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20
Questions to ask a DJ
Provided
by Superior Sound Entertainment Disc Jockey Service
1.
Do you provide a written contract for your services?
a. This should be YES without exception!
Never take their word for it. Get it in writing!
2. How many wedding receptions have you performed
at?
a. Generally speaking, the more experience,
the more money a Disc Jockey is worth. You should look for
DJs that have performed at more than 60 weddings as a starting
point (takes into account at least 3 years experience at
20 weddings per year)
3.
May I see you perform at a wedding reception?
a. This answer should be NO. Should
your DJ allow a stranger to "pop-in" and watch
even a few minutes of your big day and give the impression
that they care more about the "next sale" rather
than the party in front of them? Superior Sound
Entertainment
strictly follows this policy.
4.
How much do you charge?
a. Looking for value is not always
the best coarse of action. As a rule you normally get what
you pay for. The one thing people always remember for years
after the wedding is how much fun they had at the reception
dance. Experience, Professionalism & High Grade Equipment
are your best value. You should be willing to spend at a
minimum of $ 700.00 & a maximum of $1000.00.
5.
Are you limited to only 4 or 5 Hours because you have another
wedding?
a. In most cases this should be NO!
The Bride & Groom dictate the number of hours at a reception,
as is stipulated in the Contract.
6.
How early do you arrive prior to a wedding reception?
a. Arrival time is generally 60-120
minutes prior and setup is complete before stated contract
time.
7.
What do you wear to a wedding reception?
a. The DJ should always dress in appropriate
attire according to the event and the wishes of the client.
Tuxedo for formal engagements.
8.
I've heard horror stories of drunk DJs. Do you do drink on
the job?
a. This should be an ABSOLUTE NO!
Professionals do their job. They don't drink on the job.
Superior Sound Entertainment DJ Service strictly follows this policy.
9.
Will the DJ act as a master of Ceremony?
a. This depends on the style of services
the client wishes to have.
10.
Are you able to play continuous music?
a. Yes...the music never stops.
11.
How much music you have?
a. This should be a significant amount
with over 8,000 songs. Roughly you can fit 70 songs into
a 4 Hour time frame.
12.
Do you use any theatrical lighting?
a. Depends again on the client's wishes.
Superior Sound Entertainment DJ Service never charges extra for lighting.
13.
Are there any special needs for your equipment?
a. Other than the normal precautions
for any electrical equipment, no.
14.
How many breaks will you take, how often, and for how long?
a. I do not take breaks during your
reception as the music remains continuous.
15. What is the payment schedule?
a. Find out when
payments are due including the procedure for cancellations.
16. What happens if you
get sick or some tragic event happens in your life, do we
have a backup?
a.
Good Disc Jockey services ALWAYS have a backup plan or two.
The BEST DJ services have this pointed out in their contracts.
17. Do you Sub-Contract your
work out?
a. You want to
make sure which Disc Jockey you are paying to have service
your wedding reception - This should be NO!
18. Do you need to be
fed at my wedding reception?
a. This should
never be required by your DJ professional, however it is
always a nice gesture to make sure your DJ is fed so they
can give the best performance possible. A DJs normal day,
given a 5 hour reception with setup and travel time if roughly
7-9 hours.
19. Why is your price higher
to play on an island?
a. Any island
that is not connected directly to the mainland takes a lot
of extra time to prepare for and is costly to service. The
price should include transportation to the wedding and any
incidentals associated with that. (Example: Washington
Island)
20. What does your equipment
consist of?
a. Only professional
Disc Jockey Equipment. Names include JBL, Crown, Numark, Toshiba,
Chauvet, BBE, American DJ, AKG.
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A Band or a Great DJ.
By: Bronson Smith, Superior Sound Entertainment DJ Service, Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Congratulations
on your engagement, you have decided to take the big step,
but now there is so much to do & so little time. First
things first. choose a date, find the perfect banquet hall
& then being looking for your Reception Entertainment.
Ok, do we go with a Band or a DJ?
Tough call
? It's up to the couple. Some people like live entertainment,
but some people don’t. The Pro’s & Cons... Bands
are live, the music is loud, everyone’s having a great time,
well almost everyone, Grandma & Grandpa are sitting
over in the corner with her hands over her ears & Grandpa
is putting on his jacket, they can’t wait to leave
& the reception just started, all they wanted was a
few big band songs & maybe a polka or two early in the
evening then they would have been happy & this is the
feeling with a majority of the older guests, its too loud
& they not playing anything for us to dance to. We should
leave. & Then it happens the older guests that you invited,
that possible traveled for hours, leave & leave very
unhappy. Why, did they leave after 45 minutes?
Because
you did not think of them when looking for your entertainment.
Remember its not just about what you want to hear on your
wedding night, you have invited many guests that have traveled
considerable distances to attend, your guest want to hear
a little of everything, so you need to take into consideration
that maybe a band, that is only able to play a select few
songs on a play list, bands take breaks every hour or so,
they travel with a PA system that belongs on a stage in
a auditorium, so maybe a band might not be the correct decision.
DJ’s..
Pro’s & Con’s... OK, You gave
it some thought & came to the conclusion that maybe
a band might not be the correct alternative. So now what.
Well you can do what most brides & grooms have been
doing for the past 25 yrs or so, open up a phone book or
more recently go to the internet or you can ask someone
you know who they had DJ at their wedding & did they
do a good job, did they keep the dance floor full. The one
investment that means the most at a wedding reception is
the DJ/Entertainer. Most people have no problems paying
big money to a Photographer, a Cake maker, & the Banquet
Hall, but when it comes to a DJ they tend to try & cut
costs. Does a Photographer travel with possibly $ 10,000
- 20,000 dollars or more worth of equipment, will you remember
the name of the company that made your cake or what you
had to eat at the dinner 10 yrs down the road? No, but you
will remember the DJ & the great time you had.
DJ/Entertainers are like most any other type of service
company you hire, you get what you pay for, in most respects.
Experience
& Professionalism are worth their weight in gold,
even more so when we are talking about your wedding reception.
It has to be perfect & you only get one shot at it.
Here is
an example -
Would you
take your new sports car to some inexperienced back yard
mechanic that lacks the know how & equipment to properly
fix a very expensive investment ? No, you would not, so
why would you want to cut costs & hire some less that
professional DJ to run the wedding reception. A great DJ
can make your event a smashing success, please don’t entrust
your wedding night to the unknown cheap DJ, you will be
taking a huge gamble. Remember a great DJ is priceless &
the memories of your wedding reception are forever.
So,
what’s so great about a DJ?
DJ/Entertainers are able to do things bands can not.
Like, Play Cocktail hour music or soft romantic dinner music,
bands for the most part don’t have a clue how to coordinate
the grand march, the Bouquet toss & the Garter removal,
they can’t play polka’s or Big band music & further
more they are unable to play at a moments notice your favorite
song & your guest’s requests. DJ’s can & will.
Most Good DJ’s now have either gone over too or are in the
process of switching to a computerized digital music library
on a lap top. Computer are able to hold Thousands &
Thousands of songs of digital quality sound & most good
DJ’s travel with a state of the art sound & lighting
display which enhances the look & feel of your event
,bringing you a club lighting & sound experience. A
good DJ/Entertainer is in his or her element when at a wedding
reception or any other type of event, DJ’s like to have
fun & be creative, every event is unique.
So,
what do I look for in a Great DJ/Entertainer?
Professionalism
is number one, a good DJ takes his or her job seriously
& will stop at nothing to deliver a great service.
A good
DJ will have extensive customer service experience, pleasing
the customer should be the first order of business
A good
DJ will have many years of experience & countless events
under his or her belt.
A good
DJ will hopefully be responsible & carry liability insurance
as well as have back up equipment on hand in the event of
an unforeseen equipment failure.
A good
DJ will be a great listener & love to talk.. Listening
to the customer & finding out their wants & needs
is very important for the success of the event. good DJ’s
should be great orator’s, the ability to communicate to
the customer & guest in a manner that is friendly, exciting
is very important. I know a DJ that stutters on the
phone, but give him a microphone & he could address
80 thousand people at a stadium & not miss a beat, try
not to judge people, they would not be good DJ very long
if they did not do a great job.
A good
DJ will have Great equipment. Professionals use Professional
equipment. Enough said.
A good
DJ, won’t invite perspective client to a paying customers
event, Many DJ’s have no problem inviting future clients
to stop in & watch them in action. A good DJ would not
invite people whom the bride & groom did not invite
themselves. Would you want a dozen strangers at your reception
consuming your open bar beverages, that could get costly
& its so unprofessional for a DJ that you hired to worry
more about his or her future clients than to take care of
the job at hand.
A good
DJ, Will bend over backwards to make his or her customers
happy.
A good
DJ, Will inform potential clients about the dangers of a
strict do not play list that includes every good dance song.
You might not like certain songs, in fact you might hate
them, but is that to say the people you invited to share
in your special day, they might like those songs. Remember
the reception dance is only 4 -5 hours long, do you really
want to tell your many guest with various musical tastes
that they won’t be able to listen to a favorite song, because
you don’t want to hear it. No, of course
not, that would be disrespectful.
The DJ
needs to be given a certain amount of latitude during the
course of the event. Most DJ’s are able to read the crowd
& know to a degree a certainty what songs will get your
guests out on the dance floor, & that’s what it is all
about anyway, right ? Having a great time. Some of the songs
I am referring to are the, Hokie Pokie, Chicken Dance, Macarena,
YMCA & the Cha Cha Slide to name a few. Putting these
songs on a do not play list will affect your event, since
crowd participation songs get the people dancing & having
fun.
If you
decide to put these & other good dance songs on a do
not play list DO NOT blame the DJ, When your event lacks
energy or is just plain boring. I guess what I am trying
to say is, do not play list’s are bad, but, the customer
is king & most good DJ’s will pass the blame off where
it deserves to be, after all it was your choice to have
a do not play list.
A good
DJ, Looks the part & dresses for success. Formal Attire
(Tuxedo) at formal events, less that formal, but always
proper attire at less than formal events, most good DJ’s
will ask what the Attire will be for the evening.
A good
DJ, Will to an extent Advertise, Word of mouth is a great
form of advertising , but it’s not enough. Some DJ’s spend
a small fortune & some DJ’s don’t. A professional DJ/Entertainer
will at least advertise in a Phone Book or Two, will have
business cards, should have a Professionally created Web
Site & should have a dedicated Phone line for Business
use.
A good
DJ, will be willing to meet the customer with a no obligation
free consultation, a good DJ, will not pressure the customer
into signing on the dotted line.
A good
DJ, will try new things to keep the festive party energy
going. A hoola hoop contest, the limbo & maybe even
80’s music trivia are all tricks a good DJ will have up
his or her sleeve to keep the party hopping.
A good
& or Great DJ, Should be many things & do many things,
I could go on & on, but I think I have outlined the
Important items here. Now, start your search & keep
some of these things in mind, Good Luck!
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