Who are we playing music for? Do we take requests?

[Nakatomi]

I've just found out that a karaoke night I did in January at a really average sports club has landed me a lovely wedding this weekend. Seems the bride had a " friend of a friend" who was unavailable, so asked family for advice. " You need the Lad/Old Git we saw doing karaoke last week at the sports club. Lots of fun, witty repartee, total superstar". :o:o
A cold wet night in January doing Karaoke has led to a plum wedding in August at a nice price. Every gig is a shop window.


Blimey Chris, there's thinking outside the box, and then there's sheer genius! :bowdown::bowdown: Giving the customers what they want. That's a big step into the unknown for a service industry! :Laugh:

Mod note: For anyone who thinks I'm having a pop at Chris, that aligns closely with my standard operating procedure. Not exactly, but very closely, I take requests, I play requests. It's not really rocket science, is it? :confused:

What's that expression? Hoisted by my own petard? That was me & my laid back approach at a wedding last night. The client was happy to give me an outline of "oh you know, just some 70s,80s,90s etc" & I thought hey I don't mind I can wing it with the best of em, right? Oh dear lord. As soon as the guests twigged I was taking requests in came all & sundry with all sorts I barely even had let alone would consider playing, usually along the lines of "something by Garth Brooks you can dance to". Uhhh ok. It turned out to be a somewhat interesting night, if not fun for me. The happy couple were nowhere to be seen for the last hour or so & by the last requests were crossed off I don't think I've ever been more glad of reaching the finish line.

[Excalibur]

What's that expression? Hoisted by my own petard? That was me & my laid back approach at a wedding last night. The client was happy to give me an outline of "oh you know, just some 70s,80s,90s etc" & I thought hey I don't mind I can wing it with the best of em, right? Oh dear lord. As soon as the guests twigged I was taking requests in came all & sundry with all sorts I barely even had let alone would consider playing, usually along the lines of "something by Garth Brooks you can dance to". Uhhh ok. It turned out to be a somewhat interesting night, if not fun for me. The happy couple were nowhere to be seen for the last hour or so & by the last requests were crossed off I don't think I've ever been more glad of reaching the finish line.

Curiously enough, I've just searched him on Tidal, and it's woeful. :eek::( Calling Baton Rouge was received rapturously at a recent wedding, but by another artist strangely. Ain't Going Down Till The Sun Comes Up is lively, and you can cheat a bit by playing his version of Billy Joel's You May Be Right.

Taking requests can be a two edged sword, especially at the death, when well lubricated guests twig that you have no chance of dancefloor action, and an internet connection. :D:D

[DJ Jules]

On the subject of requests...

My pet hate at the moment is weddings where the couple give me the guests' pre-requests without any consideration for their own tastes (despite BIG instructions on my website that they should focus on what they want and me re-iterating that I want quality, not quantity in all my pre-event comms). I had a wedding a couple of weeks ago where there were several occasions where I was playing through the "must play" section of the list, only for the bride to come up and ask me to change the music because "it's rubbish". I still blame the bridal forums for this trend as they push it as "ask your guests for their favourite song on the invites so they'll get excited when it's played on the night". The reality is that very few people remember what they put on the RSVP 4 months ago, and lots of them are rubbish or are just cliche wedding songs.

My other pet hate is where guests request songs in the last 10-15mins of the night and then get their hair off because I couldn't play it. But that's not exactly a new problem.

Julian

[ppentertainments]

On the subject of requests...

My other pet hate is where guests request songs in the last 10-15mins of the night and then get their hair off because I couldn't play it. But that's not exactly a new problem.

Julian
Always the Auntie that they didn't really want to invite who wants motown too :D:D:D

[ppentertainments]

Blimey Chris, there's thinking outside the box, and then there's sheer genius! :bowdown::bowdown: Giving the customers what they want. That's a big step into the unknown for a service industry! :Laugh:

Mod note: For anyone who thinks I'm having a pop at Chris, that aligns closely with my standard operating procedure. Not exactly, but very closely, I take requests, I play requests. It's not really rocket science, is it? :confused:

I even go so far as if people ask if I can play it next (ask not demand) I play it next, and get great feedback for doing so.

People ask for it 'next' for the same reason when enquiring they always ask 'how much'

[Imagine]

I even go so far as if people ask if I can play it next (ask not demand) I play it next, and get great feedback for doing so.

People ask for it 'next' for the same reason when enquiring they always ask 'how much'

Blimey - have a woken up in a dream or something?
You mean I'm not the only one to work this way?

The world's going mad :daft:

[DeckstarDeluxe]

I even go so far as if people ask if I can play it next (ask not demand) I play it next, and get great feedback for doing so.

'

I've had a few that just stand there waiting for me to load up and play their request next...... some people huh.

[Zog]

I've had a few that just stand there waiting for me to load up and play their request next...... some people huh.

A mobile D.J. is only a mobile Juke Box after all.:)

Come the day when the partygoers will not want a personal human D.J., only an automatic computerised music machine that they can operate themselves. There will be a big screen on the wall showing a picture of the requester and details of their request[s]. A.I. WILL take over.

To cancel a bad request, the machine will allow that by using a delete button. but at a cost.

Zog.

[Nakatomi]

On the subject of requests...

.... I still blame the bridal forums for this trend as they push it as "ask your guests for their favourite song on the invites so they'll get excited when it's played on the night". The reality is that very few people remember what they put on the RSVP 4 months ago, and lots of them are rubbish or are just cliche wedding songs.



I now try to tell all my customers that while this night seem a good idea it's a lot less work for everyone if they just let guests know they can request tunes at the event. I pondered making a socials post saying "do you just LOVE spreadsheets? Then by all means ask for music requests in your wedding invitations" :lol:

As for people who ask for NEXT or a sequence I use my judgement. If they're being a git there's no chance. Next indeed! What am I? Spotify,?? I still try to play everything I can but it's not necessarily happening on their schedule. Generally if it's the customer It goes on next or ASAP. If it's random guest 37 & they're leaving in 5 minutes..... :lol: nope.

[Benny Smyth]

"Can you play it next?"

"You know the last wedding that you went to where you were on the dance floor enjoying yourself, but then the DJ plays something that can only be described as a random left turn, resulting in you all standing still, looking at each other confused and uttering the words 'What the F'?

That's what you're asking me to do right now."

As for guest requests on RSVPs, I'm on a bit of a mini crusade to bury that concept all the way to hell. (https://bennysmyth.co.uk/blog/post/stop-asking-for-guest-requests-on-wedding-rsvps/)

[Excalibur]

As for guest requests on RSVPs, I'm on a bit of a mini crusade to bury that concept all the way to hell. (https://bennysmyth.co.uk/blog/post/stop-asking-for-guest-requests-on-wedding-rsvps/)

I hear what you say/see what you type. You're not wholly wrong, but you're definitely not right. Done correctly, it's one of the most powerful aids we have.

Yes, I'm prepared to turn up at a gig with no advance requests, but a general steer, and a few tracks can really cut down the amount of " ranging " tracks we throw out to test the water, until we get in sync with the guests.

[Benny Smyth]

I hear what you say/see what you type. You're not wholly wrong, but you're definitely not right. Done correctly, it's one of the most powerful aids we have.

Yes, I'm prepared to turn up at a gig with no advance requests, but a general steer, and a few tracks can really cut down the amount of " ranging " tracks we throw out to test the water, until we get in sync with the guests.

As you know, my work is predominantly weddings and when you learn about the couple's taste in music, you indirectly find out what music their social circle likes too. They all go out together to the same places, and house parties tend to have very similar playlists.

Obviously, the proverbial cap is doffed to all genres and decades to make sure everyone hears something that they enjoy, but I've found that the most successful nights are the ones where you build around that core group.

The couple dosn't need to do any extra work because I can find that stuff out by talking to them. I don't see how anyone can get value from any service by paying someone to do it for you, and then taking on some of the work yourself, in much the same way that I wouldn't get value paying an electrician to install a couple of sockets in my living room and then saying "Give us yer screwdriver!"

[Excalibur]

The couple doesn't need to do any extra work because I can find that stuff out by talking to them. I don't see how anyone can get value from any service by paying someone to do it for you, and then taking on some of the work yourself, in much the same way that I wouldn't get value paying an electrician to install a couple of sockets in my living room and then saying "Give us yer screwdriver!"

But if he installs the wrong sockets, you'll wish you had taken the screwdriver away from him. :D

I had a wedding where if I'd played exactly what the couple wanted musically, we'd have had three people in the room for the last three hours. Their guests definitely did not share their love of Delta Blues! :eek:

[Benny Smyth]

But if he installs the wrong sockets, you'll wish you had taken the screwdriver away from him. :D

I would make sure that I hired the correct person who understood my needs. How would I do that? That would be a conversation, not a spreadsheet.


I had a wedding where if I'd played exactly what the couple wanted musically, we'd have had three people in the room for the last three hours. Their guests definitely did not share their love of Delta Blues! :eek:

Which is why I build a night around the core group, but not for the core group. We get paid to shoulder the responsibility so our clients don't have to, and sometimes that means taking ownership of the event. There is a reason why we don't let children teach in schools.

[Excalibur]

OK, Boys and Girls, and grumpy Old Mods. We're drifting away from the purpose of this section, so can we try to keep posts to gig reports, please? If I can master the technology, the last few posts may magically disappear, and reappear in a shiny new purpose built home. Thank You.

[Zog]

As you know, my work is predominantly weddings and when you learn about the couple's taste in music, you indirectly find out what music their social circle likes too. They all go out together to the same places, and house parties tend to have very similar playlists.

Obviously, the proverbial cap is doffed to all genres and decades to make sure everyone hears something that they enjoy, but I've found that the most successful nights are the ones where you build around that core group.

The couple dosn't need to do any extra work because I can find that stuff out by talking to them. I don't see how anyone can get value from any service by paying someone to do it for you, and then taking on some of the work yourself, in much the same way that I wouldn't get value paying an electrician to install a couple of sockets in my living room and then saying "Give us yer screwdriver!"

The wedding guests may not all go out socially together. Some live a good distance away and others enjoy a different lifestyle to the happy couple. The guests' musical tastes can vary greatly.

Zog.


I hear what you say/see what you type. You're not wholly wrong, but you're definitely not right. Done correctly, it's one of the most powerful aids we have.

Yes, I'm prepared to turn up at a gig with no advance requests, but a general steer, and a few tracks can really cut down the amount of " ranging " tracks we throw out to test the water, until we get in sync with the guests.

No play list or requests to guide the D.J. is like ordering food in a restaurant for a party of guests with no menu.

Z.

[Excalibur]

Well as Good Gig Bad Gig seems to have become " do the bride and groom's friends all like the same music " if I can do this correctly, they will all appear here. If I do it incorrectly, the forum could look like a bomb has gone off in the back. :luck:

[Benny Smyth]

The wedding guests may not all go out socially together. Some live a good distance away and others enjoy a different lifestyle to the happy couple. The guests' musical tastes can vary greatly.

Zog.

Did...did you see me type something to the contrary? :confused:

[Excalibur]

Right, well here we all are in the beautifully appointed new thread. Lots more room in here, and the decor is nicer. The one thing beyond my control is dates. The Forum works in Date Order, and older posts will take precedence. Hence why the introduction is nearly twenty posts along! Right, now we seem to have two concurrent themes in this one, do we take requests, and is the music we play ( requested or otherwise ) tightly focussed, or widely spread. Both options can have pitfalls.

I will offer my thoughts shortly, hopefully, meanwhile, carry on, Boys and Girls.

[Zog]

Did...did you see me type something to the contrary? :confused:

Why do you ask?

Zog.

[Excalibur]

Did...did you see me type something to the contrary? :confused:


Why do you ask?

Zog.

Benny feels that we are judging him harshly and unfairly. He maintains that he runs an inclusive and all encompassing operation , with music for everyone.

We're deep into semantics here, once again, and I see no Christmas Day football in No Man's Land here. I've read and reread Benny's posts, and he asserts that I'm misunderstanding a perfectly clear message. Perhaps I'm just a doddery old fool. It happens. :daft:

[Nakatomi]

Benny makes a valid point here I think. By far the most successful (and fun) weddings are the ones where the happy couple's peer group outnumber the other guests & are on the same page musically. SEP weddings - Somebody Else Paying (aka rent-a-gran) weddings can turn out to be The Most Wedddingy Wedding Disco In The World Ever. Great - now I've got a Sweet Caroline earworm again. Kill me now :lol:

I reckon there's a fine line between a customer not wanting to be too selfish & watering things down so much that their wedding is so generic it's not really about them anymore.

[Excalibur]

I reckon there's a fine line between a customer not wanting to be too selfish & watering things down so much that their wedding is so generic it's not really about them anymore.

Or to reverse it, ( much as Benny suggests ) the best ones are when the guests share an appreciation of the music the happy couple like.

Note though that I didn't say same musical tastes. I've had nightmare gigs when musical tastes polarise the event, and as soon as you go one way, half the crowd come up and complain. You go in the other direction, and the other half come up to complain. No appreciation of other music, that's a mood killer.

[DJ Jules]

I reckon there's a fine line between a customer not wanting to be too selfish & watering things down so much that their wedding is so generic it's not really about them anymore.

Or, in the case of my wedding a couple of weeks ago, including so many guest requests that the music wasn't really about anyone or anything! After I finished, the guests threw on some music on a Bluetooth speaker and, from the choices they were making, they clearly all had specific tastes which would have worked great - but none of the songs were on the list.

I've had a couple before who tried to give me a 700 song playlist that they compiled by hitting the favourite button on Spotify whenever they heard a song that they liked in the 2 years prior to the wedding. Absolutely meaningless.

I've also had a couple who played the playlist I had as background during the wedding breakfast so, by the time I got to it in the evening, almost every song had been played at least twice during the day. Similarly, I've also been given the band's set list as a playlist on the basis that "they had some good songs on there".

Playlists are great, if moderated with a little common sense.

Julian

[DeckstarDeluxe]

And here is the real skill, knowing when to bin off playlists and when to stick with it and accepting some outlying guests won't be seeing much dancefloor action.

[ppentertainments]

And here is the real skill, knowing when to bin off playlists and when to stick with it and accepting some outlying guests won't be seeing much dancefloor action.

Quite an easy decision to make when the B&G are outside having a fag all night lol. I had one night, where they were outside all night, a cracking night was had all night but afterwards they asked if they could see a list of songs played to check all their songs were played :daft::daft::daft:

[Excalibur]

Playlists are great, if moderated with a little common sense.

Julian

:zip::zip::fp::fp::fp:


And here is the real skill, knowing when to bin off playlists and when to stick with it and accepting some outlying guests won't be seeing much dancefloor action.
I think he's got it. By George he's got it!


Quite an easy decision to make when the B&G are outside having a fag all night lol. I had one night, where they were outside all night, a cracking night was had all night but afterwards they asked if they could see a list of songs played to check all their songs were played :daft::daft::daft:
I bet you had a glitch in the software that night? Or did you play off the Cortex? :whistle::whistle:

[ppentertainments]

:zip::zip::fp::fp::fp:


I think he's got it. By George he's got it!


I bet you had a glitch in the software that night? Or did you play off the Cortex? :whistle::whistle:
Yeah, I don't store playlists to ensure it doesn't clog things up (obviously) haha:BS: