Mitzvah time

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rickryan.com

rickryan.com

DJ Extraordinaire
ODJT Supporter
Dec 9, 2009
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Hendersonville, TN
www.rickryan.com
You guys may remember my jewish DJ buddy, whom we used to do a lot of events in Nashville. Years ago, he moved to Los Angeles and I later moved to Alabama. A few weeks ago, he contacted me, asking me to provide sound and photobooth for an event he picked up in Nashville. On Saturday, he called me and told me he's having surgery this week so it may fall in my lap to DJ the event. Being transparent, it makes me nervous. I've done 2 mitzvahs solo. The first one was a banger and my ex-wife told me that I was better than him. The 2nd one was a bust. I hate crashing and burning (who doesn't?)

I've already gotten the timeline and this one is really a pretty simple event. Very few of the mitzvah-specific events. My biggest challenge is boning up on the games they use and then pretending I'm not an old man and have energy to chase 13 year olds around the dance floor.
 
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It does not sound like you have had any contact with the customer. I would not do or presume anything until you've actually had that conversation

Also, if the original DJ is no longer available, there is no presumed obligation that the customer accept this change. The contract can be made void, so I would not presume the gig is yours until that approval is received.
 
Proformance said:
It does not sound like you have had any contact with the customer. I would not do or presume anything until you've actually had that conversation

Also, if the original DJ is no longer available, there is no presumed obligation that the customer accept this change. The contract can be made void, so I would not presume the gig is yours until that approval is received.
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Yes, but I want to be prepared, either way. If the gig falls thru, no biggie. But if I need to step in and save the day, I don't want to be hap-hazard about it. He's already sent me a copy of his timeline document and if he bails (probably won't know until Friday), then he'll let the mom know and I'll step in with a phone call to try and put her mind at ease. The situation is far from ideal, but I'm going to do everything on my end to make it successful, regardless of the cards I'm dealt.
 
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I hate mitzvahs. The thought of dozens of hyped up tweens running around without parental supervision gives me chills. Can your son help you with this? You won't regret extra help.

You can find dozens of videos of mitzvah games in action. There are a lot more than Coke/Pepsi. If you are attempting this solo, look for games that require minimal use of props. Perhaps you can find ways to employ some of the adult guests as helpers.
 
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sawdust123 said:
I hate mitzvahs. The thought of dozens of hyped up tweens running around without parental supervision gives me chills. Can your son help you with this? You won't regret extra help.

You can find dozens of videos of mitzvah games in action. There are a lot more than Coke/Pepsi. If you are attempting this solo, look for games that require minimal use of props. Perhaps you can find ways to employ some of the adult guests as helpers.
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No, he cannot. We both live in Alabama and he has a 3 year old to take care of. I've run the games before, it's just been a long time. I need to study up. If I would've had any idea this might happen I wouldn't have taken the gig. It's time to man up and make it happen.
 
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I could do a Mitzvah just fine. Hundreds of them over the years. However, It's not an event type I advertise to or strive to book any longer. I am surprised you are willing to take them at your age Rick! My Dad didn't do a single Mitzvah in his 60s. He was still doing a few of them in his mid 50s but he got out of doing them at that point. He passed all the MItzvah work onto my brother and sister and then I was doing them.
 
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DJ Ricky B said:
I could do a Mitzvah just fine. Hundreds of them over the years. However, It's not an event type I advertise to or strive to book any longer. I am surprised you are willing to take them at your age Rick! My Dad didn't do a single Mitzvah in his 60s. He was still doing a few of them in his mid 50s but he got out of doing them at that point. He passed all the MItzvah work onto my brother and sister and then I was doing them.
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This isn't really by choice. I was hired as support and my friend has had a medical situation come up and needs someone to cover for him. I'll do it, but it's not what I'd like to be doing on this gig.
 
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The last mitzvah I did, I initially refused.
The mother works with my daughter, so there was extra pressure to do it.
I did get to talk to the mom before I committed,
and she basically told me the music was for the parents...
as her daughter loved classic rock and didn't want to do all the typical mitzvah stuff.

In your case, I just hope the client isn't expecting your friend's level of enthusiasm and expertise.
 
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Ausumm said:
The last mitzvah I did, I initially refused.
The mother works with my daughter, so there was extra pressure to do it.
I did get to talk to the mom before I committed,
and she basically told me the music was for the parents...
as her daughter loved classic rock and didn't want to do all the typical mitzvah stuff.

In your case, I just hope the client isn't expecting your friend's level of enthusiasm and expertise.
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I'm pretty sure she has no idea there might be an issue so yeah, if I end up doing it that will be a hurdle to get over. I'm just trying to be helpful. I'm getting paid by my friend so at least I don't think I'll get stiffed and if there's any fall-out, it'll be on him. I'm going to prepare then show up and do the best job I possibly can.
 
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If this was sold as a 2 person crew (DJ + Emcee) then there may be fallout around that not being the case if it turns out to be just you and a "helper."

There was a guy in this area who contracted a wedding as "DJ + Emcee" and proceeded to take on both roles by himself. (It also didn't help that he sucked at both jobs.) The couple later sued him for breach of contract and was awarded 100% refund + $1,000 damages.
 
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Proformance said:
If this was sold as a 2 person crew (DJ + Emcee) then there may be fallout around that not being the case if it turns out to be just you and a "helper."

There was a guy in this area who contracted a wedding as "DJ + Emcee" and proceeded to take on both roles by himself. (It also didn't help that he sucked at both jobs.) The couple later sued him for breach of contract and was awarded 100% refund + $1,000 damages.
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So what you're talking about is having the right DJ to do an event for a client. Just because Rick is at the age he's at doesn't mean he won't do a good job. Just because a DJ might be younger doesn't mean they will do a good job. It's about the experience a DJ has with doing a particular event and if they feel they are not the right DJ for the event to be smart enough to say no to doing the event.
 
MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
So what you're talking about is having the right DJ to do an event for a client. Just because Rick is at the age he's at doesn't mean he won't do a good job. Just because a DJ might be younger doesn't mean they will do a good job. It's about the experience a DJ has with doing a particular event and if they feel they are not the right DJ for the event to be smart enough to say no to doing the event.
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No what he is talking about is breach of contract. The contracted terms of the agreement were not met leaving the entertainer liable for not meeting the agreed upon terms. A good contract protects both parties
 
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I spoke with my friend and he says they're putting off the surgery and trying some heavy duty drugs. As far as he knows, he'll be in Nashville on Friday. I'm still going to bone up on games and get a clean playlist together along with the Bobby Morganstein version of Hava Nagila (must have).
 
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rickryan.com said:
I spoke with my friend and he says they're putting off the surgery and trying some heavy duty drugs. As far as he knows, he'll be in Nashville on Friday. I'm still going to bone up on games and get a clean playlist together along with the Bobby Morganstein version of Hava Nagila (must have).
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If it were me and this is a true friend I’d be there just to assist at no charge whether he requests my presence or not, I’ve done this for several of my DJ friends and have those actions reciprocated when I was in need but too stubborn to admit it
 
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tunes4046 said:
No what he is talking about is breach of contract. The contracted terms of the agreement were not met leaving the entertainer liable for not meeting the agreed upon terms. A good contract protects both parties
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I get what you're saying and I understand. The thing for me is finding out the details of an event and making a decision if I want to agree to do that particular event. That's on me to decide if I feel I'm the right fit for the event.

That's my years of experience talking here. Now am I always right, certainly not. If I agree to do an event it's on me to deliver the service that the client is looking for.

The thing is what would have a DJ turn down doing an event? The most obvious is the price a client wants to pay. After that what else?
 
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tunes4046 said:
If it were me and this is a true friend I’d be there just to assist at no charge whether he requests my presence or not, I’ve done this for several of my DJ friends and have those actions reciprocated when I was in need but too stubborn to admit it
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Why would I do it for free? I'm travelling 3.5 hrs (each way) to supply a sound system and photobooth (basically it's a rental). I'm also being the backup, in case he can't do the job. BTW, I'm only charging him $500 (he said he's paying me more), he's got 2 dancers coming in ($600) and he's got a $400 plane ticket and his total event fee is $2500.
 
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MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
I get what you're saying and I understand. The thing for me is finding out the details of an event and making a decision if I want to agree to do that particular event. That's on me to decide if I feel I'm the right fit for the event.

That's my years of experience talking here. Now am I always right, certainly not. If I agree to do an event it's on me to deliver the service that the client is looking for.

The thing is what would have a DJ turn down doing an event? The most obvious is the price a client wants to pay. After that what else?
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I have never been offered a price to do an event I quote the client a price they can choose to hire me or not, your way is very very backwards
 
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rickryan.com said:
Why would I do it for free? I'm travelling 3.5 hrs (each way) to supply a sound system and photobooth (basically it's a rental). I'm also being the backup, in case he can't do the job. BTW, I'm only charging him $500 (he said he's paying me more), he's got 2 dancers coming in ($600) and he's got a $400 plane ticket and his total event fee is $2500.
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Goodwill helping out a friend in need good karma. There are lots of reasons to help a fellow dj and someone you called a friend for free
I had a DJ friend who was in the reserves he got deployed in the gulf war I did as many of his gigs as I was able and gave the proceeds directly to his wife and kids, that goodwill has paid me back way more than I’ve lost over the years
 
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tunes4046 said:
I have never been offered a price to do an event I quote the client a price they can choose to hire me or not, your way is very very backwards
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No it's not backwards. I can give a price quote and in some cases a person will ask if I can do the event for another price. Depending on the difference in price from what I quote and what they want to pay I will say yes or no. It's called negotiation.

Right now I'm waiting on a call to see if I got the gig or not. I don't want to say anything until I get the call back.
 
tunes4046 said:
Goodwill helping out a friend in need good karma. There are lots of reasons to help a fellow dj and someone you called a friend for free
I had a DJ friend who was in the reserves he got deployed in the gulf war I did as many of his gigs as I was able and gave the proceeds directly to his wife and kids, that goodwill has paid me back way more than I’ve lost over the years
Click to expand...

tunes4046 said:
Goodwill helping out a friend in need good karma. There are lots of reasons to help a fellow dj and someone you called a friend for free
I had a DJ friend who was in the reserves he got deployed in the gulf war I did as many of his gigs as I was able and gave the proceeds directly to his wife and kids, that goodwill has paid me back way more than I’ve lost over the years
Click to expand...
We're no longer in the same area and both having to pay to travel to do this gig. It will not be a freebie on my part.
 
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