Happy Halloween

Wedding DJs: Price vs Quality

Many times the first question I am asked when a new couple decides to make the commitment of marriage to one another is, "How much do you charge?" or "We are on a budget, can you work with us?"

The price you pay for entertainment is directly proportional to the quality you receive, which is directly proportional to the success of your event.

This statement could not be any more true, and you can easily compare something like this with having the Black Eyed Peas come perform at your event, or your local up-and-comers to try to put on the same show.  Now granted, anyone is going to pay more for a Black Eyed Peas show and I am no celebrity, but its the quality of performance you are paying for and for what you are receiving that I am comparing here.

I am a full time DJ and have been for over 5 years now. Prior to that I was considered a "part" time DJ, but have been a DJ for nearly a decade now.  What is the difference?  I have at least 1 but average more or less 2 to 3 gigs a week as a DJ.  Why is this important?  Would you pay the extra money for a Doctor who goes to work weekly and does his surgeries and life around his profession, or would you try to save a few dollars by hiring a "qualified" doctor, but who only performs his profession a few times a year?  This goes right back to the quote. Let's read that again shall we?

The price you pay for entertainment is directly proportional to the quality you receive, which is directly proportional to the success of your event.

I firmly believe in this statement, but I also understand, that each client is different to me.  Different in their wants, needs, and most importantly, their budgets.  This is why I offer a wide range of options to fit your needs.

If your looking for a "Cheap DJ", DJ Prievo Entertainment is not the place to find one.  Good DJs are not cheap and cheap DJs are not good. Let me repeat that.  Good DJs are not cheap and cheap DJs are not good.

Often times before when bride and grooms have looked at the pricing of DJs and really went through the thought process of this being the ONE SPECIAL day in their lives they will never forget, many to which have dreamed about since they were children, they have come to the realization that "cheaping" out on a Wedding DJ or as I consider myself, a Wedding Entertainment Specialist, is not an option.

Decor is important; its sets the mood but also makes for great pictures which help capture the moment in time where the bride and groom celebrated the culmination of their friendship and love.  But I've always said, do people leave the wedding reception saying, "I had such a great time, those napkins were so pretty." Or "That was such a horrible wedding because their chair covers were cheap!"  The answer is probably not. But have you heard this before..."It was an ok wedding." (DJ didn't do a good job or didn't do anything "SPECIAL" for your "SPECIAL" day!!) or "That was such a great wedding, the DJ was so much fun and so good. My feet hurt from dancing and he did ______ for the bride and groom! It was so special!!" Etc.  I'm going to go with the second set of responses.  You usually remember a wedding by how much fun you had.  Think of the best wedding reception you've ever attended.  I'm willing to assume that the reception you have in mind doesn't have people sitting in their chairs all night socializing and leaving early.  Am I right?

Sad to say, but I was once that DJ.  I am not afraid to say that.  I was once the DJ who was affordable for EVERYONE but not wanted by everyone.  I am not afraid to say I messed up my cousin's husband's last name as I announced them into their reception hall (my very first wedding).  No one other than the groom and myself caught it, but it happened.  These weddings I'm discussing are when people enjoyed their time but it wasn't anything SPECIAL. It was another by the book wedding where people show up, they eat your food, watch you do your first couple dances, then leave because, well, its just another wedding and their appearance was visualized.

This isn't me any more.  This isn't what I offer anymore.  Specialized and customized wedding introductions, love stories, customized wedding dances, voice overs, customized wedding speeches, recordings, etc... these are just SOME of the EXTRAs that I offer.  These are all included with the music that flows flawlessly from one song to another so there isn't a want or need for your wedding guests to sit down; transitioning from your classic wedding oldies to the newest Rihanna and Black Eyed Peas songs that keeps even Grandma and Grandpa enjoying themselves along side the hippest of your peers. This is all included with a Master of Ceremonies (Emcee/MC), who has the perfect voice to set the tone for the evening and understands the importance of when and when not to speak and what to and not to say. WORD CHOICE. It's important when you are a Wedding MC. Would you rather hear, "Ladies and Gentlemen can I have your attention for the Father/Daughter Dance..." (Boring, everyday MC) or "Mr. Johnson, remember that special moment when Jessica first rode her bike without training wheels or when you were teaching her to drive a car, or graduating high school? Jessica has asked that you join her on the dance floor to share yet another special moment in your lives together and share a dance with you on her wedding day." Now that exact quote does not work for nearly 10% of my clients, but because I get to learn who the Bride and Groom are on a personal level, I know what works.

All of this is included with a younger, energetic, talented, but EXPERIENCED entertainer who is prepared, assists you with creating a timeline for your wedding from the moment the guests arrive to the last song of the night, all included regardless of what wedding package fits your needs!

The fiance is yours. The love is yours. The day is yours. But the memories are everyones and those memories should put smiles on everyone's face and WILL, if your DJ is DJ Prievo Entertainment.  The choice, well that is yours too, so, make that a smart choice, make that choice, DJ Prievo Entertainment.

Down To My Last Request!

I need to start off by saying, if you are a customer or client of mine or have ever been to an event where my services were hired as a Mobile DJ or with DJ Prievo Entertainment, this does not pertain to you.  I have been a DJ for coming on nearly a decade now. Starting out with a Dual Disc CD player with Display and a Controller, a 19" Rack Mounted Mixer, and a small sound system with over 400 CDs of several different genres, a request for a song was one of my least favorite things to receive from people.  WHY? I was the most unexperienced and UNORGANIZED "DJ", probably in the market.  To find the song you wanted to hear was as hard as trying to find a curse word in the Washington Post.  It wasn't that I didn't want to take your requests, it was the fact that I was an unorganized and unexperienced DJ and wasn't able to just "type" in the name of the song like today and have it appear on my screen.  

At the time, mobile gigs were all I did. And with that, although I didn't enjoy it, taking requests helped me become a better DJ by learning what people wanted. Whether it was on my "Best Of" Collection of CDs or a particular song found in the latest Nelly CD, I was able to learn what people wanted to hear and wanted played.  Fast forward 7 years from when I first started and put me in a nightclub and in the bar scenes.  Now, I am a syndicated radio mixshow DJ for The Border 106.7 (New York) and am in the early stages of becoming a live-on air mixshow radio DJ for Clear Channel Radio.  I've been involved in mixshow DJin' in radio for just over a year but have been involved in nightclub and bar DJing for nearly 5.  My job as a dedicated and full time DJ, especially for the younger generation, is providing you with the best collaboration of music in a form that motivates people to stay at the club or bar, enjoy themselves, and purchase drinks.  Didn't know that did ya?  I remember being asked (obviously at a bar not nightclub) to "switch up" the music before, by a manager, because no one was purchasing drinks, but rather dancing the entire time.  When I had this request asked of me, I said, "Hey Mike, You Do Realize the Dancefloor is JAM Packed right now with about 700 people on the first and second floor right?" His response was that they weren't buying any alcohol and therefore I wasn't doing "MY JOB."  Well, that is an "OK" request in my eyes. Why? Because it comes directly from management and as an establishment you do not make profit with scuffed up dance floors and half filled garbage cans.  Progressing with my DJin' career I've had the opportunity to work at many great places and some of the busiest bars and clubs in the DMV (District, Maryland, Virginia).  Some of these venues want the attraction of females to overcome the dance floors and wall to wall wave of movement with the sounds of the DJ.  EDM or Electronic Dance Music, has taken over the "Mainstream" sound and is the majority heard in the Pop Culture today.  Almost every new "Pop" track on its way out has some sort of electric sound within and many have the big builds that place them directly on point and club ready as soon as they hit the record pools.  When a song isn't "Club Ready" what happens is many remixers will take the vocals from the track and create their own edits in order for the track to be "Club Ready".  This allows for a variety of sounds and remixes of one individual track that can be played by me and other DJs at our venues.  For the longest time Usher and Adele took the most storage space on my hard drive between OMG and  Rolling in the Deep remixes.  These remixes are different and have different builds but when a track is HOT and its getting the mediabase spins (radio) (and in radio are called "POWERS" & "Uppers") and the promo chart spins (clubs/djs) these tracks are what we call PEAK HOUR tracks.  Meaning the time of the night when MOST people are in attendance at the venue and when you really get to get into your sets and just let it loose.  Most of the time for a nightclub that opens from 10pm-3am, this would be anywhere from 11:30-2:30 and that really varies depending on different places. Some places I've DJ'd at and didnt even start DJin' until 11pm and the peak hour wasn't until 1230-2am which is most nightclub peak hours. Why am I telling you all this? Here's why.  These peak hours are set up by us DJ's strategically.  It may not be planned out song by song or prerecorded like some bigger named "DJ's" do, but we have an idea of how we want the night to go and how to get into it and out of it.  Its also the job of the DJ to bring the crowd back down after the peak hour, but that is another topic.  Im here to discuss WHY I WONT PLAY YOUR FAVORITE SONG RIGHT NOW AT 10pm WHEN I FIRST START MY OPENING SET.  I had a girl tonight, well its now morning for normal people but tonight, ask me at 9:32pm (I took over from the opening set DJ at 8:50pm because he had to go from DC to his night venue in College Park, MD). So I'm 42 Minutes in, I'm just getting my opening set started and this girl comes up to me.  Now granted, yes, if you are a sexy attractive female, you probably have a better chance of getting your song played. PLUS, if it is DEAD or NOONE is there yet and we are just starting out, sure maybe you'll get your song played.  But let me set the scene for you.  This place that I am DJin' at is voted #1 Happy Hour in DC...yea, its kinda busy!! So the place is full, people are "dancing" and by that I mean I'm playing some 2010/2011 Pop Music and they are enjoying it, but there is no fist pumping action taking place.  This girl whom, yes, was attractive, wanted her songs played...NOW!

Here was our conversation:

Girl-"So me it's my friends 21st Birthday tonight."

Me-"Oh thats great, happy birthday to her. Why don't u go get her and bring her here and we'll all do a birthday shot together!"

Girl-"No she doesn't want to do shots."

Me-"Oh ok, well did you need something?"

Girl-"Yeah, we want you to play Birthday Sex, Birthday Cake, and that new Calvin Harris song cuz we're getting ready to leave."

Me-"Your leaving? Where are you going?"

Girl-Undisclosed Location...

Me-"Oh yea? Well I can probably get you your Jeremih track in, but not the others, its not even 10pm yet..."

Girl-"That doesn't matter what time it is and she wants to hear it, its her 21st!"

Me-"Well if the DJ at ________ is any good, I'm sure she will hear those right around 11-12pm tonight but I'm not going to play them I'm sorry."

Girl-"Well then whatever just play birthday sex."

Me-"Ok. I'm on it I'll get it in for you."

Girl (stands there and waits like I was going to play right then and there like she was MY priority and I had to drop everything I was doing and working for to slowly bring the entire venue into the mode for the evening, and do what SHE wanted to, because its her friends 21st Birthday and they were leaving soon.)

THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME!  DJ's know this, but many people in the public do not. But here is the bottom line, when you hire a DJ, your hiring him for yes, his music collection, but you hiring him for his talents and skills involved with the art of DJing and his ability to improvise and read a crowd to motivate them into having one hell of a night.  If you just want a music collection that takes request, BUY A DAMN JUKEBOX.

In closing, because I don't want you to have to keep reading about this because the DJ's already know and are already sick of these requests, its just that the public may not be aware. So, I have created the perfect song request form that can be download in PDF form (see the link below), printed off, and copied and used at these venues to help spread the word to the public about what it is like for us to sit and take requests behind the turntables.  Flip the chairs around and find me at your place of employment requesting you cook my fries and halfway through the fries being cooked, pour me a coke, then make my burger, toasted bun, put the lettuce on first, then the pickles, ketchup, cook my burger well done, and then add it to the bun...oh and then go get me extra ketchup...in that order and NOW because I have to leave. Sound familiar? Those people PISS OFF the waiters and waitresses, guess what, the vicious circle of the whole thing is those waitresses and waiters are probably the ones pissing us off at the booth. Don't request songs from your DJs at establishments that have a resident DJ and if you really want to because you really want that song played, pucker up or bring some shots because its not going to work without.

PDF DOWNLOAD FOR DJ REQUEST FORM

HERE IS A GOOD VIDEO OF A TYPICAL DJ BOOTH CONVERSATION

INFORM THE PUBLIC. WE ARE DJ'S NOT JUKE BOXES.

#NOREQUESTS #NOMORE