Pay for a Dj Perspective

Imagine you have just purchased a beautiful new porsche. You purchased the frame and body and lots of extra bells and whistles, the only thing missing is the engine. You shop around online asking for pricing on engines, and since you have spent a significant amount of money on extras you have very little left in your budget for the engine. So you buy the lowest priced engine you can find and have it installed. It is time to take your wedding guests for a ride in your brand new porsche, everyone gets in the car. You are so excited to show them what this car can do taking them on a fun, emotional & exhilarating ride!

You turn the key and the car does not start. That is the DJ you hired not showing up to your wedding. No music for the ceremony, no amplification for your vows, no cocktail music, no introductions to kick off the reception & get your guests excited & motivated, no dinner music, no first dance, no parents dance, no amplification for the toasts, no dancing period. After the meal you still have three hours to go until your scheduled end time. Will your guests want to stick around and admire the look of your shiny porsche for the remaining three hours? If you were a guest would you?

Now imagine the car does start but it sputters and stalls every few miles. That is the Dj you hired who shows up late, plays the wrong songs for your important moments, can’t pronounce your name correctly and says inappropriate things on the mic. His gear is substandard and his mics feed back or drop out. The toasts have just concluded and there is 3 hours left to go. The DJ’s sound system is loud and the music is distorted during the meal. Again we ask, will your guests want to stick around and admire the look of your shiny new porsche with loud inappropriate music playing in the background for the remaining three hours? Would you?

Now imagine you bought the same porsche, only this time you opted to purchase a top of the line engine. You did not spend as much on the “extras” (flowers, party favors, food, alcohol, deserts, etc), and you now have a sufficient amount of money left over to purchase a well built performance engine (notice I used the word “performance”). Your wedding guests pile into the car, you start the engine and it smoothly zips forward and you take your guests for the ride of their lives. This is you hiring a DJ who recognizes that your wedding day only comes once in your lifetime. They have gotten to know you & worked closely with you well in advance of your wedding day. They are skilled at directing and engaging people, creative and have added personal touches to all of the special moments. They are also skilled music programmers, use state of the art sound equipment and know how to read the crowd. You have three hours to go, what are the chances that your guests will want to stay for the duration of your event?

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We love the car metaphor because it effectively gives a visual representation of the many "roads" you can take your special day down. How well your car performs is solely dependent on what is under the hood. What is under the hood at your wedding is the entertainment as it drives about 80% of the success of your event. 80% you might ask? That may sound pretty high, but....

Consider:

*If your caterer did not show up there is always the option of ordering pizza or sandwiches to be delivered. (Your caterer would be in breach of contract and you would most likely get your money refunded)

*If your flowers and decorations did not show up it would not stop the ceremony or reception from happening.

*If the party favors did not show up it would not bring the event to a screeching halt nor cause your guests to feel awkwad or uncomfortable.

*If your DJ did not show up there would be no music to walk down the isle to, no cocktail or dinner music, no first dance, no parents dance, no party etc etc... (Wouldn't this make you and your guests feel awkward?)

*Djs are not like food. They cannot be ordered and delivered on demand. "Sure, we will have a DJ and sound system delivered in under 30 minutes!" That just does not happen!

Think of it in these terms, let's say your entire wedding budget is $20,000 and you plan a 5 hour event. The ceremony, dinner and toasts happen within the first two hours. The majority of your guests have left after the toasts, you still have three hours to go to your scheduled end time, you have just lost $12,000.

The average percentage spent on entertainment at weddings is about 3% - 5% of the entire wedding budget. Think about that for a moment. 3% -5%! Why is this? We believe it is because Djs generally are seen as a commodities in the marketplace.

The bridal publications are telling brides to shop for "Music" for their special day. We challenge you to open any bridal publication and find any articles about hiring a "qualified entertainment service", you will not. When you scan the pages you will only see photos and articles about how to make your wedding look beautiful. They would have you believe that the decorations and party favors are all you need under the hood of your new porsche to make it go. About 78% of brides fall into this perceptual trap and end up placing the entertainment at the bottom of their priority list.

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The truth is that MUSIC IS A COMMODITY. You can buy the same song on itunes or amazon and it does not matter what the price is, you are getting the same product. DJs PROVIDE A SERVICE, they are not commodities. How are they not commodities? Because every DJ service out there is run by people, and just like no two snowflakes are alike, the same applies to people. There are thousands of variations of personalities and skill levels. No two DJ companies are alike.

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Below is a short clip from a workshop we attended where the presenter was making this very point:

Please consider that your wedding day will only come once in your lifetime. If you shop for your dj with the perception that he or she is just a commodity you most likely will end up hiring a DJ who sees himself and your wedding for that matter as a commodity. (A cheap Dj will see you and your event in the same light) Many DJ services out there do market themselves as commodities and they are not hard to spot.

If they...

1. talk excessively about how amazing their music library is,

2. talk excessively about how great their light show or soud gear is,

3. Are willing to undercut their competition to get your business (They don't value themselves)...

...they are selling themselves as a commodity.

The music, the gear and the lights are tools the Dj brings, they are not indicators of the Dj's talent and skill level. You would not hire a home improvement contractor based on the tools he brings would you? You just want the contractor to do a quality job, and you check references and ask to see samples of his or her previous work before hiring.

Ask yourself if you want someone who markets himself as a commodity to be responsible for 80% of the success of your event.

Did you notice the bride in the above video clip emotionally declared that her DJ "RUINED" her wedding? Please take special note of how much she budgeted for her Entertainment. I am willing to bet the Dj was at the bottom of her prioroty list. She did little or no research on this Dj company and viewed him as a commodity. He in turn probably marketed himself as such, severely undercut a competitor and lured her in with the ultra low rate. Unfortunately it was too late when she realized how much responsibility she was actually turning over to this person.

In our market you will find pricing in the range of $300 to $3,000. On the low end of the pricing spectrum it is of course a crap shoot and you would be putting your wedding day at risk. Naturallly the higher you go the better your odds are of having an amazingly unforgettable wedding experience.

Our advice to you is to do your homework on every DJ you are considering hiring. Ask for references, video clips, and reviews. This is the person that will be "representing" you on one of the most important days of your life. Also know how to spot the commodity Djs and don't be tempted by their incredibly low rates. They are engaged in a race to the bottom for your business. Value your entertainment choice the same way you value the importance of your wedding day, you will not regret it!

"Ensure that your vision of your wedding day becomes reality. If those happy brides are even close to right that the entertainment was 80% responsible for their wedding reception’s success, then it appears that the DJ’s responsibility goes quite a bit further than "just playing music." And without question, it does. The best ones understand this, and they have taken mobile DJ entertainment from a job to an art. That’s why they’re constantly referred, and are booked six months to a year in advance. Don’t try to use only your leftover time, and try to spend only your leftover money, or you’ll probably end up with a leftover DJ."
~ Anonymous