Have you ever been to a wedding reception with the disc jockey from hell? The music is too loud, he doesn’t know how to get people on the dance floor, and he has the most ridiculous song collection ever!
Don’t let this happen at your reception party.
Our Number One Suggestion:
See the DJ in action before you hire him! Choose a DJ from a wedding you have attended. You might even be able to negotiate with a DJ that you are considering to be allowed to attend one of his events (never hurts to ask) before making your final decision.
Here are some questions to ask before hiring a DJ:
- Are you the one who will DJ our wedding?
(Make sure you know who will be doing your wedding reception.) - How many people will cover the event?
- How long have you been a disc jockey and how many weddings have you performed at?
(You don’t want your wedding to be his practice session, do you?) - Do you also Emcee the reception?
- Do you wear a suit and tie?
- What time do you arrive to setup the equipment?
- Do you carry liability insurance?
- How many songs do you have in your library?
- Do you provide a wireless microphone for speeches?
- Do you bring backup equipment with you?
- Are lighting effects included?
- Do you provide a written contract and guarantee?
- What are the refunds / cancellation terms?
- What are the terms of payment and what costs do I need to be aware of?
(gratuity, service charge, taxes, overtime, travel expenses, etc.)
Here is a video we found offering ten things to look for when hiring a DJ.
For additional ideas, you may find the following article to be helpful:
How to Hire a Wedding Disc Jockey
By Kevin Colangelo
In the age of the Internet, things are very different. I started with maybe 100 albums, with an additional 200-250 45’s. That is not even a drop in the DJ bucket. I have seen websites of DJ’s who are claiming 20,000 available songs for their events. My own song library went from milk crates of albums, to boxes of cd’s, to MP-3 files on a USB hard drive. And, a USB hard drive is a lot easier to carry around than 20 milk crates.
So, what do you need to look for when you hire your DJ? I think one of the easiest ways to find a good DJ is to take a look at what people have complained about at my events. And be sure not to hire the same DJ these people hired.
“He just wouldn’t turn down the music”.
This has been among the most reported of the complaints I have heard about. One father of the bride, after the DJ had been asked to turn it down many times, finally told the DJ that he would stop payment on the check if the music wasn’t turned down.
How do you insure that you won’t have this same problem? Or if you do, what recourse do you have? Many DJ’s are subcontractors of national chain organizations. You have probably pre-paid for the event. I am sure the national organization will be interested in the conduct of the DJ. If you feel that you have been treated badly, let them know. If they receive additional complaints, that particular DJ might not be working for them in the future.
“He just wouldn’t shut up”.
I have had numerous event attendees come up to me over the years and thank me for not talking their ears off while I was doing the DJ work. A major complaint was that the DJ started “chattering” a minute or more before the song ended, kept up the dialog during the fade to the new song, and didn’t stop talking until the new song was almost a minute in.
One lady told me that the DJ she hired was talking thru almost half of each song. Someone figured out how to handle the situation: they all quit going out on the dance floor. When the DJ asked why no-one was dancing, someone shouted that they couldn’t dance when the DJ wouldn’t shut up. She reported that the DJ got the message.
As above, if the DJ is a sub-contractor, his umbrella organization will probably want to know how the DJ handled the event. If the DJ doesn’t comply with your requests, you may request a refund.
“He didn’t play any of the music we wanted to hear”.
This has been probably the most reported DJ problem. One lady told me that the DJ she hired for the 25th anniversary party she had scheduled for her parents wouldn’t play any of the music she had requested. He had asked her to give him a list of the music she wanted, but over halfway thru the party, he had not played anything she had listed.
In this instance, the DJ was not affiliated with a national organization. In order to get the event, he had given the client a 50/50 deal, 50% down and 50% at the conclusion of the event. The DJ was extremely surprised when the client rejected his request for the final payment. When the client showed the DJ the list of music she had given him, without a single song checked off as having been played, he responded that he expected to be paid, even though he had not played anything that had been requested.
“He didn’t show up with the equipment he promised”.
One attendee at an event I DJ’d told me of the following nightmare: She had hired a DJ for a singles mixer at a local night club/restaurant. The night club had 3 separate seating areas, for which the client had requested separate speaker systems, to provide music to all areas of the nightclub. When the DJ showed up, all he had was a single set of speakers, which were unable to provide sufficient sound to the areas farthest from where he set up. When the client asked where the rest of the rest of the speakers were, the DJ replied that he didn’t really have the additional speakers. The client had paid a 10% down payment, with the rest expected to be paid before the event would be started. The DJ had several excuses about why he didn’t have the equipment, but told the client he expected to be paid in full, simply because he showed up. I got the impression from the client that the DJ wasn’t happy.
After thirty years in the DJ industry, I have heard many other tales of woe. But, I think there are ways to decrease the possibilities that you will fall prey to the same types of DJ’s I have already mentioned. Now that we know who not to hire, let’s look at some things to look for to find the right DJ.
#1: Pre-determine the music required for the event you are planning.
Make a list of what you want to hear. I am sure it will change as the evening goes on, but you will start with something you are happy with.
Several years ago, I did a back-yard wedding reception. The list that the client gave me was actually quite simple: 50% classic rock, 25% country, 25% top 40. No problem. However, no one took into consideration that most of the attendees were of Mexican descent. It soon became apparent that by not listing that they wanted Tejano music, I didn’t make an effort to get Tejano music. I did, however, have a couple CD players. We scoured the CD libraries of two of the residents in the home, found all the Tejano music we needed, and salvaged the reception.
If you are planning, for example, a 50th anniversary party for your parents, they probably grew up in the 30’s, 40’s or 50’s. That’s the music they listened or danced to when they were dating. That’s the Big Band era. They are likely not going to get on the dance floor for Rap or Techno music. I am sure you will get someone out there for those music styles, but if you invited your parent’s friends, there won’t be many of their age group on the dance floor. So, find a DJ who has an excellent library of the 30’s – 50’s Big Band music. He will be surely asked to play something from that era.
When I started my DJ business, I was listening to what has become known as Classic Rock, although back then it was just Rock. The Birds, Alice Cooper, Bachman Turner Overdrive, The Who, The Beach Boys, and even the Beatles. So, I would be a good selection for a singles dance whose attendees were in the 30-50 year old range. You would never ask me to do a sweet sixteen birthday party for your daughter. I wouldn’t have the slightest idea what they were (or are) listening to.
Granted, in almost all venues, there will be a diverse music requirement. Big Band will not be the only request at the 50th anniversary party, but it will likely be a large portion of the request lists. So it is a very delicate balancing act to incorporate all the styles that will be requested. I just know that I have and will likely turn down any requests to do Rap music or sweet sixteen parties.
#2: Select the DJ for the venue based on his ability to fulfill the requirements of that venue.
My first DJ events were singles dances in Seattle. They were held in the cultural halls in two LDS churches. I soon discovered that I just didn’t plan very well. I was trying to fill an area approximately the size of a standard basketball court with sound. It could be done easily with the equipment I had set up for the first dance, if there were no people there. With fifty people trying to dance to the music, I just didn’t have the projection capabilities.
I soon added another pair of speakers about halfway down the floor, pointing straight across the floor at each other. This solved the problems of getting the music from the front row to at least halfway back. Another pair of speakers solved the issue of getting the music all the way to the back.
There were other ways to solve the special issues of sound. I could have installed the speakers on stands to get the music over the heads of the dancers. My approach was to use 350 Watt speakers, usually in 2 or 3 pairs, around the outside of the dance floor, to get the booming bass I thought was so important. I felt that the stand speakers were a little too “tinny”; I wanted to “feel” the music.
#3: Discuss with the DJ the recourse you have if he doesn’t fulfill your expectations.
I realize that expectations can be very generic. What you might think is a total failure in the event might simply be a missed conversation, one that didn’t take place, but should have.
I believe that most DJ’s, if they are truly trying to provide the absolute best for their clients, will take the time to get to know all of the client’s requirements, from the time the DJ needs to show up, to what they are going to wear. Showing up at 8:00 Pm for an event at 7:00 PM just doesn’t impress the guests very much. And wearing a tux to a 50th birthday party in someone’s back yard when all the guests are wearing cut-offs might be a little pretentious.
So, talk to your DJ. Ask him what you should do if he can’t find the volume knob, or if he can’t keep his opinions about the music to himself so the guests can dance to music and not a play-by-play of the latest band gossip. And, ask one of the most important questions if the interview process: Just how interested is he in making your event the best it can possibly be?
I have done DJ events from a singles dance with 4 people to an international event held at the Peace Arch near Seattle. Along the way, I tried to learn what the client expected, and did my best to provide that client with everything they needed and wanted. So, here’s a short list:
1) Get all of your expectations in writing.
- Does the DJ have a Services Contract? Does it list everything the DJ will do for your event, including who he/she is bringing?
- Give your proposed DJ a list of everything you want for the event when you interview him/her.
- Talk every item over with them.
- Insure the DJ has an Event Planer (and fill it out in great detail).
2) Find out if the DJ is a local independent, affiliated with a national organization, or just pulled his AM/FM tuner out of his stereo cabinet.
- Does he/she have the final say in the decision process? If not, find out who makes the decisions, get a phone number and address, and contact that person.
- Use Internet resources to verify claims the DJ makes. If he says he is a member of XYZ Entertainment, contact them.
- Ask for a list of clients he has DJ’d for in the previous 6 months. You can go back further, but the industry has changed so significantly, the DJ may not be recognizable.
- Don’t assume that everyone on the list is a positive referral. CALL EVERYONE.
3) Find out if the DJ has an on-line music library listing, or has a list printed up for you to select your music from.
- Make your list as specific as possible. Don’t list “Country” as a music style; list specific country artists.
- If you have a list of music, make sure he/she knows what you want to listen to.
- Find out what you can do if the DJ doesn’t play what you want.
- If your DJ says you have to listen to only what they want to play, find another DJ.
4) Really “look” at your DJ.
- Check out his/her internet site. Look for anything that might tell you if he/she is the one you want at your event.
- Ask for your DJ’s equipment list. I am sure he/she is very proud of their 1000 watt “boom box”, but that might not be the best equipment for your event.
5) Cheaper is not better
- If you have gotten 4 quotes exceeding $700 each, and 1 quote for $300, don’t be excited to be getting a $400 discount; be excited to discover why you are getting that price.
In conclusion, your selections can make or break the event. If you select the wrong caterer, hire the wrong hall, have the wrong dress company make your dresses, or even hire the wrong DJ, the event may not be the best ever. But, a little detective work, a little attention to detail, a question here, a question there, and you will create an event to be proud of.
Kevin Colangelo
President
http://www.kevincolangelo.com
Quality costs more, hire a professional.
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