Featured

Clever Business or Bad Business?

Mar 16th

I came across a style of business today that shocked me to the core. I had heard of this style of “business” before but it had never affected me directly, up until now.

We received an enquiry recently from a young lady looking to get married later this year. We discussed with her at length what we could do to make her big day special. She was all ready to book when we received an e-mail out of the blue telling us that she was not going to require our services and that she would be going with the services of the resident DJ at the venue. We thought that this was strange and enquired further.

The client told us that the venue wanted to charge them a “fee” if they wanted to use a DJ other than the one provided by the venue. The fee was a whopping £275.00. Faced with the prospect of having to pay more money just so that she could enjoy our services she really had no option but to inform us that we were not required.

Upon receiving this information I decided to enquire further with the venue because I was surprised, especially as I have worked at this venue many times previously and no-one had mentioned it before. I was also interested to find out what this £275 fee exactly covered.

I spoke to a nice lady who confirmed that an extra fee was payable if the client chose a DJ other than one they recommend. This fee of £275 was to cover the cost of electricity, their music licence and….well, then she started to mumble a bit. I asked her about the music licence (because I know quite a bit about that). She tried to pull the wool over my eyes that she had to purchase a music licence specifically for other DJ’s to play music. This is absolutely untrue, as long as a venue has a PRS licence, no further licences are required for DJ’s. I questioned the cost of electricity, a DJ would only use maybe £5 of electricity in an evening, certainly no more than that. She was sounding a bit flustered at this point.

Unfortunately for her, I was like a dog with a bone and she eventually caved in and explained that the fee also included the cost of admin to check a DJ’s PAT and PLI documents (effectively the cost of a phone call or e-mail and a stamp) and also the money she would be losing out on by a client not booking their recommended DJ.

And then the fog lifted.

In a nutshell, she charges the client say £390 for the entertainment. She keeps maybe £190 for herself and gives £200 to the DJ. The DJ does not moan after all, he gets loads of work from the venue. This sort of business practice absolutely stinks of corruption! The lady from the venue went on to say that not only does she do this with the DJ, but also with the catering, photographer, flower company and so on. She must be making an absolute mint! As I said, is this clever business or bad business?

I also have to question the ethics of the DJ involved. Surely a DJ who has to give a venue backhanders to get work does not have the best interests of his clients at heart? Surely a DJ who does this is someone who cannot appear to get work of his own, or at least cannot use his skills as a professional to gain the trust of his clients and get them to book his services.

Hang on a minute, am I not being hypocritical here? After all, a lot of venue’s I work in recommend me to their clients. There is the big difference. I am a recommended supplier, much in the same way that a venue will recommend a photographer or a balloonist. True professionals, myself included will never ever go down to the depths that some companies will go to get business. I have never in the past, or will in the future, pay a backhander to a venue to secure my services.

If DISCOfever plays in a venue and as a consequence of that becomes a preferred supplier (of which we are at many venue’s in Sussex) it is because we have earnt our way into the venue, not paid our way in. I also cannot understand why someone would want to book their wedding at a venue that constricts them in this way and does not allow them to have a choice for probably the biggest day of their lives.

Rant over.

backhanders, corruption

Can We See You At Work?

Feb 23rd

Posted by Ian in Featured

1 comment

It is without doubt one of the most popular questions we are asked. We fully understand that you want to check out our service in advance, after all you are entrusting the final part of your special day to us. To book a bad DJ could potentially but a downer on the whole day.

Unfortunately we do not invite future clients to other peoples’ parties. We want to be 100% focussed on YOUR party not 50% on your party and 50% on securing a deal for later that year. If it was your party would you really want random people turning up for example sitting at the bar having a drink?

Each party we DJ at is built around our clients’ specific needs. Because of this, each party we DJ at is different. Imagine turning up at one of our events and hearing very loud heavy metal music. The couple whose party it is might be loving the sounds of Deep Purple and Metallica, but you might walk away thinking “eurgh!”. You may walk in on a party and no-one is dancing. What if 20 minutes after you leave, the dance floor packs out for the remainder of the party? Because you left early, you will leave with a negative image.

99.9% of the work we do is at private functions, it is very very rare that we do a public function, if at all. Even then, if you are looking to book us for your Wedding, watching us work in a Working Mens Club for example, or a Pub would probably leave you with a VERY negative image and definitely not a true account of the professional service we provide.

So what can we offer?

We fully understand that this is your special day, a one-off, a never to be repeated party. We want it to be as special and as perfect as you do. We are fully committed to our clients’ and their needs and because of this we always recommend a client meeting. This can be done at our house, your house, the venue, over the phone, via Skype, whatever! It gives us the chance to “check each other out” and build up that all-important rapport you need with a Wedding supplier so that you feel confident that we can deliver exactly the professional service we advertise.

We have a special area on our website where you can view client testimonials. These are real, unedited testimonials submitted via our online planning system. You will also find there a selection of written letters we have received from past clients. We can also put you in touch with real people who have previously used and were exceptionally happy with our service.

DJ’s have always had a bad name, there are a lot of very dodgy characters out there, but there is also a band of very client-focussed and committed wedding professionals out there who are finding it very hard to compete with “sixty quid Sid”. But that’s a post for another day!

Don’t leave it too late!

Feb 2nd

Posted by Ian in Blog

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One thing that always astounds us is how late people leave booking the entertainment for their Wedding. Mind you, it doesn’t surprise me. We get sent all sorts of “weddingy” magazines and they all contain planners which are meant to give Brides & Grooms a list of things they need to do in order of importance. Never ever ever ever is entertainment near the top, if it even appears on the list at all!

The fact is this, if you want a pick of some of the best wedding professionals in your area you NEED to be looking to book at least 12 months in advance. The longer you leave it, the more chance the companies you want will be working elsewhere.

Another fact is that the disco is a far more important part of the day than you think it is – I just wish the magazines would catch onto this. It’s the last part of the day, and the memory you go home with (along with the ceremony, etc.). It is a major part of your special day yet I find it most odd that magazines and wedding websites don’t even list it as important!

The Royal Pavilion Wedding Show

Jan 27th

Posted by Ian in Blog

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I’m going to post my first rant today. I’m not normally annoyed by things, but this really got to me.

After the success of the Buxted Park Wedding Show last week I thought would investigate other Shows. The one i’ve been itching to do for some time now is the one at the Royal Pavilion in Brighton. They don’t actually host evening wedding receptions there but they allow other venue’s in, venue’s that we actually already provide DJ’s for, so it kind of made sense.

So we rang them up and instead of the woman we wanted we were put through to somebody else who was most dismissive in thinking that Brides & Grooms who choose to come to their Show and indeed get married there would not be looking for mobile disco’s to entertain their guests in the evening. She continued to tell us that harpists and piano players would be the entertainment of choice for the quality of the client who visited their show (this was the bit I found most laughable).

Now, DISCOfever already provides high-end wedding entertainment across the board and we get to work in some of the most prestigious wedding venue’s in Sussex. Like many of my DJ peers, I would like to see the words “mobile disco” banished to some vast underground dwelling where it would never return, it just conjurs up some horrific images. It now appears that the words “mobile disco” are creating some sort of divide between us and other wedding suppliers. What sort of elitism is this? We already struggle to get what we are worth. Some clients already choose to put the supplier and the size of their wedding cake in a much higher priority than a DJ. Some clients are happy to spend hundreds if not thousands of pounds on balloons and other trinkets that are simply thrown in the bin at the end of the party, yet always look for the cheapest deal on a DJ.

Getting back to the Pavilion before I really go off at a tangent into deeper, darker murky waters – it is (I believe) owned and run by the Brighton & Hove City Council. Now, unlike some DJ’s, I pay my taxes and national insurance. I pay my parking tickets on time, on top of the already obscene costs to park in the city where I live and choose to work, yet when I want to advertise my business – I can’t.

What is even more baffling is that whilst I am allowed to perform as a DJ in front of today’s Royalty (remember the Sandhurst gig I did before Christmas?) I cannot advertise my business in what frankly was a building that started off as a farmhouse before turning into a location for the Prince Regent to enjoy secret liaisons with a certain Mrs. Fitzherbert.

I will keep you updated with this, I doubt that I will be able to attend as the show is allegedly “fully booked” but we shall see what happens.

The Royal Pavilion Wedding Show

brighton pavilion, rant, wedding show

Where Do DJ’s Get Their Music From?

Jul 23rd

Posted by Ian in Blog

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I’ve already uncovered a lot of urban myths in this blog and here’s another.

It is an urban myth that all DJ’s get their music for FREE. It simply is not true. Believe it or not it is very hard to get music for free (legally) these days. You can’t even just write to the music publishing places and ask to be placed on their mailing lists, that’s not how it works – well, not for the humble Mobile DJ.

Mobile DJ’s are simply not seen as a good “output source” for new music by the record labels. We also do not play to enough people on a weekly basis to even warrant the odd free CD single from time to time. Let’s face it, the majority of the music we do play at parties these days is 80% oldies and 20% current chart so even if EMI sent us a stack of free CD’s, we would probably never play them anyway as they would be supplied so far in advance of release there’s a good chance that even YOU haven’t heard them yet!

This leads me on to the music channels on TV, they often play music so far ahead of release that we are pressured into trying to get hold of these future hits before they even hit the promo music services we can get tracks from (but not for free). So imagine for a moment we’re playing at an 18th birthday, the songs being asked for would probably be still 2 or 3 months away from release yet they are being played continuously on channels like MTV Base.

The only options for us to either download illegally from Limewire or to actually purchase music. Thankfully there are a few music services we can use where the tracks supplied on CD are within 3 or 4 weeks of release, so by this time the songs have already been played to death on the TV channels and on the radio. The annoying problem is that not all of these CD Promo services subscribe to all of the labels, so you may get one service who specialises in pop, whereas all the dancey-type tracks are on another service. In order to get the best of both you’re forced to buy both CD’s at around £20 each only to discover that 8 of the 15 tracks on both CD’s are duplicated on the other CD!

Fortunately, a lot of these promo services are waking up to supplying music digitally via download. And at an average of 79p for a high quality MP3 it can show good value, especially as you get to choose which songs you want. So instead of buying Now 73 featuring 40+ tracks of which only 10 you’d play, you then have to make the decision. Do I get the 10 I want at 79p each or do I buy the whole album from Asda for a tenner?

Choices choices!

Noise Pollution

Jul 19th

Posted by Ian in Blog

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Imagine the scene, it’s your special day and everything is perfect. It’s been a fantastic day with great weather and it’s now time for the first dance. The DJ announces you on to the dancefloor, the lighting is set to “romantic” and your chosen song starts when all of a sudden…BANG…darkness…

Now, what’s happened here? Has the DJ’s equipment blown up? No. Has there been a power cut? Sort of. Ladies and Gentlemen, let me introduce to you the Formula Sound Sentry. Hidden within the plastic case of this device are electronics designed by Satan himself. It looks like a lovely box with flashing lights when the truth is it contains pure evil. It goes without saying that the person who designed this device does not have blood flowing through their veins, but thick, black tar. Ok, maybe i’m going a bit overboard here but it’s fair to say that this box could be a party killer.

The box itself controls noise pollution. By “control” I really mean it hates anything above a certain noise level. Local councils install these boxes in venue’s where locals in the vicinity of the venue have complained about the noise of past disco’s and bands. The council comes in, sticks a box in and walks away.

But it’s not just about noise pollution (aka loud music). Some venue’s have these things fitted to cut power when certain doors or windows are opened. Yes you read that right, the power will be cut out completely if certain doors or windows are opened. Now, this introduces a big problem if a) the venue has no air conditioning and b) it’s a very very hot day.

So, if you want to avoid a potential party killer then it’s always worth asking your venue beforehand if they have one of these devices. DISCOfever are quite happy to work with them, although if i’m being really honest they are often best avoided. Some are set in such a way that the noise of people dancing and having a good time trips the power. If you’re not sure, always ask your DJ.

I wrote this post tonight because I triggered one of these off earlier…most annoying!

The End Of The Wedding Photographer?

Jul 17th

Posted by Ian in Blog

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For some time now there has been a tune, and this tune sang about the end of the Mobile DJ. Who needs the services of a Mobile DJ these days when you have an iPod? Well, now it seems the tune has changed and the song is now about the possible demise of the official wedding photographer.

Every couple in the world wants wonderful photos of their wedding day. Pictures that capture the beauty, the romance and the celebration. What they don’t want however is someone ordering everyone about to get those formal photo’s of the families.

The science behind photography has also come on leaps and bounds. At every wedding I DJ at I see people with huge digital SLR cameras snapping away. This is a stark contrast to a couple of years ago when the big thing was how small your camera was. The big drop in prices of these cameras now makes it possible for aunt Hilda to take a fantastic picture just by pointing and clicking. Some of the best pictures i’ve seen have been candid shots, and also staged pictures, but not from the official photographer, but a guest.

I spoke to a photographer last night whose bookings are down 60% compared to 2008. He blames it on the likes of Argos and Tescos selling cut price digital SLR cameras, the cheapest being around £300. eBay also makes it easy for you to pick up a bargain. The photographer went on to say it’s very hard for him now to bring anything “new” to the table that makes him different to all the other photographers out there. They all do black and whites, candid shots, boudoir-style pictures, staged, un-staged…there’s hardly any difference. Opening a wedding magazine doesn’t make it any easier, every page with adverts from several wedding photographers.

So…is this the beginning of the demise of the wedding photographer? Hopefully not. It’s important that you hire a qualified professional rather than “uncle Harry”. It’s far better to end up with a load of high-quality, in focus wedding pictures rather than out of focus ones…or even non at all.

Weddings + Children = Chaos?

Jul 10th

Posted by Ian in Blog

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Deciding on whether or not to have children in your wedding can be tricky. You may have a niece, nephew, younger sister or brother that you want to include in your wedding party, or even a child of your own.

There’s plenty of advice available to couples planning their wedding about how to prepare a budget, choose the perfect venue, theme, dress, cake and colour of table linens etc. however there is very little information available to couples which deals specifically with arrangements for children throughout the wedding. The thought of a young child dressed in a wedding suit or little dresses may make your heart melt however the reality may be that the child will not feel comfortable dressed like that all day long. Children are unpredictable, but they will add joy and charm to your ceremony. The thought that children and weddings don’t mix is nothing but a myth!

If the thought of having children at your special day STILL sends shivers down your spine and you want to avoid the inevitable “dancefloor knee sliders” during your first dance then why not employ the services of an event nanny?

Event Nanny’s are groups of people dedicated to keeping the younger ones entertained at your event. They do this with toys, activities, games and of course story time when the late night kicks in leaving you and your guests free to enjoy your special day. Having someone who is experienced with groups and has the right ‘tricks’ to maintain and keep the little ones busy is a must! Happy children equals happy parents, happy guests and happy weddings!

For more information on event childcare, please visit the South East Childcare website who will point you in the right direction!

http://www.southeasteventchildcare.co.uk/

Laptop DJ’s

Jun 24th

Posted by Ian in Blog

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There is an urban myth that DJ’s who use laptops are making a mockery of the industry, and that laptops are making the profession easier, no skills required, the laptop does it all.

Well, what if I was to tell you that some of the biggest names in DJ land use laptops when they play. Paul Oakenfold uses a 00DJ laptop system, Fatboy Slim the uber-cool turntablist from Brighton uses a Macbook-based system and the list goes on. I bet you still think radio stations still play CD’s right? Well, no…everything is played from a computer.

DJ Software has come a long way over the past 10 years. I was one of the original pioneers back in 1997 when MP3’s first appeared mainstream. I took out a PC with Winamp (classic MP3 player for Windows) and DJ’d from it all night. Back then I was known as “The DJ with the computer” and it got me business! In 1999 OtsJuke DJ was released, I bought that and have used it ever since.

But enough about me…

The laptop-DJ penomena is far less “automated” than you think. There are people all over this land who assume that the DJ compiles his playlist at home, comes to your party, presses play and sits down. I would be lying to you if I said that the software around today does not have such functionality – but it does. It comes in very handy for background music, or for those times when the DJ needs to visit the toilet (it does happen, we’re not sub-human!) or get a drink from the bar. With most songs being around 3 to 4 minutes long it’s very hard to walk across the dancefloor to the bar, get the barmans attention, get your drink and get back before the song runs out.

But, steering away from automation, using software has many advantages. It does not matter how many songs you carry. 1,000 MP3’s weighs no less than 10,000 MP3’s. Track searching takes seconds rather than spending a few mintues leafing through endless CD boxes and wallets. A track can be found, loaded and ready to play in 3 to 5 seconds!

Most DJ software has a “wait list” section, a part of the program where you can list songs that are going to be played. Having this functionality is fantastic in that the DJ can look at the songs and re-arrange them into an order that will keep the music flowing and the dancefloor full. If someone comes up and asks for a song, the DJ can insert that song anywhere in the playlist. The DJ can also use this list to work out exactly how many songs he or she has left to play before the party ends, this way the end of the evening can be planned to perfection.

Have you ever been to a party where the dancefloor is packed out and the DJ’s CD’s are skipping due to the bouncy floor? That will never happen in a software-based system. The worst that can happen is either a song file becomes corrupt or the computer crashes. Windows and Mac-based systems are very stable these days. If you look after the computer, keep it off the internet and don’t install pirate software, the machine will never crash.

I “sometimes” use a laptop now when DJ’ing. I mainly use it at Weddings as it ties in with the video package we also have. For an 18th Birthday or a Prom Night where a little more flexibility is required for mixing, I use a professional MP3-based player – the Denon DN-HD2500 (pictured below). It plays MP3’s, but it’s not a computer and is loaded with tons of features, yet is very easy to use. It also allows you to do remarkable things, things you’ve been able to do for years with CD’s.

DJ software is the next natural progression from CD as was CD when that appeared and took over from vinyl. A lot of people said “it would never happen” – and it did, and same people are saying it now. The fact remains, would you rather carry 3 huge flightcases of CD’s or a skinny portable hard drive? I know which option my back would choose!

The Father/Bride Dance

Jun 21st

Posted by Ian in Blog

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As it’s Fathers Day today I thought I would put together a post containing some ideas for songs you could use as the Father/Daughter dance at a wedding. Essentially you can choose pretty much whatever song you like, but there are times when you want to choose a song that has meaningful words. As well as list my favourite ten songs, I’ve also provided the actual audio for you to have a listen to and to play it just click on the little play button beneath each track.