What do we get paid for?

[Excalibur]

Mainly inspired by the using the Disco PA for a band thread, but it's been on my mind for a long time.
Are we paid for playing music, or are we booked to hold the function together, to ensure that it runs as easily, and seamlessly as possible, and take steps to head off any foreseeable problems in advance?

Linked with this in my view, customer meetings. I got a playlist for Staurday, and I can honestly say it was the most disturbing to me I have ever had. Everything on it is either Heavy Metal, Rock, or Country!! I was worried. Fortunately, I had arranged a pre-event met, and went last night. They were a lovely couple, and what looked like a nightmare playlist is in fact a doddle. I'm expected to play The Usual Suspects, slip in the wild ones where I can, and generally do what I normally do. A couple of things came out in the conversation, including could I set up early, as once the guests are in, access will be an absolute nightmare. When I said I could, the Bride insisted that I have a nice meal on their tab before I start, and asked what I wanted to drink all night. Forward planning can be such a boon.

But what when you have to think on your feet? When you turn up to find that you, a six piece band, and a troupe of dancers have to share a stage six foot by four foot? The live artists/B&G/ Honoured guests/Family have brought some music in the format you binned five years ago, which absolutely must be played, or the function is ruined? A thirteen amp socket is needed for the chocolate fountain, but it's placed too far from the wall socket for their cable? The list goes on.

Are you Mr Fixit, or since it's impossible for anyone to imply that you have any responsibility in the matter, do you point out that you are solely a DJ, and being paid for being solely a DJ? I know for certain that after a few recent events, the big FOH mixer is going to go in the van much more often, along with a couple of DI boxes.

OK folks, over to you, I look forward to your responses.

[Shaun]

What was the question again? :daft: :d

I'll try answer what specifics I could find from your post..lol.

Ok, during the pre-event meet the bride asks:

Could we setup early in the day as space will be tight later?
Absolutely! This is something often discussed and many choose to opt for my early setup service, which can be included for a fee

A file format will be provided in a format that I can't play?
I had this a few weeks ago. The brides brother was in a band and had recorded a thrash metal version of 'Tainted Love' he wanted to play for his sister. Luckily pre-planning and discussions with the bride pre-event ensured that I was able to get the track in digital format weeks before the event.
However, if Grandad arrives on the night with an 8 track, C90 audio tape or any other format I don't have the ability to play he will unfortunately be sorely disappointed. But with enough warning I'd be happy to jump through hoops in advance to find the song he desires played, or try my best to find a way to convert his track to a suitable format.

A socket is required for a chocolate fountain?
No problem. I carry plenty of spare extensions they could borrow. Power cables are something I require for the provision of the service I provide, so if I can help with this it wouldn't be a problem.

I think the gist of what I'm trying to say is that I'll always help where possible, but there are limitations. I Only carry the tools that are required for the service they have hired, and backup of those tools. If any of those tools can be used to help the bride out of an unexpected issue I'll bend over backwards to help where I can.

HaveI missed any points you highlighted Peter? I think I covered them. :) :)

Fair play to you Peter for carrying all those extras just in case, but it's not something I'd ever do. Ive never owned a FOH mixer or DI boxes. I've never needed them for the service I provide. However, if a bride ever stated she needed them during our pre-event planning I'd definitely do the ground work to ensure I could hire some in for her. I'm always happy to help to ensure her day/evening goes as planned.

:beer1:


Just found the question (lol):

What do we get paid for?
We get paid for the service the client books. Although I'm sure many of us can provide additional services, or help arrange additional services should the need arise. :)

[Jonathan Ford]

What he said!

I'll do everything I can to accommodate requirements that I know about in advance (notwithstanding my well documented feelings about providing PA for other artistes), but I'm not a wedding co-ordinator.

[WWDJ]

^^^ wot they said.

Forewarned is forearmed.

I give them plenty of opportunity to plan what is happening. Surprises can only be catered for if I have the means and it won't add risk to what I am already doing.

[musicologydisco]

I believe that whatever I can do to help make things run smoothly can only be beneficial to my reputation and therefore will always go that extra mile to achieve customer satisfaction. If I can, I will.

[Daryll]

I believe that whatever I can do to help make things run smoothly can only be beneficial to my reputation and therefore will always go that extra mile to achieve customer satisfaction. If I can, I will.

Yep , my attitude as well

Daryll

[deltic]

I believe that whatever I can do to help make things run smoothly can only be beneficial to my reputation and therefore will always go that extra mile to achieve customer satisfaction. If I can, I will.

about sums it up

[Shaun]

I believe that whatever I can do to help make things run smoothly can only be beneficial to my reputation and therefore will always go that extra mile to achieve customer satisfaction. If I can, I will.


Yep , my attitude as well

Daryll




about sums it up



Where do you draw the line though? Do you pack your van up with heavens knows how many additional things a client or indeed any other hired help MAY need, despite you not needing it it for the service you are on site to provide? I'm sure every member of the forum would go above and beyond for the client if possible. I just simply cannot get my head around people that carry lots of additional gear that isn't required in the scope of the service they are hired for...just in case a client/other entertainers may need it. Where is the line drawn? FOH mixer despite it not being needed for your service? An i-pod docking station (as mentioned in another thread) despite you working from CD's. Where next...spare optics for the bar?

Part of the original post asked the question "are you a Mr Fixit"? Should we as DJs be carrying a huge array of tools and equipment way beyond the scope of the service we are hired for just to be prepared for an unexpected issue such as other hired entertainers not having the right tools for the job?

Where possible I will always strive to go that extra mile to achieve customer satisfaction, but only in regards to the service I'm providing.

[Daryll]

This is where a pre event meeting comes into its own , I realize that it is not always possible for some multi ops to have pre event meeting , in some cases that would be a full time job.
I used to do pre event meetings just for weddings , now its every event , and a venue visit where possible, combining the two is ideal , therefore I only take what is required to do the job, my box o tricks , which stays in the van has a small mixer , couple of spare mics , enough cables to cater for 90% of situations, and a selection of phono to jack , xlr to ipod etc etc.
However if the client does not provide me with all the information , then, on the day uncle Bert comes up with his eight track with BNC connector , well sorry but no.

Daryll

[Jonathan Ford]

There was discussion elsewhere recently about a guy buying a cake knife...just in case it was ever needed. A couple of weeks ago, I really wish I had one, because the venue produced an 8" Sabatier cooks knife for them to cut the cake with. However, not my problem. I provide my service, let others provide theirs. I'll be as flexible as I can, but I'm only paid for doing my job.

[Shaun]

There was discussion elsewhere recently about a guy buying a cake knife...just in case it was ever needed. A couple of weeks ago, I really wish I had one, because the venue produced an 8" Sabatier cooks knife for them to cut the cake with. However, not my problem. I provide my service, let others provide theirs. I'll be as flexible as I can, but I'm only paid for doing my job.

I've heard of DJs carrying a spare knife too. Other ones that made me laugh over the years included..

Corkscrew ??

Spare Bouquet for the bouquet toss (Wtf????)

White sticky velcro should the bride tear her dress ?!?



There's going above and beyond for your clients but sometimes you can go a little too far.

[Excalibur]

Part of the original post asked the question "are you a Mr Fixit"?.
But when the wheels fall off, for whatever reason, who does the customer turn to for advice, help, and a solution?
"Can you turn the venue lights down/off, they're spoiling the atmosphere? " Well not really, since the switches are over fifty yards away, and behind the bar.

I come from a time when things often didn't run like clockwork, not all the lights worked in the village hall, and we reguarly had to improvise in order to finish the evening. Perhaps* I'm living in the past.








* Perhaps? Perhaps? As one voice, the entire forum shouts at their PC, "Definitely"

I liked it in the past, life was so simple. I can do simple. :D:D

[Daryll]

You mean you dont take a male and female friend to each wedding , just in case the bride or groom dont turn up, dear oh dear , no wonder we get a bad name..............:p

:taxi: :run:

Daryll

[Shaun]

But when the wheels fall off, for whatever reason, who does the customer turn to for advice, help, and a solution?
"Can you turn the venue lights down/off, they're spoiling the atmosphere? " Well not really, since the switches are over fifty yards away, and behind the bar.

I come from a time when things often didn't run like clockwork, not all the lights worked in the village hall, and we reguarly had to improvise in order to finish the evening. Perhaps* I'm living in the past.








* Perhaps? Perhaps? As one voice, the entire forum shouts at their PC, "Definitely"

I liked it in the past, life was so simple. I can do simple. :D:D

It still begs the question where do we draw the line. Maybe we should all be bringing lorries packed full of gear to cover all eventualities? All we need to do is to the job we have been hired to do, and to do it well. Nothing more nothing less.

[Excalibur]

It still begs the question where do we draw the line.
Not me drawing it mate, it's my customers. You appear to have a far better class of customer. ;)

[Shaun]

Not me drawing it mate, it's my customers. You appear to have a far better class of customer. ;)

It's nothing to do with class of customers. You are drawing the line by taking lots more gear in anticipation of what you perceive might be required at some point. My question is to DJs like yourself is where do you draw the line when you are deciding to take extra gear? Where do you decide enough is enough? I'm just trying to get a grasp of the mindset because it's so alien to how I operate.

[funkymook]

There was discussion elsewhere recently about a guy buying a cake knife...just in case it was ever needed. A couple of weeks ago, I really wish I had one, because the venue produced an 8" Sabatier cooks knife for them to cut the cake with. However, not my problem. I provide my service, let others provide theirs. I'll be as flexible as I can, but I'm only paid for doing my job.

I'd wince if I saw a venue bringing out a kitchen knife, and if I saw it happening regularly I'd just mention it in passing to the Bride at our meeting so they can sort it out themselves.

I'm a helpful sort of chap so my first instinct is to try and help sort things out - but from experience this can easily become a rod for your own back. So I tend not to get directly involved in areas which aren't my direct concern anymore.

[yourdj]

Everything on it is either Heavy Metal, Rock, or Country!! I was worried. .

Sounds like my playlist tonight! I cannot deviate, which suits me. I have written some descriptions which helps me, and also segregated them into different folders.

Proper rock crowd, just done the ceremony.


80s - Bon Jovi - Living on a Prayer
9 To 5 - dolly parton Dolly Parton
Zoot Suit Riot (SWING) Cherry Poppin' Daddies
You Give Love a Bad Name Bon Jovi
You And Me And The Bottle Makes 3 Tonight (Baby) Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Wonderful Tonight Eric Clapton
Wild World Me First And The Gimme Gimmes
White Wedding Billy Idol
Weird Beard Mad Caddies
Walla Walla (fast Ska) The offspring
Walkin' Mat (ROCK) The Answer
Voodoo People [Pendulum Remix] The Prodigy
Uptown Girl (ROCK/SKA COVER) Me First And The Gimme Gimmes
Under the Sky The Answer
Trouble (ROCK - NICE) Skindred
Three Little Birds Bob Marley & the Wailers
These Arms of Mine Otis Redding
Sweet Home Alabama Lynyrd Skynyrd
Subterranean Homesick Blues Bob Dylan
Start Wearing Purple (burleque - cirus music) Gogol Bordello
Star Hellyeah
The Snake (SOUL MOTOWN) Al Wilson
Silence (DJ Tiësto In Search Of Sunrise Remix) Edit Delerium
The Sick Bed Of Cuchulainn The Pogues
Should I Stay or Should I Go The Clash
She Hates Me (Radio Edit) Puddle Of Mudd
Same Kind of Crazy (country) Patty Loveless
Run to The Hills Iron Maiden
Run DMC Featuring Aerosmith- Walk This Way Run DMC Feat. Aerosmith
(Roy Orbison rock cover) Wicked Game HIM
Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle) [Radio Edit] Limp Bizkit
Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle) Limp Bizkit
Roll to Me Del Amitri
Ring of fire Johnny Cash
Resist Kosheen
Refugee (RELAXED CLASSIC ROCK) Tom & Heartbreakers Petty
Push (SLOW) Sarah Mclachlan
Prodigy - Voodoo People
Privilege Incubus
The People (rock / electronic) The Music
Pencil Full of Lead Paolo Nutini
Nowhere Freeway (feat. Lynne Jackaman) The Answer
Nothing Else Matters Metallica
Nickelback - Rockstar Nickelback
Mountain Radio (fast country) The Benders
Michael Jackson - Just Beat It
Love Man Otis Redding
Love At First Fright Murderdolls
Look at All the People (RELAXED D&B) Boomkat
Keasbey Nights (Ska) Catch 22
The joker Steve Miller Band
Johnny Quest Thinks We're Sellouts (SKA/PUNK) Less Than Jake
the jackson 5 - blame it on the boogie
INSOMNIA (BEST ONE) Faithless
The Impression That I Get (ska - upbeat clueless) The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Highway to Hell AC/DC
Here I Go Again 87 (CLASSIC ROCK - SLOW START) Whitesnake
Guns N' Roses - Welcome to the Jungle
Guitar Man Elvis Presley
God Gave Rock 'n' Roll to you II Kiss
Girl You've Really Got Me Going The Kinks
Get Rhythm Johnny Cash
Get Back The Beatles
Fleetwood Mac - Everywhere
Fear Of Dying (ROCK - GIRL SINGING) Jack Off Jill
Express Yourself Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band
Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You shouldn't've) Buzzcocks
Elvis Presley - That's Alright Mama THAT'S ALL RIGHT MOMMA Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley - Suspicious Minds
Dusty Springfield - Son Of A Preacher Man - (Original Oldies 60s - 70s) 1968
Down With the Sickness (SWEARING!) Richard Cheese
Down With the Sickness (Clean) Richard Cheese
Don’t Stop Believing - Journey Starship
Don't Stop 'Till You Get E Michael Jackson
Dominion - Mother Russia The Sisters of Mercy
Destiny Zero 7
Date Rape Sublime
Dancing In the Dark Bruce Springsteen
Coming Undone Korn
Come Follow Me (FAST ROCK) The Answer
Cocaine Eric Clapton
Cindy Lauper - Girls Just Want To Have Fun
Carousel The Shanklin Freak Show
Bryan Adams - Summer of 69
Break On Through (JAZZ FUSION) The Doors
blue oyster cult - DONT FEAR THE REAPER
Blue Monday (ROCK COVER) Orgy
black sabbath - PARANOID
Black Sabbath - Die Young Black Sabbath
Bad Moon Rising Creedence Clearwater Revival
Aretha Franklin - Respect
Angel Massive Attack
Always Bon Jovi
Alice Cooper - Poison Various Artists
Ace of Spades - country cover (banjo) Hayseed Dixie

[funkymook]

Sounds like my playlist tonight! I cannot deviate, which suits me. I have written some descriptions which helps me, and also segregated them into different folders.

Proper rock crowd, just done the ceremony.


80s - Bon Jovi - Living on a Prayer
9 To 5 - dolly parton Dolly Parton
Zoot Suit Riot (SWING) Cherry Poppin' Daddies
You Give Love a Bad Name Bon Jovi
You And Me And The Bottle Makes 3 Tonight (Baby) Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Wonderful Tonight Eric Clapton
Wild World Me First And The Gimme Gimmes
White Wedding Billy Idol
Weird Beard Mad Caddies
Walla Walla (fast Ska) The offspring
Walkin' Mat (ROCK) The Answer
Voodoo People [Pendulum Remix] The Prodigy
Uptown Girl (ROCK/SKA COVER) Me First And The Gimme Gimmes
Under the Sky The Answer
Trouble (ROCK - NICE) Skindred
Three Little Birds Bob Marley & the Wailers
These Arms of Mine Otis Redding
Sweet Home Alabama Lynyrd Skynyrd
Subterranean Homesick Blues Bob Dylan
Start Wearing Purple (burleque - cirus music) Gogol Bordello
Star Hellyeah
The Snake (SOUL MOTOWN) Al Wilson
Silence (DJ Tiësto In Search Of Sunrise Remix) Edit Delerium
The Sick Bed Of Cuchulainn The Pogues
Should I Stay or Should I Go The Clash
She Hates Me (Radio Edit) Puddle Of Mudd
Same Kind of Crazy (country) Patty Loveless
Run to The Hills Iron Maiden
Run DMC Featuring Aerosmith- Walk This Way Run DMC Feat. Aerosmith
(Roy Orbison rock cover) Wicked Game HIM
Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle) [Radio Edit] Limp Bizkit
Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle) Limp Bizkit
Roll to Me Del Amitri
Ring of fire Johnny Cash
Resist Kosheen
Refugee (RELAXED CLASSIC ROCK) Tom & Heartbreakers Petty
Push (SLOW) Sarah Mclachlan
Prodigy - Voodoo People
Privilege Incubus
The People (rock / electronic) The Music
Pencil Full of Lead Paolo Nutini
Nowhere Freeway (feat. Lynne Jackaman) The Answer
Nothing Else Matters Metallica
Nickelback - Rockstar Nickelback
Mountain Radio (fast country) The Benders
Michael Jackson - Just Beat It
Love Man Otis Redding
Love At First Fright Murderdolls
Look at All the People (RELAXED D&B) Boomkat
Keasbey Nights (Ska) Catch 22
The joker Steve Miller Band
Johnny Quest Thinks We're Sellouts (SKA/PUNK) Less Than Jake
the jackson 5 - blame it on the boogie
INSOMNIA (BEST ONE) Faithless
The Impression That I Get (ska - upbeat clueless) The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Highway to Hell AC/DC
Here I Go Again 87 (CLASSIC ROCK - SLOW START) Whitesnake
Guns N' Roses - Welcome to the Jungle
Guitar Man Elvis Presley
God Gave Rock 'n' Roll to you II Kiss
Girl You've Really Got Me Going The Kinks
Get Rhythm Johnny Cash
Get Back The Beatles
Fleetwood Mac - Everywhere
Fear Of Dying (ROCK - GIRL SINGING) Jack Off Jill
Express Yourself Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band
Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You shouldn't've) Buzzcocks
Elvis Presley - That's Alright Mama THAT'S ALL RIGHT MOMMA Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley - Suspicious Minds
Dusty Springfield - Son Of A Preacher Man - (Original Oldies 60s - 70s) 1968
Down With the Sickness (SWEARING!) Richard Cheese
Down With the Sickness (Clean) Richard Cheese
Don’t Stop Believing - Journey Starship
Don't Stop 'Till You Get E Michael Jackson
Dominion - Mother Russia The Sisters of Mercy
Destiny Zero 7
Date Rape Sublime
Dancing In the Dark Bruce Springsteen
Coming Undone Korn
Come Follow Me (FAST ROCK) The Answer
Cocaine Eric Clapton
Cindy Lauper - Girls Just Want To Have Fun
Carousel The Shanklin Freak Show
Bryan Adams - Summer of 69
Break On Through (JAZZ FUSION) The Doors
blue oyster cult - DONT FEAR THE REAPER
Blue Monday (ROCK COVER) Orgy
black sabbath - PARANOID
Black Sabbath - Die Young Black Sabbath
Bad Moon Rising Creedence Clearwater Revival
Aretha Franklin - Respect
Angel Massive Attack
Always Bon Jovi
Alice Cooper - Poison Various Artists
Ace of Spades - country cover (banjo) Hayseed Dixie

Nice list - did you have to buy quite a few for the gig?

And I have to go 'what?!?' at this description: 'Break On Through (JAZZ FUSION) The Doors' :D

[yourdj]

Nice list - did you have to buy quite a few for the gig?

And I have to go 'what?!?' at this description: 'Break On Through (JAZZ FUSION) The Doors' :D

Yes not exactly accurate but I know what it means which is all that matters.
The drum beat is very modern swing/jazz like and the keyboard stuff sounds like hippie stuff too me.
I just imagine a load of stoned people having an orgy. Probably Steve and Angela back in their youth?

Yes had to purchase most of it but i get lucky most gigs and never have to buy anything.
The music is really important to this couple and they are ultra selective.

No idea why they wanted blame it on the boogie and 9 to 5 however?

[Corabar Entertainment]

You really do like getting slapped, don't you? :mad:

You really haven't got a clue, have you, Toby? :daft:

[Kernow]

You really do like getting slapped, don't you? :mad:

You really haven't got a clue, have you, Toby? :daft:
Or the correct thread ?.... this would be better in the "Bands into my PA" thread ;)


Alice Cooper - Poison Various Artists

Although I draw the line at carrying a knife (5 years minimum ! :)) and wardrobe alterations, (unless gaffa tape will do the trick ;)).... I do tend to carry a variety of leads and converters that will enable the connection of most popular interfaces to my system 'just in case'.

[chrisj]

But when the wheels fall off, for whatever reason, who does the customer turn to for advice, help, and a solution?
"Can you turn the venue lights down/off, they're spoiling the atmosphere? " Well not really, since the switches are over fifty yards away, and behind the bar.

I come from a time when things often didn't run like clockwork, not all the lights worked in the village hall, and we reguarly had to improvise in order to finish the evening. Perhaps* I'm living in the past.








* Perhaps? Perhaps? As one voice, the entire forum shouts at their PC, "Definitely"

I liked it in the past, life was so simple. I can do simple. :D:D

Those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end but.......I remember them well.

[STEVE HANLEY]

[Those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end ]

Taking Mary Hopkins out of the equation for a second. As long as I provide what I was hired to do. I.E Provide a cracking disco. Then I'm not really concerned about other PAID suppliers :Censored: up their end of the bargain. If any of the spare sockets/leads/ mics etc that we carry can help them out then fine no problem. But I'm with Shaun on this one.

Harsh?? Well yes maybe. but I'll be :Censored: If any entertainer(s) who are also getting paid as well. Possibly even more than me are plugging their gear into/through my sound system. If they damage it. I just don't want or need the hassle of getting them to replace it.

[paull]

I will let bands go through my PA, but I want to be paid for the liasing, engineering and monitoring that I will have to to do for this to happen smoothly

[SwingKing]

I know one thing, there's a heck of lot for which we don't get paid. Being an entertainer is a twenty-four hour job. Even when I'm not doing something performance-related (getting hold of new songs, learning new material, sequencing set-lists onto mini-disc, getting new equipment etc.) then I'm invariably thinking of the performance.

So, really, we never just get paid for the two hours or so that we're up there doing our thing. There's always a lot of miscellaneous extra stuff. My take on it is that it comes with the territory and we're all different as to where we draw the line.

Speaking of caterers, though, with the mention of the cake knife earlier, their egos can put any DJ or Musician to shame!

[DazzyD]

Although I'm, by nature, a helpful chap, and my business is all about giving clients what they want, this has to be agreed at the planning stage. I'll try to accommodate any late requests I have and help out where possible but I've no intention of carrying extra kit to help out other suppliers who couldn't be bothered to sort their own kit/backup/whatever in order to do the job that the client has hired THEM (not me!) for.

If you are sitting at home watching the TV and the batteries go dead in your remote, you wouldn't expect to pop outside and ask the window cleaner if he could sort you out with some replacement batteries, would you? Well, would you?

So, for those reasons, I'm in the Shaun and Steve Hanley mindset on this one.

[DJDC]

Reading this made me think about my gig last saturday, which turnes out to be quite a saga, but linked in a way.

I arrived in good time for a 7.30 start, set a bigger rig than realistically needed. Noticed the lighting in the room periodically flickered.

Night started everything seemed all ok. There was another party in an adjacent room with a DJ with a set of Skytec blues speakers etc. Around 21.10 I was actually in full swing just before the buffet when we lost all power room, lighting everything except the bar.

I went to speak to the bar staff who did not have a clue what had happened. Searched round for the nearest distibution board, everything switched on and all looked ok, all circuits to the room ok? I unplugged my supplies, and ensured everything was switched off. The lad (around 23-34yrs old) said that the sockets in the bar were also not working, nor the fruit machines, or sky and that this was shortly after another dj had plugged and powered his system up in the bar area.

I advised him that the distro I was connected to looked ok and was labelled DB4 therefore there were atleast 3 more, and somewhere there would be a main distro supply, he was at the time appearing to be the most responsible person from the bar staff and the manageress was no where to be seen. He went to inpsect DB4 and then dissapeared for 15 minutes looking at other boards, with power dissapearing in different places in the venue. When he came back I advised the best way to try and isolate the problem switching everything off, and starting with one board at a time power each one up in turn, switching items back on as each board was powered, or get the manageress to get an electrician out ASAP. I asked if I could run 2 supplies to another location so I could run a reduced rig until power was sorted as the other party was sill in full swing, I got told no, as they had never had it happen before and therefore must be my kit. I was a bit narked and stated all my kit is PAT tested regularly most of which is under 12 months old, and was all fully tested before I left, and everything was operating correctly for 2 1/2 hours beforehand, and none of the circuits in the room had tripped.

Fortunately my client was a relation to my wife so they understood the situation,and that I was trying to get the matter resolved. The manageress sort of appeared from her bed around 10, and told us an electrician was on the way, during this time I was trying to persued the bar staff to let me look at the different distro's to see if I could see any obvious fault was told no, and that all switches were still on! I told them if this was the case then they had lost a wire within their building somewhere as if a fault had been detected in anything plugged in it would have tripped somewhere, and been more obvious. The manageress reappeared in her best dress as the area manager was on their way?, but still no sign of an electrician, by this time I was trying to work out if anyone I knew had a Gennie I could get, but drew a blank. 10.25 Electrician turns up and lights start going on and off again. after 20 minutes all power come back on.

No one come back to me telling me what to to do so I thought sod it and I cautiously plug the sound back in, power up and alls ok, the slowly reintroduce the lighting, again all ok. Jobs a good one.

So during the downtime I'd tried to locate a possible fault, give advise to the staff, offered to implement a temporary solution, even contemplated more drastic measures, even though it was very unlikely to be my problem or fault in the first place.

Had the client been someone off the street maybe they would have believed the 21yr old female bar staff, who was shouting off it's never happened in the time i've worked here so it must be your DJ's equipment, and I had been subject to much abuse from the client and guests etc despite my efforts wanting a refund etc.

So after all this what was at fault ..........a wire in the old cellar that they don't use any more failed and took 2 boards out, it also transpired that the 8 bedrooms or so that they have had no sockets either, well dodgy wiring I'd say.

So my thought is was I been paid to assess the power issue, adivse staff, and offer possible solutions, and alternate ways I could continue, or should I have sat their saying until power in returned sorry nothing I can do. Fortunately for me on a standard booking I do have a clause that insists on 2 x 13a amp clean power supplies, and that I am not responsible for the failure of any power supply that I am required to use........

They are going to purse a claim with the venue, and the only other thing as a result of the whole event is as my Wifes cousin at one point got so upset my wife offered to have a replacement party this weekend at our house.

[SwingKing]

At a wedding gig recently, when I'd finished my first half the DJ came on and his gear wouldn't work. He spent nearly ten minutes to no avail and then asked if I could help. Luckily, I had about four hours' worth of music that I'd used for background music at a party the previous weekend so I banged that on whilst he took his amp away to try and work out what the problem was. An hour later, he came back with the issue sorted and then took over to complete his first shift. I didn't half feel sorry for him and was glad I could help.

So, it all depends on the situation really.

[Corabar Entertainment]

At a wedding gig recently, when I'd finished my first half the DJ came on and his gear wouldn't work. He spent nearly ten minutes to no avail and then asked if I could help. Luckily, I had about four hours' worth of music that I'd used for background music at a party the previous weekend so I banged that on whilst he took his amp away to try and work out what the problem was. An hour later, he came back with the issue sorted and then took over to complete his first shift. I didn't half feel sorry for him and was glad I could help.

So, it all depends on the situation really.

You say that, but you'll find that, almost without exception, the members on here carry spare kit and it would have been a case of a couple of minutes outage whilst the amp was swapped for the spare one - rather than the hour off-site repairing!

[SwingKing]

Well I said it because that's what happened.

[Corabar Entertainment]

Well I said it because that's what happened.
:confused::confused::confused: Sorry - I think maybe we've got crossed wires. I wasn't in any way suggesting that it didn't happen.

My point was that you said that you felt sorry for him, and it can depend, etc, and my reply was only saying that it is avoidable and most on here would have a spare to hand.

[SwingKing]

Ahh, I see what you mean now. Clearly he wasn't a member of this forum!

[Corabar Entertainment]

:thumbsup: