Music In The Corporate Mix

With limited song choices, more creative energy is needed to propel company partiesThe focus of my writings for Mobile Beat is the very foundation upon which most events are built, as I see it: the MUSIC. My angle has been specifically: new music. More than ever, music permeates everything around us. Because music truly is everywhere now, the ability to program it well and somehow make the music WE play more engaging than something automated is more important than ever before. It’s my belief that too many DJs rely too heavily on the tried and true, making their events bland and probably forgettable, at best.

It’s with this as the backdrop that my editor suggested that for this issue, I examine corporate parties…but, with a focus on new music. This might have been the shortest article ever to appear in Mobile Beat! Instead I chose to expand the focus to music programming overall, in the context of corporate functions.

Presentation Points to Ponder

My company does only a few corporate events per year, with most of our business being weddings, and the ocassional school dance or Sweet 16, so I decided to interview some DJs who do more corporate work than I do.

Steve Lynch, owner of Extreme Entertainment in Buford, Geogia has lots of experience in this area. Being in a suburb of Atlanta, Steve counts CNN among his corporate clients. He agreed that newer songs at corporate events should be few and far between, based on 1) the familiarity factor, 2) possible lyrical content issues, and 3) (possibly most importantly) the energy level!

Much like programming for a wedding reception (and maybe even more so), the right music to play at a corporate function should be familiar to the vast majority of your audience: songs that are “old friends” to those in attendance. Steve likes to start with ‘60s soul and Motown music, because it has this kind of appeal, and is also great to dance to. He then uses the reaction to it as a barometer to indicate which direction(s) to take the event musically from there. Steve reminded us to “play to their age range.” If the average age of the attendee is mid- to late-20s, the latest Avril Lavigne song is likely totally unfamiliar to them, even if it’s a huge current hit.

Steve suggests we “stick to classic, family-oriented stuff,” which sadly is another good reason to avoid much current music…unless you want the finger-wagging and/or earful of criticism you could be asking for by playing even the radio edits of many current songs. It only takes one complaint of this type to ruin your reputation, ruin any chance for repeat business with a company, and even prevent you from being considered by other corporates. Unlike wedding receptions, this should not be looked at as a “one shot” deal. (This is not to say that weddings don’t involve potential referrals; I’m just pointing out the bigger differences.) You can potentially get annual contracts for all the events within a company or group of companies, possibly touring to do it, too. And if the person in charge at the company leaves, you want her or him to take your information with them to their next position. Corporations spend lots of time and energy to project and protect their “image.” It’s your job to reflect that in the most positive manner possible, and make them look wonderful.

However, simply avoiding new music isn’t always enough to insure you won’t upset the sensibilities of someone at the event. Steve recalled the story of realizing the “hard way” how dirty the “Grease Megamix” is, when someone complained and couldn’t believe the DJ was playing “such filth.” I concurred, telling him a similar experience I’d had with “Hot In Herre,” and then suggested where and how to edit the Grease Megamix.

Most importantly, keep the energy level of the music up. Energy is not to be confused with the volume. Beyond the familiarity factor, frequently older music works better simply because it has a more positive and fun “vibe” and often a faster pace than much of today’s music. An exception to this rule is the 2007 hit “Cupid Shuffle” (by emerging hip-hop artist, Cupid), which is not only squeaky clean but fun, with a brisk, 142-BPM tempo, and yes, it has it’s own dance, too! I expect to see this in the MB Top 200 next year.

Companies also love theme parties. These themes often have musical ideas already “built-in.” Sometimes you can futher demonstrate your value by suggesting themes and how to implent them, if asked. But don’t push your ideas on them, especially with new clients-build a rapport first.

Finally, be flexible and responsive. For example, Steve told a story of a corporate client whose committee filled out a pretty extensive DJ Intelligence request list consisting of lots of R&B music, only to find that at the event…country music turned out to be the surprise big hit, based on the volume of countryrequests at the event.

Amalgamate Your Entertainment Quotient
I also spoke with Paul Welsh, of Welsh Entertainment in Orlando, Florida, which is home to a multitude of big companies looking to be entertained. While Paul does many of the things we all do, he has also collaborated in creating a “show” aimed at corporate clients called the Big Dawg and Paul Show, which includes contests and lots of games, and which is marketed towards openings and team-building events, among other occassions. Paul points out the contrast that at a wedding reception, “people pretty much are there to be supportive” to the bride and groom, while at a corporate event “they don’t want to be there,” so really entertaining an audience is even more crucial. Paul’s music programming philosophy is also spiced up with drop-ins from television and movies. He agrees that “any slow song at a corporate is just not gonna cut it” unless it’s a holiday party, so keep it upbeat!

While admitting that building momentum for a custom show has been challenging, the results are rewarding, and demand is building as word spreads. If you can offer something specific that no one else offers (I couldn’t be Big Dawg and/or Paul, could you?), you’re no longer pressured to compete with other DJs because what you do is so removed from the stereotyped definition of DJ.

Creative Limitations

Rather than needing to be on the cutting edge of the popular music world, the challenge presented to mobile entertainers by corporate clients, from the standpoint of programming music, is taking material that is very familiar and presenting it in a way that’s still exciting and fresh. You have to be creative within parameters provided by the event planners, based on the purpose(s) of the event. I’m confident that if you use some of the ideas here as guidelines, you’ll be off to a great start!

Steve Sharp is a DJ in Southern California who has been spinning since 1981. In addition to running his own Signature Entertainment, he also creates a weekly radio remix show for Bo’s Saturday Night Party on B95.1 FM. Steve not only plays the hits, but brings his encyclopedic knowledge of the stories behind them to each of his music columns. Steve can be reached at thatdj@aol.com.

Going Full Time at Full Speed by Michael Edwards

Part 1*: Points to ponder as you consider declaring your independenceSo you’ve decided to take the plunge and become a “full time” mobile disc jockey (cued “heralding trumpets” can play now). Finally…with the security of 9-12 months of contracts for future bookings all neatly signed with their deposits in the bank, you’re feeling ready; confident and determined to make a go of it. You’ve always dreamed of DJing as your sole source of income: working only on weekends for pay that’s equal to or better than a 40-hour day job and having the rest of the week to yourself…your own boss at last! How well I remember feeling that way. Let’s call it the honeymoon phase.

Independence Day

I politely gave two weeks notice to the retail music store where I worked in early June of 1979. Yes, I realize, that’s about two years before Beyoncé was born. Having played at local dances and parties part-time since 1973, I played my first gig as an official “full-time music professional” on the 4th of July, 1979. Independence Day indeed. Now, 28 years later, I can honestly say that it never feels like work when you truly love what you do for a living and I have no regrets at all. But before I paint it all as roses and butterflies, let me first divulge a few of the occupation’s realities, perils and pitfalls before finally revealing the real secret of full-time DJ success.

Sweet Dreams Are Made of These

You will need to master a lot more than just DJ skills if you want to survive and also thrive full time in this business. Plan now to also become a combination of marketing expert, brilliant publicist and shrewd advertising executive. It would help to also develop superior computer skills, including proficiency with DJ sound editing and performance software, Quick Books or Quicken accounting software, FileMaker or other database software, MS Word and Photoshop. Add some internet savvy and an understanding of website design and the ins and outs of search engine optimization. (When you master that last one, please call me, collect.)

You’ll need to gain knowledge of the small claims process, and the parts of a legally binding contract and why each is important. You should work on developing powerful negotiation techniques (mostly for money bargaining negotiations with clients, since DJ hostage situations rarely occur) and you’ll need to be good at “reading” people’s minds over the phone before you’ve even met them. It also helps to cultivate relationships with lots of other vendors and every function manager in your area. You’ll need to be very organized and keep database records of everything. It helps to have a DJ Master Schedule, a Past Master Schedule, a Client Mail List, a Function Halls File (with address, phone, directions and contact person) and a Vendors File (including photographers, video companies, Justices of the Peace, florists, bakeries and even other DJ companies). Suddenly, you’re working 7 days a week, 12 to 16 hours (or more) a day. Eat healthy and work out regularly to stay fit, because sick days don’t exist. For full-time DJs, it’s no play…no pay.

About the Money, Honey…

Next, marry someone who loves you and music (hopefully in that order), and who accepts that you’re never going to be there on a Saturday night. They’ll have to understand that you’re going to buy lots of stuff they don’t think you need (voltage regulator, miles of cables, noise-gate/limiter/compressor, complete back-up system, a generator, etc). If possible, choose a spouse who also has a career they enjoy with an excellent salary, family health-care plan, dental benefits and a 401K. In general, to avoid most spouse-related business expense arguments, make sure you make a lot more money than your mate does and yet never mention it.

Cover Me

Be prepared to get liability coverage for yourself and each DJ you hire, as well as a good insurance policy for all your DJ equipment (good = coverage at home, on the road, at gigs and in a locked, alarmed vehicle, with no more than a $500 deductible). Joining a DJ organization like the A.D.J.A. or the N.A.M.E. will make affordable DJ insurance more easily available. When I first started, these organizations did not yet exist and only Lloyd’s of London (the oldest insurance agency in the world) would offer worldwide, any location “professional usage” coverage on my music collection and all my gear, at the astronomical premium of 25% of the total replacement value!!

The Name Game

When naming your DJ service, make sure it’s not already the name of someone else’s company in your state or anywhere else you will be likely to perform. Check this fact out with your home town and state business records database first, then protect yourself by registering a trademark for both your company name and your logo. No, you can’t trademark that convenient clip-art based logo! It’s a cheap enough one-time expense to have your own logo designed, and it will help you be taken seriously by clients and instantly recognized amidst your “stock logo” competitors.

The same thing goes for your website: It’s easy and free to check which website domain names are available by going online to register.com/domains to see if the .com domain name you want is available or already taken. Don’t think you have to use your company name for your website domain name. If your business is called “Frank Furter’s Amazing DJ Productions” (too long for a URL) you may prefer a domain name like www.HotDogDJ.com (which I discovered is actually still available at this time, if you think that name cuts the mustard).

Multi-Op Considerations

You may need to obtain a booking agency license (if you plan to eventually grow to be a multi-op DJ company). In my state of Massachusetts, it’s not legal to act as a booking agent without a license and a $1,000 surety bond. If you are going to have more than one system and numerous DJs, you’ll also need to think about how you plan to recruit, train, equip, evaluate, encourage, reward and most importantly, keep your DJs.

As you work hard to expand and grow your DJ business, keep in mind that many great DJ companies who spent years establishing close relationships with function facility managers have also painstakingly groomed and trained a staff of talented DJs who later suddenly quit. Now, they are your competitors who have worked regularly at all those facilities and know exactly what you charge. Without any remorse, recent defectors will then pull out all the stops to woo the function managers and quote slightly lower prices in an attempt to steal your established accounts. For this reason, many DJ companies require their new DJ trainees to sign a “no competition within a 50 mile radius for 5 years after termination” agreement before they will even hire them. File under “protecting your assets.”

Takin’ Care of Business

There are numerous pros and cons to having your own DJ employees as opposed to using only freelance DJ sub-contractors, who all own their own gear and music and are free to work elsewhere at will. A healthy number of exclusively employed “staff DJs” will create constant pressure on you to make sure everyone has enough work. If not, they’ll walk. A staff of only freelance sub-contractor DJs means dealing with schedules that are not under your control. Every one of them may be booked already on their own when you get that call for a lucrative Saturday night wedding on a popular date next June. “Sorry,” you’re forced to tell the client, “but every one of our DJs is booked already for that date.” This truthful statement creates an image of being a very busy and popular DJ service, but your company doesn’t make a dime.

*For Part Two, get a copy of Mobile Beat’s annual Gear Book.

Michael Edwards is the owner of AllStar Entertainment , a licensed & bonded musical entertainment agency located in Andover, MA. A of the Mobile Beat Advisory Board and the American Disc Jockey Association, he was recently voted by former brides to the list of “Best of Boston” DJ services in The Knot magazine’s “Best of Weddings 2007″ national survey. Full-time since 1979, Mike is one of 20 AllStar DJs at his agency (www.getadj.com). Contact him at BostonsBestDJs@aol.com.
PQ:
You will need to master a lot more than just DJ skills if you want to survive and also thrive full time in this business.
SIDEBAR:

Full Time Do’s & Don’ts, Version 1.0

Do: Register your business (with city and state officials)
Don’t: Just print up some business cards (”Instant DJ”)

Do: Research your company’s name, domain & logo first
Don’t: Modify another DJ name with a slight change (ie: Acme Music, Acme Sound, Acme DJs, Acme To Go, etc.)

Do: Invest in a legal music library and DJ subscription service(s)
Don’t: Copy someone’s hard drive or download music illegally
Do: Join a DJ organization and get liability and gear insurance
Don’t: Tell clients you are fully insured when you are not

Do: Sell yourself based on your talent, experience and value
Don’t: Sell by putting down or undercutting your competition