Choosing the Right DJ for My Event – Advice Needed!

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tculverjames

New DJ
Aug 10, 2023
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Hey everyone,

I’m planning an event and looking to hire a DJ, but I’m not sure what to look for. There are so many options, from club DJs to wedding specialists, and I want to make sure I choose the right one for my crowd.

When selecting a DJ service, what key factors should I consider? Are there specific questions I should ask before booking? Also, how much should I expect to pay for a quality DJ?

Any recommendations or personal experiences would be really helpful.

Thanks in advance!
 
tculverjames said:
Hey everyone,

I’m planning an event and looking to hire a DJ, but I’m not sure what to look for. There are so many options, from club DJs to wedding specialists, and I want to make sure I choose the right one for my crowd.

When selecting a DJ service, what key factors should I consider? Are there specific questions I should ask before booking? Also, how much should I expect to pay for a quality DJ?

Any recommendations or personal experiences would be really helpful.

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
What kind of event, where, and whats important to you?
 
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tculverjames said:
Hey everyone,

I’m planning an event and looking to hire a DJ, but I’m not sure what to look for. There are so many options, from club DJs to wedding specialists, and I want to make sure I choose the right one for my crowd.

When selecting a DJ service, what key factors should I consider? Are there specific questions I should ask before booking? Also, how much should I expect to pay for a quality DJ?

Any recommendations or personal experiences would be really helpful.

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
What type of event?
What things are important to you about the event?
What type are crowd will be attending the event? Roughly how many people?
 
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Determine what you want. Do you want a DJ that can scratch and do a lot of mixing live? Do you want a DJ with strong emcee skills that can carry your event and or interact with guests when the music isn't playing? Do you want someone to just play music for a period of time? Do you need lights, sparklers, fire, etc, or just music? Are there certain genre's of music you want?

These are just some questions to keep in mind. There are a lot of DJ's that can cover the spectrum above. Some are more focused on certain things. An EDM/Club dj may not be into playing country music at a fire hall reception.

If you know what you want, reach out to DJ's in and around your area. Most mobile DJ's I know will travel up to 3 or 4 hours away.

Price - Know your budget. Pricing for DJ's can be all over the place. If 4 dj's quote you $800 and 1 quotes you $125, I'd probably not go with the $125 DJ unless I know why they are so cheap. At the same time, just because 4 guys quote you $800, it doesn't mean they are all equally as good. Do some homework. Ask for references. Look at their social media and websites.

OR......

Move to the Jersey area and just hire @djtaso . Your event will kick-@$$ and people will talk about it for ages.
 
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DJ Forbes said:
Determine what you want. Do you want a DJ that can scratch and do a lot of mixing live? Do you want a DJ with strong emcee skills that can carry your event and or interact with guests when the music isn't playing? Do you want someone to just play music for a period of time? Do you need lights, sparklers, fire, etc, or just music? Are there certain genre's of music you want?

These are just some questions to keep in mind. There are a lot of DJ's that can cover the spectrum above. Some are more focused on certain things. An EDM/Club dj may not be into playing country music at a fire hall reception.

If you know what you want, reach out to DJ's in and around your area. Most mobile DJ's I know will travel up to 3 or 4 hours away.

Price - Know your budget. Pricing for DJ's can be all over the place. If 4 dj's quote you $800 and 1 quotes you $125, I'd probably not go with the $125 DJ unless I know why they are so cheap. At the same time, just because 4 guys quote you $800, it doesn't mean they are all equally as good. Do some homework. Ask for references. Look at their social media and websites.

OR......

Move to the Jersey area and just hire @djtaso . Your event will kick-@$$ and people will talk about it for ages.
Click to expand...
I like your post except the last part about DJ Taso. First what if he’s not the right DJ for their event and also what if the client can't afford him? He’s not the cheapest DJ around. Now I don't know if he's worth what he charges or not because I've never seen him in person. For him to charge what he does and constantly get booked to do events, he must be doing something right.
 
what if the client can't afford him? He’s not the cheapest DJ around. Now I don't know if he's worth what he charges or not because I've never seen him in person.
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No other comment gets under my skin more than this.

At the height of my career, and on the preferred list of 200+ venues, when the sales manager changes inevitably occurred, some replacements would say dumb ass things like, "Cap is the best around by he's expensive!" So if the client has $3K to spend, hearing I'm expensive makes them think I'm more, so through this backhanded ignorant comment, my services were sometimes excluded.

Whenever I found this to happen, I'd get on the horn with said sales person, explain my reasoning, thank them for the referrals, but ask them to please stop with extra commentary. I'd then tell them my basic fee schedule, and 99% of the time, the response would be either, "Is that all?? Or "That's very reasonable".

Because some folks here couldn't afford DJ services of folks here, is not a direct reflection on the rest of the world.
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No other comment gets under my skin more than this.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

I hardly see cause for this.
It's counterintuitive to think that calling these people and schooling them on how to sell for us leaves the true impression you want. It is their purview (and job responsibility) to inform and help their own prospects while continuing to maximize their own sales - even if that means comparing us to other options. The catering/event managers are in the business of selling the venue, food & beverage, not DJs, If the client would prefer another food station and could do so with less money toward the DJ or band - then I'd make that recommendation in a heartbeat. I believe they will continue to do that as well.

For many prospects we truly are 'expensive' no matter what the price because the baseline of every event is hospitality, and entertainment is an expansion of an event rather than a requirement. If our goal is to sell fixed packages for specific key dates, then understand we have positioned ourselves as a distinct puzzle piece waiting for an exact fit. Does the banquet manager want to sort out which of the 'blue sky' DJs fits in this slot? Probably not - that's on us.

For my part, I don't tell venue staff what I charge, That's between the customer and myself. Sometimes I'm expensive and sometimes I'm dirt cheap - the only thing I need the venue to know is that I'm reliable and good at what I do. That will get me a referral regardless of any price.

_______________________________________

On side note, since the OP has not returned or even respond with any questions or further detail regarding and actual "event" I would assume responses given here are simply fodder for Chat GPT to spit out whatever brochure or web content "New DJ" is trying to create,
 
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Proformance said:
I hardly see cause for this.
It's counterintuitive to think that calling these people and schooling them on how to sell for us leaves the true impression you want. It is their purview (and job responsibility) to inform and help their own prospects while continuing to maximize their own sales - even if that means comparing us to other options. The catering/event managers are in the business of selling the venue, food & beverage, not DJs, If the client would prefer another food station and could do so with less money toward the DJ or band - then I'd make that recommendation in a heartbeat. I believe they will continue to do that as well.

For many prospects we truly are 'expensive' no matter what the price because the baseline of every event is hospitality, and entertainment is an expansion of an event rather than a requirement. If our goal is to sell fixed packages for specific key dates, then understand we have positioned ourselves as a distinct puzzle piece waiting for an exact fit. Does the banquet manager want to sort out which of the 'blue sky' DJs fits in this slot? Probably not - that's on us.

For my part, I don't tell venue staff what I charge, That's between the customer and myself. Sometimes I'm expensive and sometimes I'm dirt cheap - the only thing I need the venue to know is that I'm reliable and good at what I do. That will get me a referral regardless of any price.

_______________________________________

On side note, since the OP has not returned or even respond with any questions or further detail regarding and actual "event" I would assume responses given here are simply fodder for Chat GPT to spit out whatever brochure or web content "New DJ" is trying to create,
Click to expand...
What I see you're talking about is how some people look at the DJ for an event as no big deal. Why pay a DJ a ton of money? Some just see us as not a big deal. All we will be doing is playing music. What some don't realize is a DJ can make or break an event.

Our job as a DJ if we have an event that we may be able to do is to convince the potential client that they don't need to look any further. We're the right DJ for the event. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.
 
tculverjames said:
Hey everyone,

I’m planning an event and looking to hire a DJ, but I’m not sure what to look for. There are so many options, from club DJs to wedding specialists, and I want to make sure I choose the right one for my crowd.

When selecting a DJ service, what key factors should I consider? Are there specific questions I should ask before booking? Also, how much should I expect to pay for a quality DJ?

Any recommendations or personal experiences would be really helpful.

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Keep it simple. Get referrals from your event facility, friends or other event pros. Meet with 3 or more DJs to determine whether they are a good fit, compare performance styles, prices, etc. Listen to and see their sound system if possible.

It always amazed me how many people would hire a DJ without checking his/her equipment and sound quality. Chances are if he or she uses quality components that are well maintained, they also carry that level of concern into their prep and performance. Conversely, a DJ that has a shabby, lower quality system may not have the level of professionalism you want. Of course, there can always be exceptions. But generally, if they cut corners on their equipment it makes me wonder what else they are shortcutting.

The reason it is important to get referrals is because DJs live by them and the last thing they want is negative feedback getting back to a referral source. So it's in the DJs best interest to go above and beyond for their clients.

Make sure they have liability insurance and provide a written agreement.

Here's a blurb I wrote about how to hire a DJ: https://www.djcraig.net/simpletest.html

Cheers!
 
IBringTheNoise said:
Keep it simple. Get referrals from your event facility, friends or other event pros. Meet with 3 or more DJs to determine whether they are a good fit, compare performance styles, prices, etc. Listen to and see their sound system if possible.

It always amazed me how many people would hire a DJ without checking his/her equipment and sound quality. Chances are if he or she uses quality components that are well maintained, they also carry that level of concern into their prep and performance. Conversely, a DJ that has a shabby, lower quality system may not have the level of professionalism you want. Of course, there can always be exceptions. But generally, if they cut corners on their equipment it makes me wonder what else they are shortcutting.

The reason it is important to get referrals is because DJs live by them and the last thing they want is negative feedback getting back to a referral source. So it's in the DJs best interest to go above and beyond for their clients.

Make sure they have liability insurance and provide a written agreement.

Here's a blurb I wrote about how to hire a DJ: https://www.djcraig.net/simpletest.html

Cheers!
Click to expand...
Sir let me say this. There are different levels of DJs. There are beginner DJs and those who have been a DJ for a number of years. High quality professional equipment is not cheap. Some DJs maybe just starting out and can't afford say a pair of QSC K12.2 speakers. So they may have to settle for a cheaper brand of speakers till they can do better. Also a DJ just starting out may not know the DJ of high quality equipment and entry level gear because they haven't been doing it long enough to know the difference. So just don't just lump all DJs in the same bag.

Another thing is some will do this for a little while and find out this business is not for them. Others will see this business taylor made for them.
 
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