A reality-based cautionary tale for entertainment shoppers
Not to toot my own horn, but I think facts about my business speak for themselves: over 25 years experience in the live and recorded music business; tons of the best performance gear the industry has to offer; a confident and experienced stage personality; two separate office locations; and unlimited means of communication—three separate telephone lines with an answering service operating 24/7/365, two fax lines, a website, e-mail and, yes, even a door bell. Oh, and I forgot to mention my three (count them, three) complete sets of back-up gear in the truck at every gig (never used, by the way). I guess it’s just a fixation, or maybe a fear of one day possibly not being able to complete a show at a wedding. (They usually only do them once, you know!)
Fuzzy Math?
Yes, with all the gear and qualifications listed above you would think I’d be one of the more expensive disc jockeys around. Yet, at an average of $1,000 to $1,200 for a great five-hour wedding with unlimited planning and preparation (and fully insured), I submit that I am actually a bargain, compared to the more expensive DJs in the area, who are priced at around $500 to $600 for the same amount of playing time.
“Wait a second,” I hear you saying, “don’t you know how to add and subtract?” Bear with me for moment—I think you’ll see that my numbers add up.
OK. Imagine you are a bride or groom planning the biggest event in your life, up to this point at least. Are you with me? You start out talking about it every minute for days on end. You are really excited. You go out and look for a banquet hall; after checking out several, you finally book one. Next, you select an exciting, delicious menu with some really fabulous appetizers. You shop, shop and shop some more, hiring your film crew, choosing a gown, bridesmaids’ dresses, tuxedos, invitations, etc. In other words, you go the whole nine yards and beyond.
What a Bargain
Then you start shopping for your entertainment. You have already spent a bundle on everything else; it may be time to start cutting back on the bucks. So you come and visit with me and/or some other well-qualified DJs in the area and…wow! You didn’t realize it would cost so much. After all, the DJ just pushes some buttons and plays some CDs, the same thing you have been doing at home for years, right? For this you need to pay $1,000?
Then you remember that this guy down the block has lots of CDs and when you have been to his house, his music always sounded really good. You ask him if he could DJ your wedding and he is happy to and he will only charge you $500. Great! What a deal!
Later, after several futile attempts to get him to call you back to go over some details, he calls you back the day before your wedding and apologizes, saying something about his aunt being ill in Alaska. And, by the way, he can’t make your wedding. But, there is good news
