This lead depicts a HUGE chunk of the wedding market today..Or not?

ittigger · Feb 18, 2016

MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
This next question is serious. After you check out what your competition is doing then what? What if they are ahead or behind you when it comes to price? Do you get to find out what they have to offer for the price they charge? I say most times you don't unless you know them personally. Some can get paid more because they have more to offer. The days of a DJ showing up with a pair of speakers on stands getting paid handsomely is for the most part gone. So with that said what do you have to offer to justify the price you charge? I'll respond later as I got to get ready to go somewhere.

In this very thread, you have said: (Post 13)

MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
Like I said I try to focus on me and what I'm doing. I don't say I can't learn from others. Just that I don't find myself consumed with what someone else is doing.

and (Post 22)

MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
That is where you're wrong. Tell me where I said I was worried or caught up in what someone else is doing? I try my best to keep the focus where it needs to be.

So which is it, do you worry about what others are doing .. or not? If not, then what does it matter what they are doing? If so, then you need to stop saying you don't and step up your game.

Any news on that business plan or the plan to recondition your speakers? How's the website coming along?

MIXMASTERMACHOM · Feb 18, 2016

ittigger said:
In this very thread, you have said: (Post 13)

and (Post 22)

So which is it, do you worry about what others are doing .. or not? If not, then what does it matter what they are doing? If so, then you need to stop saying you don't and step up your game.

Any news on that business plan or the plan to recondition your speakers? How's the website coming along?

Again you missed it. I said very clearly what do you have to offer for the price you charge? You're talking about me instead talking about you. Not to be mean or bust your chops. I've seen this thing happen on a regular bases. Someone will tell a price they will do an event for and someone else will decide that price should be more without knowing what they are offering for that price. That's not fair.

Jeff Romard · Feb 18, 2016

rickryan.com said:
While I'm sure what you're saying it true I think you'd also have to admit, this is not the norm.

No you are right rick it's not the norm but I don't believe it's as unusual as we may believe. People are getting younger. When my parents were 45 they were old and acted old and most of my friends parents were the same way. I don't act old or live old and most of my friends don't either

ittigger · Feb 18, 2016

MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
Again you missed it. I said very clearly what do you have to offer for the price you charge? You're talking about me instead talking about you. Not to be mean or bust your chops. I've seen this thing happen on a regular bases. Someone will tell a price they will do an event for and someone else will decide that price should be more without knowing what they are offering for that price. That's not fair.

No, you missed it. If you don't find yourself consumed with what someone else does, then it doesn't matter what I or anyone else does for any price at any event - yet you come right back with comments about what everyone else does.

Again - you have not answered the other questions - business plan, website, reconditioned speakers, paying taxes on monies received, and others.

SEDJ · Feb 18, 2016

ittigger said:
No, you missed it. If you don't find yourself consumed with what someone else does, then it doesn't matter what I or anyone else does for any price at any event - yet you come right back with comments about what everyone else does.

Again - you have not answered the other questions - business plan, website, reconditioned speakers, paying taxes on monies received, and others.

I do hope you are not holding your breathe that he does

MIXMASTERMACHOM · Feb 19, 2016

Where am

ittigger said:
No, you missed it. If you don't find yourself consumed with what someone else does, then it doesn't matter what I or anyone else does for any price at any event - yet you come right back with comments about what everyone else does.

Again - you have not answered the other questions - business plan, website, reconditioned speakers, paying taxes on monies received, and others.

Where am I consumed with what others are doing!? I just ask as I've done in the past to talk about what you're doing. If that's what I you consider being consumed with what others are doing then so be it.

Please make up your mind. Does it matter what others are doing or not? On one hand you say it doesn't matter what others are doing and then I hear you need to know what others are doing in your area. Again once I know what others in my area what do I do wish the information?

Please understand this. There are different levels of professional athletes. There are those who are so great like Kobe Bryant that they are a shoe in to make it to the hall of fame. Then there are those who are good but will never make the hall of fame. Then there are those that are not that good yet they get to be called a professional. That's the same thing with this DJ business. There are those who are top of the line. Then there are those who are average and those that are below average. For those who are top of the line in this business how did you get there? I'll tell you how. Hard work and dedication.

My idol will always be Walter Payton. I saw a thing on him and they showed how he became the best running back of his time. He used to run 5 miles up and down hills 6am and then repeat that at 6pm. Yes he was very gifted. Yet he still had to work hard to stay at that level. It wasn't just automatic.

ittigger · Feb 19, 2016

MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
Where am
Where am I consumed with what others are doing!? I just ask as I've done in the past to talk about what you're doing. If that's what I you consider being consumed with what others are doing then so be it.

Please refer to your previous Post, which I placed right below this, to answer your own question.

MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
This next question is serious. After you check out what your competition is doing then what? What if they are ahead or behind you when it comes to price? Do you get to find out what they have to offer for the price they charge? I say most times you don't unless you know them personally. Some can get paid more because they have more to offer. The days of a DJ showing up with a pair of speakers on stands getting paid handsomely is for the most part gone. So with that said what do you have to offer to justify the price you charge? I'll respond later as I got to get ready to go somewhere.

MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
Please make up your mind. Does it matter what others are doing or not? On one hand you say it doesn't matter what others are doing and then I hear you need to know what others are doing in your area. Again once I know what others in my area what do I do wish the information?

Please refer to your previous Post, which I placed above, to answer your own question. We have already told you our thoughts - plenty of times.

MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
Please understand this. There are different levels of professional athletes. There are those who are so great like Kobe Bryant that they are a shoe in to make it to the hall of fame. Then there are those who are good but will never make the hall of fame. Then there are those that are not that good yet they get to be called a professional. That's the same thing with this DJ business. There are those who are top of the line. Then there are those who are average and those that are below average. For those who are top of the line in this business how did you get there? I'll tell you how. Hard work and dedication.

My idol will always be Walter Payton. I saw a thing on him and they showed how he became the best running back of his time. He used to run 5 miles up and down hills 6am and then repeat that at 6pm. Yes he was very gifted. Yet he still had to work hard to stay at that level. It wasn't just automatic.

If we're going to use analogies, there are neighborhood football players, high school football players, college and professional football players. You're stuck on the neighborhood team and constantly talking about how to become the professional player but refusing to do any of the hard work / dedication or take any of the advice to get there. Your business is your child. Are you raising it properly?

Another analogy - If you're lost in the woods, you need to find a path to get to safety before you can do anything else. Many people have told you this. Some have even shown you the path. Instead, you continue to choose to stay in the woods and keep on complaining that you're lost.

'Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, he'll eat for a lifetime'. You continually refuse to learn how to fish.

Final attempt at some of the important business questions that you should really be consumed with and have continually not answered - business plan, website, reconditioned speakers, paying taxes on monies received, and others. Without these answers Mix, it really doesn't matter what your thoughts on anything else are. A saying I saw many moons ago that holds truth - 'A Failure To Plan Is A Plan To Fail'. You can count on that.

rickryan.com · Feb 19, 2016

Jeff Romard said:
No you are right rick it's not the norm but I don't believe it's as unusual as we may believe. People are getting younger. When my parents were 45 they were old and acted old and most of my friends parents were the same way. I don't act old or live old and most of my friends don't either

I'm 51 and, increasingly, I'm sensing that "can't relate to the old guy" in meetings with prospective brides. I don't know if this is just my perception, I'm looking older, I'm talking older, or what it is. Bottom line, my belief is that in another 10 years this will be a real hindrance. I hope you're right about longevity.

IceBurghDJ · Feb 19, 2016

Age is a factor - i'm 54 but everyone thinks i'm about 10 years younger - now that my hair is going gray so I find it humourous.
I try to use age to my advantage - experience!

Most wedding DJs here are 45+ so it's not a disadvantage -yet. If I was wanting to bars and raves..i'd be screwed i"m thinkin.

I do see it as a disadvantage with wedding photography - i'm more like their dad and the busiest/new wave of photogs are women under 30-35..people like themselves.

And they've always said you tend to do business with people like yourself.

DJ Ricky B · Feb 19, 2016

rickryan.com said:
While I'm sure what you're saying it true I think you'd also have to admit, this is not the norm.

The above 60 year old DJs at the Agency won't leave their house to do a $250 gig, but they will jump at a gig that nets them $450 after the agency takes their commission. One of them just a few years ago wouldn't do a wedding unless he was earning $800 or more on it. They don't get booked nearly as much as they use to. One of them had a couple of bad wedding wire reviews. One bride mentioned he was condescending, and basically didn't do what she asked him to do, and he kept pressuring them too much to move along in the time line. She gave him a 2.3 out of 5. That was 3 years ago...I suspect that is about the time his bookings dropped off big time.

I think above age 60 DJs often have a tough time booking weddings. They still book them, but the likeliness of staying busy and booking the higher paying clients decline. My Dad's wedding bookings started to decline in 2005...which was an extremely busy year for my older brother who was 34 at the time. I think having a super strong referral network, and staying very fit, and looking younger than you are is what helps the older DJs keep busy.

Honestly, I really don't want to be Deejaying come age 65...By then I want to retire. Personally, I think the world will change so much that the DJ business won't be viable 31 years from now any way so I think I will be forced to retire from being a DJ by design by then.

DJ Ricky B · Feb 19, 2016

IceBurghDJ said:
Age is a factor - i'm 54 but everyone thinks i'm about 10 years younger - now that my hair is going gray so I find it humourous.
I try to use age to my advantage - experience!

Most wedding DJs here are 45+ so it's not a disadvantage -yet. If I was wanting to bars and raves..i'd be screwed i"m thinkin.

I do see it as a disadvantage with wedding photography - i'm more like their dad and the busiest/new wave of photogs are women under 30-35..people like themselves.

And they've always said you tend to do business with people like yourself.

Very True. If I do see an older photographer at a wedding today...they were either sub contracted by a National photography outlet, OR they are literally Uncle Phil with a camera! More than 80% of the weddings I have performed at over the past 3 years had a female photographer under age 40. Lots of photographers that graduated college, took photography, and have their own business, but haven't found a job with their degree so keeping afloat by being a photographer. I have seen many age 23 - 28ish women getting work via word of mouth from college class mates, and often off of face book now. Most of them charging $1400 - $2,000. If I do a nice DC wedding, the couple will often choose a female photographer in her 30s, maybe 40ish years old who charges a good bit more. ...I haven't worked with a older guy charging a lot to photograph a wedding in a number of years now. ...There use to be one guy who I think retired. I worked with him a few times...he was the only photographer who showed up in a Tuxedo. He charged $4,000 - $6,000 for weddings. He was from the old school and had been in the business since like 1979.

I haven't seen a photographer where a tux to a wedding since 2010 now as well. Most don't even where suits any more.

DJ Bobcat · Feb 19, 2016

rickryan.com said:
I'm 51 and, increasingly, I'm sensing that "can't relate to the old guy" in meetings with prospective brides. I don't know if this is just my perception, I'm looking older, I'm talking older, or what it is. Bottom line, my belief is that in another 10 years this will be a real hindrance. I hope you're right about longevity.

This is the reason weddings are not a focus of my business. I am old. I don't feel old, and I don't act old, but I can't escape the fact that I am old.[emoji3] People tell me I look 10 years younger than my age, but that still means I look older than you (Rick). I still play all the same music (except for RAP) that all other DJ's play, however, there's no getting around the fact that I'm older than most bride's parents, and maybe as old as their grand parents. For a lot of young brides, having a DJ that old is not what they want.
I am doing a wedding in November. I was referred to the bride's mother (who is planning and paying for the wedding) by a coworker of my wife. Since her daughter is getting a paid-for wedding with none of the stress of planning it, maybe having an old DJ won't be a big deal.[emoji3] I'll just try to stay out of the wedding pictures. [emoji2]

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

DJ Ricky B · Feb 19, 2016

My Dad deejayed a neighbor's wedding last year. He charged him $150 for 3.5 hours at a local restaurant. The guy getting married was 74 years old. My Dad did a few weddings booked through the American Legion last year that he has had an account at for 9 years now. They charge the client double what they pay him to do a bar night there. So the pay is $400 for 4 hours, and pro rated for time more than that. ...They screwed up on one wedding though. They manager they had hired didn't know what he was doing and basically lied to get the job...he had no previous management experience. Anyway, he booked my Dad on a gig there and charged the client what they would pay my Dad to do a bar night ($200), but it was for a 6 hour wedding. ...It was a huge deal, and the manager ended up getting fired for that and for other stuff he was screwing up on. The American Legion ended up making it up to my Dad by paying him the remaining $400 over time. They lost money doing that particular wedding there. After that fiasco, the council decided not to have any staff book DJs for private events. Now they give the client my Dad's biz card, and they book him direct and he can charge them what he wants.

They only do a hand ful of weddings a year there, and some clients bring in their own DJ or a band, so my Dad maybe does 3 weddings a year there and he is age 72 soon. Outside of that, he doesn't book weddings any more, and he has told me this year will be last year he takes any wedding work at the Legion as well. 2017 will likely be his last year deejaying the bar gigs there, but he may go into 2018...he still hasn't set a complete retirement date from deejaying.

Hank Davidson · Feb 19, 2016

Randy A said:
Ricky --- seems to me that you focus a lot of time and attention on why a potential client cannot afford your service(s).

DJ Ricky B said:
...They use that "We are paying for everything ourselves" line as a reasoning as to why their budget is small, and why they will pick the lowest price quote they receive. ...I understand why they are doing that...it's because it's tough putting a wedding together, and both of them are likely working low wage jobs to make ends meet. Much of their $10,000 or less budget is likely being put on credit card to boot.

It truly PAINS me to give in once again to this useless, overdone discussion of worth, but if you understand the reasoning, then why not just move on?

As to the question about the wedding market... This is a budget-minded, DIY age we live in. Why shouldn't it be? As I predicted years ago, event professionals (like DJs and photographers) are less relevant than before. Digital media, consumer audio, smart phones and social networks have given people alternative options.

You can argue that certain choices make for a less professional outcome, but the fact is that those with lower expectations/standards, are no longer bound by us. These folks were always out there, they just never had a choice until now. So, all of the high-end vendors are fishing in smaller ponds. You are just going to have to play a lot of "catch and release" if you have your mind set on big fish.

Jas · Feb 19, 2016

Of course there are successful DJs in their 50s, 60s and even 70s. But at first glance younger DJs are more attractive.

DJ A is 35 years old, with 15 years of experience as a wedding DJ, oh and is good looking!
DJ B is 60 years old, with 30+ years of experience, gray hair, overweight, looks like grandpa!

Not knowing anything else about DJ A and DJ B, DJ A will get noticed more and likely hired more. Good looking people in general get hired more often than not so good looking people. This has been proven in studies.

good points of an older DJ - (should be) more reliable, won't be hitting on guests, a proven track record, experienced etc.
Bad points - Not as energetic as 20somethings, may have health issues, may not be up on current music or trends, looks like grandpa!

DJ SVO · Feb 19, 2016

Time to dust off the Rx pad

Hank Davidson · Feb 19, 2016

Randy A said:
I've did it with years of continuing to satisfy my clients and not ever settling on what I was currently doing, but how I could do it better for the next client. I do it in a market that's flooded with $500 jocks who all look & sound the same .... I used to be with the group. There was nothing to make me different. Now, I'm different and I reap those benefits. I maintain a HIGH level of customer support and confidence. I turn more jobs away or give it to a few other guys than some of those other $500 jocks are getting inquiries for.

That, and my damn good looks.

Kudos to you for getting to where you strove to be. With all due respect to what you currently practice and provide, you are still in a group of jocks who all look and sound the same. You're just in a different category. HIGH levels of customer support and confidence exist in ALL levels of operation.

Randy A · Feb 19, 2016

Hank Davidson said:
Kudos to you for getting to where you strove to be. With all due respect to what you currently practice and provide, you are still in a group of jocks who all look and sound the same. You're just in a different category. HIGH levels of customer support and confidence exist in ALL levels of operation.

Love ya as always, Hank. But I'll kindly agree to disagree.

ittigger · Feb 19, 2016

Hank Davidson said:
Kudos to you for getting to where you strove to be. With all due respect to what you currently practice and provide, you are still in a group of jocks who all look and sound the same. You're just in a different category.

I understand your point with this part.

Hank Davidson said:
HIGH levels of customer support and confidence exist in ALL levels of operation.

This part can be iffy. Example, you won't find high levels of customer support or confidence at Verizon. I doubt you would find them at the lower end of the DJ scale as well.

dunlopj · Feb 19, 2016

DJ Ricky B said:
Personally, I think the world will change so much that the DJ business won't be viable 31 years from now any way...

31 years? Try like 5 years...IMHO.

This lead depicts a HUGE chunk of the wedding market today..Or not?

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