DJs know music well and can make changes "on the fly" to entice the crowd and keep them dancing.
2) PERSONALITY - This is a matter of your personal preference. Myself, I'm a "low key" DJ, meaning I'll be more than happy to make announcements as needed (bridal party intros, special dances, etc.) but I won't stop down the music every 10-15 minutes "just to talk" for the sole purpose of talking. In my opinion, your guests are at your wedding to see YOU and enjoy the company of YOUR family and friends -- not to hear the DJ chattering on about random topics.
3) INSURANCE - Make sure your DJ carries insurance. I do carry a liability policy. I've never had to use it, and I hope I never do, but it provides important protection both for me as a DJ, and for you as a customer. Even if you can get an awesome DJ with a low price, and your venue doesn't require insurance... you should never hire a DJ that can't produce proof of liability insurance.

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

A. Reputable DJs today have websites where many questions are answered. If these questions aren't already answered on their websites, be sure to ask:

1) Do you provide a contract detailing the services you will provide and the prices to be paid? (Answer should always be yes. Never hire a DJ who won't put the terms of your event in writing.)

2) Do you have insurance? Can you name our venue as an "additional insured" on your policy? (Again, answer should always be yes. If you hire a DJ who is uninsured, you could be taking a big personal risk.)

3) How much time do you need to set-up (or load-in) your equipment? How much time do you need to break down (or load-out) after the event? Answers may vary; just make sure the DJ can load-in/load-out in a timeframe that's compatible with your venue. For example, if you have an evening reception, your venue might allow only one hour for set-up after someone else's afternoon reception is over. If your DJ says he/she needs 90 minutes to set-up, they might need to hire a second person (at your expense) to speed-up the process and get it done in an hour.

4) How many events do you book per day? Some DJs will try to book multiple events in the same day. Do you want your DJ arriving late and appearing tired-out because they got delayed at someone else's earlier reception and rushed like heck to get to yours? Similarly, do you want your DJ watching the clock and hoping nobody notices them wrapping up early to get a head start on moving to someone else's later reception?

My personal limit is one event per day. Informally, I usually limit myself to one event per weekend. This allows me to be 100% focused on YOUR event, and nobody else's.

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

A. Q: What kinds of music do you play?
A: Whatever you want! When you hire me, I'm working for you. If you have any special requests for "must-have" songs I will make sure they are played. Just as importantly, if there are any songs, artists or genres you don't want to hear at all, I will honor those requests too.

Every single event is different. One wedding couple's musical tastes can be polar opposites from another couple. I create a unique playlist for every single event I play, and I often rearrange it on-the-fly as the crowd responds to what's being played.

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

A. Since I was a teenager, I wanted to get into broadcasting. That was my major in college and I got my first part-time job in radio while still in school. Almost immediately after graduating, I was hired full-time. After nearly 10 years total between radio and TV, it was time to leave broadcasting full-time for something more "financially stable."
While my full-time job is now something else outside of broadcasting, my love for broadcasting is why I've increased my presence as an event disc jockey and it's why I continue to work in radio part-time.

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. One of the biggest developments for the disc jockey business is the fact that computers have "taken over" from CDs.
In the past, a DJ had to carry crates and crates of CDs to each event. You can imagine the potential problems which could come from CDs being lost, stolen, mixed up, etc.
Today, with computers, all the songs can be stored on a hard drive. This means my entire music library is with me at every event... so if there are any last-minute changes or requests, I can usually handle them -- it's not like the old days where a DJ might have to say, "I didn't think I'd need that song, so I left that CD at home."
For every event, I bring two laptops and two hard drives -- both synced with all my music. So, should one laptop unexpectedly fail, I have a backup ready to go. I also create a custom CD with some of your wedding's "key" songs, so I can keep the music going seamlessly even while changing out laptops. So far, I've only had to swap out hard drives once during a wedding, but thanks to the backup CD, nobody was the wiser.