DJs spend too much time thinking about "cheapskates."
There are large numbers of people for whom the issue is "control and self-expression" rather than saving money. The $ saving is just gravy - not the meat of the decision.
Few DJs succeed at rentals because they can't see things any other way than how they prefer them to be.
Most DJs I've seen with rental packages have designed them to be a patently unattractive solution. They must resent people thinkling they can skip the DJ - and hence design their rental as though it were a "punishment".
If you are going to do rentals you have to design it from the perspective of the person on the other side of the DJ table.
There are large numbers of people for whom the issue is "control and self-expression" rather than saving money. The $ saving is just gravy - not the meat of the decision.
Few DJs succeed at rentals because they can't see things any other way than how they prefer them to be.
Most DJs I've seen with rental packages have designed them to be a patently unattractive solution. They must resent people thinkling they can skip the DJ - and hence design their rental as though it were a "punishment".
If you are going to do rentals you have to design it from the perspective of the person on the other side of the DJ table.
G
Guest
Guest
Wrong, because the entire wedding will be lost without a DJ running the show!
And if you have a small reception where background music is all that is necessary, why does a DJ need to be present to run the show?
G
Guest
Guest
I didn't read the whole thread, but, if I get the jist...
I have lots of folks using our jukebox software, building a cab. with a cheapie computer in it, and renting them out for $300-400 per day (not meant as a plug, but I'll take it
).
It's for those who can't afford, or do not want a DJ. Many country clubs like it, as the guests pick their own music on a touch screen, for parties and such.
Extra income for the DJ, who just either drops off and picks up, or hires somebody to do it for him/her. Pays for itself in a couple rentals.
Lucrative market -- if yer into making money
I have lots of folks using our jukebox software, building a cab. with a cheapie computer in it, and renting them out for $300-400 per day (not meant as a plug, but I'll take it
).It's for those who can't afford, or do not want a DJ. Many country clubs like it, as the guests pick their own music on a touch screen, for parties and such.
Extra income for the DJ, who just either drops off and picks up, or hires somebody to do it for him/her. Pays for itself in a couple rentals.
Lucrative market -- if yer into making money
Tom,
Needs to be simpler.
People aren't going to use 2 ipods, just 1 - or a laptop. They don't want to deal with a DJ style mixer, they just want simple volume control.
(They don't want to be a DJ - they just want more sound.)
Fender passport has too many cables, connectors and knobs. Go with a single powered speaker that can serve up to 75 people, make the second speaker an option. Wireless mic an option.
Delivery should have a separate rate schedule. Your time is worth more than the gear (to you) but the clients are more interested in the gear than your time. So you'll need to optimize your rates given the nature of the areas you are willing to deliver too.
You want your gear solution to be more attractive than the next best DJ alternative. You want your delivery rate to be borderline: that is you prefer they pickup/return. But don't set the rates so high that you lose out on easy local delivery.
For example, if you see a lot of business potential going to $350 DJs - then come up with a $295 alternative that would let people get rid of the DJ.
Drop two of these off before you head out to your $800 show and now your $1390 for the day. (Actual mileage may vary.)
Make it EASY so it's attractive to them.
Make it FOOL PROOF so it's attractive to you.
G
Guest
Guest
Proformance:
I like the way you think.
Try this:
1 Pyle Pro PHP1596A
1 Ultimate Speaker Stand
Appropriate connection to get from speaker to IPOD.
This will cost you about $300.
They supply the IPOD.
The PHP1596A has three inputs on the back; one XLR and two 1/4". A microphone can go into the XLR because it is a mic/line input. You just need to get the IPOD from 1/8" headphone to the 1/4" input for the speaker.
The speaker puts out $350 Watts, which should be good enough for most small parties.
I like the way you think.
Try this:
1 Pyle Pro PHP1596A
1 Ultimate Speaker Stand
Appropriate connection to get from speaker to IPOD.
This will cost you about $300.
They supply the IPOD.
The PHP1596A has three inputs on the back; one XLR and two 1/4". A microphone can go into the XLR because it is a mic/line input. You just need to get the IPOD from 1/8" headphone to the 1/4" input for the speaker.
The speaker puts out $350 Watts, which should be good enough for most small parties.
Wrong, because the entire wedding will be lost without a DJ running the show!
Yes, that's right. The wedding will be lost. But I made money when they needed an Ipod soundstation AND I'll be the DJ for their next event when they realize they needed me in the first place.
Its just another way to get the word out and satisfy the customer...
Not a bad idea Tom.
I'm just not sure if Pyle will have the fidelity and longevity you're going to need in a piece of rental gear.
Inexpensive is not the way to go on the major components. Most people will want and expect to rent the same caliber of gear you would want for yourself.
Instead try to save money on the cables or other minor accesories that tend to get lost or pilfered.
I'm just not sure if Pyle will have the fidelity and longevity you're going to need in a piece of rental gear.
Inexpensive is not the way to go on the major components. Most people will want and expect to rent the same caliber of gear you would want for yourself.
Instead try to save money on the cables or other minor accesories that tend to get lost or pilfered.
Are you trying to equate a rental customer with lower class?
Many are very upscale events in restaurants and inns with limted space. Most people, regardless of how much money they have realize that when the group is small, the location intimate, and the dancefloor even smaller - it makes little sense to pay big bucks for a DJ.
Small systems like this can bring in more gross revenue than many mobile DJs make all year. The tend too work 2 or 3 times more often.
i was emulating the high brow comedy contained within a series of advertisements and jt followed suit and i thought it was really funny but it was somewhat off topic and i'm sorry because i truly have nothing against iPod weddings because once you stray from vinyl everything sucks gondolas anyway
:sqembarrassed:
:sqembarrassed:
This pi$$es me off - i found it on the first link. Read the part about how he paid for his iPod in 3 gigs - what's he charging - $10/hour? bottomfeeder? oh yes.
I don't get some people...
here's what it said:
"I've deejayed dozens of weddings, parties, proms, dances, and happy hours over the past dozen years (not my day job) and my iPod's made all the difference in the last year. I charge pretty low rates for my service and after 2 or 3 gigs I paid for my 40 GB 4th Gen iPod pretty easily. Since then, I've made more than enough to buy a Shuffle and start looking at a Nano.
Before I bought my iPod I used to haul around bins of CDs, filling up the back seat and trunk of my car and throwing out my back carrying those $@#!ing things up and down stairs, stages, and through large parking lots. Now, the only thing that gets tired is my thumb.
And I take some umbrage to the ideas that all wedding/dance/party DJ's don't have a clue about how to put together a good mix or work well with a crowd. Though I don't spin vinyl at a club, my skills in putting together a diverse selection, working dynamically off of a crowd's vibe, and integrating appropriate requests into the playlist seems to pay off well - more referrals than I can count and lots of thank yous and praise after the gigs.
All in all, the equipment makes things a lot easier, but upgrading from CDs to an iPod does not a great DJ make. You've got have a pretty wide knowledge and selection of music, a good understanding of who your audience is (both the tastes/special requests of the client and the party crowd), and an ability to change up on the fly as the event progresses. All the iPods in the world can't provide you with that."
I don't get some people...
here's what it said:
"I've deejayed dozens of weddings, parties, proms, dances, and happy hours over the past dozen years (not my day job) and my iPod's made all the difference in the last year. I charge pretty low rates for my service and after 2 or 3 gigs I paid for my 40 GB 4th Gen iPod pretty easily. Since then, I've made more than enough to buy a Shuffle and start looking at a Nano.
Before I bought my iPod I used to haul around bins of CDs, filling up the back seat and trunk of my car and throwing out my back carrying those $@#!ing things up and down stairs, stages, and through large parking lots. Now, the only thing that gets tired is my thumb.
And I take some umbrage to the ideas that all wedding/dance/party DJ's don't have a clue about how to put together a good mix or work well with a crowd. Though I don't spin vinyl at a club, my skills in putting together a diverse selection, working dynamically off of a crowd's vibe, and integrating appropriate requests into the playlist seems to pay off well - more referrals than I can count and lots of thank yous and praise after the gigs.
All in all, the equipment makes things a lot easier, but upgrading from CDs to an iPod does not a great DJ make. You've got have a pretty wide knowledge and selection of music, a good understanding of who your audience is (both the tastes/special requests of the client and the party crowd), and an ability to change up on the fly as the event progresses. All the iPods in the world can't provide you with that."
According to Toastmasters International (who should know since they're the experts on Public Speaking).....over 90% of the population would rather DIE than speak in front of a live audience.
This basic fact means, statistically, that very few people can do what we do!
Managing a wedding reception takes a lot of experience and is something we learn from trial-and-error. It is NOT something the average person can do right out of the box (as I learned 20-something years ago when I became a DJ).
My favorite comment from the quoted page:
I guess the "No Cheese" format is starting to gain ground, even among the IPOD set.
Its great to hear stories about wedding receptions RUINED by an I-pod. They are becoming more common, and for every "success" story that's reported there are 3 more where the event sucked.
90% ??
Of course, that includes:
children
the elderly
those with Engish as a 2nd language
non-English speaking resident aliens
prison inmates
high-school drop outs
yadah, yadah, yadah.
What is the percentage of the population you market too that would rather die than speak in public?
Toastmasters conveniently leaves out the statistic concerning that demographic proportion of the population that will NEVER have occassion to speak in public.