There’s no denying it: Love it or hate it, cash is playing far less of a role in society. Physical money is rapidly becoming obsolete, due to constant improvements and innovations in the realm of virtual, electronic financial transactions. So, if you haven’t already arrived at the realization of this reality...welcome to the new cashless world. Make no mistake. Many DJs who remain dependent on cash sales are finding income and profits declining. That’s right: Mobile entertainment business owners who are ignoring developments such as the recently introduced EMV Smart Card technology, Apple’s mobile Wallet and other mobile payment vehicles, cyber ... [read more]

I was speaking with a wedding business owner the other day about the leads the company was getting. We were discussing the type of lead that was coming in and how this particular company was pretty much saying yes to every lead that was “reasonable” to their margins. This got me thinking, and I feel a need to address the idea that all business is good business, and that anyone that has a realistic budget that calls you should be your customer. We all know the basics of this. Laugh off the prospects with the totally low budgets and wish for the ones that have the high budgets. However, I am more worried about the “average” to “just below averag... [read more]

Continuing our look at how to deal with the sound versus noise issue, it’s important to understand the factors that go into common venue sound compliance agreements. Remember, the word “noise” is really subjective, with the three ingredients that distinguish between sound and noise (the listener’s perception, their interpretation, and the circumstances in which the sound is heard). A competent wedding DJ will know the difference. He or she will repeatedly walk the room to monitor the sound. They’ll also know how to read the crowd and able to keep guests involved and engaged without the need to “crank up” the sound levels to get attention. They’ll know how to set a standard, and measure it, then work with the venue to maintain it. read more]

So, this happened: A banquet facility here in Michigan built a gorgeous, landscaped outdoor pavilion specifically for wedding ceremonies. When my helper and I arrived to provide PA, I was impressed by the thought that went into it. There was a bar-like area that served as a DJ booth for weddings, or an actual bar for, say, an evening outdoor patio party for the golfers at the club. With a pergola overhead and a two- circuit outdoor electrical box close by, it seemed like an ideal situation. But then the dark clouds rolled in. HERE COMES THE RAIN AGAIN...AND AGAIN Setting up my outdoor ceremony rig for the wedding scheduled in a half an hour, I ... [read more]

In the movie Forrest Gump the title character says (shortening the common phrase), “It happens!” Well, “it” happened to me back in March, while traveling to and from Las Vegas to exhibit at the Mobile Beat show with my company, Frankenstand. I rented a 24-foot Penske cargo truck, this being the “smallest” truck with a lift gate for moving pallets. After loading my show product, I headed to Los Angeles to pick up three pallets of Wade Novin’s speakers for his Novin Audio booth and continued my trip to Sin City and the Tropicana hotel-casino. Halfway through the Mojave Desert I stopped to fill up the truck’s fuel tank with diesel. ... [read more]

People ask me what I find most rewarding about the mobile DJ business. My answer is knowing that the client was completely satisfied. How does one accomplish this? In one way it seems obvious: Simply meet their expectations that you’ll be playing music to keep people on the dance floor. However, the DJ, who often serves simultaneously as the master of ceremonies, may also be viewed by the client as the coordinator of the entire event. Thus, a client’s expectations of what the DJ will be doing often extend beyond his or her role as the entertainer, including situations that have nothing to do with music or entertainment. This is why the DJ must be wi... [read more]

Compiled by analyzing millions of actual client requests made through the DJ Intelligence music request system for weddings and parties around the world, you will not nd a more accurate representation of what songs are actually being requested by audiences and played by mobile entertainers at live events. Want to include your requests in next year’s tally? Add the DJ Intelligence music request system to your website at www. djintelligence.com and gain access to an entire suite of online event booking, planning, and management tools. And make sure to download the Fun Wedding app for iOS or Android, to have up-to-the-minute versions of these charts at y... [read more]

C’mon Staci...isn’t everyone else already doing this?” Ehhh...if they are doing it, they likely are not doing it well. Let’s not allow PopSugar and BuzzFeed to beat us at our own game (they make tons of popular wedding playlists on Pinterest). DJs make better playlists than bloggers, right? Well, we will now! CREATE A UNICORN PLAYLIST The internet has started burping up generic Garter Toss and Cake Cutting song playlists because it is too full of them. You are going to have to dig deeper. The single most popular playlist I ever created was “34 Gringo-Friendly Spanish Dance Songs for an Intercultural Mexican Wedding.” Is that specific enough... [read more]

You are playing at a wedding reception. The moment is right. You hit play. Neil Diamond blasts from the powered speakers. The crowd quivers in anticipation and many start singing along. All voices join in, shout-singing the first line of the chorus. The moment arrives. You kill the volume, then—“Bah! Bah! Bah!” Good times certainly never seemed as good as this moment, for this joyous crowd. The next Saturday: The moment is right. You hit play... “Sweet Caroline” is one of the most enduring and popular songs of all time. A #4 pop and #3 adult contemporary hit in June 1969—then Diamond’s first top ten hit since 1966—the track has appeared ... [read more]

As if DJs didn’t have enough to keep them busy, there’s always more: music videos! Music video can be: the “edge” that puts you above and beyond your competition; or some other dumb thing everyone does that no one pays much attention to; or...BOTH. Based on my experiences, I have ideas to share about how to make it more of the former and less of the latter. But first let’s look at how we got to today, in terms of music video’s development. The age of music video EXPLODED in the early 1980s, parallel to the explosion of cable television. Did you know: that people used to have antennas on the roofs of their homes in order to get a maxi... [read more]