Ducky & Jmac

[1cdj]

Ducky I've been a champion and strong advocate for you here and I will continue to do so. Don't leave over constructive criticism because that's just what it is. You've got too much to offer to pull away over that. If you can't take that constructive criticism you need to toughen up I'm sure you've been ridiculed in our line of work at one time or another. Being a dj takes thick skin to clients, guests and other djs especially at forums like this.

As to harryoke's 1st post.

As bold as this my sound I'll take any of yous on in good spirit on vinyl or serato with a program like serato your original feel of media is still there as well as the laptop which allows you access to much more music, quicker, easier, and in a better browsable library. I used to take 24 crates into the buzz it took 12 black lights and sometimes 10 minutes to find a song. This makes it much easier.

I dont know if Id advertise against laptop djs with the
FEATURES ADVANTAGES BENEFITS that you offer in your rebutt. It just makes you guys look like you dont have 24 years of combined experience

As for pricing though, no one here should comment on anyones pricing unless you're in the same market and no them personally. In our local area I converse with sparkie and brian b all the time about pricing issues and where we stand in the market.

To All: Ducky and JMacs market may dictate that they price that way, they may need to price that way to stay competitive. They may be from the school, like myself, that some hundreds is better than no hundreds. Perhaps they are both really good at vinyl or cds and could be worth $1000 bucks per night in your market but they are not in your market.

Fred said in another thread if he did this for the money he'd starve

If I was GWYW Id starve.


Humbly

Kyle

 

[Jeff Romard]

To All: Ducky and JMacs market may dictate that they price that way, they may need to price that way to stay competitive. They may be from the school, like myself, that some hundreds is better than no hundreds. Perhaps they are both really good at vinyl or cds and could be worth $1000 bucks per night in your market but they are not in your market.

Awesome post Kyle. You wouldn't believe how many dont understand that

 

[sparkieg]

Well said Kyle-

And trust me when I say this - I've had to humble myself several times over the last couple of years by lowering my rates.....being only able to afford a jar of peanut butter and a loaf of bread and tap water to wash it down with is no fun on an extended basis.......

And yeah, it hasn't been long since I was at that point.........a little more than a year ago to be exact.....

 

[Fred Wright]

Thanks, Kyle.

My friends, I've been preaching this for years ~ this crazy biz consists of countless markets, all different. Prices are numbers, nothing more. We're all in the same business.

 

[1cdj]

take cigarettes for example
Salems (my brand) Are $2.82 here in Winston Salem
$3.45 in Fayetteville, NC
$3.80 at the exxon in richmond
$7.50 in New Jersey at the casino

It's all the exact same box of cigarettes made right down the street from my office

 

[DougF]

In Ducky & JMac's defense, IF I understand correctly they are from the Lafayette, IN area. I used to live there. I will tell you that back in the 80's when I was there to get a a reasonable price was like pulling teeth. Price was always THE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY, showing up and playing what they wanted was second. The thrifty farmer attitude was very prevalent then as it appears to be now as well as suffering the trickle down effects of agriculture and the automotive industry.

Back in the 80's I was one of the few DJ's who had lights and who had gear in rack not in cardboard boxes and milk crates. To get a school to pay more than $225 for a dance or get a wedding for over $300 was next to impossible.

You get into certain parts of the state and Hoosiers don't like change! How long did it take Indiana to get on Daylight Savings Time??? (And some are still not happy!~)

 

[DJ J Mac]

What Doug has just said is 100% correct. Here in Lafayette and our surrounding areas, we have lost nearly 5,000 jobs to layoffs in the past year and news comes down this month that Eli Lily may close it's plant here and just 30 minutes from us, Delphi Automotive is going to cut 2500 jobs. Our pricing and marketing is geared specifically to our local market.

 

[Hank Davidson]

I thought this was about using laptops or something. It's another "worth" issue?

Ducky & Mac,

I have been called a bottom feeder, industry wrecker, etc, etc, on many occasions. I have also tried to logically defend myself (like Doug above) on countless posts. It's a dead horse and something that you really shouldn't let bother you.

You only have to serve yourself and your clients....not your peers.

Don't let this topic deter you from being the great addition to our forum that you both have been.

 

[DougF]

AMEN! Hank!

 

[Jeff Romard]

What Doug has just said is 100% correct. Here in Lafayette and our surrounding areas, we have lost nearly 5,000 jobs to layoffs in the past year and news comes down this month that Eli Lily may close it's plant here and just 30 minutes from us, Delphi Automotive is going to cut 2500 jobs. Our pricing and marketing is geared specifically to our local market.

Mac your market sounds alot like mine and I can tell you I charge less than you do. Although it hasn't happened here I have been bashed, called a bottom feeder, hobbyist, sleaze bag, and at the same time, by the same people, kicked around for upselling. Most times it has been by someone who can't point my market out on a map. They know nothing of the economic conditions here or the demographic. They know nothing of the competition I deal with.

I don't worry about raising the bar for the sake of some idiot in Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, or anywhere else I worry about raising the bar for ME here in my market. I do what I have to do to survive and thrive here.

The trick to all these netwoking forums is to seperate the wheat from the chaff. I say this honestly with DJ related stuff there is more wheat here than anywhere else I have ever posted and the agendas are caught and stopped quicker than anywhere I have ever been

Take the good stuff and let the rest be like water off a ducks back no pun intended

 

[Jon Tuck]

Mac we miss Ducky tell her to toughen up we want our duck Back. The Shout box has been rather lame without her.

 

[DJ J Mac]

I don't worry about raising the bar for the sake of some idiot in Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, or anywhere else I worry about raising the bar for ME here in my market. I do what I have to do to survive and thrive here.

You've got it right. That's why we try to go with the idea of don't worry so much about competition or what the others are doing. Just try to best yourself each time out.

 

[1cdj]

Ive been called a bottom feeder, scum of the earth sleezebag too and that was by sparkie alone....

And i know we're talking about worth again but for the record i was totally put off by the lap top thing as well...
The original thread Harry started though was about both issues the laptop and the pricing.

kyle

 

[Scott Hanna]

Mac your market sounds alot like mine and I can tell you I charge less than you do. Although it hasn't happened here I have been bashed, called a bottom feeder, hobbyist, sleaze bag,
QUOTE]

you are not a hobbyist!!

 

[Jeff Romard]

Mac your market sounds alot like mine and I can tell you I charge less than you do. Although it hasn't happened here I have been bashed, called a bottom feeder, hobbyist, sleaze bag,
QUOTE]

you are not a hobbyist!!

Yeah more like a bedroom DJ that works the big rooms

 

[DJ J Mac]

Ive been called a bottom feeder, scum of the earth sleezebag too and that was by sparkie alone....

And i know we're talking about worth again but for the record i was totally put off by the lap top thing as well...
The original thread Harry started though was about both issues the laptop and the pricing.

kyle

Kyle, completely understandable. Like it has been mentioned in other areas here, markets are very different. Our no laptop policy is a calculated marketing effort which is paying off quite well for us around here.

 

[Guest]

You've got it right. That's why we try to go with the idea of don't worry so much about competition or what the others are doing. Just try to best yourself each time out.

Kyle, completely understandable. Like it has been mentioned in other areas here, markets are very different. Our no laptop policy is a calculated marketing effort which is paying off quite well for us around here.

Don't these two concepts contradict each other?

 

[DJ J Mac]

Steve,
Let me see if I can help clarify it. We do keep an ear open for what is going on in our market, but we don't concern ourselves with actively competing with others in the area (pricing wars, etc).

Our laptop policy came not only from how we were raised, but comments we have heard at different bridal shows from potential clients, from other DJs themselves and from past customers of ourselves and others.
There are DJs in our area that will use a laptop and click play on a program and leave the event entirely and come back when its time to tear down.

I guess you could say, ours is more of a passive competition. We know where we stack up against the other DJs, and beyond that we don't feel we need to know much else about them (like they would tell us anyhow). We just kind of do our own thing and do it our way without regard to the other companies in town and its working quite well for us.

 

[trafficgoo]

I say this....each to his own...use equipment that you're comfortable with and call it good. Worry only about the competitor(s) in your own market. You're website reflects you and you're business. I myself prefer cd's...but that's just me...and it works for me.

 

[1cdj]

Hey Jmac
back in looking at the thread i started to u and ducky, I dont have a problem with your laptop policy as muscleman says above... I could be wrong but i think the features/advantages/benefits for it are flawed

Before we switched to serato scratch live (a time code program)
I was big into marketing against laptop djs for these reasons

1. What if the laptop fried/hard drive crashed (of course everyone brings back up)
2. Although most of us on odjt are legit laptop djs pave the way for illegally downloaded mp3's. Illegally downloaded mp3s often times have quality control issues, wrong cuts, levels out of place, chorus's just looped etc
3. If the dj comes, sets up his laptop and pushes play couldnt the client conversely do the same thing?
4. Ive been djing for XXX years and the tools I use allow me to perform at the best of my abilities the better I perform the better your party is


etc,
but to site that using cds over a hard drive gives you better access to music, requests etc is flawed. in my opinion

How many times have we gone into a job thinking the bride and groom loved country but then asked for Biz Markie "just a friend" would you have that in your collection easily accesible if you thought this was going to be strictly a 'hoe down"

maybe maybe not

Jmac if you have the laptop policy because others in your market are setting up laptops and going, just say that. Or say it in a meeting

"we are a professional full time dj entertainment firm and we've found in our travels that a lot of our so called competition comes to your event sets up a laptop and pushes play, we bring out a full system of professional gear to compliment your event and allow us to play to the best of our abilities"

Now this also varies by market but i make it my business to know exactly what every one of our "multi op" competitors are doing, what they're charging, what the feedback is like, etc and some of our more affluent single ops. To site an old radio magazine i keep my ears to the ground and in turn use this info to better market myself.