To start with, I have much experience in world of DJ'ing and DMX Lighting. My rig comprises of the latest in sound mixing software (over £1000), hardware and sound processing equipment such as graphic equalizers, feedback destroyers etc. My speakers are JBL EON G2's these you can buy for approx. £500 per cabinet, all I could afford at the time, but they are excellent. I have a £1500 Green Laser system and 16 lighting effects that many are DMX Controlled.

Music

Scenario - 30th Birthday Party, 150 people, age range 15 yrs - 65 yrs, buffet at 9:00pm start time: 7:30
end time: 11:30

Number one priority, MAKE SURE ALL SOUND CHECKS ARE DONE at least ½ hour before anyone arrives.
Start off with opening speech i.e. Good Evening, Welcome to Blahdy Blahdy's 30th Birthday Party / Bash here at Blah Blahdy (Venue), tonight I'll be playing music from the 70's through to some of the latest chart, dance and RnB. However I do have music from the 1950's onwards. If you're up for a good time, cheer as loud as you can now..... (After cheer) That's what I like to hear, righty, (Start first track playing in background) lets get the party started, were going to start with (tell them first song title and artist).

Normally some music from the mid to late 90's or recent (not too dancy or to loud that people can't speak) Remember the first 2 hours of any gig - PEOPLE LIKE TO TALK. Music such has Sugababes, All Saints, Texas, Blue etc for the first hour or so (however I have had gigs where they want Dancy music straight from the start - but on rare ocassions). Announce buffet in usual way, e.g. "Well its that time of night you've all been starving yourself for, the buffet is situated (State where in room) and is now officially open, but, please mind the sausage rolls, oh and leave me some" Play some quieter music, such as the love album, Artists like Feargal Sharkey, Foreigner, Annie Lenox, Chicago, George Michael, Celine Dion, you get the gist.

Buffet usually I give them 25-30 mins to eat (don't forget, ther still gabbing)

At the end of the buffet, let the birthday person do there speaches, don't limit there time on the mic, let them thank everyone they want to, cut the cake etc.

Then after speeches, thank the speaker, get everyone to sing happy birthday (and play the theme music for people to sing to), after Happy Birthday, do 3 cheers Hip Hip.... Araaayyyy. Announce your plans for the next 2 hours - the types of music you going to play etc.

Start off with classic 80's dance hits Tiffany, Culture Club etc - remember there 30, they were in their teens in the 80's, and went clubbing in the 80's, They love it especially when there drunk. Move into some of the latest chart, dance & RnB, do not do Commercial dance / trance or beat mix it all the way through, you will probably clear the room, remember also, dont play any more than 3-4 dance tracks at a time. Its best to keep swapping the decades around, you should see when you change the music the danxe floor clear, then the older or younger generation get up, I call this stock rotation. Near the end of the night, the last hour or so, I play loads of party stuff like, Robbie, Tom Jones, Steps, John Travolta, Shania Twain, Ricki Martin and loads of 70's disco hits - Jacksons, The Groove Generation, Mud etc. Then do a love song 2nd to last song (remeber gig finishes at 11:30pm) now its about 11:20, Play a Love song that everyone knows, at this gig, I would play Mariah carey - Without You. She did it in the 90's, Nilson did it in the 70's. So most people will know it.

The Last song.

Well its this persons birthday - they are the best person. So get everybody into a circle with the birthday person in the middle with their partner, if you can put a white spot light on the couple. Then play Tina Turner - Simply the Best. Make sure you use the mic to get everybody up and announce where you want the couple etc, don't leave it up to them to guess what you're planning. Once you have the circle and Tina Turner playing then leave it to them - they know what to do now. At the end of the song about 10 secs left, announce that was the last song of the night, one last time can we have 3 cheers, after 3 cheers, say, as everyone had a good night? If you've do the night really well, not messed up etc, you should get a big cheer back from them. Then say, Thanks very much, you've been a great crowd, glad you've enjoyed it, have a safe journey home, Goodnight.

Swith off and un-plugg some leads from your mixing desk, make sure people see you pull the leads out. They then know your serious and you don't get all the hassle of "Play one more" etc.

If you've done really well - people will normally ask for business cards.

Remember though, you could be DJ'ing for the queen, there are people who will never move out of their seats, that typical at every gig.

Anymore information required - email: thedj@cnj-djs.freeserve.co.uk

Web:- http://www.cnj-djs.freeserve.co.uk

I hope this is beneficial to any new comer to the DJ world.

Good Luck for the future - and remember, every gig, you control the crowd with your music and what you say over the mic - never aim offensive abuse at a crowd or an individual, you will probably end up wearing a few pint pots and chairs. :)

Thank you for posting such an in-depth review. I have pinned this topic, in order to keep it at the top, since I think that it serves as an excellent guide for anybody starting out in business or about to do their first gig .

If you wish to share details in running a successful Mobile Disco, and add to CNJ DJ's post above then please continue to post in this thread.

Just found your site---Excellent. Even though I have been doing this for about 15 years, you can always learn something from other dj's. Your guide to gigs was interesting and informative.
I have found that birthdays and weddings can be hard work and sometimes very unrewarding.
For the last 2 years I have got myself a regular 4 night a week gig playing the music for a modern jive club(ceroc by another name-copyright and all that)
The good thing about this sort of gig is that your audience are there to dance so as soon as the music starts they are there on the floor and you dont have to flog your guts out. As long as its got a beat thats all they need.

QUOTE (DJTREV @ Feb 3 2003, 04:32 PM)

I have found that birthdays and weddings can be hard work and sometimes very unrewarding.

That comment is so true!. An empty dancefloor often makes the D.J paranoid, thinking that it is something that He / She is doing, or rather not doing, which is keeping the Dancefloor empty!. Experience has taught me that you can play music from every era at a function, and work hard, and still only maintain a hand full of people on the dancefloor at any one time some functions are going to be like that, and you just have to get used to it .

Having done both resident work in a local club, and run the Gauntlet at all types of Private Functions - I can honestly say that the pub / club work is far more rewarding than Mobile . Logically this makes sense, since your "resident" venue will be advertising as a disco and possibly charging an admission fee, and lets face it - you wouldn't go to a club and pay money if you hated music and D.J's!!. So 99% of the punters visiting your club will be out to enjoy themselves.

Private Functions are different - you have Auntie Ethel and Grandma who may not have seen each other for 5 years and all they want to do is gossip. You also have many people who have attended out of politeness or because they have to!. You also have the classic "family war" situtation to contend with also , where two or more members of the family do not get on.

Other situations that can also make it difficult to create an atmosphere include the large function room built for 300 people where only 30 guests turn up!, and vice versa - the packed out village hall with 200 people in it - No room to dance - even if they wanted to.

Don't be too surprised if you don't pack the Dancefloor at Private Functions, it does happen, but not very often. At best you can usually expect around 25 - 50% of the Guests on the Dancefloor at any one time.

Just remember that it is still possible for people to enjoy themselves without being on the Dancefloor (I must admit that as a guest I don't dance either!). On a brighter note - some of the gigs that I've thought were a disaster, were rewarded with many guests asking for business cards and a sincere "thank you" from the host or hostess for a "Great Night"!!!. A Strange Business is D.J'ing!!!!!!.

QUOTE (Chris_Pointon @ Feb 4 2003, 08:59 AM)

Just remember that it is still possible for people to enjoy themselves without being on the Dancefloor (I must admit that as a guest I don't dance either!). On a brighter note - some of the gigs that I've thought were a disaster, were rewarded with many guests asking for business cards and a sincere "thank you" from the host or hostess for a "Great Night"!!!. A Strange Business is D.J'ing!!!!!!.

That is so true. I have had nights where every minute has seemed like an hour and I have just wanted to die! But yet at the end you get people asking for a card and saying what a great night it was.

Hi ,
Just read ur Posting for the starters and felt it very handy and good for statting my career, I would help me allot right from the start. I am about to take-up Dee Jaying as a hobby and this is a very helpful tip for me.

I'm only a newcomer onto the scene, starting out working mobile.
What a mistake that was! stop wasting your time, spending $1000 on equipment, get a resident club spot, and just watch the $ roll in!
dont put up with aunty joan and uncle bob!
1. no pack up time at a club
2. no need to get britneys new single!
3. no drunken 50yr olds hitting on you!
need i say more?
get some decks, practice your ass off, perfect your mixes
and head down to the local dj agency, and wait for the phone calls.
that easy.

Having the benefit of working in both the Mobile and Club circuit on a weekly basis, I agree with you 100% "Unregistered", I do prefer (and actually Look forward to doing ) the Club work, and tend to dread the Weddings, 21st Birthdays etc - however after 15 years there must be SOMETHING about doing Mobile work! - maybe just a labour of love??

Mobile D.J'ing is hard work and most of the time a thankless task, but somebody has to do it

Tip No 483

Always have a radio mic ready at family party.
At birthdays, after the buffet, I normally announce the the birthday boy / girl has three choices: 1) They Buy every one a drink: 2) They can have the bumps: or 3) they can say a few words. If done in the right way, with the right tone of voice, you normally get a lot of cheers and applause. Well it works for me.

QUOTE (Chris_Pointon @ Feb 21 2003, 12:34 AM)

Having the benefit of working in both the Mobile and Club circuit on a weekly basis, I agree with you 100% "Unregistered", I do prefer (and actually Look forward to doing ) the Club work, and tend to dread the Weddings, 21st Birthdays etc - however after 15 years there must be SOMETHING about doing Mobile work! - maybe just a labour of love?? Mobile D.J'ing is hard work and most of the time a thankless task, but somebody has to do it

LOL Chris after 24+ years as both a Club and Mobile Jock

I have seen that all the time

most of what was shown is great and we can improve on it over time

sound checks can be done 3x days before and it wont matter if the mic dies 2x seconds before you speak

had a mic to that before - just pull it out and change it for ANOTHER (Always keep spares handy)

more interesting tips I can share as I get to post on the site

anyway have a fun day all

Hi Dennis,
Glad to see you are still alive and well.

Hey Chris or someone,
You sound pretty good at this DJ thing, and i was just gonna start getting into it. Their is a middle school dance this Friday, and i plan on running it from MP3's off my laptop. Can you give me a few pointers and tips...........music to play, when to play it, and other stuff you can think about this venue. Thx a lot for your help.

Note: I have appx. 2000 songs or so...this enough?

QUOTE

Note: I have appx. 2000 songs or so...this enough?

Considering you will only have time to play about 70 if you are lucky , I would think it should be plenty thats if you have a good collection spread through several decades (50's > New Millenium) .

Agreed Bill, but i've only just noticed the following on his post:-

QUOTE

Their is a middle school dance this Friday

If its a school disco then he'll need even less of a selection , I believe Middle school covers ages 11 -13 / 14?.

Juderm, I believe that you are in the U.S?, I don't know whether you are just doing an adult function held at a middle school, or whether it is for the young people who attend the school?, obviously this will figure in what you decide to play.

If it is for the School, then, again, I'm not too sure of what music they are into at that age in the U.S, however, had it been for a similar age group in a School in the U.K, then I would usually play a mixture of music from the top 20 chart, a little bit of dance music, along with Eminem, Limp Bizkit, Red Hot Chilli's, Dr Dre, snoop dogg, missy Elliot, Ja Rule, Linkin Park etc etc - they always seem to be the most requested. One plus in the 'States is that you don't have to suffer with all the boy and girl band stuff that we get over here

However, if you are doing a function for Adults, then forget the Rap, tone down the R&B and be ready to play a wider selection of music. I usually find that 80's work well as a starting point, and then work my way through the 70's, 70's disco, 60's, rock 'n'roll, party stuff, cheesy charty stuff then the smoochies - obviously this does change from time to time and is dependant on the Audience and function! - however if you have the above in your collection then you shouldn't go too far wrong.

If you need any more info then please post, and don't forget to let us know how you get on.

....and don't forget the Electric Slide lol

QUOTE

....and don't forget the Electric Slide

???????????????

Mikeee have you been drinking the water which contained your Steradent Tablets again

It's American thing, like the Funky Chicken

In the last couple of years, I have had the privilage to do numous american weddings over here and eh one over there.

The girls from Chicago love thing like the Garter throw and the dollar dance, but in Virgina, well a little more reserved shall we say.

Chris if you get the chance and you are look for a bit of sun and a rest, try Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Late september is good, only 78 at night, and a cool 105 during the day. Marinas and golf course every time you turn around, the old steamer to Savannah, Georgia.
And whilst on the subject, Crabby Nicks is great for food.

What track do you play for the Electric Slide Mikeee?
Its not one I have used at a disco but I play it fairly regularly at modern jive nights.
I use a track called -Easy does it . Its on an album called The Big 18
I think they call it a "stroll" in mod. jive.
By the way Chris how do you put a quote on a post

use [*QUOTE] and [*/QUOTE] - missing out the "*" and simply paste in the text between the two commands.

Hi DJTREV,
I use Marcia Griffiths - Electric Slide. And it's not in the Library, before you ask.

Mikeee
Being an open minded sort of guy, I just downloaded this Electric Slide thingy had a listen and hmmmmm well its different! LOL

On the question of downloading.Which program do you guys use?I used Audiogalaxy when it was around and I thought it was brilliant- never had any problems. Then I used Kazarr or Winmx but it always seemed that you were lucky if you could finish downloading a track all in one go. Since I had a problem with my PC and lost a lot of my programs, I haven't got a download program.Any suggestions.
Talking of downloads.I know its a bit niave of me to expect something for nothing but on the Freeserve site it says"download free music from our library of 170,000 tracks".Well!before you can even join their music club you need Windows Media Player 7.1. It took me nearly all day to do that because I kept getting disconnected before I had finished. Then I found out you had to pay a monthly subscription in order to get the tracks.
Dont get me wrong I am not against paying as long as I get what I want,but it says its FREE and it isn't.
Rant over - I think I need to go and lay down in a darkened room.

Hi Spin, Yes it's different, you should hear the Kool & The Gang version. Othr tracks I've been asked for: Jay Ferguson - Thunder Island, Bob Carlisle - Butterfly Kisses.

Trev, As a rule I don't down load, but If I'm after a deleted track I use WinMx.

Ah!!! Freeserve, the music is free, it's the service that costs - not one of my favorite companies, for to much "small print", I think they should be called Atapriceserve (lol)

Trev,

If you use Kazaa, then download the Kazaalite version which is available from Here it's less buggy and free from hidden spyware files which infiltrate your p.c and slow down your downloads as well as play havoc with your p.c.

Again, avoid the use of Windows Media Player since this is Bill Gates own Adware, and the latest version gives your p.c a unique identifier and passes on your i.p address to anything that wants it whilst connected to the net - basically your p.c becomes a mass advertising campaign for anything on the net. Result? - all those pop ups increase and the missus thinks you have been surfing busty bab's website again

If you do download files, then some virus protection on your p.c is a MUST I recommend Norton Anti Virus. As is a firewall (which prevents your p.c from being hacked - especially if you have P2P applications running). Again I recommend "Zone Alarm", its free and I use it myself along with 2 hardware firewalls and I've never had any problems.

I agree with Chris about Kazaa Lite I used to use Napster, then Audiogalaxy cos you could leave it running overnight till you got what you wanted, now i have a 1 Meg Broadband connection courtesy of Blueyonder I use KazaaaLite and it is awesome to download tracks in a couple of minutes.

Ok off to search for the Kool & the Gang version now lol

I must admit in the 18 years of doing roadshows. I find them still as much a challenge as day 1 and have to say that i prefer the wedding function to most, but if i had a choice of the type i would do. I would choose a pub without a dince floor as it makes it more of a challenge to read the crowd from 1 track to the next.

Weddings i find are a good mix of the ages and taste of music and on very rare occasions you will find that nothing works to get them dancing unless it is modern stuff, but as i said it is very rare.

With refrence to 25 / 50 % of the crowd will dance at a function. I would have to agree, but get the bride and groom on your side and increase the % because they want value for money and you know you are playing good stuff and they will try and get their friends up as well.

Anyway. This site is excellent. Have added to my faves and will come back again later.

On the subject of audio downloaders..

I have always used WINmx, I couldn't work with Kazzalite/Kazza.

It's so annoying and slow on a 56k, but you can't get everything!

Sorry - but have to disagreewith those who say that club DJ-ing is better paid and more rewarding than mobile - Unless you are of superstar status, most clubs will pay a very paltry sum to resident Jocks - yes there are the benefits that you have not got to set up and pack down heavy gear - but you have to remember, most club DJs will be playing a 9-2am set and apart from the fact that you can be a really good mixer, I dont believe that there is much job satisfaction. Most people who go to clubs actually go to dance anyway - so its not really that challenging. Mobile may be more hard work but is definitely more challenging and a lot more rewarding - both financially and personally.
Having worked professionally (yes - I do this to learn my living and not as a hobby) for 12 years, the advice I would give to anybody starting out is not to expect a booking every week for the first couple of years. Breaking into this business is not easy and it will take time - Remember though - PERSISTANCE PAYS - learn from mistakes in the early days. As long as you have the right attitude and a good knowledge and collection of music, knowing how and when to play - this will get you on the first step. Dont worry if you make mistakes - who hasnt accidentally turned the wrong cd player off! As long as you are polite and enthusiatic people will remember you - they might not ring you straight away, but once people ask for your card they generally keep them - you might not hear from them for two years but you made an impression!
Also never get into the trap that bigger is better - as long as your sound system is adequate for the number of people attending the function and you have a few good light effects you will be ok. I have never got a booking because people remembered what fantastic lights I put in - I get work because they remember the ambience I created and the music I played. It is really worth investing in a good clean sound system - forget spending tons on lights first of all - a crisp clear sound is far more important -
Well I could waffle on all night - but I guess by now you may be bored with reading all this!!
I love my job - when I dont I will get out - but at the moment I am averaging two adult bookings each and every week with 2-3 kids parties - My advice is free and hope it is useful for some of you

Welcome Kazzachi.
I found your advice quite interesting and helpful but I must disagree on one point.
I judge my night on the floor,I cant honestly say I am looking for a challenge.If the floor is busy you must be doing something right.I am afraid I have had too many challenges and lost a few.You just end up driving home feeling thoroughly dejected,wondering if its really worth it and trying to pick yourself up ready for the next one

Kazzachi, I must agree that being a mobile offers more of a challenge. I did club work during the late 70's early 80's and with in a month I was bored, the same style of music, drop a couple of tracks and add a couple. I found club work very easy, I actually start to sleep on the job. At least with the mobile you get a different type of audience all the time. I lot of DJ's hate wedding's, because with a wedding you have to use your brain. I love them, one minute it's all 60's and 70's the next one, 70's and 80's. You just don't know whats coming next.

Mikee I love you - we agree on something! Wouldnt it be boring if we knew exactly they type of audience we had every gig and ended up playing the same old set time and time again - I think we would then be referred to as Juke Boxes! What works on one night may well bomb the next -

QUOTE

You just end up driving home feeling thoroughly dejected,wondering if its really worth it

DJTREV ,

This happens to us all at times, dont judge your performance on the coverage of the dancefloor , some nights its like pulling hens teeth

Ya know the feeling, i can't understand why I give out a dozen cards at the end of what i consider to be a Sh*t night. I come home, crack open the scotch, only to be awoken at some unearthly hour of the morning (10 / 11) by the phone, with somebody who saw me last night wanting to book me, I do normally recommend a pschologist, mines very good

ROFL yes I know those feelings, I used to be schizophrenic but 'We're' alright now!!

I used to be undecided, now I can't make my mind up

I agree totally with everything that cnj dj's says. I have been mobile dj ing for 3 years and he is absolutely spot on. The only other tips i can add and reinforce are as follows.

What you as the dj may think is rubbish music (i.e very cheesy) your customers will probably love.

Do not be scared or embarrassed or nervous stood in front of a crowd ( or at least dont show it!). You are in control, they are looking to you for entertainment. If you seem to be struggling hitting the right vein of music, do not forget to ask if any body has any requests. Let them tell you what they want to hear.

Further to the above, when you take a booking, why not make up a simple booking confirmation form for the customer. You can do this on the old home computer. Get the customer to send back the completed form and, hey presto, you've determined exactly the sort of music they want to listen to before you even get to the gig!!! This works really well for me.

Above all, enjoy yourself. If you are enjoying your dj ing then this really does show on the night.

Another thing I do is actually go for an opinion poll - ask the audience....." who likes 70s rock/pop/disco" etc.... no reaction tells you something! Most of the time if you do this you WILL get a reaction from the crowd and this makes life very easy! I often joke that I am a DJ not a psychic!

QUOTE

ask the audience

cough...cough....cough..cough

Damn I've just won "who wants to be a millionaire"

If I get stuck, I phone a friend (lol)

You never phoned.........

Sorry darling, misdialled and got the Samaritons (sp)

Considering most people only remember the latter half of a gig whilst the DJ is sober all night, I would like to add the following to the above excellent comments.

I have found most audiences have a totally different idea of what a DJ has to do at a function.

On just this small subject, reading the crowd and watching the body language, watching the tapping of the audience's feet, and unconscious movements.

It's a plain fact that after the buffet or dinner, the party is going to pick up, so on most functions, even before confirming the booking, tell the client that fact! They won't complain and will be even happier if the crowd is a 'Party crowd', and want to get up to dance sooner!

Most people are like sheep on the dance floor too!

Two walk off - they all walk off. Two walk on - they all walk on.

The audience attention span can be very low if you keep playing a certain tempo or era.

If you are a mix DJ - you know what I mean.

Every function is different, and that's where a DJ uses his or her skills, sometimes adapting to environment change at the very last minute - to make a great night for all.

So, in conclusion, collect balance, light to medium background as people arrive, microphone delivery essential and timed, once food out the way, build the remaining night and slot requests to suit, end, goodnight Vienna.

I'd agree with most of that DD............. at the end of the day if you can finish on a high............ everybody remembers it, if you finish downtempo people are to monged out to remember anything!

When if first strated out way back in the eighties I used to literally have nightmares about doing gigs , one record would be coming to an end and nothing would be cued up on the next turntable. This will pass with a few years of experience!!. Seriously if you want to do well at this DJing mullarkey listen to what other DJ's doing the same type of gigs as you are playing , listen to live bands and watch for crowd reaction. I have picked up a number of dance floor fillers I would never have dreamt about playing from this.
Keep a notebook and jot down combinations of tracks that have worked well for you. Most of all do not get down in the dumps if you can't fill the dancefloor immediately it does take a lot of experience to do this. It will take a while for the budding jock to be able to guage when your punters are ready to dance don't start pumping out the sounds too early on in the night ,experience will let you know when it is time to "hit the mike" and get the show on the road.
Once you are confident that you are playing the right music for your particular crowd the pressure will be off , remember you know that you have got it all right , there still not dancing with faces on them like a Bulldog P**ing in a nettle. At this stage its time to just think about what lovely new bit of kit you will buy with your earnings. Goodluck Y'all

Most D.J's tend to be Self Employed and working for themselves therefore they set their own fee for the entire function rather than pay themselves on an hourly basis. If you are not in the U.K, then the best way of finding out how much D.J's charge in your local area, is to phone a local D.J and ask how much it would cost you to book a disco in your local area, for a Wedding or 21st Birthday for between 7pm and 12 midnight on a Friday or Saturday Evening.

You may think that D.J's get paid well but when you take into account that the £100 or $200 fee also has to pay for C.d's, Advertising, Vehicle Cost's and Fuel, and the purchasing and maintaining of their Sound and Lighting Equipment means that only a small percentage of the fee charged is actually profit for the D.J. Obviously if you can get booked 2 or 3 times a week, rather than once a month then you will make more money.

If you choose to work for a D.J as an assistant or roadie, then you may find that the pay is very poor - sometimes you may have to offer to help out for nothing in order to gain experience, although you'll probably find that most D.J's will pay you a small amount to help out, even if it's only your expenses!. Remember, although the pay is poor, as a "Roadie" you will be gaining the valuable experience of how to run a Disco, which is something that can't be taught in any college

From my own experience, I usually pay Trainee D.J's a small amount and also pay for their drinks etc. My Roadies (once they have at least 6 months experience) get around 20 - 25% of the booking fee depending on the length of the gig and the work involved.

When I employ D.J's to work for my Roadshow (I only do this after they have worked with me and trained for at least 2 years). I supply the equipment. They are however expected to supply their own C.D's and transport. The booking fee is then split 50 / 50.

Getting Popular:-

The best method of advertising for any business is word of mouth. You will find that (if you do the Job right, and make a good impression etc) that people will recommend you to their friends. If you are good at D.J'ing ,it is amazing how fast the word spreads and how much work that you actually get from previous bookings .

As a d.j - YOU are the best advert for your Roadshow, remember that it isn't flashing lights and loud music that makes a booking, but your personality, your selection of music and the work that you are doing!. You may have lots of expensive equipment - but that is useless if you can't create a good atmosphere and encourage the guests to enjoy themselves and this CAN be hard work!!.

Of course, you need to get those first bookings at the start!. A good idea is to visit all of the local bars and hotels and leave a business card, or a simple A4 leaflet (Avoid a 20 page essay on your roadshow since this is likely to prove boring to the receipient and more likely to be binned!). You can also visit other function rooms and leave business cards or pin them on the notice boards of local church halls!.

Local newspaper advertising is also a MUST. Find out all of the local papers in the area(s) you intend to cover and place a small classified Ad. You can usually discuss discounts with small local newspapers for run of adverts - for instance 1 advert per week for a month or two months. This is more effective than just placing one ad!. Again - keep the wording on the advert simple but punchy. It's not a good idea to publish your prices on the Ad (Since this informs the competition of your charges!) but when quoting you may have to keep your prices lower than an established D.J in order to win the booking. But DON'T under price yourself - if there is a big difference in price then your customer may become suspicious because you are too cheap.

A website is also a good idea, especially if you intend to cover several area's, or you are willing to travel to attend bookings.

As a rough guide, this represents how people hear about my business:-

80% - Word of Mouth recommendations or repeat business for same customer

20% - Website Bookings - enquiries by Email etc

5% - Telephone Directory - Yellow Pages etc

5% - Newspaper Ad (based on 4 ads per year in local paper)

When I first started in 1988, the internet didn't exist so around 90% of my work was from Ads in local newspapers. As time passed more and more work came from customer recommendations. Once you get established you will find that you won't need to spend much on advertising. The Website now accounts for virtually all of our new business and is more effective than local paper ad's.

Staying in Business:-

Well this is down to the D.J!!. If you upset your customers and don't do the disco correctly then you are likely to go out of business very quickly, which is why it is so important to gain some experience with a D.J before setting up in business yourself. Starting any business requires a lot of time and effort from you and this includes D.J'ing. You need to spend a lot of time promoting your business - if nobody knows about you - then they can't book you!.

If there is anything else that you need to know then please ask!.

100% with Chris!

interesting discussion!

a few points to add...

Happy Birthday the Glenn Miller Medley basically anything you will ever need for an event

Grab a copy of the DJ party box its great!

for weddings and functions...being someone who does quite a few around Ireland and Scotland and Europe


Local traditional music and singers at least once in the nights proceedings

Scottish: think Flower of Scotland, and Jimmy Shand Band

Irish think reels etc and people like Daniel O'Donell Domonic Kirwan etc

Spanish, French, German Arabic or Hebrew check out the record charts from that country, or ask someone in your local specialised music store!

all these available on the net and record stores


Plus another great tip esp for weddings etc...put a line or two in your booking form about special music requests.....

the happy couple might have a special song etc etc

1/ it shows you care
2/ It means when they ask for the song you have it to hand!


Happy customers always mean easier nights and more repeat bookings! a couple more

Never drink beer or whatever when you are working you are being paid to work not to drink!

Keep the music varied, change the music every 15 minutes or so, keeps it interesting but make it flow....

What I would suggest every mobile Dj starting off( and currently working!)does, is see a few cover bands, you know the people that do versions of current and past hits....

take a notebook!


watch how the program flows, what party tricks they come up with, and how they make an audience get up for the evening:)

Also learn to read a crowd..that takes time but it will come

And learn how to announce clearly, buy a good microphone SM58 is a standard for vocals..and bring a spare kit with you

ie phono leads hedphones, mike leads both Jack and XLR and gaffer tape...all useful!


Always Always be polite to the Staff at the function and the guests they are after all giving you work..right?[B]

Some good and interesting words Steve.

Welcome to the forum, please read the rules, theres not many, and post often, join in as you see fit. Its not the lurkers who keep forums alive but the posters, wether our views agree or conflict it all makes for interesting reading!

The Spindoctor

why thank you certainly an interesting forum:)