To be or not to be…
After seeing what DJ’s make for providing services at weddings, parties, etc. I am thinking maybe I should invest in some DJ equipment and get on the train. I was an on-air DJ for 10 yrs, I have tons of music and I am willing to invest. Any thoughts…
Ready to move…
cliff
I had a pretty sweet DJ gig for two years - every Friday and Saturday at one of three clubs owned by the same company, and for seriously good money.
I finally got fired when they got a new GM - my job went to one of his buddies. Oh well… I was burned out on it anyway. After a while it’s hard to stay motovated just playing recordings for people, no matter how good the money may be.
Since losing that job a year ago, I joined a cover band with some really great guys and we’ve played 30 gigs together in the past year.
Here’s a list if you’re curious…
We don’t make much money, but I am much happier doing this than I ever was when I DJ’d.
I suppose it all depends upon your particular needs and motovations. DJ’ing is a cool way to make really good money, but it’s tough to get the business started (and to find club gigs!).
FWW - I used a laptop instead of CD’s the entire time. Check out this software:
AtomixMP3
You can set it up to send a mono signal from one “player” out of the left output and send a mono signal from the other “player” out of the right output. This allows you to hook your laptop to a DJ mixer and operate exactly as if you had two independent CD players. (cue, mix, crossfade, etc…)
Also, to buy new music, I used to subscribe to this service:
Promo Only
Let me know if there are any questions I might be able to answer for ya!
-John
Here’s some pix:
My laptop, club-owned mixer and sound-system.
Halloween 2004 - this was my view from the booth. The club has an indoor area and an outdoor area. When the band played, I turned off the outdoor speakers, but continued to play music for the indoor section… 
Halloween 2004
I used to make pretty good bucks back in the day when I was in a cover band. But it is too hard to hook up with people now who want to commit to practicing and giving up weekends nights.
Two people I know who got married in the past 4 months paid their DJ 1500 for 3 hours. The DJ said he works a gig every weekend, sometimes two… that got me thinking.
This guy was using actual CD’s and I didn’t consider him very good…which got me thinking even more.
I will continue to ponder…
thanx for the input…
cliff
| Quote (g8torcliff @ Jan. 10 2006,06:24) |
| This guy was using actual CD’s and I didn’t consider him very good…which got me thinking even more. |
Nowdays,The only advantage in using actual CDs is that they make you look busy…
Most people that got a look at my set-up while I was working were either impressed (hey, neat-o!), or didn’t care as long as I played Nicklecrack or whatever it was they wanted to hear. With the laptop, I could find a song in seconds, as opposed to searching through a binder of CD’s.
Wedding DJ’s charge a lot of money for the same reason everyone else in the wedding business charges a lot of money - because they can.
I’ve never done a wedding, but I have a friend that does them all the time. You’ll usually get a playlist from the bride that includes all the “special” songs (first dance, etc…) as well as songs to be played for the after dinner druken grandma dance party. The trick is being able to keep everyone happy, from grandma all the way down to 14 year old Suzy that thinks you suck because you won’t play “Milkshake” for the third time.
The quickest way to build your music collection is to scour Amazon.com for compilation CD’s (best of the 80’s etc…) and buy them used.
Best of luck to ya!
-John
Just thinking about…
thanks for the info & insight
cliff