Mike Buonaccorso named DJU Dean

Michael Buonaccorso, who co-founded Mobile Beat Magazine and has been the producer of all of the MB trade shows, has recently been appointed to head up the new and revamped version of ProDJ’s Disc Jockey University.

Since its inception in 1995. the ProDJ.com network of resources has continued to grow. Disc Jockey University, established in 1999,was another of these ever expanding avenues to provide education to the industry.

“I can’t think of too many people in this industry who can bring such a broad range of knowledge and experience to this undertaking,” said Ryan Burger, ProDJ Publisher. “Mike has been involved in so many significant Mobile Beat projects over the years with successful results.”

Buonaccorso, having spent many years reviewing and editing content for the magazine, as well as interviewing and selecting presenters at MB trade shows feels education is a key to keeping ahead of the competition, whether it be online or offline. He is interested in seeking out new contributors to DJU, as well as tying together much of the foundation content of Mobile Beat.

“Change is the big buzzword for 2008,” says Buonaccorso. “So it can be applied here as well. Share your ideas with us, and express your opinions. We want you to be a part of what’s planned!”

Mike can be reached at mb@mobilebeat.com

Live Show Reviews

We play their music, we buy their CD’s and we promote these artists by playing their songs to the masses we play too. Now we are reviewing their live shows. Mobile Beat is launching a LIVE concert review section of Legendary artists all the way thru to up and coming artists. We will be covering every genre of music from Rock, Pop, Alternative to Adult Contempory. These concert reviews will include live performance, interviews and live action shots when available. We will be keeping you abreast of lighting trends and sound quality.

Guns and Roses Magazine Review / Poison Magazine Review

Mobile Beat Conference One - The Wedding Tale

Marcia Shaffer and Frank Whyte: a match made in heaven…and another unique moment in MB show historyIt was an idea prompted by a Virginia DJ who asked us if he and his fiancé could get married during the ‘97 MB Show…. “during” as in “part of”. Sounded interesting, so a liaison was set up to coordinate the event. DJs volunteered to host segments of the event, taking turns at the mic, and would showcase their own personal entertaining techniques. A part time DJ / preacher from Southern California came forward to officiate the event.

January 6, 1997 was the date. As the bridal party assembled at the stage, the bride and groom gazed electrically into each others eyes if they were the only ones in the room, while in fact they were surrounded by 700 fellow DJs. The Reverend Frank christened the gathering and hence, joined them as man and wife.

In an attempt to gain entry into the Guinness World Book of Records, each DJ in attendance lined up to pass the control board and participate in some aspect of the operation, even if for only a second or two. You guessed it, it was an attempt to set the world’s record for the most DJs ever to play for a single event. Guinness wasn’t impressed, and sent a form rejection letter.

As gratitude from Mobile Beat to the key volunteers who made up the core team, the plan was to present a “DJ Dream Team” plaque to each of them, nothing of great value, but a token of our appreciation. An unopened case of 30 “Dream Team” plaques was placed under a table in the corner of the room for the presentation later that night, under the watchful eye of a staff member.

The wedding had concluded, and I headed over to the case to begin giving out the awards. The box had been ripped open and 23 plaques were missing as well as the list of whom they were for!

The rest is fuzzy history. Since they did not have individual names, it was never known how many of the real recipients actually got the award they were supposed to. As the week dragged on, it seemed everyone had a plaque. DJs holding plaques stopped show staff and management to take their picture to make it official. As time has passed, the plaques have shown up on DJ websites all over the world, now personalized! Needless to say, there was never a Dream Team #2, but I bet the first group would have one heck of a reunion!

And Marcia and Frank…did they live happily ever after? We’ll never know.

Mike Buonaccorso, cofounder of Mobile Beat, has been trade show producer since 1996 and continues in that position under BC Productions, Inc. Mike has been in the position of witnessing the growth and maturing of the Conference as well as being there to see some of the great moments in DJ Show history. Watch this spot for Mike’s weekly “Mobile Memoirs”.

American DJ - New Web Site With More Content, Videos

American DJ’s revamped site has a more interactive home page, with vibrant color photos of American DJ’s newest and most exciting products, YouTube videos of American DJ lighting in use, tour dates for ADJ On Tour, links to the ADJ Advantage Awards program, the ADJ MySpace page, and more.

With more product photos, the home page is a visual delight, featuring the latest and most state-of-the-art ADJ products and technology. Each photo has a clickable link that leads directly to the product’s page, where the customer will find more detailed information.

For customers who are looking for a specific ADJ product, “Take Me To A Product,” a new, comprehensive quick-find tab with a drop-down menu makes shopping for lighting needs easier than ever. Every ADJ product, from the extremely popular AccuSpot series to the newest offerings, such as MyDMX Lighting Control Software, is listed for easy point-and-click access to the product description page.

New to the American DJ website are YouTube videos of ADJ products in action. YouTube has exploded on to the Internet scene in the last couple of years, becoming one of the most popular online video viewers, and by adding its videos to the ADJ web site, customers can get new product previews and keep up with company events and seminars, simply by clicking “play.”

“We really wanted to provide American DJ customers with a dynamic, new experience that reflects the breakthrough changes that have taken place in our line, from LED technology to innovative audio products like the SDJ-1 mixer and TT Record Turntable,” said Scott Davies, General Manager of the American DJ Group of Companies. “These are exciting times for our company and our industry, and we wanted a website that reflects this excitement.”

American DJ Honored At NAMM

The American DJ Group’s American DJ line of lighting products was presented with the MMR Dealers Choice Award at the 2008 NAMM Show in Anaheim.

Sponsored by MMR magazine, the Dealers Choice Award is based on national voting by music dealers. American DJ was voted “Lighting Line of the Year” by dealers for the second year in a row. The company was the only lighting supplier honored with the Dealers Choice Award.

“The fact that this award is the result of voting by the dealers who actually sell lighting products makes it especially gratifying,” said Scott Davies, General Manager of the American DJ Group of Companies. “Dealers are on the front line, dealing with end-users all the time. They gave us this award, because their customers rely on American DJ and are excited about our products, especially our new LED fixtures. Delivering this combination of reliability and innovation to end-users is the top goal for American DJ and its dealers; it’s the foundation of our future.”

For more information, visit the American DJ website at www.americandj.com or call (800)322-6337.

Finding Stanley Burrell; The Hunt for MC Hammer

It had been 10 years since U Cant Touch This had topped the charts and packed dancers on the floor, but it was still going to be an exciting event to bring MC Hammer to the 2000 Mobile Beat Show.The plan was that Mobile Beat’s Bob Lindquist and an associate would pick up Hammer at the Las Vegas airport and bring him to the Tropicana Hotel for a speaking engagement to the waiting DJs. Rushing to the gate area, it suddenly occurred to the pair that neither had any idea who the man they were picking up looked like. No problem…they knew the flight number.

Well, the Las Vegas airport has thousands of arrivals daily and a flight number was not going to be much help in finding a stranger. There was only one piece of information left to find Hammer: his real name- Stanley Burrell. Simply ask any individual looking like they were waiting for someone if they were Mr. Burrell. It seemed more proper than “Are you MC Hammer?”

Hundreds of middle-aged men were asked that question that day, as desperation set in. But when a fat, bald man from Chicago claimed to be Stanley Burrell, for a few brief moments the duo thought they had their man. But it turned out to be one Bernie Berle, in town for a chair-counters convention.

Burrell was missing…gone without a trace. The reputation of future shows was on the line…where was MC Hammer?? There was nowhere left to go but to return to the hotel without him.

What a surprise did the would-be chauffeurs find when they got back! The simple truth was Hammer had arrived early and just hopped a cab to the hotel, and was wandering the Exhibit Hall enjoying the toys! And another classic moment was history!

Big Easy Update by Rocky Bourg

CLUB VIEWBig Easy Update

By Rocky “DJ Roxx” Bourg

For this New Orleans DJ, life goes on, but will never be the same

Post Katrina. No, it’s not a new breakfast cereal. It’s a status. A constant state of being that I and most everyone I see on a daily basis have found ourselves in since returning to our homes, businesses and lives after one of the biggest natural disasters to hit the United States of America. It is omnipresent. Its tentacles have reached into every crevice and shaken things loose.
Because of this tragedy and through circumstance and God’s grace, I rediscovered and reaffirmed my belief that there are more good people in the world than the nightly news would have you believe. Family that lived in an unaffected area provided us temporary sanctuary. Total strangers, unsolicited and totally unrequested, refused payment for things like an oil change or offered discounts on meals. I had never been on that side of such unselfish, true human kindness. I re-learned what the daily grind and the speed of contemporary life had hidden in its wake: that people are at their best, the most like their creator, when they are thinking of others. I want to be like that more often.

Rebuilding Begins
So, with my family safely stationed in Houston, it was time to get down to putting things back together! When I was finally able to return home, unfortunately without my wife, daughters, mother and many friends, I began the arduous task of assessing the damage to three houses, making temporary repairs and beginning the work of rebuilding a life.
I never want to remove wet carpet ever again. And by the way, never submerge and soak an amplifier or speakers in flood waters. It has a terrible effect on the acoustic ability of the gear. But I digress.
After spending several weeks without a single party or wedding at which to perform, and not much celebrating on the horizon, I was glad that I had chosen to be a two-career man. My paralegal gig was relocated to temporary quarters and I was able to get back to some semblance of normalcy; although I’ll never consider a two-hour commute to be normal.
Up to this point I had not even thought about how much I had missed being part of weekly celebrations and providing the soundtrack for special events. I was just glad that most of my gear and music library was safe and I would get back on the wheels, eventually. Prior to Katrina I had managed to build a relatively full calendar of events from August 27, 2005 to late November 2005. Post-Katrina, all those homecoming and school dances, wedding receptions, lucrative mitzvahs and my long running Saint’s tailgate party were gone and that income would never return. But what I was really beginning to miss was rockin’ the crowds, being part of Father-Daughter/Mom-Son dances, playing songs for special people at special moments that they would cherish long after the celebration was over and serving as the medium through which brides, grooms, sons and daughters could express their love and appreciation to those they cherish.

City Slowly Reconnects with Entertainment
A private country club where I was the recommended vendor had suffered major and extensive damage and would be offline for at least a year or longer, and remains so to this day. The population of my city was a fraction of its normal size and many other reception and event venues had also suffered serious damage. The short term outlook was not very promising, especially with the likely and serious reduction in tourist business that New Orleans depends on so heavily. Major conventions and sporting events that generated valuable business for the tourist and entertainment industries, were cancelled and moved. The December 2005 holiday party calendar was OK but nothing like recent years, understandably so. However, none of those effects were as hard to handle or had as great an impact on my business as what was soon to occur.
My friend and most trusted DJ of 15+ years had moved, and after the storm managed to obtain an in-house/recommended DJ position vacated by a Katrina victim who was not returning at a popular reception venue very near his new home but far from my neck of the woods. It was a perfect situation for him, both financially and logistically, and I could not contemplate asking him to sacrifice such a great opportunity. This was the most seriously troubling side effect of the changes forced upon my entertainment business. I was now back to being a single op. But, I just kept focusing on the positive effect it would have for my podnah and how he’d be able to spend more time with his family. Always look for the rainbow, even if it’s still raining.

A Boost from Big Gigs
Maybe it was karma or just blind luck, but after the holiday parties, many of the more high profile venues that, in the past, I had attempted but failed to acquire a working relationship with, began calling and inquiring about my service. I was able to adjust my rate schedule and expect to be as profitable as a single op as I was with two and three systems on the street. I was able to refocus on providing more pre-event service to clients and have seen the positive results of that as well.
My favorite gig, the Semi-Almost World Famous Allegro Bistro Saints tailgate parties returned on September 25, 2006 when the New Orleans Saints injected then withering Nawlins with new hope and resuscitated the spirit of an entire city. I guess it’s true: a new broom sweeps clean. No one, at least no one sober or sane, would or could have predicted the success of the Saints this season. I hope they realize what they have done for this troubled city.
Despite the many hurdles, my disc jockey business has managed to survive and is providing me with new opportunities to exercise my skills, stretch my imagination, and utilize my limited knowledge to grow my business in a less-than-perfect market. But we relish being less than perfect in the Big Easy. Dorothy said it best: “There’s no place like home.”
“Despite the many hurdles, my disc jockey business has managed to survive and is providing me with new opportunities…” - DJ Roxx