The Magazine For Today's Mobile DJ

Looking back I was cocky and arrogant...which was probably why Lee gave me the time of day (because that's exactly how he is :) )  We chatted that day on the phone and arranged a meeting for when I came to the UP in about a month for some other job interviews. We met, became fast friends and Lee was my agent for the first several years of Taylored Entertainment's existence while I got my feet underneath me in the area.  There are quiet leaders and there are leaders who are a bit more noticeable. Lee is, in regards to this industry, a quiet leader. But what about those who write/speak/blog/create content for the DJ industry? ... [read more]

All right. DJ tips in under a minute. This is WeDJ. People have asked me where I get things, this is where I get my insurance. I have a listing. You can get a free listing, it doesn't allow for insurance or you can upgrade to the -- I think the least expensive is bronze. I pay $40, $49 a year and that allows me to get discount insurance. So I use my liability insurance for all the venues that ask for it through WeDJ. I've had the account on WeDJ for probably 10 years and I've been using it for my insurance for probably three or four years. No problems, give me the $1 million liability insurance. It varies, because you can add gear to it. So I'll say rough estimate you're paying about $200 to $300 a year for your insurance. Some sites demand it. So it is invaluable. If you're a professional, you get insurance so you don't get in trouble. So WeDJ.com for insurance, upgrade to bronze, DJ ti ... [read more]

Last night I had an amazing wedding. The bride and groom were super fun-loving and had invited well over 250 guests to their celebration. The ceremony was held outside in the courtyard, with the guests standing "in-the-round." When I first met with this couple, I went through my normal planning process, asking about their favorite and least favorite songs and artists. They simply told me "We trust you to do what you do best. The only thing we don't want is for a song to go on longer than a minute or two." I was super happy with that - I love quick mixing and consider couples like this to be my "golden couples." As we got closer to the wedding, they ended up gathering a sizable list of potential song suggestions from their many guests, with they shared with me. Many of them were great songs that I would be able to work in, so I didn't mind. Once the dancing portion of the night starte ... [read more]

A question that often comes up is "how much should I charge for New Year's Eve gigs?" This is a very common question, and not a question that is easy to answer. The real answer is, it ultimately depends on you and how much you want to charge. A lot of DJs that are brand new will DJ for next to nothing, just to get gigs and get their name out there. I get it, you've got to get your name out there to get more experience, but to be honest, doing gigs for next to nothing gets old, very quickly. We've all been there at one point, but my advice is, don't stay there. Walmart has made a huge business out of being the lowest priced option. Everyone knows that you can save money buying from Walmart, but now, even Walmart is suffering since someone beat them at their own game. Ever heard of Amazon? :) These businesses are not service oriented businesses, like the DJ business is, so don ... [read more]

MERIDIAN, MS — Peavey Electronics® celebrates the winners of the 2018 Ahhyeah AMPLIFY DJ Championships. The winners were crowned on Sunday, Sept. 30, 2018 in front of a packed house at GoldBar night club in Lower Manhattan. This year, Unkle Chip successfully defended his reign as DJ Champion, and walked away with a prize pack worth more than $3,000. Philadelphia’s DJ Domino came in second place and New York City Champion FIINEST placed third. Ahhyeah AMPLIFY gives highly skilled DJs a platform to showcase their skills, battle and gain notoriety. Unlike other DJ battles, Ahhyeah has a creative format that seeks to find the DJ that has perfected the true art of party rockin’. Competing DJs were given 10 minutes and ... [read more]

How To Handle A Bad Review People say the best teacher is experience. This is true, and especially true for dealing with a bad review. I think if you’ve been in business for any length of time you’re bound to have one or two. It’s not about getting one although there’s something to be said for the level of preparation one can take to avoid a bad review. It’s about how you respond to it both publicly and privately. I’ve had a bad review of an employee before and I wouldn’t say that I handled it in the best way possible. Now hindsight is always 20/20, and I certainly would have handled it differently. The client was upset about a few different things that happened throughout the ... [read more]

Competitors or Friends - What Do You Want? The year was 2002.  My wife and I had just had our first born, a son named Hunter.  At that point I took stock of my life and made the (hard at the time) decision to move our family from where we had built a life in Metro Detroit to drop roots in either the Upper Peninsula of Michigan or my home state of Maine.  It took a LOT of discussion with her and I together to make the decision and was a hard choice but IMO in the end it was the RIGHT choice for us. I LOVE Maine...but more as a place to say where I'm from ... [read more]

DJ tips in under a minute, windscreen for the microphone. I have an outdoor ceremony, it gets a little windy and the mike can and will pick up some of the wind. So for an investment of about $6.00, I have this, not the most attractive thing, but people are not that put off by it. They're accustomed to seeing them on news' mikes and booms and all sorts of stuff. So if you need one, get one. It's only about $6.00 and again, it's a great little thing to have, goes right over your mike. If you don't want to use it inside, I completely understand, you can take it off, but fits over the mike real easily and the wind issue is gone. So for my outdoor ceremonies now, I'm using a wind sock, windshield, whatever the proper name is. I'm sure you'll figure it out when you go to buy one, but just get one as added security for not having that popping sound. So DJ tips in under a minute, pick up one of ... [read more]

No one likes to be taken advantage of, right? Have you ever booked a gig only to have the client want to change what is expected without changing the price? How often have you received these messages: "We're extending the event an hour, you don't mind staying do you?" Or "Do you mind bringing microphones and sound for the musicians?" How do you handle a repeat client that suddenly wants to rearrange their event but pay the same price as last year? Many of us fail miserably in these situations due to one simple error. Lack of ownership. I still get surprised by how many DJ's do not complete an in depth contract with their clients for each event. I read it nearly everyday in the forums. If you do not clearly define the services y ... [read more]

I first learned to DJ as a high school sophomore. Responding to an ad on Facebook for some old par cans, I became connected with one of the most well-established DJs in my small town. Wanting to learn how to run a mobile DJ business, I offered to haul his equipment at his school dances and community parties in exchange for looking over his shoulder during the event. As time went on, I received more and more responsibilities and training, eventually reaching the point where I was working for this DJ weekly. He taught me so many things; how to beat-match, how to program great music, how to set up a sound system, and much more. While I was supplementing that learning with dozens of Youtube videos and articles, it was his hands-on training that really locked in my fundamentals. He was my first mentor, and my business would have never taken off without him. I took a two-year break from DJi ... [read more]

Last week we explored fixing your process in a bit deeper way. We’ll wrap up this series this week with some final thoughts. Thinking about your process is the same thing I stated in “Creative Consultations” back in 2011. Sit where your client sits. See what they see. Just recently I was asked by a fellow deejay to look at his process in regards to the sales cycle, email campaigns and things. I didn’t have to examine his process too in depth and was able to pick out two or three things from just that quick glance over of ways he could improve. I emailed him and said here's what I'd recommend. Shorten up your words. Don’t use flowery long description. If it’s only a benefit to you and not the c ... [read more]