Taking on jobs

[James]

One thing that bugs me about DJs is when they say we cater for all musical tastes.

Personally, i don't think they can, maybe some can, but not all of them.

I've seen posts on here saying things like 'help with music for 40th wedding this Saturday' etc.

In my opinion if you're not up to the job then you shouldn't take it on just for the cash

You may disagree with me but the question I wanted to ask is this....

what percentage of enquiries do you take on. and also....

If you felt you never understood the music the customer wanted, would you still take on the job and 'wing it' by buying a 'best of' compilation

[DJ Davy]

It has to be said, I only ever passed on one booking as I didn't feel comfortable about the music. . . thrash metal and heavy indie! :eek: Whatever that is.... :confused: I have accepted everything else, including a forties themed birthday party, and also a showtune themed birthday party. To be honest, most of my clients know what I do, mainly cheesy party stuff, and they generally want that!:D

[Excalibur]

One thing that bugs me about DJs is when they say we cater for all musical tastes.

Personally, i don't think they can, maybe some can, but not all of them.

I've seen posts on here saying things like 'help with music for 40th wedding this Saturday' etc.

In my opinion if you're not up to the job then you shouldn't take it on just for the cash

You may disagree with me but the question I wanted to ask is this....

what percentage of enquiries do you take on. and also....

If you felt you never understood the music the customer wanted, would you still take on the job and 'wing it' by buying a 'best of' compilation

Semantics. ;) Most of us can play "something for everyone", cos you only need to play two or three tracks. The tricky one is a whole night!! Justin took on one I wouldn't have been able to do, all Metal I'd hardly heard of!! :eek: :eek: However: usually if the punter gives you a nudge/heads up/playlist, you can often see where you should be heading, and also what else will fit with it.

[Dynamic Entertainment]

ive never had a gig where ive not felt comfortable as im into all sorts musically myself.if youve a request for a whole nights worth of one genre then you have 2 options...

1. Refuse the booking
2. Take the booking and work with your client and increase your musical knowledge

[djsteve10]

I once did a wedding where the client wanted 30 minutes of Metal music, Now I don't know alot about metal but the client provided me with some cds and told me the tracks to play. Nobody was none the wiser that I didn't know about the music and also I pulled the night off and got some fantastic feedback.

[thex-faders]

We did a 16th birthday where the girl provided the songs as she wanted particular heavy metal and indie tracks. i have a decent knowledge of this genre but not a great deal. But thought, if she's providing me with songs I can find some more by the artists she gives me and provide a good night.

When it came to the night all of her friends wanted party tracks and mainstream stuff, birthdya girl requested a couple of her songs where played but happy to go with the crowd...

I wouldt take on a booking if they specified a specific genre all night that i knew nothing about. Unless they were willing to provide a playlist of tracks and I had some time to research the genre a little. these genres would mainly be heavy rock, thrash metal etc

[Vectis]

what percentage of enquiries do you take on

About 20-25%. I'm VERY picky :)



If you felt you never understood the music the customer wanted, would you still take on the job and 'wing it' by buying a 'best of' compilation

I have a good appreciation of all genres with my only real weakness being anything pre-50s. I'm always listening to music, love all different styles and on the odd occasion I've been thrown a challenge by a customer (thinking here of someone who wanted a whole night of Trojan Reggae) then provided there's a couple of months before the gig I'll get into it and be an expert by the time the event comes around.
:beer1:

[Shaun]

I've turned down speciality nights where I didn't have the knowledge to do a full evening. I could 'wing' a set of almost any genre on a regular gig. Speciality gigs are best left to those that specialise in them.

[DazzyD]

This is quite a good thread as there have been times when I've passed over on bookings because I know in advance that i'm not the type of DJ they want. Two enquiries that spring to mind were for hardcore dance/rave shows where "our mate is great at MCing and we'll want him to perform a bit" type of scenarios. First, I personally don't like this and I wouldn't enjoy doing it (and that would be evident from the outset!) and, secondly, I don't like others performing using my gear (unless it's karaoke) because that is something I can't control. My shows are family-friendly (with me being a Wedding/party DJ) and the only time I ever let someone MC during a show - well, let's just say Chubby Brown would've been less offensive.

Saying that, I have a wide knowledge of music (it's been my passion since I was 2 when I bought my first record - Oliver's Army by Elvis Costello - well my mam bought it for because I was always singing along to it on the radio!) and I would feel comfortable providing music for a particular genre providing I was given enough time to research it. I certainly wouldn't go in to it blind and I certainly wouldn't be "winging it"! That's not my style and it's not very professional, in my opinion anyway.



We did a 16th birthday where the girl provided the songs as she wanted particular heavy metal and indie tracks. i have a decent knowledge of this genre but not a great deal. But thought, if she's providing me with songs I can find some more by the artists she gives me and provide a good night.

When it came to the night all of her friends wanted party tracks and mainstream stuff, birthdya girl requested a couple of her songs where played but happy to go with the crowd...

...

Usually the case!

[rob1963]

ive never had a gig where ive not felt comfortable as im into all sorts musically myself.if youve a request for a whole nights worth of one genre then you have 2 options...

1. Refuse the booking
2. Take the booking and work with your client and increase your musical knowledge

There's a third option...take on the booking & then pass it onto a DJ you know.

However, I'd probably go for option 1.

[Mayhem 1]

Gentlemen:

I know I am in a different position here but I will not take and booking for ages 13 - 40 simply because i do not have let alone play any of the R&B/dance house etc etc I am always honest and up front with the customer telling them that it is outside what I do.

I have heard many horror stories of discos telling the client the specialise in kids party music/entertainment only to turn up and stand with their arms folded for a couple of hours just waiting for the end of the party so they can get the fee.

Stick to what you know is best

[rob1963]

what percentage of enquiries do you take on.

I probably take on more than 95% of all requested work.

However, I turn down anything I wouldn't feel comfortable doing for whatever reason. It's more likely to be some other reason rather than the music requirements.