Grab a beer, it's a long one.
I dunno, folks. Maybe it's just me.
This has nothing to do with your GL policy. The GL policy tells the house management that, if you let a cabinet or amp rack slip off the cart and it busts a hole in the wall... or something you loaded in damages the wood floor, the house has recourse to have the damage repaired.
My friends, this is about professional business practices on the part of the DJ company. I think most of us here would have no problem with that.
Everyone seems to be concentrated on the deposit fee. Here's the way I interpret the deposit: It's done to ensure that you are what you claim to be. If you (or someone you send to do the show) is a slob with an attitude, you're out the $200.00. If you're a pro and conduct yourself in a professional manner you should have nothing to worry about. You'll get your dough back and will be on the preferred vendor roster.
Most of the house requirements are pretty much what experienced wedding DJs do anyway. I'd take exception to hand-holding guests to the chow line but that could be cleared up in negotiation. The agreement nixes "friends". It says nothing about assistants, MCs nor road help. I'm gonna agree with Tom ~ my back needs to rest on occasion. That's why we carry a bar-height director's chair. I can sit in it and still be at eye level. This too could be cleared up in negotiation. So can speaker system placement.
Otherwise, there's nothing in that agreement that an experienced wedding DJ can't work with. These are things Shirl and I deal with all the time. It's a demanding policy, true but not unreasonably so.
I'll share an example: Ed used to work regularly with an upscale venue that required vendors to load in and out in a full tux. They had to use the service entrance that went through the kitchen. Ed kept two tuxes ~ one for loading and another that he wore during the performance. Now
that's a strict requirement and it applied to all vendors. If you weren't in a full tux, you were
not allowed to load in, no matter who you were. That was the house policy, like it or lump it.
Ed didn't blacklist the venue. That would have been fiscal suicide. You make the big bucks (and the big bucks referrals) in those upscale houses. Ed did what he had to do to fulfill his contractual obligations to his clientele.
Last time I checked, that's what we do in this biz. And you guys have a problem with this?:wtf:
Shirl and I have worked some upscale houses. They'll explain their policies ~ all you have to do is ask. When they say they don't want it too loud, we don't play it too loud. When they give you an hour to get loaded out, we're out within the hour. When you're working a hotel ballroom, you don't rattle the walls at 10:00 PM for obvious reasons. Guests are trying to get some sleep.
Tom is correct. When working in a venue, one is on their turf and subject to their policies. It's their field and we play by their rules as we understand them. The B&G or whomever rents the house is made aware of these policies. It's always in the service agreement.
Like it or not, that makes the B&G directly responsible for the DJ's behavior (or lack thereof) because the B&G brought the DJ company into the house. In this scenario, the house management is attempting to eliminate the pass-the-buck routine and ensure to their satisfaction that only professional DJs will be working there.
That's my take on it anyhow. GL policies, referrals and what you think you are don't matter in this scenario. The house management is telling you to put your money where your mouth is. If you can't act like you have some semblence of sense and decorum and can't follow directions, don't bother. The house management doesn't want you in there, period.
Maybe it's me... maybe I'm going crazy but that's
my idea of a preferred venue. The house management filters out the bottom-dwellers and punks by sticking it to 'em in the purse. That suits me fine. Wolfie don't have a problem with that, folks. We can walk the walk. This venue isn't asking for anything we don't do anyhow. If we gotta lay two Franklins on the table to prove it to 'em, so be it.
That's a sure bet. If every rental house in the state would adopt a policy like this one, the stooge DJs would disappear, the bar would rise and we'd be booked every weekend.
From reviewing the terms in this agreement, I too get the impression that the house management has seen their share of slob DJs. Unfortunately, there are a lot of stooges out there with sloppy setups and Napoleon complexes who'll BS their way to booking a wedding when they have no clue. All they see is the green. The venue in question is trying to keep that kinda stuff out.
And I can't blame 'em, really. Sloppy DJs piss me off. If you're booked to DJ a wedding, you don't dress like you're going fishing and you don't sit on your brains behind a table all night. You don't stuff the mic in your trousers pocket and rush to the chow line like a starving dog. You don't hang at the bar and down beer and drinks like you're at a frat party. To quote the agreement, you don't act like an invited guest.
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For Sir DJ: Whether you fork over the dough and agree to the house terms is up to you. That's a business decision and I can't make it for you. I'm just sayin' I'd have no issues with it if the house management explained the "what ifs" to my satisfaction. If that involves asking those questions at the time of contract signing, ask. You won't know until you ask. If your concerns are not addressed to your satisfaction or negotiation fails, don't sign and don't pay. No one's gonna think less of you because of it.
Thoughts?
