DJ drops are not new. For as long as I can remember, radio stations have been using radio sweepers (station ID name and info), and later, DJs began using their own intros and drops for their own shows. Now, with mix shows on FM Radio, XM, and online, more and more DJs are using them. They sound great, are great for marketing, and can help you stand out in a crowded market. Do All DJs Need DJ Drops? The biggest question is: Does every working DJ need DJ drops? The answer is my usual: it depends. :) First of all, you may not even know what DJ drops are. So let's answer that, first. Drops are basically short (usually less than... [read more]

Making Connections Believe it or not, the theme of this issue was determined before the coronavirus crisis amped up. When that happened, my first reaction was "Oh no, articles on 'touching' people are not a good idea. Back to the drawing board." But then I realized that most of the content we had in the hopper already could apply just as much to connecting with people in a non-physical way. So, hopefully some of these articles will help you weather the storm of self-isolation that is battering your business, while others will help you prepare for the days after the sky clears and business (maybe not "as usual"--but that might be a good thing) will retu... [read more]

Without a doubt, one of the biggest changes in the world of tech is that of mobile technology. We have come a long way from the days of city slickers carrying around large, retro mobile phone packs in the 80s and early 90s. Today, not only has the design changed but they have more uses than people who had one of these original mobile phone kits could ever have imagined. On most modern mobile phones, they are so much more than just a means of communication and you can handle all aspects of your life all on one device. Whether that be playing games at top mobile casino sites, managing your finances, creating masterpieces and much more. The Origins Of course, in the beginning, mobile phones were merely a means of making calls while on the go. At first, they weren’t the most convenient objects and were very l... [read more]

No one wants it. Nobody likes it. We all dread it but everyone needs it now and then. Criticism. Is it a litany of stinging words that knock you right off your pedestal of awesomeness or just a dose of reality? That depends mainly on you and your tolerance for hard truth. Many of us send out those cute little performance sheets after an event because we want some "real feedback". Seriously though, do you actually ever think you're going to recieve anything back other than a "nice" review? I'm sure more than a few of you read that last paragraph and thought,"Well, I value constructive criticism. That's why I send out those forms." The big pr... [read more]

ADJ is pleased to announce the availability of its most compact wireless LED uplighter to date, the new Element ST HEX. Building on the success of ADJ’s popular Element Hex, the new model features powerful output, an extremely compact design as well as a full color touch screen display for extremely easy setup and DMX addressing. Featuring four 6-Watt HEX (Red, Green, Blue, Amber, White + UV) LEDs the fixture offers smooth color mixing with an almost limitless palette. The inclusion of both amber and (cool) white LED elements means that it can be used to create white light with a wide variety of color temperatures. Me... [read more]

Wedding Receptions: A Variety of Views It's actually been a while since we've focused on the key mobile DJ area of wedding receptions. In this issue we look at a bunch of different aspects of this topic, and our writers offer some unique perspectives that are really worth considering, as you build your own reception business. ~ Dan Walsh, Editor-in-Chief CLICK HERE OR ON THE COVER TO THE RIGHT TO READ NOW ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PLAYLIST: MBLV24 The Mad Stuntman - Mike Cordeiro Rick Parisi: Generating Connections - Dan Walsh WEDDING RECEPTIONS: A VARIETY OF VIEWS 10 Ways to Be a Better Wedding MC - Michael Walter Best of Times o... [read more]

Imagine your in charge of an event with over 800 people. The event is outdoors and you have multiple things happening at once. You need 200 people to play their part on cue and the other 600 to cheer them on enthusiastically at the right moment. Suddenly one of your 200 forgets what they're doing and throws everything off. What do you do? Can you reset? I was in this exact situation last weekend while working on a new Disney movie in Boston. I've been doing back ground work for almost ten years now. This particular scene was a holiday parade. We were shooting over night on a few shutdown streets in the middle of Boston. We started rehearsing the sc... [read more]

Before bookings became a certainty in my business, I was often distracted from achieving goals by my inbox, and I didn't even know it! I'd wake, check emails and instantly react to messages that had nothing to do with motivating engaged couples to book me, the next thing I knew, the morning was gone and sometimes part of the afternoon too! I was being bossed around by other peoples messages that were not helping me to fill the booking gaps in my calendar - can you relate to that? If you do, do you think you need to fire yourself and re-hire a more business-focused version of ... [read more]

MBLV24 is less than 30 days away. Time to double check your plane, hotel and car reservations. Make sure you have your show passes ordered and air out your suitcase. Besides having a ton of networking and learning opportunities jammed into four and a half days (Sunday night pool party), the after hours scene is off the hook this year. Not only does your badge get you into the big show on Tuesday night, it gets you access to some of the hottest clubs and shows on the strip (Including Steve Aoki at Hakkasan on Thursday night). If you're not a big night club person or you are bringing family along, here are my reccommendations for some fun alter... [read more]

Introducing ARIA Karaoke for iPhone: Practice or Perform Karaoke on the Go, Complete with Built-in Karaoke Song Store Digital 1 Audio, publisher of ARIA entertainment software (http://www.ariaparty.com) announces the release of ARIA Karaoke, the mobile karaoke app for the real iPhone karaoke experience. What sets the ARIA Karaoke for iPhone app apart “…is the quality of the karaoke song files,” states, Lewis Davidson- Creative Director. “We only use the best karaoke content available on the market. Also instead of limiting the user to just a few songs, ARIA Karaoke for iPhone has a built-in ... [read more]