DJ Jerry B’s Blog Mostly daytime ramblings

August 12, 2012

The “Wedding Entertainment Director”

Filed under: Weddings — Tags: , , , , — DJJerryB @ 4:52 pm

File this under Are You Serious?

There is a growing trend of wedding DJs not referring to themselves as wedding DJ.  They prefer the term “Wedding Entertainment Director.” I guess people can call themselves anything they want — there is no such thing as a licensing board for this profession. It screams marketing GIMMICK to me. Make no mistake, this is exactly the same as when a trash hauler insists on calling himself a “Sanitation Engineer.” If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck…

There is nothing I can do about the fact that anyone can refer to themselves as a DJ, despite an absolute lack of skill, knowledge or experience (and in that spirit, I guess if I know how to remove a splinter, that means I can call myself a surgeon?) It irks me to no end, hearing some of the horror stories that people relate to me about past experiences with the person they hired, especially for their wedding. I am absolutely certain that the goal of this is to separate oneself from the term “DJ” because, rightly or wrongly, it can have a less than positive reaction in people’s minds.

So here’s a thought: how about, instead of some phoney baloney hype machine creating new terminology, you put that effort into changing people’s perception of what a DJ can be.

I am a Wedding DJ — and I’m really proud to be the best one I know how to be.

January 28, 2012

Choosing Price Over Quality

Filed under: Advice — Tags: , , , , , — DJJerryB @ 2:41 pm

The following statement is borrowed from another wedding professional, but I’m happy to use it without claiming it to be my own:

“It’s hard to promote quality service to people who shop for their wedding vendors like they shop for groceries.”

I had never really thought about some of the challenges there would be in getting the right message out to my potential customers until I heard that. But now those words constantly echo in my head.

I read the wedding forums and actively participate in a few of them. I hear the same things over and over again. DJs are obnoxious. DJs are all the same. As soon as a DJ hears “wedding” they automatically jack up the price — presumably arbitrarily.

Um, no…

Some (not all) DJs are obnoxious. Some (not all) hairstylists are obnoxious. Some (not all) cab drivers are obnoxious. Some (not all) salespeople are obnoxious. Some (not all) teachers are obnoxious. Notice a trend here?

Anyone who thinks that the demands of a wedding are the same as those of any other event (and, therefore, should be priced the same) have clearly never been involved in the wedding industry. The funny thing is, I’ve never heard a bride say that planning her wedding was exactly the same as planning a party.

I like to highlight what a true professional disc jockey can offer to their clients versus what an amateur cannot. If you go with a professional, you will get peace of mind knowing that they’re ready for whatever you hand them. They have the experience, talent, and know-how to get the job done. You can rest easy at night knowing your wedding day won’t be an experiment for them.

Okay, now help me here folks…what is that worth?

If statistics are to be believed, a couple will spend, on average, between $22,000 and $25,000 on their wedding. Now that’s a national average. Some will spend from several hundred to a few thousand dollars (Kim Kardashian’s little soiree , on the other hand, probably cost upwards of $10 million — but you have to take into consideration that, for that investment, there were 72 whole days of wedded bliss before filing for divorce. My thinking is that the Defense of Marriage Act may be targeting the wrong demographic, but, I digress…)

I read somewhere that Martha Stewart once stated that the entertainment chosen for a wedding is responsible for 80% of the event’s success. I don’t know if Martha ever really said that or how to quantify such a factoid (i.e. did 80% of the guests have a great time while the other 20% thought it was only “meh…”; or will everyone enjoy everything for 80% of the wedding?) What can I say, I tend to take these “statistics” with a grain of salt, but there is still a perfectly valid takeaway from it:

If YOUR measurement of success for a wedding is having your family and friends raving about how good a time they had, the entertainment is a huge priority. Please (!) choose wisely.

November 22, 2011

Off Season has arrived

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , — DJJerryB @ 11:23 am

The end of wedding season is always a mixed bag. 2011 was a great year on several levels. I’ve written about many of the couples I worked with and I would say that it was as satisfying a year as I can ever remember. And while one couple in particular made a huge impact on me (and if you are reading this, you know who you are!) I have to say that, across the board, I am thankful to have shared such special days with so many truly good people — I wouldn’t have traded ANY of them. I thank them all again for letting me be a part of their celebration.

And while there may be some small measure of taking a breath as the slow season arrives, it also presents new opportunities.

Inquiries for the following season begin to pick up around the holidays (many people either become engaged or announce it to their loved ones during family get-togethers around the holiday season.) Many dates in 2012 are already booked and, in fact, I am already beginning to turn away couples because their date is taken — probably my LEAST favorite part of this business. Even as I write this, I have several pending meetings with prospective clients who are anxious to hire their DJ.

It”s also a time to focus on the management side of things by looking ahead. It’s a time to plan business purchases, update/upgrade equipment, determine marketing plans, website updates, budgets and so on. I am excited at the prospect of adding uplighting  as an optional service. As a side note, I’m always very cautious about trying to wear too many hats, but this will fit nicely into the service that I provide and is only being introduced after careful consideration and planning.

2012 looks to be another very good year.

July 5, 2011

2012 Weddings

Filed under: Advice — Tags: , , , , , , — DJJerryB @ 6:00 am

It’s hard to imagine that, here in the middle of wedding season 2011, I’m going to suggest a call to action for couples who are planning their wedding next year, but that’s precisely what I’m going to do. The reason is very simple.

Availability.

If you were to believe many of the online planning tools, they will suggest that you can get a DJ anywhere from six to twelve months prior to your wedding. And that’s PARTIALLY true if you plan to pull names from a phone book.  But if you are looking to hire a specific DJ (or photographer,  planner or wedding venue) you shouldn’t think that this time frame is safe.

In my own experience, just so far this year, I have turned away 15 to 20 couples who inquired about dates that I already had booked. I’ve been asked many times over the years why I have never pursued the idea of hiring other DJs so that I can take more bookings. For me, it’s very simple. I am a service provider, not a product. Truly “personalized service” is not a marketing ploy. It’s the heart and soul of my business. I do only one wedding on any given date and so do many other independent vendors.

Prime wedding season is from early April though late October. There are only 25 to 30 Saturdays within that time period and those are the dates that book the fastest. If you are planning a Saturday wedding next year, it’s not too early to get your vendors under contract.

 

 

 

February 5, 2011

Blogging

Filed under: Personal — Tags: , — DJJerryB @ 2:35 pm

Although I love to write, I’ll admit that I don’t know if there is enough material to sustain this blog. It is, after all, supposed to be a business blog. I enjoy writing about the couples who have hired me for their weddings, the friends that I have made along the way and the fun (and sometimes terror) that they feel in their planning. But over and above that, what does a DJ write about? Tips, suggestions and whatnot can only go so far. So I decided to do what I do best when I want to learn about something new to me.

I Googled it.

I started searching for DJ blogs that are already out there to see what other DJs have to say. There’s no way that I would ever steal anyone else’s material or style, but I wanted to come up with some inspiration.

I was horrified.

Some have written page after page of text, copied and pasted from other websites. I found at least one that forgot to substitute his business name from the one he stole it from. I guess he didn’t get the memo about the concept of “intellectual property” and I suspect I know where most of his music has been acquired (although I wonder how much scrambling he had to do once Limewire was shut down…)

Some use their blog as a place to directly bash their competition. I guess I really don’t get that at all.  In all of the time I have done this, I have never bad-mouthed another disc jockey to a customer. And trust me, I have seen some pretty sleazy things done by DJs. Like the one who advertises the fact that he was voted “Best DJ” by a particular vendor voting website in Massachusetts — I have been in the business a long time and was quite surprised that such a site existed and I had never even heard of it. I understood a lot better when, after just a little investigation, I discovered that he (the “Best DJ”) was the registrar of that “voting” website. I don’t think those election results were ever going to be in doubt.

I saw one that was heavy on the photographs taken at parties he had worked.  I think that photographs are really useful if they help tell the story. Not so much on this one, since almost every shot was either out of focus, too dark to see the detail, cut the tops off the heads of those in the photos, or were framed so badly that you weren’t exactly sure if the photographer was standing or laying on his back.

I do have to admit that one blog did have beautiful, crystal clear images accompanying the articles. And in every one, the DJ was looking fine… in his white Elvis jumpsuit, wig and sunglasses.

Eww…

December 29, 2010

Picking Songs For Your Wedding

Filed under: Advice — Tags: , , , — DJJerryB @ 10:58 am

This is not going to be about choosing music for your first dance, last dance, the Bride with her dad or Groom with his mom. Perhaps that will be material for another post. This is about picking songs for your DJ to play during the dance portion of your reception. Couples can be all over the map on this one.

I have had a few prospective  customers call me who wanted to choose every song, and, in one instance,  to have them all played in a specific order. No variations and no requests from guests.

Um… okay… why did you call me? If all you need is someone push the play button, you don’t need a DJ.

Don’t get me wrong. I want input from every person who hires me. It’s the only way for me to get to know your likes and dislikes. Make as many suggestions as you like relative to music and song preferences. Choose 10 or choose 100. It’s really completely up to you. And I promise that I will take every suggestion that you offer to help build a play list that will make your reception as fun as it can be.

It has been so overused that I try to avoid using the term “it’s your day.”

Yes, it is your day. If you hire me, you are my boss that day. And it’s my duty to do the best I can to give you and your guests the best entertainment possible. That means being flexible. It means watching your guests and how they respond to the music selections. Choosing the time to change the tempo to try to get everyone on the dance floor. It means choosing different songs or styles because it’s what the crowd is responding to. It’s being able to play a request from a guest because it will add to the energy of the mix. And it sometimes means diplomatically saying no to a request that isn’t right for the moment. These are things that can’t be done by simply pushing the play button.

So you say you don’t want to hear those cheesy songs that every DJ plays? Guess what. DJs don’t want to hear them either.  Believe it or not, when I am getting ready to leave for a performance, the first thought going through my head is not, “Oh boy, I get to hear ‘Y.M.C.A.’ for the 8,000th time!” No talented DJ will ever add those songs to his play list for the evening. A veteran DJ only plays songs like The Macarena, The Electric Slide, Cha-Cha Slide or (ugh….) Chicken Dance because either a client or a guest requests it. Will I play them if the client has said it is okay to accept those requests? Yes I will and I’ll do it with a smile on my face. Why? Because it’s my duty to make everyone feel that there is room at the party for them. That said, you should absolutely provide your DJ with a do not play list for any songs that, under any circumstances, you don’t want to hear. And you should be specific by adding “even if requested by a guest.”

In a typical wedding reception, you will likely end up with around two hours of open dancing. That will translate to between 35 and 40 songs. Keep those numbers in mind If you have any must play songs for this portion of the reception. If you choose 30 songs that you have to hear, you are not leaving much room for your DJ to show the flexibility needed to craft the music that your guests will remember.

December 9, 2010

Questions to Ask Your DJ When You Don’t Know What to Ask

Filed under: Advice — Tags: , , — DJJerryB @ 11:08 am

Although not intended to be all-inclusive, if you’re hiring a disc jockey for the first time and don’t know where to start, here are a few questions to include in your initial inquiry:

Question #1. Are you available?

I know it may sound pretty basic, but you would be surprised how many times I’ll get an e-mail asking about my rates, style, experience, etc. without mention of a date. None of that matters if I’m already booked. Give your prospective disc jockey the date, time and location of your function before asking anything else.

Question #2. Do you offer a written Contract?

If the DJ you are considering only does business with a handshake, or a wink and a smile, run (do not walk) for the door. The Contract should clearly spell out all charges, what is required, and what is included.

Question #3. Do you require a deposit/retainer to hold the date. If so, how much is it?

Most vendors will require a retainer. It can be a flat dollar amount, but is more commonly a percentage of the total charge (in my experience, between 25% and 50% of the total is the norm.)

Question #4. What styles of music do you have?

Again, you would think of this as a no-brainer, but on more than one occasion, someone has hired me, generally at the last minute, failing to mention that the party has a “theme” — and I’m caught unprepared to play four hours of “NASCAR’s Greatest Hits”…

Question #5. Do you maintain a list of references that we can contact?

Don’t just rely on testimonials posted on a website. As unconscionable as it is, there are examples in which those “testimonials” are not from genuine satisfied customers. Some less than scrupulous vendors have been known to have friends, family or hired reviewers write what they think prospective customers would want to read. Some others have offered deeply discounted (or free) services in exchange for a favorable review. It’s not ethical, and I HOPE it’s the exception, but it does happen.

November 19, 2010

Class Reunions

Filed under: Reunions — Tags: , , — DJJerryB @ 7:26 am

A class reunion is a very special occasion. I have done my share of them. And I have learned that they call for a special kind of DJ, not just an ordinary wedding or club DJ.

The first thing that needs to be understood is that the dynamics of a reunion are completely different than any other type of event. Guests are there to see each other. And they don’t need a DJ who’s shouting and chattering and trying to get everyone involved in the party. The DJ at a reunion has to be a ‘traffic cop’– directing the class members when to sit for dinner, when to gather for photos, and helping the reunion committee coordinate their planned activities.

But above all, the DJ must understand that most people go to a reunion to talk with their old classmates, not necessarily to dance. After the guests have had plenty of time to renew old friendships and relive old memories, then and only then will they be ready to dance. And a professional DJ must have patience and tact to deal with the handful of guests who get frustrated that the dance floor doesn’t fill right away, and who blame the DJ for it. That’s where an amateur will panic and play a lot of inappropriate music to try to force people to dance when they’re not ready.

September 27, 2010

Working and Playing Well With Others

Filed under: Advice — Tags: , , , — DJJerryB @ 12:26 pm

I firmly believe that any good mobile DJ (and one who truly wants to be a GREAT disc jockey) needs to understand that, more than music, this job is about customer service. And borrowing a term from my old financial services days, you have both external and internal customers.

The external customer is an easy one to identify. They are the ones who pay you. The bride and groom, the host, the corporate event planner and so on. And if you want to get work, you better provide them with top-notch customer service.

The internal customer is a different story. When a DJ  is hired to perform at a wedding, or any function for that matter, he becomes a member of a team. The photographer, videographer, florist/decorator, event manager, bartender, catering staff, cleaning crew — all need to have a good working relationship to make it seamless to the external customer. And his role is no more important than any other team member. Some disc jockeys would be well served to remember this simple fact.

Whenever I arrive at a venue to set up, I always make the effort to smile and say hello to every person who is working that day. If you have ever worked in the food service industry, as I have, you know how boring and repetitive (and underappreciated) it can be. A little friendly small talk can go a long way in letting them know that you respect the job that they are doing.

Teamwork between the DJ and photographer is paramount, otherwise special moments can be missed. Working closely with the caterer ensures that their staff can provide the best service to guests.

Having an open line of communication with the other professionals who are on the job will provide a better finished product for your shared customer.

September 6, 2010

The iPod Wedding

Filed under: Advice — Tags: , , , , — DJJerryB @ 11:18 am

All you have to do is Google “ipod wedding” and you’ll see a big can of worms open before your very eyes. You’ll find passionate arguments on both sides of the debate on whether you should do-it-yourself on music for your wedding.

I think there a few situations in which a DIY approach makes a lot of sense. First, if you have no desire (or don’t expect) to have dancing at your wedding, and are just looking for background music, then an iPod or a pre-programmed playlist on your laptop is a reasonable approach.  Second, I think that doing your own music would be preferable to hiring a really bad DJ. At least you know what will be played if it’s your music. It is also a perfectly logical choice if you are doing your entire wedding on a shoestring budget.

What is NOT reasonable is the presumption that there is no difference between an iPod and an experienced professional disc jockey, since they both play music. That whole thought process is flawed. I like to use the analogy of the stone mason:

Imagine that a truck delivers a load of field stones into a pile. You could probably, without any experience at all, take the stones and form a wall of some type. It may not be perfect or stable or beautiful, but it would technically be a wall. A talented mason can take those very same stones and, with his experience, build a wall that is eye catching, memorable and will last a lifetime. Is there a difference between the two? You betcha!

One big disadvantage in using an mp3 player or laptop is that all you are doing is playing music — music that you chose based on what you THOUGHT your guests would enjoy. What happens when it’s time for dancing and people aren’t responding to what’s being played? And do you have a plan “B” if that iPod happens to freeze up during your wedding? If not, it’s sort of like skydiving without a reserve parachute. No iPod can take requests, make introductions for you, help keep your time line on track, work with your photographer to ensure that those special moments are captured, or use its expertise to adjust the music to get everyone involved in the celebration.

Some DJs like to post a link to a video that is easy to find on YouTube and many other sites that purport to show an iPod Wedding Disaster. For the record, I’m not convinced that what is being shown is genuine. I might be a little less cynical if it weren’t so boldly stamped with the logo of the American Disc Jockey Association. It screams “self-serving” with that big red, white and blue watermark. I have no direct evidence that it is staged; I’m just saying that I have my doubts as to its legitimacy. I know that a LOT of entertainers were quick to link to the clip. To me, those are just cheap scare tactics.

You can also read many forums in which brides brag about how they did their own music and how great it was. Again, in some cases, I am somewhat dubious. How many brides are really likely to ‘fess up to the fact that they tried something and it blew up in their face? Also, it’s possible THEY thought it was great because they saved some money, but I wonder if their guests shared their opinion. There are at least an equal number of forum writers describing their experience (as a guest) as awful.

If the only argument in favor of doing it yourself is the cost, there is some element of truth to that and there is no sense denying it. I’d like to point out that there is also a difference in cost between what your caterer charges and how much you could save by providing each of your guests a “Value Meal” from Taco Bell. And no reasonable thinking person is going to suggest that you can get a similar finished product by simply handing out disposable cameras instead of paying an experienced professional photographer.

And before you decide that doing it yourself is cheap, please remember that there is more to it than showing up with your iPod. Do you need to rent a sound system (amplifier, speakers, mixer, cables and microphones) that is powerful enough to fill the space? Also, what is the backup plan if something goes wrong? Who is going to transport the system to the venue, set it up, monitor it during the reception to balance the sound and then tear it all down and take it back at the end? Are there going to be announcements or other emcee duties? Who will be responsible for those?

To be clear, the decision lies with those who are paying the wedding bills. My hope is that it is a fully informed and educated decision.

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