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I don't think it is only DJs to blame.
I have had 2 last minute calls over the past few weeks - on the wedding day - because they had forgot to book a DJ.
I know a lot disagree, but out of all the wedding suppliers DJs are generally at the bottom of the list, if not fallen off the list, and silly as it sounds a lot of people do forget to book one until the last minute.
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Originally Posted by
ppentertainments
I have had 2 last minute calls over the past few weeks - on the wedding day - because they had forgot to book a DJ.
I know a lot disagree, but out of all the wedding suppliers DJs are generally at the bottom of the list, if not fallen off the list, and silly as it sounds a lot of people do forget to book one until the last minute.
I've also had a few calls where there has been a breakdown in communication between the venue and the client and both have thought that the other was taking care of the DJ.
This does go to show, once again, just how far down the list the DJ is and just how little engagement with a DJ some couples expect to have. If the client had asked the venue even basic questions about the entertainment then it would have been obvious that nothing had been booked.
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Originally Posted by
ppentertainments
I know a lot disagree, but out of all the wedding suppliers DJs are generally at the bottom of the list.
I totally agree, as much as my website says how important the DJ is. The reality is that less and less importance is being placed on the entertainment (not by ALL couples, but by a lot more than of recent times).
Meeting up with brides and grooms or having any communication other than the occasional email is becoming rarer and rarer as well. Whether that's because they feel they're already in capable hands, or whether it's down to lack of time or more likely, they don't see it as being important.....who knows?
And yet, I recently ran an online survey as part of a course I'm doing. One of the questions was "how important was it to meet with your DJ before your wedding day?". 99% of the respondents said important or very important. Admittedly, these were couples who are already married....it might be less important for those who are going through the process at the moment.
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It's an industry issue.
We can't blame the couples for it.
The industry has "productised" what a mobile DJ is so much, that the perception is that all DJs are the same, and the standard is pretty lacklustre.
Whilst we know that's not always the case, we need to remember that the majority of mobile DJs are of a very poor standard.
So why would a client try and seek out anything else when there's no awareness of 'better' being available.
The industry needs to work collectively to promote what a good DJ can do, and it needs to be better than a few memes aimed at clients only wanting to spend £100. The reason they only want to spend £100 is because that's what many DJs are quoting.
The associations are best placed to do this but I've never seen anything consumer focused come out of what they do.
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Originally Posted by
Imagine
Meeting up with brides and grooms or having any communication other than the occasional email is becoming rarer and rarer as well. Whether that's because they feel they're already in capable hands, or whether it's down to lack of time or more likely, they don't see it as being important.....who knows?
The gigs I *hate* are the ones where I'm considered the added extra or the inconvenient necessity. I've had two gigs in the last few months where I've worked alongside a band and I've been booked with only a month or so of notice after the B&G have realised that their band will not play music before or in between their sets and expect to pack down and clear off sharpish as soon as they're done. The thing that has annoyed me most about these bookings has been that the band have got drinks, meals and hugs after they'd setup, whereas I was literally ignored other than a cursory "oh, you're the DJ, when are you going to be ready?" The irony in both cases was that if the weddings had kept to the original times, the bands would not have even been on site at the agreed time to setup - they were 45mins late in one case and 60mins in the other! One also ran their first set on one speaker as they had a cabling issue to the other (and I spotted it and helped them diagnose the problem, they didn't even notice!)
I've got to say though - both bands were awesome and did a great job getting the guests up and moving and clearly that is what they were being paid for and what the customers will remember <--VALUE
Julian
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Originally Posted by
rth_discos
We can't blame the couples for it.
The associations are best placed to do this but I've never seen anything consumer focused come out of what they do.
We can't blame them, but some people have some shocking organisational/planning skills and a funny idea about what value for money is. Spending £450 on some light up letters and then £100 on a DJ is lunacy, but it happens every weekend all around the country. I don't have any issues with my direct clients, but experience pretty bad organisation from my residency clients from time to time. Only last week I got the ceremony music and it was 10 mins before the ceremony. Obviously I emailed, text and asked the coordinator, I got sent a very garbled list (the night before), the spell checker had renamed the tracks and there was no explanation for what was what? Had I not double checked it all that could have gone very badly.
We had this discussion in a workshop with Mark Walsh. It was agreed that the industry has come on a lot in recent years, largely because we are all talking to each other now. The more sociable and due diligent DJ's seemed to have very much upped their game and the average fee is a lot higher than it was (rand here anyway). Man I used to have problems getting £400 out of clients, but I could easily charge double that now just for the evening. Why? Because most the key DJ's in the area have upped their prices and level of service, so I believe things are slowly getting better.
Anyhow we agreed that there needs to be a proper industry body that has a head office, a reasonable budget and an agenda tied to the proper conduct of DJ's and education of clients. This agency can then in some respects govern the industry and act in a similar way to Equity with the arts. Toni Winyard came up with the idea of all clubbing together for a really informative cartoon to be made, things like that. Also pages like this which constructively advise clients on what to look out for... http://yourdj.co.uk/mobile-dj-advice/
Having said all that then there will always be the people who are just djing for the money and will happily dump a bride a week before the wedding as a better paid event has come up. Its the same with any industry though, just look at builders, they have been doing their thing for millennia. On the other toe, there will always be clients who will not put any effort into finding the right dj. They may book a £100 one that does not show up or a £800 that is ill suited for what they want, or is a jumped up prat on the day (i.e. ignores the set list, is rude etc.).
Last edited by yourdj; 01-06-2018 at 11:37 AM.
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I've had 2 calls myself over the past 2 weekends from customers who have been let down by their DJ's.
One called 2 days before her party as she said the DJ had contacted her to advise her that he was unable to honour the booking. I don't know what the reason was, and to be honest, the woman probably didn't care either as she was in a panic BUT....fair do's to the DJ whoever it was, because at least he contacted her and (so she told me), said he would return her booking fee / deposit.
The other call was last Thursday morning from a best man who was frantically calling around in search of a DJ pretty sharpish as nobody had been able to get in contact with the DJ that had been booked. I was unable to help and I didn't know anybody else either. I felt quite bad about it, but there was nothing I could do at the time.
I agree with what Jim has said regarding the current weather situation too. I know it happens for a fact, because a few years ago a friend of mine was having a party and they got burnt by a DJ who had apparently been in the pub all afternoon on a nice, hot sunny day. They had been seen by a friend of a friend of a friend. They originally wanted to book me for the party, but I couldn't help because I was DJing at my brother in laws wedding. All I could do was recommend somebody I knew. Luckily, he didn't think twice about it. He didn't even mention a price, he just got himself out to the venue and did the business and they were grateful. They paid him afterwards and he was happy.
I don't think you can always blame the DJ. Yes, ok most of the time you can probably hazard a guess that the DJ in question has been booked because he or she has been the cheap option. The customer more than likely does not have a booking form or contract and no money has changed hands in the form of a booking fee or a deposit, so in theory.....as we've all said over the years, there is NO booking. Just as the DJ can decide not to turn up for whatever reason, the customer can cancel just like that.
That's why booking fees, deposits, contracts etc are important, whether it's a £100.00 job or a £1000.00 job, it doesn't matter. It's all there to cover both parties isn't it?
.....and just like Toby, and no doubt everybody else here, I also have an advice page. I think it's good to provide as much information as possible to help the customer and to highlight the fact that there ARE issues out there when it comes to booking a DJ / service that they need to be made aware of.
I think it's common sense to have a page on your website so that the customer can take a look at so they are clued up on the situation.
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Originally Posted by
Imagine
I totally agree, as much as my website says how important the DJ is.
Of course a DJ is going to say how important they are - and sadly, even the budget DJs are now 'copying' and writing this too.
Hence why it needs to be at an association level.
Otherwise, it's just seen as 'sales patter'.
Originally Posted by
yourdj
Spending £450 on some light up letters and then £100 on a DJ is lunacy, but it happens every weekend all around the country.
I think they spent £100 on a DJ and then the rest of their budget on the light up letters...
Originally Posted by
yourdj
I don't have any issues with my direct clients, but experience pretty bad organisation from my residency clients from time to time.
When you say 'residency', are you bundled in the package that comes with the venue?
Originally Posted by
yourdj
Anyhow we agreed that there needs to be a proper industry body that has a head office, a reasonable budget and an agenda tied to the proper conduct of DJ's and education of clients. This agency can then in some respects govern the industry and act in a similar way to Equity with the arts.
Absolutely. But can you imagine a bunch of DJs agreeing about the direction of this organisation? That's where it falls down..
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Originally Posted by
rth_discos
Absolutely. But can you imagine a bunch of DJs agreeing about the direction of this organisation? That's where it falls down..
Not to mention the funding, where's the cash coming from? a few £'s a year subscription will not be anywhere near sufficient, the whole idea's a pipe dream. It will never work while 16 year old spotty Herbert's can start a mobile disco business with nothing more that a couple of hundred quid spent on eBay and a hard drive full of pirated MP3's
Inside every old person, is a young person wondering 'What The Hell Happened'. Tempus Fugit
Disco 4 Hire
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