Picking
a Disc Jockey
Here
are some tips to help you get both a DJ you'll be happy with and the
music you want.
History
In the old days (before 1995 or so), there were fewer DJs out there. Why?
A few reasons...
- DJ
equipment used to be both very expensive and hard to find.
- In
the old days of vinyl records, music was also expensive and it was difficult
to build a library of older popular music. When a record when out of
print, it was hard to find.
Nowadays, anyone can walk in to a local music equipment store (there are several in Connecticut) and can walk out 30 minutes later with a complete DJ system that they bought with "no money down" and "6 months interest free financing". Our new "DJ" could then run home, download songs off of the internet and burn them onto CDs that cost them just a few cents each. All that was left was to sit down at the PC and make up some business cards and he's in business.
Who's
Hot and Who's Not?
So now that you've just found out that there are probably 1,000 DJs within
a short drive of you, how can you tell who might do a good job for you?
There's no single way that's foolproof. You'll need to combine a couple
of these to be confident in your choice (and you'll be nervous about everything
anyway, you're getting married for goodness sake).
Word
of Mouth
A good place to start could be a referral from someone you know. For example...
"we had Rent-a-DJ and they were awesome!" You're essentially
judging a DJ based upon how they did on 1 day in front of a certain crowd.
It may not be the best way to evaluate things like professionalism and
flexibility, but it's a great start.
Professionalism
That's a tough word to define for a DJ, one of those things that you or
I can say "I know it when I see it". Here are a few things to
look out for:
- Regular
office hours - Do they keep regular office hours or return
calls promptly? (In case you were wondering, Rent-a-DJ is in the office
at least Monday-Friday from 10am-5pm)
- Insurance
-If the DJ doesn't have appropriate insurance, you could be over a barrel.
Here's an example, you hire a DJ that isn't covered by worker's compensation
and they get hurt loading equipment at your wedding reception... did
you know that they can sue you? Rent-a-DJ's disc jockeys are all employees
and covered by worker's compensation and Rent-a-DJ carries more than
$1 million dollars in corporate liability insurance (in case someone
else gets hurt).
- Quality
Equipment -The use of the kind of equipment that you can buy
at Circuit City or Radio Shack isn't professional. Don't get me wrong,
I buy consumer stereo equipment at Circuit City too... it's just not
made to be moved around every other day. They need to have a "Plan
B." Here's what I mean, what happens if: your DJs amplifier blows
up, your DJ wakes up with a 102 degree fever on the day of your reception
or his/her car breaks down on your special day? (FYI, Rent-a-DJ has
backup staff either on duty or on call).
- Appearance
-Just make sure that the DJ will be wearing a tuxedo at your wedding
(unless you'd like them dressed differently). Also, find out what their
equipment will look like when it's all set up. Will they hang some sort
of banner screaming out their name (at your wedding)?
- Attitude
-Does the DJ seem interested in working with you or do they seem more
interested in your deposit? When you bring up any concerns do they say
"yeah, no problem" or do they take the time to hear you out
and thoughtfully come up with a solution or can they tell you how they've
handled similar concerns in the past?
- Have a Contract - The important parts are the date, times, location, price and cancellation policy. The first four items on the list are easy. You need to look carefully at the cancellation policy though. Why? I'll tell you that I've seen DJ contracts that have seen couples lose their deposit because they've had to change their date for reasons beyond their control (banquet hall goes out of business, death of a family member, job relocation by bride/groom, etc.).
(contract horror story) I had a bride call me once who called the DJ to cancel her wedding date because the wedding had been called off, they reconciled a week later and the DJ told them they'd need to give her another deposit to re-reserve him! I gave her credit for her deposit with the other DJ because I felt so bad...
Lastly, look out for a lot of legal-ese or fine print on the contract. If it's their contract, I'll guarantee you that all that fine print is for their protection only (not yours!).
