September in New England usually means wedding season is starting to wind down, school dances are back in full swing and it's time to think about Holiday parties. After a busy summer season it's a good idea to look around your office and catch up some things you've let slide. There's equipment to be fixed, things to be cleaned, social media and marketing to catch up on, etc. Time to switch gears a little. Here is a really spot on list of ideas from a marketing website I follow. I firmly believe that to truly grow your business, you need to digest content from a variety of sources. I came across Josh Pather on Instagram a few months ago. Not all of h... [read more]

I'll bet that at least half of the people that read the title of this blog thought I was writing about computers and the other half thought I was writing about political correctness. The previous statement clearly demonstrates two important miscommunication principles. 1. Misinterpretation and 2. Not saying what you mean. The folks that guessed political correctness would be right (I've never owned a Mac, but I do have an iPad, iPhone and two iPods). I admit I swear like a sailor on shore leave and I'm sarcastic to a fault. Ask my wife. Maybe it's the generation I grew up in or maybe I'm just getting old and grumpy (more likely) but I was rais... [read more]

First, I would like to apologize to any disc jockeys that actually are lawyers. This blog isn't really about you, but it does pertain to you. There was a good discussion on one of the several thousand DJ forums I belong to about DJs offering legal advice or stating something is against the law without offering any proof. These strands start off innocently enough with someone posting a question about the rules on using a particular piece of gear at an event or about music, files, streaming or sharing. The strands quickly devolve into regional DJs stating how one can or can't do that in their market. A good example: cold sparklers. These things are re... [read more]

About a year ago I picked a brand new Pioneer XDJ-RX all in one controller. I had seen it at MBLV22 and thought it was really cool. Eliminate the need for a laptop with the built in big LCD screen. Put all your important music on two 32G flash drives and off you go to a gig. Sounds like a miracle. The unit is big, sturdy and loaded with effects and cool blinky lights (squirrel). I couldn't wait to take it out of the box and start playing with it. I set up the unit, downloaded the firmware, downloaded rekordbox to my main PC and then hit that first wall. I've always been a Pioneer guy. My first big boombox in the 80's was a pioneer with dua... [read more]

What qualifies someone to give themselves a title? A degree, a diploma, a certificate of training? If I can change the oil, change a tire and give my car a tuneup, can I call myself a mechanic? Not really. If I can replace an outlet in my house or wire up a new connection, does that make me an electrician? Probably not. If I buy a set of speakers, a microphone, a controller and hook them up to a laptop full of music; am I a DJ? Apparently so. It's no secret that our industry has a ridiculously low barrier to entry. Many people would argue that there is no formal training to become a DJ. Those people would be partially correct. There is no Un... [read more]

One of the many unwanted hats we wear at events is that of lost and found manager. It's not enough to be the host, entertainer, DJ, lighting designer, photo booth operator, babysitter, the "Your lights are on" and "It's last call" guy and whatever else a venue throws at us. Now we have to make endless announcements about lost wallets, shoes, hats, gloves, false teeth and phones. There always is a certain question of ethics and responsibility to do the right thing with other people's property. Sometimes it might be a little too easy to cross the line, especially when technology is involved. A good question was posted on one of the private... [read more]

Have you thought about when your last DJ gig would be? Have you envisioned walking off the stage and packing up for the last time? Do you have your DJ career and retirement mapped out? What if "life" just came in and trashed all those plans and dreams? Have you and your family prepared for something like that? That dreadful scenario is happening right now for one of our DJ brothers. In 2017 Richard Mills (who hails from the kiwi nation of New Zealand) was dealing with life, marriage, kids, bills and a busy DJ schedule when he was diagnosed with brain cancer. He pressed on and with the support of his ... [read more]

Try as we might to make sure we have all the details for our events, clients have a habit of hitting us with surprises. How many times has a client answered, "No, nothing else" after asking them during your final pre-event phone call if there was anything special or extra you should be prepared for? I love the look of sheepish surprise on their faces when you ask why Cirque Du Soleil performers are setting up in the middle of the dance floor. "Oh, we didn't tell you". Um, no, you did not. That being said, I usually do my best to roll with any surprises, bite my tongue and make sure the client and their guests have a great time. Playing well in ... [read more]

I always find the back stories about how someone got started in the DJ industry fascinating. There is always some interesting life twist or act of fate that captivates people to pick up the microphone and hop onto the one’s and two’s. For the past ten years, Stephanie Rivkin, a.k.a. Stephanie Stardust, owner of Royal Beats DJ Service in Connecticut (www.royalbeatsdjs.com) has been building her company and crushing her market. She wasn’t always at the top, though. Stephanie has had her share of setbacks; overcoming obstacles is one of her strong points. Re... [read more]

This year marked my ninth year coming to Mobile Beat Las Vegas and my first as a staff member. What an incredible experience, to be on the inside and go behind the scenes of the production and execution of the conference. The amount of hours, staff dedication and planning that go into MBLV each year is staggering. This conference really is a labor of love to give the DJ industry a solid, positive platform that helps us grow individually and collectively. Not everyone is going to have the opportunity to be a staff member (thank you Ryan and Dan), but the next best way to maximize your learning experience at MBLV is through the Platinum Pass.read more]