Mobile Disco DJs

Daddyo

Hi All,

My GF and me have a dream of being Wedding / Party DJs.

You know, get paid for playing Grease or Abba to beered up moms and dads !!

Anyway, looking for possible advice on equipment in particular though any other advice would be appreciated.

I want to be on the wheels of steel (CD player!) and my girlfriend will lead everyone in all the daft dances !!!

Was at a wedding last year and they got paid £200 for playing music for 4 hours ! Money for old rope.... or is it ??

You guys tell me !

Becles

Money for old rope? I wish!

Firstly - it's more than just slapping CD's on to beered up people. At a function like an evening wedding reception, the music is one of the most important aspects, so it's important to get that right. Cheap entertainment is rarely good, quality entertainment is priceless.

Before an event, we send out a booking pack to the party organiser. In it we ask them to rate various genres of music, and ask for must have songs, songs they definately don't want, times of any buffets or other events, and other information that helps us plan their night with them. We've also noticed that a number of weddings now are asking for requested songs to be sent back with the RSVP's, which then gets relayed to us. In some cases we have to go out and buy music, especially for obscure first wedding dance requests!

We tend to arrive 90 mins before we're due to start. It takes two of us this long to set the equipment up and test it before the guests arrive. At the end of the night, it takes another hour to dismantle it, put it in the car, then unload it back at home. It makes for a long and late night, and it's heavy work, espcially when you consider one of our speakers weighs 45kg!

During the night, it's more than just slapping CD's on. At the organisers request, we put out request slips on the tables. This allows people to pick favourite tunes, so the night is tailored to what they want to hear (bearing in mind the organisers guidelines!). It's a job where you are constantly thinking on your feet, working out how to link the request in without alienating groups of dancers - eg if you play R&B for an hour, most of your over 30's are going to be bored stupid and will probably leave. If you play a couple of R&B, then a few motown, then a party dance, then a couple of chart numbers - you're constanly keeping everyone entertained.

On top of that, you get semi-drunk people asking for things like "have you got the one that goes la la la la la", or getting abusive when you won't play the Birdie Song because the bride said she hates it!

Behind the scenes, we have to keep accounts, keep up to date on licensing laws, keep the website updated, do marketing and advertising, send out quotes/booking packs, liase with venues regarding access and keep in touch with the party organiser, along with dealing with the usual phone calls and e-mails associated with running a business. The maintenance on equipment is time consuming as everything has to be PAT tested annually, then tested before and after every gig, and consumables like non-standard light bulbs, bubble fluid and smoke fluid are expensive. We also pay for PLI insurance, just in case the worst should happen, to protect both us and the client.

I've posted this because everyone thinks it's an easy job, and it's not. You need to be able to think on your feet and be able to read people both on the dancefloor and seated so you can keep them all entertained. No two parties are the same, so you can't go with a one playlist fits all approach. Even just little things like noticed foot tapping or head bopping when they are eating gives you clues to what the crowd like/dislike.

It is rewarding though, especially when people say afterwards that you made their night for them. It's giving people memories that gives a warm glow inside, more than the money does.

To sum up, it's a very hard job to get into if you have never DJ'd before. Everyone sees the glamour side when you're up there at a party, but not many realise all the work that goes on to get us up there!

payless

I have little or no interest in this ( why did I read it) , but boy Becles certainly deserves a thanks for all that info

LoonyChoons

Becles wrote:

Money for old rope? I wish!

Firstly - it's more than just slapping CD's on to beered up people. At a function like an evening wedding reception, the music is one of the most important aspects, so it's important to get that right. Cheap entertainment is rarely good, quality entertainment is priceless.

Before an event, we send out a booking pack to the party organiser. In it we ask them to rate various genres of music, and ask for must have songs, songs they definately don't want, times of any buffets or other events, and other information that helps us plan their night with them. We've also noticed that a number of weddings now are asking for requested songs to be sent back with the RSVP's, which then gets relayed to us. In some cases we have to go out and buy music, especially for obscure first wedding dance requests!

We tend to arrive 90 mins before we're due to start. It takes two of us this long to set the equipment up and test it before the guests arrive. At the end of the night, it takes another hour to dismantle it, put it in the car, then unload it back at home. It makes for a long and late night, and it's heavy work, espcially when you consider one of our speakers weighs 45kg!

During the night, it's more than just slapping CD's on. At the organisers request, we put out request slips on the tables. This allows people to pick favourite tunes, so the night is tailored to what they want to hear (bearing in mind the organisers guidelines!). It's a job where you are constantly thinking on your feet, working out how to link the request in without alienating groups of dancers - eg if you play R&B for an hour, most of your over 30's are going to be bored stupid and will probably leave. If you play a couple of R&B, then a few motown, then a party dance, then a couple of chart numbers - you're constanly keeping everyone entertained.

On top of that, you get semi-drunk people asking for things like "have you got the one that goes la la la la la", or getting abusive when you won't play the Birdie Song because the bride said she hates it!

Behind the scenes, we have to keep accounts, keep up to date on licensing laws, keep the website updated, do marketing and advertising, send out quotes/booking packs, liase with venues regarding access and keep in touch with the party organiser, along with dealing with the usual phone calls and e-mails associated with running a business. The maintenance on equipment is time consuming as everything has to be PAT tested annually, then tested before and after every gig, and consumables like non-standard light bulbs, bubble fluid and smoke fluid are expensive. We also pay for PLI insurance, just in case the worst should happen, to protect both us and the client.

I've posted this because everyone thinks it's an easy job, and it's not. You need to be able to think on your feet and be able to read people both on the dancefloor and seated so you can keep them all entertained. No two parties are the same, so you can't go with a one playlist fits all approach. Even just little things like noticed foot tapping or head bopping when they are eating gives you clues to what the crowd like/dislike.

It is rewarding though, especially when people say afterwards that you made their night for them. It's giving people memories that gives a warm glow inside, more than the money does.

To sum up, it's a very hard job to get into if you have never DJ'd before. Everyone sees the glamour side when you're up there at a party, but not many realise all the work that goes on to get us up there!

Just to reinforce what my dear fiancee has posted:

I actually run the business myself, as well as working full time - its a huge commitment of time, effort and cash.

You need to be looking at at least £5-7k to get the business up and running - this includes all your equipment, your advertising, and any licenses you may need to obtain. You will also need a huge music collection covering almost every genre imaginable - it's no good turning up and playing cd's out of your personal collection - these are your personal taste remember.

Monthly outgoings will include consumables, constant updates of your music collection, constant advertising, and the standard stuff like telephone bills, mileage etc.

The £200 you mentioned is nowhere near the NET take home from that gig....so don't start seeing £££££ signs lol

Expect to run in the red for at least 18 months too. The best form of advertising in this business is word of mouth, and it takes a little while for word to get around.

If you've never DJ'd before I would certainly think long and hard about what you preparing to invest in. It's not the glamourous job everyone thinks - far from it.

If you're still interested after all this negative comment (and I'm not trying to put you off - honest!) - it would be well advisable to be an unpaid roadie with a local mobile disco for a few months - to get a feel of what is really involved. There will be someone in your area i'm sure who would let you come with them, and may even give you a small fee for helping carry the gear in/out and setting up/stripping down.

Hope all this info helps and stops you from plunging in at the deep end to an industry that you may know little about.

Feel free to PM me if you need any more info :beer:

payless

well I'm giving one of you a thanks!

Daddyo

Crikes !!! Thanks for all that info !!

Its one of those things that we always said we'd have a look at but have only just got round to looking at. Whats an ideal way to hear top tunes and also get paid !?!?!?

Was going to send letters / surveys to random DJ's away from the area for advice and info, but looks like MSE.com has played a blinder in my first few days posting !!! Will take on board what you say and do more in depth research.

What events do you do ? Weddings, birthdays and bahmitzvahs ??

LoonyChoons

Mostly weddings and birthdays, although I did get booked on a large contract to provide all the chrstmas parties at one large north east venue, last year.

I've been Dj'ing for over 13 years now and only recently set up on my own, so I would certainly think twice about it if you've never done it before.

just as an afterthought:

http://www.djkit.co.uk/

will give you an idea on what you'll initially have to spend

to compete you'll need :

at least an 800w sound system (speakers/amp)
a mixer
2 cd players/2 turntables/laptop & external soundcard
8 or more quality lighting effects (I have 14 and still expanding)
a deck stand/similar
smoke machine
bubble machine
a microphone
headphones
somthing to cover the front of your deckstand
cables
spare plugs, fuses, bulbs
business cards

and thats just the start!

Daddyo

Thanks again you guys !!

heppy23

It's fair from easy or glamourous. I did it for 10 years, in the days when we had to lug about 6 boxes of records with us. Still got the bad back.

It seems like easy money but you have the responsibility of "making or breaking" the event you are at. In these days of people sue-ing each other for everything you could get in trouble for not being "good enough".

There is a big mobile DJ operator near us that is always advertising for staff. If you had something similar near you you could say you were interested in becoming a DJ and you might be able to tag along to see it from the other side.