DJs are more than just musical entertainers. They are consultants, experts and trendsetters. Your customer looks to you to know all genres and styles of music. They expect you to be the life of the party but stay quietly in the background and, of course, come and go without being noticed. But what if you could change that perception? What if, instead of just providing entertainment through music, you could provide an experience: an "unforgettable, still talking about it long afterwards" experience? Well, you can! When you first start your business, your main marketing goal is brand recognition; you need to “get the word out” that you are a... [read more]

A big mistake I see with DJs who are trying to get into A/V rental is the type of equipment they are using. As a DJ, sometimes the less expensive equipment is perfectly acceptable. However, to the corporate client, you will need to make sure you are using industry-standard equipment. The most noticeable will be microphones, computers and projectors. Your microphone needs to be able to sound good and be clear from interference. Some of the cheaper microphones just don’t have the strength to cut through a lot of the RF noise from, what seems to be, a constant barrage of interference. Spending the money on a solid wireless combo unit will make ... [read more]

All right. Just showing you kind of a DJ tips in under a minute, small speakers. These are tiny. That's my hand and that's the speaker and it's pulled on top of a 12-inch sub. And not only are the prices great, but I'm seeing more and more 8s and 10s with DJs and they all seem to love them and there's certainly a lot here at the show. So that's the setup, ZXA1 and ZXA17. People ask me if I saw anything, put it in the video, so I am. Very small footprint, looks very easy to move, probably two tops and one sub and you are in business. So another reason, DJ tip in under a minute, go to the shows. Pricing is ridiculous. A lot of blowout deals for the show. So if you need an excuse to come to the shows, there it is, cheap gear. DJ tips in under a minute.   ... [read more]

There is a lot of talent and experience in the mobile DJ industry. In my market alone, I know DJs that have double, triple, or even quadruple the amount of time in this business that I do. I also know DJs with a seemingly endless supply of knowledge on topics (like sound) that I barely scratch the surface of. There are DJs with mountains of gear for every possible situation while I get by with two carefully chosen systems. Yet despite all these tangible and intangible resources, I see too many DJs stuck in progression ruts. They're doing the same things, the same way, for the same price for years. What keeps people with the resources to impro... [read more]

Most of you reading this probably think that you are one of the top wedding DJs, if not the best, in your market. In most markets there is plenty of room for growth—but there’s only one you and only so many weekend dates a year. So, the question is, how do you duplicate yourself? How do you build a multi-op with an arsenal of DJs who bring the same level of professionalism and experience that you do? How do you maintain your brand consistency and quality-of-product as you scale? As a multi-op that does well over 400 weddings a year, I could spend hours explaining how, for example, we do all those weddings with little to no advertising, how ... [read more]

In 2001, I produced a DJ Training DVD called The 1% Solution. Over the years, we’ve added more releases and more in-depth subjects and I’m proud to say that the phrase “1%” has become a part of the DJ lexicon. But I’m dismayed at how often it’s misunderstood. The 1% Solution came about as a result of our in-house training methods for our staff DJs. While working on improving performances, I often made the point that I didn’t want to change anything our DJs did by 100%, but that I wanted to change 100 things by 1%—thus the name. The misconception has arisen, however, that this concept is often seen as being “1% better.” The... [read more]

I assume you throw great parties. Why do I assume that? Because you're reading Mobile Beat, which makes you one of the few members of our industry who cares about further education. So I assume that when you DJ and MC events you not only bring experience but all this knowledge from the great contributors here at Mobile Beat, and you rock your events. But here's what I don't know. When the guests at your events leave, do they say “that was a great party!” or do they say “that DJ threw a great party!”? There's a very subtle difference between those two statements but they can make a world of difference in the success of your career. Here's... [read more]

So have you seen the new Verizon commercial? I caught it last night during Walking Dead, and I saw it again today on CNN. This guy is standing in front of a bunch of people like he's doing a political speech on a microphone, and he's talking about, I don't know, coverage or something, and when he's done talking, he does a mike drop. Then he remembers he has something else to say, so he pulls another mike out of his jacket, says something else, does a mike drop. Then he remembers he has a third thing he has to say, so he pulls another microphone out of the back of his coat and says whatever he has to say for his last bit, does a mike drop, and says, yeah, now I'm all out of microphones. This is not a new phenomenon, the mike drop. Obama's done it. Chris Rock has done it for 25 years. And Eddie Murphy was doin... [read more]

Recently, in a Facebook DJ forum, an entertainer marveled at the hundreds of photos that were posted from an event at which he was the entertainer. He remarked that, among photos of everything from the place settings to the food itself, there was not one photo of his performance. Predictably he was descended upon by other DJs telling him, “It’s not about you—it’s about the bride and groom,” and so on. Some accused him of being a cheapskate wanting free photos to use in his promotional materials. Yet I couldn’t help but recall all of the articles on these pages, as well as others, where DJs were told about their worth; of h... [read more]

Is this the year to “zoom out” and take a “big picture” look at your life? Where are you today? Where do you want to be in one year? Five years? Ten years? We all know that the daily grind can dominate life, leaving little room to pursue ambitions and desires. Instead of resolutions—quickly made and quickly broken—take the time this New Year for a deeper evaluation of your aspirations and postponed dreams. Writing down your goals can become a very positive step toward achieving them. Putting your goals into writing gives you long-term perspective. It also provides a short-term incentive to see measurable results. Developing�... [read more]