I've been working hard all summer to nail down some interviews with people that have not only impacted music and culture but are also changing our industry. Sharing, learning and listening to the stories from these amazing people has been incredible. We cover music, life, travel, working with legends and much more. I wish I could share every word they said with you. Suffice it to say that I've captured the best stuff and put all together for you. Is Disco dead? Not according to Jason Weintraub (AKA Disco Twitter). Jason has been traveling the world promoting disco goodness. In our September issue interview he reveals how he makes old disco tunes so... [read more]

When people put together a gaming setup, they tend to focus on graphics cards, fast internet, controllers, CPU speeds, and gaming headsets or chairs. And all of those things are essentials for serious gamers, but even the most experienced players sometimes leave out a very important ingredient of a grade A gaming rig: a high-quality Virtual Private Network (VPN). Why are VPNs essential to modern gaming? There are actually plenty of reasons. Firstly, they ensure anonymity on chat rooms and gaming platforms. So, if you annoy a fellow gamer and they try to dox your identity, you’ll be fully protected and safe from harm. That’s especially handy for parents with kids who love multiplayer games like Fortnite. Secondly, VPNs can deliver enhanced ping speeds, by routing traffic straight to gaming servers, i... [read more]

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]

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]

In the DJ business, things are constantly evolving. My wife and I own/manage our business Austin's Best DJs & Photo Booths, and have run it since 2012. We were both long-time DJs before we even met! I'm approaching 3 decades (yes, decades, since I started when I was a kid) and my wife is approaching nearly 2 decades! We've seen a lot of trends come and go. As business owners, we have to stop and consider the trends and evaluate whether or not we want to be a part of them. DJs seem to always want the latest, greatest new turntable or controller, or light, that just came out. It seems as if DJing has turned into another way of "keeping up with the Jones." DJs like to constantly buy new equipment, and understandably so. Sure, you have to keep up with the trends or get left behind. This brings me to the to... [read more]

All right. DJ tips in under a minute. These are wedding invitations and usually these are done maybe before you're even hired as the DJ, but one thing that wedding invitations can sometimes have is the end date of the reception. It might say, beginning at 5:00, ending at 10:00 or whatever it says. The reason I'm bringing this up is it was brought to my attention that whenever a party has an end time, it tends to give guests a little bit different perspective as to how long they should stay. And I noticed most of my events on the outside of the room will have an end time. See if you can get the end time taken away. So just reception to begin at 5:00 o'clock. That way there is no sense of when am I out of here? Because I think if you have it in your head that this ends in two or three hours, you gauge how long ... [read more]