All right. DJ tips in under a minute. This is an actual timeline from a wedding I did, wow, three years ago. As you can see, it outlines what time everything is going to happen, names for things, first dance names, who's giving a blessing, who's giving the toast, any changes, the father/daughter dance had not been decided yet, bouquet toss, last dance, all those things. I do this for every wedding. Even if I have a coordinator who's sending me a timeline, I do this for my eyes, because I want to know that everything is included and if I suddenly stepped away and had someone come in and jump in my wedding, they would have all the information they needed to do a great job. So whether you have a coordinator or not, when you meet with your clients, go over their timeline, jot down your own notes, have your own gu... [read more]

The 200th edition of Mobile Beat Magazine just dropped. That's amazing in itself. The articles on cultural wedding music are spot on. Although, one area I believe needs a little more clarification is the genre of Latin music. This genre seems to encompass everything from Spanish, Reggaeton, Caribbean, Tex Mex and Brazilian. The truth is that they are all very different in origin, tradition and cultural influence. Although the Portuguese language is Latin based, traditional Portuguese music is very different from what is considered "Latin". Culturally, old style Portuguese music or Fados sounds more Italian or Greek than Latin. Mo... [read more]

One of the greatest ways to continue improving a skill is to develop a habit that revolves around it. We all know that "practice makes perfect," and when looking for ways to polish our speaking or DJ skills we should always seek to incorporate scheduled practice and rehearsals into our routine. But while practice is beneficial, executing a behavior enough times that it becomes a habit can increase our ability exponentially. An example I often use in this regard comes from a book on public speaking I read a few years ago. One chapter, in particular, stood out to me, as it mentioned the importance of actively listening to our own speech to eliminate our nervous tics, "ums," and "ahs." If you've ever listened to a recording of yourself speaking, you've most likely noticed your own repetitive speech patterns. ... [read more]

Now that you've recovered from the orgy of food on Thanksgiving Day and survived the malls on Black Friday; it's time to set your sights on Cyber Monday. Arguably the busiest shopping day of the year. Most of us are probably hunting for specials on audio and lighting. Those shiny new pieces of equipment meant to dazzle our clients and make us look like the best DJ in the world. Don't be distracted by the squirrels! Invest in something that will last you longer than a fifty foot XLR cable or new LED bar. Your education. What new training manuals, books or DVDs are you planning on getting to improve your knowledge and skill as a DJ? Did that thought even cross your mind? I've put together a list of three training tools you should definitely add to your library this holiday season.   read more]

Last night I had an amazing wedding. The bride and groom were super fun-loving and had invited well over 250 guests to their celebration. The ceremony was held outside in the courtyard, with the guests standing "in-the-round." When I first met with this couple, I went through my normal planning process, asking about their favorite and least favorite songs and artists. They simply told me "We trust you to do what you do best. The only thing we don't want is for a song to go on longer than a minute or two." I was super happy with that - I love quick mixing and consider couples like this to be my "golden couples." As we got closer to the wedding, they ended up gathering a sizable list of potential song suggestions from their many guests, with they shared with me. Many of them were great songs that I would be... [read more]

No one likes to be taken advantage of, right? Have you ever booked a gig only to have the client want to change what is expected without changing the price? How often have you received these messages: "We're extending the event an hour, you don't mind staying do you?" Or "Do you mind bringing microphones and sound for the musicians?" How do you handle a repeat client that suddenly wants to rearrange their event but pay the same price as last year? Many of us fail miserably in these situations due to one simple error. Lack of ownership. I still get surprised by how many DJ's do not complete an in depth contract with their clients for each event. I re... [read more]

It's no secret that everybody's a DJ, right? Every event we do someone has to come up and tell us that their brother, cousin, dentist, barber, carpenter, mechanic, aunt, lawn care guy or neighbor is a DJ. It's what people do to make some side cash. No training needed, just a Spotify account, disco ball and a system from "DJ in a Box". Being a DJ isn't a "real" job, right? It's not like you need a degree or certificate or something like that. ANY-body can do it. Maybe I'm over generalizing here, but we do have a tendency to shoot ourselves in the microphone. Case in point, about five months ago a video started to make the rounds from a "veteran... [read more]

Humans are very susceptible to suggestions and first impressions. The way we meet a new person can create a lasting thought in their mind that can be difficult to alter or remove. Our own perceptions can be changed by the slightest mention of a subject that triggers a negative memory, and the same can be said for our clients. In fact, there are many ways we can influence our clients without even realizing it, and in doing so we create problems for ourselves that never existed in the beginning. One of the most prominent examples in my mind is during the music-planning portion of our consultations. Everyone has seen a bad DJ at work and no... [read more]

When it comes to the DJ & wedding/event business, there is certainly no shortage of vendors! It seems as though every month, new wedding/event vendors are popping up, ready to begin their journey into the wedding world! In our area, the Austin Wedding DJ market certainly has no shortage of DJs and DJ companies. In the Austin, Texas area, there are over 150 professional DJ companies! Factor in all the DJ companies and solo DJs who do not advertise as much, or are on Facebook only, Craigslist, etc., and there are hundreds of more DJs in the business, right here in our area! On top of that, the Austin photo booth rentals market is increasing in competition, as well. It goes without saying, this is the same for just about every wedding market! So how do you stand out in a crowded market, full of new compet... [read more]

DJ tips in under a minute. This is how I put my mics now at weddings. The mike is about five or six inches below the officiant, the bride and the groom, sits in the middle like this, as you can see, because once they're up here talking, I really can't intrude on them. But what ends up happening is everyone is clearly heard, it's not in their face and I don't have to sweat the bride and groom not being picked up. I've done it this way where I am today at Park Manor about nine times. If you go to some of my Park Manor videos, you can actually see and hear part of the ceremony and you'll see how clear it is. So if you've got to put a mike in the ceremony, not only having that bad boy to protect from wind if you're outside, but put it in the middle of the three of them and you'll find it works really, really well... [read more]