Have you ever discovered or learned some valuable information that was so good you didn't want to share it with anyone else in our industry? That's exactly how I felt after reading Alan Berg's new book Shut Up And Sell More. Alan has been a powerful force in the wedding and sales industry for well over twenty years. He has helped hundreds of DJ's tweak their sales process and grow their business. I consider myself to be good at many things in our profession, but sales isn't one of them. My eyes tend to glaze over when people start talking about the mechanics of sales. The fact is we can't "Wow" clients with what we ... [read more]

  In this age of Rock Star DJ's selling out stadiums, few have achieved the level of success and recognition as Mix Master Mike. His accomplishments are already legendary. Three consecutive DMC World Championship DJ titles, Grammy Awards, the first DJ Turntablist to perform at the Kennedy Center and an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The list goes on. What impressed me most about Mix Master Mike is that none of those awards really define him as an artist and musician. I caught up with Mix Master Mike in Manhattan. He was there to perform a show with A$AP Rocky that night at the Highline Ballroom, but earlier in the... [read more]

  Sometimes the craziest ideas can make us the most money. If I told you that you could become a millionaire by standing in Times Square wearing a speedo, cowboy hat, boots and strumming a guitar; would you believe me? Robert Burck did just that 18 years ago. He took one crazy idea and turned it into a worldwide company with several different corporate divisions. Robert had humble beginnings in Cincinnati Ohio. He attended Parochial school and earned a college degree in political science. Robert moved to the west coast for a few years then found himself in The Big Apple. He was working an unfulfilling day job and got ... [read more]

At some point a prospective client has asked you this question: "What makes you different from the other guys?" It's all about personality, right? Do clients really book you based on blinky lights and big speakers? To really define who is different and unique in our industry there have to be benchmarks; those entertainers who set standards and keep raising the bar. Curtis Whipple knows all about that. I first met Curtis at a convention about five years ago. He was quiet, but moved with swagger and had a big smile. Curtis has one of those magnetic personalities and styles that make you want to hang out with him. He just exudes old school cool. His approach to events and entertaining is just as interesting. He is a DJ with a mission: Saving souls one gig at a time. Mike C: What was your f... [read more]

  Nothing is more relaxing to me than sitting at the beach with a great book. Listening to the waves, toes in the sand -You know the song, right? The best beach books are the ones that make you dive deep into their pages until the end leaving you feeling a whole lot better about yourself. The best book I've read this summer hands down is Celebrate Life by Marcello Pedalino. I like to read a lot of self help, motivational books. The problem with many of them is that they are too "self-helpy". Sometimes I feel like I need a degree in meta physics or astral geometry to grasp their meaning. Many times the concept... [read more]

The most common and widely used (basic) definition of a mobile DJ is a person who plays music and makes announcements at an event while having to bring all the gear necessary to do so. Those events generally run the gamut from weddings to proms to milestone events and corporate gigs. Skill levels and add-ons aside (photo booths, lighting, etc.) this is what we DJs do. But suppose I told you there are DJs who travel the world, work really cool events and don’t have to lug a truck full of gear everywhere? Would you believe me? You should. DJ Tom Macari (mah-car-ee) is one of those people in our industry that has carved out a very unique niche. I met up ... [read more]

The November DJ cruise is coming up quick. If you haven't booked already, why? This cruise on board the Carnival Sensation is going to provide the perfect mix of seminars, networking and relaxation. What could be better than sneaking off to the Caribbean for a week and writing it off as a business expense (talk to your accountant of course)? In this segment of our cruise ship entertainment expose I go behind the scenes with Carnival's most requested Cruise Director Reverend Doc E (Eversen Bevelle). Carnival Cruise lines has several different size ships in it's fleet. On the smaller ships the roles of cruise director and entertai... [read more]

We know their names and we play their music every week. Artists like Afrojack, Benny Benassi, The Jumpsmokers, Avicii, Tiesto and Calvin Harris. Super star DJs and remix artists routinely pack venues these days. Have you ever seen any of them perform live? Over Memorial Day weekend I had the opportunity to see the legendary Steve Aoki in concert at a hip club in Philadelphia called NoTo (www.notoftheordinary.com). Philadelphia is a cool city. Downtown is full of history like Independence Hall, The Betsy Ross house and Ben Franklin's home. I had a few hours before the show to explore the city center which is full of art and culture. ... [read more]

In the first installment of Mobile Beat Magazine's expose on cruise ship entertainment I spoke with Music Operations Supervisor Alex Dena about what it takes to become a Carnival Cruise ship DJ. For this edition I will take you behind the scenes on board the Carnival Magic as I shadow DJ Dawkness (real name Sean), one of Carnival's premier ship DJ's. The life of a cruise ship DJ is equal parts relaxation and craziness. DJ Dawkness helps me beak it all down. MikeC: Sean, my first question is how did you come up with the name "Dawkness"? It's gotta be a good story. Dawkness: I get asked that a lot, which I guess ... [read more]

Do you feel stuck doing the same types of gigs for the same types of clients over and over? Do you want to play at events that are bigger, better and more fun? Do you want to party like a rock star and get paid for it? When we think of improving our performance as disc jockeys, we tend to focus on the mechanics of our events: better playlists, better transitions, better introductions, better gear, etc. But there are also mental, spiritual and family sides to achieving rock star performance. Each one of these can have a huge impact on our ability to exceed our client’s expectations and get booked for rockstar level events. More importantly, excelling i... [read more]