Disc Jockey News September 2017 Print Edition

Disc Jockey News September 2017 • Issue #150

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PAGE 2 • Disc Jockey News • September 2017

How Do You Look At It?

chose to focus on.

Logistics at this show were not ideal.

Seminars and the showroom floor took place at the convention center while the room block and evening activities were a mile away at The Tropicana. So if you’re prone to find a problem with things, voila! You got an easy one right there. You had to hop in a jitney (for free) or take a cab or Uber to get to the seminars and showroom floor. And what could be worse than that! My experience, however, was that the jitneys ran regularly (I never waited more than 4 minutes for one), were a fun way to chat with attendees one on one and even offered cold bottled water. So what some people saw as a hassle I found to be a fun and unique way to get from my hotel to the daytime activities. And as a bonus, once I was at the convention center, the temptation to skip a seminar to head up to my room for a quick spell was erased — so I found myself taking in every single educational opportunity.

Were there problems with the seminar rooms? Certainly, if you’ve been attending Mobile Beat the last few years or even WeddingWire World which took place the same week, the production value isn’t there. DJ Times still goes “old school” with a basic projector and screen in the middle of the room and a standard DJ system to provide sound.

So yeah, if you have certain expectations, DJ Times’ presentation might have been lacking. But at the end of the day it’s all about education, right? And the seminars were chock full of nuggets and takeaways that any attendee who

was looking to improve their business’ could have garnered. So is it the look of the room or the content of the education? Again, the answer to that question lies in what you want to focus on.

I even heard someone complain about how spread out the Tropicana was. This was the first year that the rooms were at The Tropicana and I found the hotel to be one of the best I’ve ever stayed in for a DJ show. My room was clean, the restaurant choices were abundant, and the place was packed, not just with attendees but plenty of others who were enjoying a summer week in Atlantic City. Did it take a while to walk from point A to point B at the Tropicana? Sure. It’s a big hotel with a huge casino floor. But especially compared to last year when this show at the Taj Mahal which was weeks away from closing (and felt like it) The Tropicana was like heaven on earth. So I walked the same amount from my room to the jitney as the person who complained about “how spread out the Tropicana was.” He chose to focus on the inconvenience of the walk; I chose to focus on how alive and exciting the vibe was at the Tropicana.

And what you chose to focus on defines who you are and your overall outlook on life. When you order your food in a restaurant, and the waitress tells you they’re out of that item, do you lament that you can’t have your first choice or do you look at it as an opportunity to try something new? Because when you think about it, if a restaurant not having the dish you ordered is THE WORST thing to happen to you on any given day, then you’re having a GREAT day. I used to make the same point to my wife when she’d call to tell me she was stuck in traffic on the way home from work. If

there were an accident up ahead, I’d remind Kelly that as bad as it is to be stuck in traffic, the person involved in the accident would change places with her in a heartbeat. So what do you want to focus on? The stress of sitting in traffic or the reality that you’ll get home eventually with a car intact? Because either way, you’re still sitting in traffic till things clear up. So it’s all about what you want to focus on.

So what do you focus on? If you attended DJ Expo did you whine about certain things or seek to have a great experience? At your events, do you wonder why that one table isn’t dancing or are you grateful that the other 150 guests are? When you lose a sale, do you bitch that someone undercut you or do you move on to the next lead even more motivated to connect? All of these situations (and so many more) are about perspective. And what you chose to focus on. So if you press me to recap the 2017 DJ Times DJ Expo, I’d say it was a very good week with some awesome highlights. I’d say I learned a great deal and met some cool people in our industry as well as reconnecting with others I’ve known for years. I’d say I got to see Biz Markie spin a set and he dropped not one, but two, Prince songs on me and what could be better than that right?

Those are the highlights I chose to focus on. I hope you found yours.

Mike Walter is the owner of Elite Entertainment of New Jersey and a nationally recognized expert in the area of multisystem company development and staff training. You can contact Mike at mikewalter@discjockeynews.com.

keep you on your toes when it comes to your business. I always go into those meetings with the same mantra: “How can I help you succeed? What can I do for you?” Breaking out of the “What’s in it for me” mold can be difficult for some, but you will soon realize how rewarding it is to help a colleague. The past several weeks I have met with a budding videographer and a wedding planner who are new to the area to help them with their business. I met with

each of them for over an hour and simply let them pick my brain about weddings, marketing, networking and how important it is to create a brand, stay true to it and work with clients that bring out the best in you. During each meeting, I too learned a few things that could help improve our business. There is nothing better than brainstorming with other like-minded wedding professionals, and I am truly excited to see both of their businesses grow and flourish!

That brings me to my second newly found joy that my mentor and friend Mike Walter reintroduced me to just last month: Creating Music Playlists.

Sounds simple, I know, but remember…

Simple joys are important! Music creates memories, and when your couple wants a curated playlist I am your gal!

Do you want a “Yacht Rock” Cocktail Hour? No problem. “Jazz Crooners”

By Mike Walter

My September article in this fine publication is traditionally a recap of the DJ Times DJ Expo which takes place annually in mid-August in Atlantic City.

I usually write about the event, offer some highlights of the education and nighttime activities, then encourage readers to make sure they attend a DJ convention in the future.

This year, I’d rather share a feeling I had all week long at this show. We chose what we focus on.

As the DJ Expo went on, I had many conversations with attendees and read many posts on social media about the show. Some attendees gushed about the things they were learning and were thrilled at their overall experience.

Some bitched and moaned about the logistics of the show or the look of the seminar room or something else that had gotten under their skin. I found myself wondering if there were two different shows going on that week, one that some people loved and another that was overwhelmed with problems.

But of course, that wasn’t the case.

It was the same show. The feedback was just affected by what the person

The Simple Joys

By Tamara Sims

As we say goodbye to August and hello to September, our Fall Wedding Frenzy begins! It is my favorite time of year for business and for the beautiful weather we have here in Chicago. I often become complacent during August, which is typically slower than our busy June and July.

We have lots of events, but fewer sales meetings.

And to be honest, my three joys in life are my husband, Jay, meeting with brides and grooms and of course, theater. I love being around brides, grooms and their parents during the initial wedding planning stages. It makes me feel needed.

As their wedding gets closer and all of the details are hammered out, they need me less. So what’s a girl to do? I have taken the advice of 2 of my Disc Jockey News colleagues to focus on some new joys in life: Networking and creating music playlists. It’s the simple joys in life that are most rewarding!

I recently read an article by K.C. Kokoruz that hit home when I needed it.

He said to get out of the office at least once a week and network! Whether you are visiting a venue, florist, or photographer or attending a local industry event, meeting with your peers will brighten your day (and hopefully theirs) and

Tamara Sims Continued On Page 4

September 2017 In This Issue: Page 2: Mike Walter Page 2: Tamara Sims Page 4: Mitch Taylor Page 4: Brian S. Redd Page 5: Dan Carpenter Page 5: Brian Kelm Page 6: Ron Ruth

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PAGE 4 • Disc Jockey News • September 2017

Evoltion And Implementation

By Mitch Taylor

Evolution and ImI recently wrote a quote on my Facebook wall that said: “Things aren’t necessary for love.” I encourage everyone to brainstorm and write whenever the inspiration strikes you.

It’s how I come up with many of the Disc Jockey News articles that I write.

I sat on that quote on my wall for a few hours and then updated it to read “It’s not things that are necessary for love, but actions.” That was a rapid evolution of thought that I wrote down that day. My question to you is “What’s your evolution?” What are you doing

to improve in certain areas of your business?

Many of us talk about evolving, becoming better. However, what are you really doing? Many of us say we have 20 plus years of experience. The reality is, if you haven’t evolved if you’re not doing anything different than you did in that first year, then you may have just one year of experience repeated 20 years in a row. Tubthumping was a great song in 1997, but that doesn’t mean it’s one you want to play at every event right now. Every client is different with what they want. Think about your evolution and how you can improve. I believe you always should be growing as an individual. Sure you can go to a conference, listen to a podcast, attend a workshop and those are all great. When was the last time you did that?

Now here’s a better question. When was the last time you implemented something you learned from one of those

experiences? What is the ONE THING right now you need to get right in your business? What ONE ACTION STEP can you take towards your goal? Maybe your ONE THING is that you have recorded yourself on video and realized that you don’t smile enough. Go right now and put a smile face emoji on the top of your laptop by where the camera is, so you have a constant reminder to smile before you crack your mic. Your ONE THING might be you don’t measure your sales incoming leads enough to know your closing ratios. Set up a Google spreadsheet TODAY and put in formulas to help track your leads vs. your closing ratios. What’s your ONE THING that you NEED to implement TODAY? The key to evolving is implementation. Without evolving, you’re just going through the motions of life. That’s not cool. Anjelica Houston said, “Where there is age, there is evolution. Where

there is life, there is growth.” Life is meant to be lived. Life is meant to be felt. Life is meant to be given. I encourage you to give your life, to live your life and grow throughout your experiences. Get out there and travel, experience something different and gain a new perspective on your life. Evolution SHOULD be constant. What are you doing to EVOLVE? What are you doing to give and live your life?

Mitch Taylor is an 18 year veteran of the mobile disc jockey industry, starting out on the cruise ships of Carnival Cruise Lines. He is a member of the American Disc Jockey Association.

Mitch owns and operates Taylored Entertainment in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and can be reached at 906.786.6967 or via email at mitchtaylor@discjockeynews.com.

many times did you pack a mainstream dance floor with Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” before “The Sopranos” series finale? Never, unless you were playing to Journey loving audiences in 1981.

A major benefit of spinning these new-again cuts is that you not only get a younger generation who knows them from “that movie,” but you’ll have the older folks who remember them from the first time around. Multiple generations on the dance floor at the same time is always a win. Even if each generation is out on the dance floor for completely different reasons.

With that in mind, when an old song is new again by association, I don’t think we always have to wait for permission to play it. I’m guilty of this sometimes, where I don’t see a recycled soundtrack cut as legit until someone requests it.

That’s where I need to start thinking more like James Gunn, who was really thinking like a DJ when putting “Guardians of the Galaxy” music together.

Rolling Stone quoted him as saying:

“They were songs that people had heard, but probably didn’t know the name of” If a film maker like Gunn isn’t afraid to throw a big handful of “Oh Yeah!” tracks into a multi-million dollar film production, then why should we sweat dropping them into our DJ sets? After all, he’s already done the heavy lifting for us by re-introducing them to everyone. All we need to do is press play…

No super powers required.

Practice & Enjoy!

Brian S Redd is a Mobile/Club DJ in Milwaukee WI, DJ Youtuber and an official “American DJ” Artist/ You can reach Brian at: brianredd@discjockeynews.com/

Sound Track Of Hits

By Brian S. Redd

Superhero movies and comics typically aren’t my thing, especially when super powers are involved, or they take themselves too seriously.

With that in mind, I enjoyed the first two “Guardians of the Galaxy” films. I’ve never read the comics (nor do I care to), so I don’t know what the original source material feels like. Regardless, the translation into film works on so many levels with this movie. Aside from being very funny, the soundtracks are downright friggin’ charming.

I could write an entire essay on the music alone and how director James Gunn uses it. I even have my own “Zune” theory I’m pretty proud of, but I’ll spare you this time around. What I will say is that the music consists of mostly forgotten, even obscure hits from the mid 60’s to the late 70’s. The

other thing worth mentioning is that most of these songs haven’t been used anywhere else on screen before.

In a recent Rolling Stone article, Gunn said, that as he was putting the first film together, the notes he kept getting from the Marvel staff said: “Nobody is going to want to hear this music.” I remember hearing my comic geek neighbors complaining about the soundtrack as well. However, everyone else seems to really enjoy it… So there!

When it comes to soundtracks and our dance floors, there is a difference between old and new music. With new music, it hits, or it doesn’t. Take Kenny Logins “Footloose,” for example. We got a brand new hit song with that film.

Our dance floors, to this day, associate that with Kevin Bacon-esque style dancing and eat it up.

That’s kind of rare. What’s more likely to happen these days is that a successful movie will have a soundtrack that puts old songs back into the mainstream lexicon. We’ve seen this with family films. Want to know what your floor fillers are going to be for the next elementary school dance? Just look for recycled hits in the last ten years’ worth of Pixar and Disney movies, and you got this.

This can work for adults as well. How

Tamera Sims Continued From Page 2 for dinner music? I’ve got it covered.

You want 80’s one hit wonders? That’s my jam! You want a “90’s Hip Hop” Cocktail Hour…I may need some help on that one, but “Yeah” I am up for the challenge. Does it take time;? Yes! Can it be tedious;? Yes! Is it rewarding? Absolutely! A few months ago I was tasked with creating a “Jazz Rock” playlist.

Hmmm, what is Jazz Rock you may ask?

Google it and you will be pleasantly surprised. Artists I grew up with listening to in the car like Chicago, Steely Dan, and Van Morrison just to name a few. I probably spent 2 hours researching the genre, listening to music to ensure it was wedding appropriate and curating the perfect “Jazz Rock” playlist. I tested it out in our office, and even our 22-yearold millennial said she loved it. Full disclosure: she may have been partially enthusiastic because she no longer had

to listen to my Michael Buble mix!

So when you find yourself feeling blue or stale in your business, go back to the basics, look to other wedding professionals for inspiration, and get back to doing what you love!

And one more shout out to K.C. & Mike for bringing me back to life with these two simple joys.

Please feel free to share your comments with me at: tamarasims@discjockeynews.com or tamara@something2dance2.com Tamara is the Director of Sales and Marketing for Something 2 Dance 2 DJ Entertainment in Schaumburg, IL, which she proudly owns along with her husband Jay Sims. She has over 20 years experience in the wedding industry and loves creating wonderful wedding memories for her brides and grooms.

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PTDJ: Post DJ Expo Recap

By Dan Carpenter

I felt it was only fair that since last month I gave a preview of the DJ Times DJ Expo in Atlantic City, that I now give you a post expo recap.

First off, let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Attendance appeared down.

Whether you are talking about the sheer numbers of DJs that came in for even just the expo floor or the number of vendors in the exhibit room, there were just not that many came out. Why? Well, there are trends that seem to be happening, and I have my speculations. At one time, the only way to get Expo deals on equipment was to show up to the showroom floor and buy the item. However, I received a bunch of emails from dealers that weren’t even at the show offering to sell you anything at the show, for the expo prices. So no longer does one need to go to the show to get the specials. Another possibility is that the Promo Only Summer Sessions (not the same thing as the show Promo Only used to do at the House of Blues) was not the same week this year. For the past few years, this additional show has brought many other DJs to the area.

More DJs in the area means more showing up to check out the exhibits if nothing else. As for the vendors, I’ve heard lots of rumors with everything from cost increase for the showroom floor to companies that are just scaling back on this type of marketing.

While I’m talking about the showroom floor, let me mention one other thing, despite fewer vendors at this show, it was MUCH

louder than previous years. So many of the booths had DJs spinning, and if you were in the wrong spot, you could get it from three or four different DJs all at the same time. I get it… It’s a DJ convention, but I question the reasoning behind having a DJ at almost every booth, even a few that had little to nothing to do with speakers, controllers, or anything sound related. I have no issue with having DJs at the booths, just wish they would institute something like a decibel meter that would require they keep it a manageable volume (or even limit the times when groups can have a DJ present).

My favorite experience of the DJ Expo had to be our DJNTV get together at The Irish Pub. It was nothing more than a group of loyal viewers and some of the DJNTV staff getting together and having a meal. Hanging out and talking with these people that I only knew digitally before, was just awesome.

Switching over to the seminars, I was pleased with many of the offerings. Yes, many of them were the same or similar subjects as we’ve had in other years, but I applaud the attempt to have some new ones. For example, as we become more digital in what we do, there was a seminar on how to utilize those changes to improve your business. Then there was the DJ Wellness seminar, something I hadn’t ever seen at an expo before. Some parts were great, but after a while, the practicing breathing for 30 minutes got drawn out, so I skipped out to go the Do Like Disney: NextLevel Customer Service seminar. This had a ton of great nuggets, and even time built in to brainstorm ideas that I personalized to my business. My favorite seminar from Monday was the Pioneer seminar, but if I’m honest, it was because I won a pair of Pioneer XPRS 12 speakers (review on DJNTV to come). On Tuesday, I just didn’t feel any of the seminars.

I went to the Chauvet lighting, as well as the games seminar (always a fun experience) but ended up spending most of the time on the

Disc Jockey News • September 2017 • Page 5 showroom floor. Wednesday was my big seminar day, learning about animated monograms from Donnie Lewis, making good business decisions from Jerry Bazata, and making the connection between the Cruise Industry and the DJ world with Adam Weitz. However my two favorites from Wednesday seemed to come at the end of the day at Fox Feltman’s Get ‘Em to the Dancefloor, with a lot of practical things we could implement in our events to get people on the dance floor right away, and then Mick Uranko’s Increase Your Current Rates & Get Paid More. I expected that last one to be a seminar that was going to tell me I needed to create all

of these add-ons and offerings to make more money. While Mick and his panel did mention a couple of add-ons, it was more about improvements you make in how you sell that helps you command a higher dollar.

With that extremely quick overview, I realize I may not have gone into as much detail as you would have liked. So if you’re curious and want to know more about any part of the expo, feel free to reach out to ask, and I’d be more than happy to share any of that on a more one on one level.

Dan Carpenter can be reached at dancarpenter@discjockeynews.com.

You Are Your ACTIONS

By Brian Kelm

Everything you desire, want to learn, and become in this industry like another comes down to your ACTIONS period. This is where the rubber meets the road and when working with customers, this is how you will deliver the performance they are counting on you to create. No amount of talking will ever replace the actions it takes to be successful at anything in life, especially a successful Master of Ceremonies, Disc Jockey, or business owner.

The actions you take (or don’t take) consistently make all the difference in how your world looks.

It always your choice of how many actions you take and how massive they are! The hard work, passion, desire, and love for what you do needs to be seen and felt on a regular basis. “No action, no nothing” is a powerful and revealing quote by the King of Sales Jeffrey Gitomer illustrating the importance of taking

action. Your reputation, credibility, and awareness in the market is based on what you NOT what you say you will do!

My good friend, mentor, and performance coach Bill Hermann says, “You should always be on stage or in a class” reinforces getting better at your craft, skills, and development - all of which only happen through taking action.

There are (3) different types of people in the world: 1. Those who MAKE it happen.

2. Those who WATCH it happen.

3. Those who DON’T know what is happening.

Along with that, there are (3) different outcomes to every situation: 1. Something.

2. Nothing.

3. Complain.

Which type are you? Identify so you know where you are and work relentlessly to transform how much action you take in every area of your life!

Brian Kelm, CWEP, CGWP, WED Guild is a 20+ year wedding entertainment and planning professional that has been all over the United States. Based in Wisconsin. Serving Anywhere. He can be reached at briankelm@ discjockeynews.com

PAGE 6 • Disc Jockey News • September 2017

Cracking The Code Of Creativity: Creative Crisis Survival Tools

By Ron Ruth

My article last month ended with an invitation for you to come back today for the help you need to get off your critical thinking “but” that could well be keeping your business from doing amazingly creative things. Before we go there, I stumbled onto a that a disturbing research study performed by Dr. KH Kim, a leading authority in the field of creativity. Her study, which included the participation of close to 300,000 individuals from kindergarten age through adulthood, found that the U.S. has been in the midst of a growing creative crisis since the 1990‘s---and that crisis has become even more severe over the past nine years.

In Dr. Kim‘s report, she writes that “Americans not only generate fewer ideas or solutions to open-ended questions or challenges but also produce fewer unusual or unique ideas than those in preceding decades.”

So why should this crisis matter to any of you? Would you agree as I do that the wedding industry is one of the most creative industries on the planet? Would you also agree that as a member of this industry that your creative expertise is one of the most valued services you provide to your customers and clients? Every day your couples rely on that expertise to help them solve a problem or to help them with their wedding design.

But, if you want to increase your workforce anytime over the next few years with creative thinking people to assist you, it may be difficult to find applicants with a creative aptitude that comes anywhere close to matching your expectations as a creatively minded business owner in a highly creative industry.

The wedding industry isn’t alone in dealing with this crisis either. Successful fortune 500 companies that are not recognized as “creative,” are also feeling the pinch. They know that there is a tremendous value to a work force that can think

creatively. A number of those companies are now testing applicants on their creative aptitude before offering them a position.

They know that the creative process and business process must work in tandem to promote innovation--especially in marketing and introducing new products and services.

Another reason why this downward spiral of creative thought should matter to you is that it could also mean that many of the brides and grooms you work with will have a more difficult time imagining and then communicating a creative vision of their wedding. Some think that has already happened with the advent of Pinterest. Rather than coming up with their own imaginative ideas, couples are rehashing ideas that come from the imagination of others.

On the upside, though, that could make your creative expertise even more valuable and more in demand to brides who insist that their wedding be different, personal and an unmistakable reflection of their personality and style---but have no idea what that might look like or how to make that happen. Are you up to that challenge?

Just because we’re in a creative crisis doesn’t mean we can’t turn things around.

The best news ever is that you already have the exclusively human DNA to be creative. But, we all need to up our game and do better at using only a small portion of our enormous capacity to create and innovate. Here are three, creative crisis survival tools to help you fill more of that creative void and to keep you off your critical thinking “buts.”

First, remember that inspiration comes from paying attention and being fully present in the moment. Too often, though, the inspiration we need to do the amazing, creative things we want to be known for---passes us by because we don’t embrace the power of paying attention to what is happening right in front of us right now.

In a creative field like the wedding industry, it’s important to remember that inspiration flows to you and not from you.

Since a great deal of inspiration comes from your customers and clients, it is vital to be an engaged, active listener. You need to be fully present in the moment of every conversation and interaction you have with them. You don’t want to miss hearing

inspiration that can lead you to do amazingly creative things---especially if that inspiration would have otherwise gone unnoticed.

If you want to be known for the amazingly creative things you do for your customers and clients, don’t keep your creative expertise a secret. Even if you feel the inspiration they provide is of no value, the simple gesture of taking the time to ask the couple to share a little information about themselves demonstrates that you care about them and their well being.

That also elevates you above your competition because your couples will take note of how others didn’t even take the time to make a personal connection. As humans, we gravitate to other humans who care about us. Those are the people we trust, and those are the people we want to hang out with. Wouldn’t you like to have more couples want to hang out with you?

The second way to fill more of your creative void is not to fear to make mistakes. Mistakes are a natural part of the creative process and doing something new, different, exciting or fun. Most everyone in the creative arts will tell you that if you aren’t making mistakes, you’re not taking enough risks. But they’ll also tell you that those errors should become motivation for even more creative thought. Don’t be afraid to go back to the drawing board and try again.

The danger is allowing fear of making mistakes to keep you from realizing your full creative potential. It’s like passing on a great money making opportunities that are waiting for you on the other side of the road because you’re afraid to cross the street. The most creative and innovative minds in the world know that mistakes are usually more interesting than successes.

Post its, Slinkys, Btox, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Viagra are just a handful of dozens of successful products that were all the result of mistakes. Those same fearless thinkers also respect that a new idea isn‘t always pretty at first and may need a lot of nurturing. They also trust that mistakes and quality are synonymous because most mistakes are only made in search of a better idea.

As a bonus takeaway, knowing that

you’re not immune to mistakes is something you share in common with every person on the planet. Not hiding that vulnerability also makes you more empathetic, more relatable and more attractive to brides and grooms who are feeling quite vulnerable themselves. There’s value in saying, “I know how you feel. I’ve felt that way, too.”

Finally, don’t be afraid to let your inner child come out and play.

I was really young when the Chiefs football team moved from Dallas to my hometown of Kansas City in the early 1960s. After their first game, every little boy in KC dreamed of being a football player---including me. I remember playing for hours in the backyard with the football my grandparents gave me, imagining that I was the entire team. I’d kick the ball high into the air and scramble half way across the backyard, throwing off imaginary defenders as the football fell from the sky and into my arms as I ran past the elm tree to score the winning touchdown.

How many of you remember playing with that same kind of imagination when you were a kid? The bigger question is can you still do it? Maybe it’s time to find out because imagining something is the first step in doing it. Without an active imagination, we make it harder on ourselves to break out of our repetitive, mundane routines. We’re too willing to settle for the status quo. Adults need recess too.

Follow these simple tips, and you’ll find it easier to fill more of your creative capacity. There’s no reason to fall victim to a crisis when you have the inherent ability to overcome the challenges it presents. Now is the time to adapt, adopt, adjust and survive.

Ron Ruth is a 20 year veteran of the wedding and DJ industry and the owner of Ron Ruth Wedding Entertainment in Kansas City. He’s also a self-described “Disney Geek” and a nationally recognized speaker who presents seminars at conferences for DJs and wedding professionals on the topic of delivering quality service. Ron can be reached at 816-2244487 or ronruth@discjockeynews.com

Disc Jockey News • September 2017 • Page 7

You Need To Stop Negotiating Against Yourself

By Jason Spencer

The Mobile DJ and entertainment companies I consult with often fall into the trap of dropping their fees at the negotiation table as soon as someone asks for a discount (usually because they found a better price elsewhere).

Alan Berg wrote in his book Shut Up And Sell More that negotiators are “going to end up giving away more profit than is necessary to close a sale.” When there’s no structure or rules to how you adjust the numbers, there’s a good chance you’re simply negotiating.

Let’s start by looking at the many reasons why competing on price doesn’t make sense: First, lowering prices attracts lower quality clients. You will naturally attract people who are more concerned with the price they are paying than for the experience your company will deliver. These are the same clients that you cringe whenever you see their name on caller ID, often letting it go to voicemail. Let’s face it; these clients are not exactly fun to work with.

Second, lower prices drive away potential high paying clients. Look at Tesla Motors, who did the opposite. Two of their vehicles, Model X and Model S, are both costing more than $70,000. Only this year did they launch a model priced around $35,000, which makes them the affordable Tesla, but still a high-priced in

the playing field of sports sedans. Because many people want the Tesla ownership experience, they see this price as lower because they’ve only compared it to other Tesla offerings instead of other brands (which is why you need packages, a topic for another day).

Third, lower pricing will attract clients who push the boundaries. This results in bridezillas and clients that want the world, and often you end up performing even more work than you intended. Sometimes, it results in bad reviews because you refused to bend over for their unreasonable requests.

Lastly, charging low prices means you’re going to get less commitment from your clients. Instead of them being “all in” they’re instead “half out” from the start.

The size of a customer’s commitment and follow through will almost always be equal to the size of their investment. In other words, the more they pay to invest in your services, the more they will DO to ensure the experience they desire from your services.

You ultimately need to decide what kind of entertainment company you want to be. The good news is that it is just as easy to compete on value as price. It makes no sense to choose the road that leads to less profit when you can easily do the exact opposite.

So how should you negotiate with clients that ask for a discount?

If your prospect then wants to negotiate price, you should start to remove service offerings to fit their budget instead of fitting their budget to the full stack of whatever it is your company provides (i.e., eating away at your profit margin).

For example, you might have uplighting and a photo booth as part of a top-tier package offering, and then the customer wants you to drop the price. This is where you respond with something like “Thanks for asking, but that really is the best price.

Would you like to reserve now? We could also look one of our packages without the uplighting for a lesser price.”

Some might argue that as the business owner, they know that the experience with the beautiful lighting will make the difference in the event. But if you’ve already

shown them pictures and gotten them to envision it in their room, maybe they just don’t see value in it for their event.

You can also actively find alternative ways for your clients to implement it themselves and lower the fees that way.

Maybe you can remove the photo booth and suggest some solid apps for them to DIY it on an iPad or selfie station. Your core services package should always be kept sacred (and profitable). If that’s DJ and Master of Ceremonies, don’t waver on that pricing. Otherwise, your clients

will be receiving far more value than they contribute to your company.

You might have groaned when I suggested a DIY option for your clients.

Here’s the thing: if it means the difference between a sale or no sale of your profitable core services, make the sale.

After that, take the time to nurture your relationship with your clients. It’s important that you know your clients on a personal level so that you can work with them to help them achieve their anticipated experience. You might find out another need they have that offers the ability to upsell further down the road in the event planning stage.

A business is what it charges for. More precisely, a business is the value it creates. Don’t try to compete on price. Ultimately, your business must offer a value proposition that a customer is willing to invest in. Since value is the ultimate arbiter of price, it is worth exploring how your ideal customers determine value.

Offer an attractive value proposition to your customers. Work with your clients to understand their anticipated experience. And if your customers want to negotiate pricing downward, you should always remove services to fit their budget.

Jason Spencer is a Certified Profit First Professional and founder of Profithood Academy. He has over 20 years of wedding and event industry experience and is the owner of Spencer Weddings and Entertainment in Northern California. He can be reached at 916-264-9777 or by email at jasonspencer@discjockeynews.com.

PAGE 8 • Disc Jockey News • September 2017

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Are you turning down professional onsite photo printing business? You may want to think twice. It has never been more affordable to put a profitable solution in place for professional on-site printing. There are several misconceptions about onsite printing, and sometimes a fear of the unknown might cause reservations. This is understandable. However, times are much different from what they used to be. If you have good event software and a quality photo printer, delivering printed photos on the spot at events doesn’t have to be a “dark science.” It can be easy and profitable.

Let’s talk about the software first.

You will want to offer all the latest features available to the photo booth industry such as customized display and print options, animated displays, 180 and 360 VR, and social network connectivity to name just a few. Darkroom Booth software, for example, has many features that provide a multitude of output options, and with a little upfront work, it can work on its own while you focus on DJ-ing!

Darkroom Software is also known for great technical support.

The printing side of the mix is one of the most misunderstood and yet easiest to implement and manage.

There is a reason that dye-sub printing technology is still the best choice for professional onsite print delivery.

These types of printers are portable, fast and have a low cost per print.

Professional dye-sub prints have a “robust” character about them, i.e., resistant to fingerprints, water and abrasions, which make them ideal for onsite delivery (unlike most other technologies).

So what kind of investment dollars should you consider relative to professional output options? We get quite a few of these discovery calls each day at Imaging Spectrum. My response is typical “we can put together a system for just about any budget.” Sometimes used printers are the way to go if you are on a tight budget. If your job requires fast print times and/or has a certain output requirement, we typically have a reasonable solution for you that will work. I tell people that depending on your output demands and other considerations, you can get a professional dye-sub printing solution for $500 to $1,500. These are the same printers you will find at most high-end onsite delivery operations, including top theme parks and even U.S. Government operations.

One of the most important considerations for this type of work is proper training and support. There can never be enough said about the proper amount of time and energy that needs to be dedicated to training and preparation. It’s important to work with vendors who will help you get set up and continue to support you after the sale.

Steve Behen Steven Behen is the manager of sales at Imaging Spectrum. With thirty years of professional imaging experience, he is known as a photo booth guru and has helped booth businesses grow all around the world. Contact him at 800-342-9294 to help you put together a printer and software bundle to perfectly meet your needs.

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Disc Jockey News • September 2017 • Page 9

The Photobooth Section What Crossword Puzzles Can Teach Us About Life And Business

By Alan Berg

Crossword puzzles are my diversion. I do one almost every day. It’s both a brain stimulant and meditation for me.

When I’m doing a puzzle my mind is focused, not wandering or multitasking.

What’s your diversion?

For some of you it’s Sudoku, or maybe a game on your phone or tablet. For others it may be yoga, or reading a book.

As my family and I live in the New York area, I get The New York Times delivered daily. I rarely get to read more than a few articles in a day, while eating breakfast, and I can get the same news on my NYTimes iPhone app. I get news alerts on my phone, so I’m up to date on the latest in world happenings.

I find that reading the actual newspaper, as with reading a physical book, is a different experience than reading on a screen.

Involve more senses When it comes to crossword puzzles, I like doing a physical puzzle versus using an app. I can do the same New York Times puzzle, the same day, on their app. I’ve tried it and I get too easily bored and distracted. It’s too easy to flip between the puzzle and email or social media. That’s why I like the analog version (pen and paper).

Even my millennial age son now does the crossword puzzle on paper. He gets The Wall St. Journal delivered, so we have both puzzles to do. Our daily ritual is to make copies of each of the puzzles, so we can all do both of them (and don’t worry – we always recycle them when we’re finished).

WordPlay A few years ago, I watched a documentary called Wordplay, which is about The New York Times crossword, and the people who make the puzzles, edit them and solve them. You can probably find it on Netflix or a similar service. One thing I learned from watching it, was that Monday is the easiest day for The New York Times puzzle, and – as it turns out – also for The Wall St. Journal. The puzzle gets progressively more difficult each day through Saturday (which is the most difficult).

I always thought Sunday was the hardest. The Sunday puzzle, while bigger, is the equivalent difficulty of a Thursday puzzle.

Bolstered by this knowledge, I started doing the Monday puzzles, in pen (with a tube of Wite-Out close by).

Once I was able to finish the Monday puzzles, I started trying Tuesday. When I was able to finish the Tuesday puzzles pretty regularly, I went on the Wednesday, and so forth.

A fresh set of eyes Often, I’d have to walk away from a puzzle, and come back to it. Answers, that had previously eluded me, were suddenly clear. The puzzles towards the end of the week are particularly challenging. While the answers are often familiar, the clues become more obscure.

There are times when I want to just give

up and toss the puzzle in the recycling bin. After all, what’s the loss? It’s just a crossword puzzle, and no one will know – except me.

It’s just like life And that’s when it hit me, crossword puzzles are just like life and business.

Some days the answers are obvious and easy, and some days the answers elude us. Some days we want to throw in the towel and call it quits, and others let us revel in our accomplishments. So, what’s the difference? If I can come back and solve a puzzle that eluded me, why couldn’t I solve it the first time? After all, I must have already had the knowledge and skills to get to the answer, so why didn’t they work for me the first time?

Some days are going to be more challenging When I first tried solving the Friday and Saturday puzzles, it was very humbling. I would get a handful of the answers, at most. Looking at all of those unfilled boxes was depressing; but, something told me to keep trying. What I discovered was that there were always some answers that I could get, so I would just work my way out from those. In the movie WordPlay, they filmed different people (actors, ex-Presidents, and other notables) doing the same puzzle. They talked about how some people have to go in order, doing all of the Across clues in order, before doing the Down clues.

While others went more randomly, working off a completed answer, going across and down, until they couldn’t go any further.

Structure or random?

Isn’t that just like life? Some people have to go in order, and others go more unstructured. They may come to the same conclusion, they just get there in different ways. The other thing that’s just like life, is that some people walk away, while others stick to it. Which are you? Do you walk away when things get tough? Do you come back and give it another shot, or toss it in the metaphorical recycle bin of life? In my book “Your Attitude for Success,” I say that the difference between those who succeed, and those who don’t, isn’t ideas or money, it’s action.

Action, action, we want action Ideas don’t get you anything, unless you act on them; and, it’s not just acting on your ideas, it’s sticking to it. If it was easy, someone would probably already be doing it. And yes, sometimes we need to walk away, and come back with a clear head. Often, we need to get out of the environment to clear our heads.

Have you ever come up with the elusive answer in the shower, or at your kid’s soccer game? I’m sure there’s a good psychological reason for this, but for the purposes of this article, let’s just accept that it’s happened to all of us before and it will happen again. Sometimes we just need to keep our eyes open, and sometimes we need to stop thinking about it for a while, and then come back.

The answers aren’t always where we’re looking. Artists and product designers get their inspiration from everywhere. The answers you seek may very well come from outside your industry.

You have to be willing to look for them, and ready to adapt them to your needs.

We have a phrase in the National Speakers Association, “Adapt, don’t adopt.” It means don’t take someone else’s idea,

adapt it and make it your own.

Be an original, not a copy Too many people in our industry are trying to copy a competitor’s ideas, instead of adapting what they see, and coming up with their own ideas. It’s hard to copy someone else, because you’re living their reality, not yours. You’re actually copying their history. What you’re seeing is their past ideas, brought to fruition. You don’t know what new ideas they’re working on. By the time you copy what you’re seeing now, they may very well have something newer.

So, are you an original or a copy? Do you give up, or do you stick to it and see your ideas through – especially when the going gets tough? The next big idea is waiting for you, don’t give up.

Alan Berg has been called “North America’s Leading Expert and Speaker on the Business of Weddings and Events”. Find out more about his speaking, website reviews, consulting, books, DVDs and audio presentations at http:// www.AlanBerg.com - email or call Alan, 732.422.6362

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PAGE 10 • Disc Jockey News • September 2017

Disconnect and Recharge

By Joe Bunn

John Young, the publisher of this fine newspaper, and I were having a discussing in early August, and I asked him what I should write about for the September edition. Well, I guess he had seen a surplus of beach and fishing photos on my feed because he said, “Why don’t you tell the readers how Joe Bunn disconnects and recharges?”.

One of my favorite topics John. I’m in.

If you follow me on Instagram (@ joebunn by the way) or Facebook, then you have likely seen a lot of summer fun with my family. I think I did two weddings total in July and two weddings in August. Now that’s not to say that my guys weren’t out there rocking dance floors, but that’s the amount that I took. One, it’s stupid hot in the South during those months, and two, I love the

beach and hanging out with my family. So how do I go about taking time off? Let me share a few tips with you in what I considered a crucial part of owning your own business. You MUST take time off to avoid burn out! Trust me; I hear about it from DJs all the time. The last thing you want to do is take the most awesome job in the world and turn it into something you dread.

Pre-Schedule Do this right now. Go into your ical or whatever app that you use to book your shows. Look at 2018 and the weeks that you haven’t booked yet. Now, mark a few of those as OFF! Do it right now and stick to it. If someone calls you, then tell them you have a prior commitment. Send them one of your other DJs! If you don’t have other DJs on staff, that’s OK; you’re going to still make plenty of money next year.

Take that time off!

Plan Something OK, so you’ve marked some weeks off for next year, now is the next phase… actually plan something. Get on AirBNB or VRBO and look for lodging in a place that you’ve always wanted to go. It doesn’t have to be something crazy or exotic. Last Spring Break, I took my kids to Asheville,

Are You Growing Or Dying?

By Keith ‘KC’ KoKoruz

Years ago I went to a seminar, and the presenter said, “In life, you are either growing or dying.” I have always loved this statement. It has resonated with me since I have heard it. I also admit that I love going to educational conferences. No matter how bad the conference is, I can take something home with me.

R e cently I went to a Daymond John Success Formula Seminar. The presenter wasn’t Daymond which was made clear in advance. Instead, it was a gentleman named Vincent Dowd. For almost 2 hours, I listened to him give me examples of his career ups and downs. He also informed everyone about how he has spent over $100,000 on seminars, books, DVDs, workshops, etc. for him to attain the level of wealth he has attained. He dropped a ton of success quotes, statistics, etc.

He dropped Daymond’s name repeatedly and shared some of his life challenges as well. He also enjoyed dropping Anthony Robbin’s name repeatedly. It was clear he was a seminar junkie and has now created a company marketing Daymond’s Success Tools.

Now came the sales pitch. If you signed up today, you received the program normally priced at $4,000.00 per person for $2,000.00, and you were allowed to bring a guest. That made it $1,000 per person.

He asked for people to come forward who were serious about moving forward to attend the three-day upcoming boot camp that this fee covered. 15 people got up and went directly to the back of the room and signed up. I went to the 9:00 a.m. pitch.

It was being repeated at 3:00 p.m. It had also traveled to 4 other hotels throughout Chicago. Now here is what I took away from the whole thing. 15 people got up and spent $2,000. There were about 100 people

in the room, so most people didn’t purchase the boot camp. That came to $30,000 in sales. If they had the same results at 3:00, this put them at $60,000 for the day. Now let’s add in the four other hotels with the same results. The total in my head came out to $240,000 in 4 days. That is quite a nice sum of money pitching a three-day workshop that didn’t include food or hotel. This business plan was what I took away from this presentation.

A few weeks ago I attended the Dj Times show in Atlantic City. I have been attending Dj Times since 1992. I used to love this show. It was the best DJ show to attend. Atlantic City has never been much of a host city, but I always enjoyed myself.

This year, however, the whole show had a very depressing vibe. First of all the show’s attendance was down. A lot of the familiar faces I have come to know were absent.

This happens every year, but this year specifically there were a significant amount of faces missing. The education this year wasn’t new in my opinion. This is the double edged sword since we have come to know and love certain presenters and seminars. The show has come to feel very much like the nightclub that was once hot and packed with people and yet today not very many people go to since it has the same décor, lighting, and DJs as they did 15 years ago on now it is outdated. This brings me back to my article title. Are you growing or dying? Dj Times made me think about if my company was growing or dying. It has caused me to look at my logo, website, demo videos, packaging and pricing, uniforms, social media, etc. It made me look at how I am entertaining at people’s events and how my other companies were operating as well.

As most of you are reading this know, I am also producing the Marquee Dj and Photo Booth Show next year. I am even more conscious now than ever to produce a show that is indeed unique and different than the shows that you have attended and the shows that you have the opportunity to attend today and in the future.

The question you need to ask yourself is, are you doing the same thing over and over again? Is your company brand in need of a makeover? Are you growing or dying?

KC can be reached at KC@discjockeynews.com.

NC. I had not been in forever, and my kids had never been. We toured The Biltmore and honestly it blew my mind. We booked the house, which was killer, on VRBO and didn’t spend much money at all! If you take time off and just stay in your hometown, you’re just going to migrate back to your office. It happens every time.

Couples Only If you are married, you should realize that it takes a special man or woman to put up with what we do. Speaking to that point, you should take one of the weeks mentioned above and head out of town with just that “special someone.” NO KIDS! My wife and I pick one of the colder months here (usually January or February), and we roll out every year. We go to one of the all-inclusive ADULTS ONLY resorts. Again, notice I said NO KIDS! We pick somewhere warm like Mexico or the Dominican Republic and do nothing but chill! As my dude, Mike Walter says, “Always have something on your calendar to look forward to!”

Disconnect Around 4:30 most weekdays, I get that feeling that I’m ready to get out of the office. I usually head to the gym at that time.

If this isn’t in your regimen, then try to add a few days. I promise it will make you feel and look so much better! After the gym, I usually go to my son’s soccer games or practice and then home for dinner with the family. During those times (gym, soccer, dinner), I disconnect. I don’t give my cell number to clients until the week of the wedding when I advance the show, so they rarely use it. I stay off social media for those few hours. I’ll be honest, when the fam goes to bed, I’m right back on it, but at least I have some detox time. I highly recommend it.

Remember, nothing is so important that you can’t spare a few hours. We aren’t curing brain cancer here folks; we are making people dance. I hope that as the end of the year approaches, you’ll make better plans in 2018 to spend some time with the ones you love…disconnect and recharge!

Joe Bunn is the owner of Bunn DJ Company in Raleigh, NC. He is available for consulting and speaking engagements. His DVD “Marketing the Music” is now available at www.djjoebunn.com. Contact him at joebunn@discjockeynews.com.

Not In My Market (NIMM)

By Jeremy Brech

I have been fortunate to present at DJ Expo for the past couple years in hope to inspire others in raising their bar in what they do as an entertainer and as a lighting person.

I show some of the design work that we have done for some of our wedding clients as well as our corporate clients. I have used our DJ Jer Shop Time YouTube channel to show ways to create vision and details to take the business to the next level. I watch on Facebook groups as conversations grow and the words that always seem to appear when something seems too hard is, “That won’t work in my market.”

To me, this seems like the biggest excuse being used when someone isn’t willing to push themselves or get the proper training to reach their goal. Maybe this is the first step of never setting goals, just telling yourself that it isn’t possible. When “Getting What Your Worth” isn’t obtainable, you probably will say, “Not in my market.” If Not In My Market(NIMM) is your first step, then your second step should probably be training. Training as a Master of Ceremonies, as a mixing DJ, as a Lighting Designer, etc.

Anything is possible in any market and if you are currently saying NIMM than that means you have on other competition to worry about since it currently isn’t happening in your market. You could be the one to make a difference in your market.

You could be the one to create a revolution in your market and if nobody else is willing or able to do it than think how you can corner the high end of your market.

Training seems to be the limiting factor for so many, and I think it is because it isn’t tangible. Think of it as an investment like you would a 401K. You might not see the results or be able to touch anything the first day you make that investment, but soon enough you will be paid back twenty times over. Don’t get me wrong, having the right tools can be valuable, but make the changes and upgrades because it will make you better and make you more valuable. For instance, we have around 24 Source 4 Jr. and Jr. Zooms that we have been using for years. Yes, they work great, but in the level of events we are working with our clients are needing a better quality of equipment. We have been slowly building our Chauvet DJ Eve-E100Z and Eve-E50Z inventory so we can get rid of the old gear. Here is the thing though, we didn’t just buy the lighting we needed without a plan because it was the new great thing that came out. When I bought the Denon 8000 DJ controller last year, yes I was excited to buy a new toy, but I bought it for a purpose, which was to take the level of my mixing to the next level. I can tell you that practice and training has allowed me to be very creative and create new experiences with these tools and training.

But back to NIMM. If you are not willing to take the steps needed than tell someone else in your market to do it first.

Tell them to take a Marbecca workshop, or other workshops such as PHDJ, Entertainment Experience, Make it Grand, or Scratch Academy. It seems like the only time change is made is when someone feels threatened. So let me encourage you to do this, be the game changer in your market and quit saying “Not in My Market.”

Jeremy Brech is Owner/Entertainer/ Lighting Designer of DJ Jer Events and Lighting Design. Jeremy can be reached at: jeremybrech@discjockeynews.com.

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Disc Jockey News • September 2017 • Page 11

The Way I See It: Calendars, Conferences, and Confrontations

By Michael J. Lenstra

This month a little bit on a few different things: Fill ‘er Up We are now coming into the home stretch of our wedding season in the upper Midwest, which typically can be considered mid-April until the end of October.

These last two months are traditionally our busiest of the year, although for some odd reason this year July might end up being our peak time regarding weddings.

In August we set a record for the most weddings we’ve ever booked in a year, which breaks last year’s record. The calendar is now pretty filled; in fact, my next obligation-free Saturday is December 23rd. I’m 58 years old. So much for those who say there’s an age limit on this job. And I often joke, what a perfect time in life to finally find my stride.

If there is one thing I can attribute this achievement too, it’s simply this: education. Each year I try to attend at least one industry-related educational event. The last three years it has been the Midwest DJs Live gathering in Milwaukee. I’ve also been to the Mobile Beat Las Vegas show as well as their former Summer Tour. I’ve been to other industry-related events in Chicago, Louisville, Minneapolis, and Madison.

There have also been some things on the local level like attending seminars on social media do’s and don’ts and a Strengthening Your Business Core series which was presented by our local chamber. This year I participated in my first ever workshop. I can say without hesitation that I have never left one of those occasions without finding something that I could apply to my business

or performance to make it just a little bit better. If you are relying only on reading publications—or worse, social media— for your continuing education, you’re cheating yourself on a golden opportunity to refine your craft or up your game.

Conferences Speaking of conferences, there may never be a better time to take advantage of so many available to us. Some may feel we have too many in our industry, but is there such thing as too many educational opportunities? In March this year, we had the Mobile Beat Las Vegas Show, followed by the Midwest DJs Live Conference in May. The next month the 10th Annual ArmDJs Conference took place in Tennessee, and two months later the DJ Expo was held. For the weddingcentric DJ, there was also Wedding Wire World held in Los Angeles in May and Washington, DC in August, respectively.

The National Association of Wedding Professionals hosts the Midwest Wedding Summit in Madison, Wisconsin, this month and the WeddingMBA takes place in Vegas next month. It all seems to conclude with the Mobile Beat Cruise in November. Next year the Marquee DJ Show will be added to the schedule in July. From reading feedback about the DJ Expo in Atlantic City, the word seemed to be that there were fewer attendees than in past years. Although I have never been to that show, I know others who have. It’s probably the old supply-and-demand scenario, and yes, someone is going to be squeezed, and some of these symposiums may disappear. However, for the mobile DJ, there has never been more opportunities for educational content with each one of these events being held at a different time of the year and completely different locations throughout the country.

Follow The Leader The conferences are where we expect to find our leaders, those that have achieved a higher level of success than most of us in our industry, and they come to share the secrets of that success and give those in attendance ideas and different perspectives. But the term leader,

as it applies to our community, recently came under scrutiny. In episode 21 of Bill Hermann’s podcast series “Creative License with Bill Hermann,” Bill went on a self-described rant. After finding a high level of success as a mobile DJ, Bill decided it was time to give back and joined many different associations and organizations in the industry. He also became a presenter for many of the conferences. “I became one of those guys that they listed amongst the leaders in the industry, and I’m not sure completely how comfortable I am with that,” he said.

But then Bill went on to out some individuals who were often viewed as some of those select few but, in his opinion, were imposters. “If you are going to speak to something you need to have the integrity that says that you have been there, that you know what you are talking about.” Bill continued, “But there are more than a few industry leaders that have been lifted to that place—or have put themselves in that place—that I don’t see as what I just described.”

Many of the DJs that Bill speaks to tell him privately they feel there is hypocrisy with some of these said leaders. “[These leaders] will say that they are one thing, when truly in secret they are another,” says Bill, who does not name any names.

The podcast was applauded by many but raised red flags with others. Some who could be considered those industry leaders took exception to the podcast in a Facebook post, namely Ron Ruth and Randy Bartlett. “I think you’re wrong.

You said repeatedly, there are ‘more than a few’ of these people, but then make a hard point of not naming names,” said Randy. “To me, this whole podcast was simply pandering to the lowest common denominator of the negative elite, those DJs whose egos won’t allow them to root for the success of others.”

Ron decided to be even more direct.

“He chose not to mention names because his remarks are based on innuendo with NO proof to back up anything he said.

That is lazy and incompetent. It’s also shameful.”

I sat in the cheap seats and viewed it

all. I waited for someone—anyone—to take the mantle of a leader in our industry and jump in and say, “Hey guys, can we take this off line and have a private conversation?” It never came.

The message, in my opinion, was pretty cryptic, and personally, I hate the cryptic messages that are put out there all the time on social media. I’m sure you’ve seen them. “For those that are saying I don’t raise my kids right, I say #@!* you and mind your own business!”

Bravo! You sure told them, didn’t you? Or you could not have wasted your time, and everyone else’s that just read the post and instead sent a private message, text, or e-mail to the person(s) you truly meant it for.

There are some that would point out that the video was put out in public and therefore was subject to public debate, but seeing some of the more wellknown names in our community taking swings at each other was like watching teammates fighting on the sidelines.

This kind of thing happens in our industry quite a bit, as evidenced by the podcast. Things are said or written without naming names to “bring this to light” but avoid confrontation. The way I see it, that’s not leadership.

Song of the Summer My vote goes to “Despacito.” It was the most requested and/or the most effective current song I’ve played so far this year regarding attracting dancers to the floor. “I’m The One” has also been requested a ton. Both songs of course feature Justin Bieber. I’m not a ‘Belieber, ‘ but his success has been long and continuous. At what point do we start considering him in the same class as Elvis, The Beatles, and Michael Jackson?

Until next month, ~ Michael ~ Michael J. Lenstra is a 20-plus-year veteran of the Mobile Disc Jockey Industry, a full-time entertainer, and owner of Alexxus Entertainment in Dubuque, IA. He can be reached at mikelenstra@discjockeynews.com

PAGE 12 • Disc Jockey News • September 2017

How I Get Paid

By Dave Ternier

As a single owner operator DJ company, I often field questions from others in similar positions, asking how I pay myself. This week I am going to provide an outline on how I manage incoming client payments, booking fee payments and then, ultimately, how I pay myself.

Payments The bulk of my wedding couples submit payment for their wedding in three portions. The booking fee ($1250) is due at the time of signing the agreement. The second payment (half of balance remaining) is due at the first planning session 5 – 6 months prior to the wedding. The last payment (total of balance remaining) is due at the final planning session 1 – 2 months prior to wedding.

Booking Fees Booking fees are not placed into my operational cash flow bank account until after the event has taken place. All booking fee payments are carefully tracked and then noted when they are transferred from my booking fee bank account to my operational cash flow bank account.

My relationship with booking fees changed a couple of years ago. Up to that point, I was consuming the booking fees as they came in. They would go immediately into my operational cash bank account for using against expenses as needed. A part of me started getting nervous though. What if, all of a sudden, I was unable to fulfill my event commitments? How would I pay back the booking fees I’d taken in? The agreements I sign with all of my wedding couples promises they will get their booking fee back if I have to cancel my involvement in their wedding.

This led to me putting all booking fees into a separate account.

I started off with a small number of booking fees being put into the new account and slowly transitioned (over two years) to all booking fee payments being “saved” there. Financially, it was a tight couple of years while I transitioned to this booking fee management system, but now that I am withdrawing from the account at approximately the same rate that I deposit into it, operational cash is no longer restricted by this system.

Having this separate cash in the bank (the booking fee account) also has a side benefit. If I ever find myself in a position of facing an unexpected expense or I want to purchase some new, un-budgeted-for equipment, I can “borrow” from my booking fee account, without the hassle of a bank loan or the interest rate of a credit card or line of credit.

While not something I would encourage a habit of, it is nice to have available if needed.

Cash Flow For all weddings, money is deposited into my operational cash flow account at three intervals: 5 – 6 months before the event (first planning session payment), 1 – 2 months before the event (final planning session payment) and immediately following the event (booking fee transfer payment). This system of payments creates predictable cash

flow throughout the year without a lot of major highs and lows to have to contend with.

As the Canadian wedding season segues into some of the corporate work I do between November and February (along with the occasional “off season” wedding), I begin taking regular first planning session payments. These are my May and June wedding planning sessions that start in January. My business financials are not affected by the “seasons” of my work. (Weddings, if you’re curious, make up between 80% and 85% of my annual revenue.)

Personally Getting Paid (the good part!)

With an understanding of the above information, this is the easy part: I am

paid a set sum of money, every two weeks. This is a transfer of funds from my business account to my joint personal account with my wife.

This bi-weekly payment has no bearing on whether I am actively working at events in the two-week time frame or not. I always get paid, every two weeks.

My payday is every second Wednesday, opposite to the weeks my wife is paid, to ensure optimal cash flow for our family finances.

End Notes Obviously, the topic of finances is a massive one, and I have barely scratched the surface here. If the demand is there, I will write more on how I operate my financials. Having said that, I am still tweaking a system of cash management I set up about 18 months ago known as Profit First. For lots of info on this, reach out to my friend Jason Spencer (Facebook or website) who is a DJ in Sacra-

mento and a certified coach with Profit First. Without going into personal details yet (I will, once I’ve tightened things up a bit more) I will say that the Profit First system has been life changing and I wish I would have discovered it when I first started my business!

If you have a finance question you’d like me to share my perspective and system on, please get in touch, and I’ll provide you with all I can. Maybe your question will turn into the next blog post.

For those that are curious, that is how I get paid. ~ Dave Based in Manitoba, Canada, Dave Ternier is a single operator DJ/MCfor his company, Special Request Weddings and he is the founding author of aDJthought.com. Dave Ternier can be reached at DaveTernier@discjockeynews.com.

Disc Jockey News • September 2017 • Page 13

When Disaster Strikes

By Dean C. Carlson

As I sit writing this article, the news is grim. My heart goes out to all the people in Texas who have been affected by the recent unimaginable force of nature that has struck down its ugly head and forever change the lives of millions of people.

May my prayers be heard.

Disaster can be unpredictable, and it can happen in a blink of an eye.

Most importantly it doesn’t have to affect millions of people to change people’s lives. We in the wedding industry know all too well how important one day can be to two people who plan on spending the rest of their lives together can be. And to think it can’t happen to us as DJs would be foolish and naïve. In the 28 years, I have been DJing it has happened to me. No, I’m not talking about life threatening things, but about show stopping acts of disaster.

The year was 2006, and I was hired as the DJ for a lovely couple in the farming community of Glencoe Minnesota. The ceremony was shrouded in the beautiful glory of my newlyweds sharing a vow to take each other in sickness and in health, yet the weather began to

rumble. By the time a dinner full of laughter, joy, and life was over the heavens had opened up and what could only be described as a wall of water began to race towards earth. Quickly the cake was cut, and their first dance song began to play to an audience riveted at the moment. Soon people excitedly filled the dance floor as Mother Nature had its own light show blazing in all its glory outside. Then it happened… 300 people all let out a collective groan as the power fizzed out, leaving only a few flickering candles to cast their shadows across the room.

In all reality, this party could have been essentially over. There was no way to know if or even when the power would return, and just like you I am sure we all have an “Act of God” contract clause. No light, no sound, most of my tools removed. I could have justifiably called it the night. But that is not what professional do.

My challenge to you is to be more than what is not only expected but become a leader who can take horrible situations just like this and make something special out of it. As for this couples day, it took me just a few minute to take steps to see that their special day and party that they had spent a good chunk of their life saving on wasn’t remembered completely for mother nature, but for the great time guests had at the event. I broke out 100 glow sticks and had people form a circle on the dance floor, and for the next 45 minutes I began to do what I was paid for, entertain people. From games to impromptu bride and groom recognition the party marched on. There was joy, laughter, and love once again. And about

1 hour after the party could have ended, the power came back on, and we continued to dance the night away.

I could tell you a dozen stories of disasters that could have ended parties and tarnished memories that I have DJed for, and instead, I took the lead and did what had to be done. Like I said in the paragraph before we must become comfortable with being the leader in a situation like this. But there are things at can help.

First, we have to expect that at some point in our careers disaster can and will happen. Knowing this changes our perspective, and allows us to prepare.

So how exactly do you prepare for a disaster? Well, when I ran the multi op years ago during our monthly meetings we played a game called “What If.” Quite simply we would throw out situations and see how we could or should handle them. Some of the things we talked about were actual disasters we saw or had happen at our shows. These included things like loss of power, broken equipment, missing songs (yes, you younger guys will never know the pain of not having the exact version the bride wanted of said dance, and no we did not just have the internet available to us. Oh the love of cd’s and vinyl.) We even went as far as talking about what happens if someone dies at your event, yes this has happened to a few DJs I know. We had a plan, and I still do and you should too.

Make sure once you do play this game to write down your ideas as time can dull the memory, and then review them every so often added to new disasters you may have heard of or encountered.

I would also recommend a disaster kit. My kit contains all sorts of thing. I

have a first aid kit, a sewing kit, extra garter and cake knife. I also have scissors, and bleach pens, even extra nuts, and bolts for my lighting gear. Most importantly I have every cable adaptor you can imagine, both audio and AV, after all, it isn’t just disasters that happen to you that you want to help.

The one the saved my bacon just last year was an extra hard drive, with not only all my music but also all the programs I use to run my shows. Last July I had just moved and placed my computer bag in a different spot, leaving it at home only to find my mistake 3 hours away from my office. Lucky for me the town I was in had a Best Buy, and I bought a computer and installed everything before the first guest arrived, no one the wiser. Which reminds me, that being ridiculously early for events is a disaster planning tool in itself. Had I not had an extra hour before my show, things could have gone very different.

So in closing accept the challenge of leadership and step up to the plate on put on your professional big boy or girl pants on. Play the “What If” game, not only with yourself but connect with other DJs from around the country and see what their disasters have been. Be as prepared as a boy scout and have a kit ready at all times because you never know. Disaster can and will happen; it’s what you do about it that changes lives, two people at a time.

Good Luck and Great Shows.

Dean Carlson can be reached at deancarlson@discjockeynews.com.

PAGE 14 • Disc Jockey News • September 2017

Top 50 Charts for September 2017 http://www.discjockeynews.com • http://www.djntv.com

Pop 1 CHARLIE PUTH Attention 2 SHAWN MENDES There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me...

3 IMAGINE DRAGONS Believer 4 NIALL HORAN Slow Hands 5 DJ KHALED F/RIHANNA/B. TILLER Wild Thoughts 6 LIAM PAYNE Strip That Down f/Quavo 7 LUIS FONSI & DADDY YANKEE Despacito f/Justin Bieber 8 TAYLOR SWIFT Look What You Made Me Do 9 CALVIN HARRIS Feels f/Pharrell/Katy/Big Sean 10 CHEAT CODES No Promises f/Demi Lovato 11 ZEDD & ALESSIA CARA Stay 12 FRENCH MONTANA Unforgettable f/Swae Lee 13 SAM HUNT Body Like A Back Road 14 KESHA Praying 15 JUSTIN BIEBER & BLOODPOP Friends 16 DEMI LOVATO Sorry Not Sorry 17 CHILDISH GAMBINO Redbone 18 PORTUGAL. THE MAN Feel It Still 19 DJ KHALED I’m The One f/Bieber/Quavo...

20 THE CHAINSMOKERS Honest 21 P!NK What About Us 22 LOGIC 1-800-273-8255 f/A.Cara/Khalid 23 ZEDD & LIAM PAYNE Get Low 24 SELENA GOMEZ Fetish f/Gucci Mane 25 LOUIS TOMLINSON Back To You f/Bebe Rexha...

26 MACKLEMORE Glorious f/Skylar Grey 27 KHALID Location 28 MAX Lights Down Low f/Gnash 29 J BALVIN Mi Gente f/Willy William 30 MAJOR LAZER Know No Better f/T. Scott...

31 HAILEE STEINFELD Most Girls 32 HALSEY Bad At Love 33 MAROON 5 What Lovers Do f/SZA 34 POST MALONE Congratulations f/Quavo 35 JONAS BLUE Mama f/William Singe 36 BRUNO MARS Versace On The Floor 37 HARRY STYLES Two Ghosts 38 HEY VIOLET Hoodie 39 WHY DON’T WE Something Different 40 DUA LIPA New Rules 41 SABRINA CARPENTER Why 42 PRETTYMUCH Would You Mind 43 FALL OUT BOY Champion 44 THE SCRIPT Rain 45 ALL TIME LOW Good Times 46 RITA ORA Your Song 47 THE REVIVALISTS Wish I Knew You 48 CARDI B Bodak Yellow 49 DEJ LOAF No Fear 50 BLACKBEAR Do Re Mi Urban 1 YFN LUCCI Everyday We Lit f/PnB Rock 2 FRENCH MONTANA Unforgettable f/Swae Lee 3 KENDRICK LAMAR HUMBLE. 4 BRUNO MARS That’s What I Like 5 DJ KHALED F/RIHANNA/B. TILLER Wild Thoughts 6 CHILDISH GAMBINO Redbone 7 LIL UZI VERT XO Tour Llif3 8 CHRIS BROWN Privacy 9 FUTURE Mask Off 10 MIGOS Slippery f/Gucci Mane 11 YO GOTTI F/NICKI MINAJ Rake It Up 12 JACQUEES B.E.D. 13 JOE GIFTED Water f/FrontStreet 14 MEEK MILL Whatever You Need 15 SZA Love Galore f/Travis Scott 16 J. COLE Neighbors

17 2 CHAINZ It’s A Vibe f/Ty Dolla $ign...

18 GOLDLINK Crew f/Brent Faiyaz/Shy Glizzy 19 PLAYBOI CARTI Magnolia 20 KENDRICK LAMAR LOYALTY. f/ Rihanna 21 DJ KHALED I’m The One f/Bieber/Quavo...

22 BRYSON TILLER Somethin Tells Me 23 JAY-Z 4:44 24 GUCCI MANE Tone It Down f/Chris Brown 25 A BOOGIE WIT DA HOODIE Drowning (Water) f/Kodak Black 26 THE WEEKND Reminder 27 BIG SEAN Jump Out The Window 28 6LACK Ex Calling 29 KODAK BLACK Tunnel Vision 30 DEJ LOAF No Fear 31 SAHBABII Pull Up Wit Ah Stick 32 TEE GRIZZLEY No Effort 33 POST MALONE Congratulations f/Quavo 34 AUGUST ALSINA Don’t Matter 35 SKEME Red Coupe f/London Jae 36 MONEY MAN How It Feel 37 ONEINTHE4REST Jiu Jitsu f/Chris Brown 38 BRUNO MARS Versace On The Floor 39 BLAC YOUNGSTA Hip Hopper f/Lil Yachty 40 DRAKE F/KANYE WEST Glow 41 CARDI B Bodak Yellow 42 KENDRICK LAMAR DNA. 43 TREY SONGZ Nobody Else But You 44 METRO BOOMIN No Complaints f/Offset & Drake 45 DABABY Comin’ Over f/DJ Luke Nasty 46 AYO & TEO Rolex 47 DJ KHALED F/DRAKE To The Max 48 24HRS What You Like f/Ty$/WizKhalifa 49 WIZKID F/DRAKE Come Closer 50 TRAVIS SCOTT Butterfly Effect Adult Contempory 1 ED SHEERAN Shape Of You 2 THE CHAINSMOKERS & COLDPLAY Something Just Like This 3 ALESSIA CARA Scars To Your Beautiful 4 MAROON 5 Don’t Wanna Know f/K. Lamar 5 ADELE Water Under The Bridge 6 JAMES ARTHUR Say You Won’t Let Go 7 DJ SNAKE Let Me Love You f/J. Bieber 8 SHAWN MENDES There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me...

9 TRAIN Play That Song 10 ED SHEERAN Castle On The Hill 11 ZEDD & ALESSIA CARA Stay 12 BRUNO MARS That’s What I Like 13 KEITH URBAN The Fighter f/Carrie Underwood 14 P!NK What About Us 15 SHANIA TWAIN Life’s About To Get Good 16 SAM HUNT Body Like A Back Road 17 IMAGINE DRAGONS Believer 18 KATY PERRY Save As Draft 19 CHARLIE PUTH Attention 20 KYGO X SELENA GOMEZ It Ain’t Me 21 TAYLOR SWIFT Look What You Made Me Do 22 THE REVIVALISTS Wish I Knew You 23 NIALL HORAN Slow Hands 24 ROD STEWART Da Ya Think I’m Sexy f/DNCE 25 CHARLIE WILSON Smile For Me f/Robin Thicke 26 LINDSEY STIRLING Love’s Just A Feeling f/Rooty 27 JUSTIN BIEBER & BLOODPOP Friends 28 LUIS FONSI & DADDY YANKEE Despacito f/Justin Bieber 29 LOGIC 1-800-273-8255 f/A.Cara/Khalid 30 THE VILLAINS Believe In The Music 31 SPENCER DAY 72 And Sunny 32 JULIA MICHAELS Issues 33 KATHRYN DEAN Bad Girls Make The News

34 RUSSELL WATSON Now And Forever 35 COLBIE CAILLAT Never Gonna Let You Down 36 KESHA Praying 37 ANDY GRAMMER Give Love f/Lunchmoney Lewis 38 THOMAS RHETT Die A Happy Man 39 HALSEY Now Or Never 40 THE CHAINSMOKERS Don’t Let Me Down f/Daya 41 PORTUGAL. THE MAN Feel It Still 42 SAM SMITH Writing’s On The Wall 43 ED SHEERAN Perfect 44 MICHAEL FRANTI & SPEARHEAD Summertime Is In Our Hands 45 RIHANNA Sledgehammer 46 PHILLIP PHILLIPS Miles 47 CALVIN HARRIS Feels f/Pharrell/Katy/Big Sean 48 LADY ANTEBELLUM Bartender 49 DAYA Hide Away 50 ARIANA GRANDE Dangerous Woman Country 1 OLD DOMINION No Such Thing As A Broken...

2 DUSTIN LYNCH Small Town Boy 3 JON PARDI Heartache On The Dance Floor 4 MIDLAND Drinkin’ Problem 5 KENNY CHESNEY All The Pretty Girls 6 JASON ALDEAN They Don’t Know 7 KANE BROWN What Ifs f/Lauren Alaina 8 LADY ANTEBELLUM You Look Good 9 KIP MOORE More Girls Like You 10 JUSTIN MOORE Somebody Else Will 11 CHRIS LANE For Her 12 CARLY PEARCE Every Little Thing 13 BROTHERS OSBORNE It Ain’t My Fault 14 CHRIS JANSON Fix A Drink 15 LUKE COMBS When It Rains It Pours 16 MAREN MORRIS I Could Use A Love Song 17 THOMAS RHETT Unforgettable 18 GARTH BROOKS Ask Me How I Know 19 ERIC CHURCH Round Here Buzz 20 LOCASH Ring On Every Finger 21 LANCO Greatest Love Story 22 COLE SWINDELL Flatliner 23 BRAD PAISLEY Last Time For Everything 24 EASTON CORBIN A Girl Like You 25 CHRIS YOUNG Losing Sleep 26 AARON WATSON Outta Style 27 LUKE BRYAN Light It Up 28 BIG & RICH California 29 RUSSELL DICKERSON Yours 30 FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE Smooth 31 MIRANDA LAMBERT Tin Man 32 WALKER HAYES You Broke Up With Me 33 DEVIN DAWSON All On Me 34 BRETT YOUNG Like I Loved You 35 JAKE OWEN Good Company 36 ADAM CRAIG Just A Phase 37 KELSEA BALLERINI Legends 38 BRANTLEY GILBERT The Ones That Like Me 39 WALKER MCGUIRE Til Tomorrow 40 HIGH VALLEY She’s With Me 41 GRANGER SMITH Happens Like That 42 LEE BRICE Boy 43 JORDAN DAVIS Singles You Up 44 SCOTTY MCCREERY Five More Minutes 45 CHRIS STAPLETON Broken Halos 46 MICHAEL RAY Get To You 47 ZAC BROWN BAND Roots 48 LITTLE BIG TOWN When Someone Stops Loving You 49 DAN + SHAY Road Trippin’ 50 PARMALEE Sunday Morning

Disc Jockey News • September 2017 • Page 15

Recurrent Hits For The Dance Floor For September 2017 http://www.discjockeynews.com • http://www.djntv.com

Pop Recurrents 1 KENDRICK LAMAR HUMBLE. 2 SELENA GOMEZ Good For You f/A$AP Rocky 3 G-EAZY Me Myself & I f/Bebe Rexha 4 MAJOR LAZER Cold Water f/Justin Bieber, M 5 JASON DERULO Want To Want Me 6 MAJOR LAZER Lean On f/M 7 ADELE Water Under The Bridge 8 DNCE Cake By The Ocean 9 ARIANA GRANDE Dangerous Woman 10 MAROON 5 Cold f/Future 11 THE WEEKND The Hills 12 CALVIN HARRIS Slide f/Frank Ocean/Migos 13 THE WEEKND Can’t Feel My Face 14 JUSTIN BIEBER Sorry 15 TWENTY ONE PILOTS Stressed Out 16 ARIANA GRANDE Into You 17 HAILEE STEINFELD & GREY Starving f/Zedd 18 FIFTH HARMONY Work From Home f/Ty Dolla $ign 19 SHAWN MENDES Treat You Better 20 TWENTY ONE PILOTS Heathens 21 FLO RIDA My House 22 SHAWN MENDES Mercy 23 RIHANNA Love On The Brain 24 MIKE POSNER I Took A Pill In Ibiza 25 CALVIN HARRIS This Is What You... f/Rihanna 26 JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE Can’t Stop The Feeling 27 THE CHAINSMOKERS Don’t Let Me Down f/Daya 28 ZAYN/TAYLOR SWIFT I Don’t Wanna Live Forever 29 TWENTY ONE PILOTS Ride 30 MGK X CAMILA CABELLO Bad Things 31 DJ SNAKE Let Me Love You f/J. Bieber 32 DRAKE One Dance f/Wizkid & Kyla 33 BRUNO MARS 24K Magic 34 CLEAN BANDIT & ANNE-MARIE Rockabye f/Sean Paul 35 MAROON 5 Don’t Wanna Know f/K. Lamar 36 THE CHAINSMOKERS Paris 37 SIA Cheap Thrills 38 ALESSIA CARA Scars To Your Beautiful 39 THE WEEKND I Feel It Coming f/Daft Punk 40 THE WEEKND Starboy f/Daft Punk 41 ARIANA GRANDE Side To Side f/Nicki Minaj 42 THE CHAINSMOKERS Closer f/Halsey 43 THE CHAINSMOKERS & COLDPLAY Something Just Like This 44 JAMES ARTHUR Say You Won’t Let Go 45 ED SHEERAN Castle On The Hill 46 JULIA MICHAELS Issues 47 HALSEY Now Or Never 48 BRUNO MARS That’s What I Like 49 ED SHEERAN Shape Of You 50 KYGO X SELENA GOMEZ It Ain’t Me

Urban AC Recurrents 1 WALE The Matrimony f/Usher 2 RO JAMES Burn Slow 3 ANDRA DAY Rise Up 4 BABYFACE Exceptional 5 RIHANNA Work f/Drake 6 MAXWELL Gods 7 USHER Missin U 8 JILL SCOTT Can’t Wait 9 CHRIS BROWN Back To Sleep 10 JAHEIM Back In My Arms 11 MARY J. BLIGE Love Yourself f/Kanye West 12 JOE So I Can Have You Back 13 MAXWELL 1990x 14 JANET JACKSON No Sleeep 15 ADELE Hello 16 SOLANGE Cranes In The Sky 17 KEITH SWEAT Tonight f/Silk 18 JAZMINE SULLIVAN Let It Burn 19 KIRK FRANKLIN Wanna Be Happy?

20 DRAKE One Dance f/Wizkid & Kyla 21 ANTHONY HAMILTON Amen 22 DRAKE Hotline Bling 23 TYRESE Shame 24 FANTASIA No Time For It 25 MARK RONSON Uptown Funk f/Bruno Mars 26 YUNA Crush f/Usher 27 JOHN LEGEND Love Me Now 28 YUNA Best Love 29 GALLANT Weight In Gold 30 TYRESE Waiting On You 31 THE WEEKND I Feel It Coming f/Daft Punk 32 MARY J. BLIGE Thick Of It 33 JOHNNY GILL This One’s For Me And You 34 RIHANNA Love On The Brain 35 LETOYA LUCKETT Back 2 Life 36 LA’PORSHA RENAE Good Woman 37 GUORDAN BANKS Keep You In Mind 38 LEELA JAMES Don’t Want You Back 39 MAJOR. Why I Love You 40 AFTER 7 Runnin’ Out 41 KEM Nobody 42 KEVIN ROSS Long Song Away 43 LALAH HATHAWAY Angel 44 MARY J. BLIGE U + Me (Love Lesson) 45 DALEY Until The Pain Is...f/J. Scott 46 MAXWELL Lake By The Ocean 47 CHARLIE WILSON I’m Blessed 48 BRUNO MARS 24K Magic 49 RO JAMES Permission 50 THE WEEKND Earned It

Hot Adult Contempory Recurrents 1 SIA The Greatest f/Kendrick Lamar 2 TAYLOR SWIFT Style 3 FITZ & THE TANTRUMS HandClap 4 MEGHAN TRAINOR Like I’m Gonna Lose You 5 SHAWN MENDES Stitches 6 X AMBASSADORS Renegades 7 ADELE Hello 8 CLEAN BANDIT & ANNE-MARIE Rockabye f/Sean Paul 9 TAYLOR SWIFT Wildest Dreams 10 FLO RIDA My House 11 ELLIE GOULDING Love Me Like You Do 12 NIALL HORAN This Town 13 THE WEEKND I Feel It Coming f/Daft Punk 14 RACHEL PLATTEN Fight Song 15 THE CHAINSMOKERS Don’t Let Me Down f/Daya 16 X AMBASSADORS Unsteady 17 MAROON 5 Sugar 18 TRAIN Play That Song 19 CALVIN HARRIS This Is What You... f/Rihanna 20 MARK RONSON Uptown Funk f/Bruno Mars 21 ELLE KING Ex’s And Oh’s 22 JASON DERULO Want To Want Me 23 MAROON 5 Cold f/Future 24 JUSTIN BIEBER Love Yourself 25 JUDAH & THE LION Take It All Back 26 BRUNO MARS 24K Magic 27 WALK THE MOON Shut Up And Dance 28 JAMES BAY Let It Go 29 TWENTY ONE PILOTS Heathens 30 RIHANNA Love On The Brain 31 DNCE Cake By The Ocean 32 TWENTY ONE PILOTS Ride 33 TWENTY ONE PILOTS Stressed Out 34 ZAYN/TAYLOR SWIFT I Don’t Wanna Live Forever 35 SHAWN MENDES Treat You Better 36 SHAWN MENDES Mercy 37 DJ SNAKE Let Me Love You f/J. Bieber 38 P!NK Just Like Fire 39 JULIA MICHAELS Issues 40 ADELE Send My Love (To Your New...

41 THE CHAINSMOKERS Closer f/Halsey 42 MAROON 5 Don’t Wanna Know f/K. Lamar 43 SIA Cheap Thrills 44 ALESSIA CARA Scars To Your Beautiful 45 ADELE Water Under The Bridge 46 JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE Can’t Stop The Feeling 47 BRUNO MARS That’s What I Like 48 ED SHEERAN Castle On The Hill 49 KYGO X SELENA GOMEZ It Ain’t Me 50 JAMES ARTHUR Say You Won’t Let Go

End Of Event Reports: Why You Need To Be Doing Them

By Brian Buonassissi

One thing you hear from attendees of DJ conventions say time and time again is that the real gold is gained during conversations in the hallway.

Since we just ended the DJ Expo, I think this article is timed perfectly.

A few years back, I got a chance to have lunch at the DJ Expo with Ed Petty, who works for Le Force Entertainment in Dallas, Texas.

I struck gold with something he mentioned sort of in passing.

T h e backstory: With 15 DJs/MCs on my staff throughout the country, it was becoming cumbersome for me to constantly have to check-in with our team through text or phone call to find out how their event went. Of course, if a major problem occurs at an event, our staff has been instructed to initiate that conversation immediately with me (I hate bad surprises).

However, if the event was marginal or even great, I would rarely hear a peep.

Ed mentioned that his company required their staff to complete an End of Event (EOE) form as soon as the event was over. It was a part of their company protocol just as much as tearing down their gear. In other words, this needed to be completed to get paid. It was one of those “a ha” moments where I asked myself, “Why have I been doing this all along?”

I immediately went to work to create a separate employee website which, among other things, included an EOE form. Of course, this is mobile friendly so our team can do this at home on their phone without having to crack open their laptop. We implemented this seamlessly after a team meeting. After a few months, I found it to be more of a check the box “task” feel than useful information (for them and myself). It was time to revamp it. I came up with the basic question formula – it’s essentially a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats).

This would require more than a yes/ no answer, and we’ve found the feedback to be invaluable for our entire team. Those questions look like this: *What was the strength of the event and why (best parts of the event – specific moment, vendor, us,

etc.)? *What was the weakness of the event and why (worst parts of the event – specific moment, vendor, us, etc.)? *What are the opportunities (external factors that can help “up” our strengths based on the event)? *What are the threats (potential external factors that we may face in the future)?

We have a few other DJ related questions as well: What songs worked best? What songs didn’t work?

Were there other staff members assigned to this event?

Did you have technical issues at the event?

Any feedback on the venue (example: availability of electrical outlets, load in/out is far, # of uplights needed, wireless mic interference)?

Initially, the thought was just to have my DJs do this. However, I subscribe to the theory of not asking your staff to do something you’re not willing to do yourself, so I submit these just like everyone else. It’s a great way to keep a record of my events. We also copy and paste the venue feedback into our CRM database of venues so that if one of our team members is working at a venue

which they haven’t been to before, they can hedge against any potential issues by reading up on feedback from our staff that has been there.

Adding this to our protocol has been one of those few defining markers that was a game changer for us as a company. I’d advise any multi-op or single-op DJ company to consider it. If you’d be interested in what our form looks like, reach out to me below, and I’ll be glad to send you the link to ours, answer questions and/or help you get your employee site and specifically, this EOE, set-up. Also, yet another reason why going to DJ conventions is so important. You never know what you may pick-up from the main speakers or a side conversation. It just might be something that could forever help your company.

Based out of NYC, DJ Brian Buonassissi is a successful internationally traveling DJ/MC specializing in luxury destination private events.

He runs a multi-city mobile DJ/ event business with offices in Southern California, Destin, FL and New York City.

You can connect with him at brianbuonassissi@discjockeynews. com.

PAGE 16 • Disc Jockey News • September 2017