Don't get ripped off... Call us, not them.

This past Friday, I had the opportunity to do a "lighting only" gig.  The client had already booked a DJ and photo booth (with another company), but wanted lighting, which I was more than happy to provide.

I thought this would give me some insight into what other local DJs are doing, what they are using and what they charge.  I was shocked at what I found...

I will not name the other company, but I will say that they offer DJ, photography and photo booths in Michigan, Ohio and Florida.  They have about 8 DJs that work for them on a "contract" basis.  Many DJs do this to fill gaps in their schedule as we all have to work to make a living.  I do 3-4 contract events per year, myself (not for this particular company though).

I was shocked to see this...

 

This picture could have easily been taken back in the '90s, but it was taken this past Friday in 2013!  The equipment and extremely small collection of CDs are relics of an era long gone.  Don't get me wrong, CDs are fine for home use, but not for a professional.  At the most, this DJ had no more than 5,000 songs with him.

The DJ Guy carries nearly 100,000 songs with instant access to any one of the 26 million songs from iTunes or Amazon.

 

The lighting he uses wasn't any better... par cans with incandescent bulbs and gel colored sheets over them to provide a whopping FOUR colors! (and the only other light was from the spot and disco ball)

The DJ Guy uses all LED lighting.  It's brighter, more vibrant and doesn't burn out (20 year life expectancy).  Our two par cans flood the dance floor with up to 16 colors, in addition to the specialty gobo scanner and whole-room pattern lighting of our other specialty lights.

You'll also notice that his speakers are on the floor.  This is an absolute no-no.  When speakers are left on the ground, you get horrible sound that doesn't reach very far and certainly CANNOT be heard at the other end of the room.  This is a problem because announcements, speeches and toasts will not be heard by the guests.

I arrived back at the end of the reception about 20 minutes early for lighting removal and walked in to see if it had ended early.  There were about 5 people dancing so I stood out in the hallway waiting.  I got to hear him speak, which he did very professionally, so there was no problem there, but... the songs he played at the end of the night were all very dated.  I realize that every couple has different music tastes, but having met the (young) couple myself, I don't think these were their choices.

I did ask him what company he was with and the next day, I inquired about a wedding DJ for 6 hours at the same venue.  I first received a automated reply, which stated: "We deliver ALL of our services using a very high minimum standard.  It is our passion, time and experience that puts us above the rest, and we show it time and time again!"

If standards are so high, why isn't the quality of the equipment?  Why is the DJ carrying such a limited selection?  Why are the speakers on the ground?

I was dying to know what they charge for an event and finally a few hours later, I got my answer - sort of.

The email said they had my fictitious wedding date available and that they would like to speak to me about the date (though I had already provided everything needed for a proper quote.  At the very bottom in small print was a link to pricing...

$900!

I couldn't believe it.  For that same amount you could get our Gold Package, which not only includes a FAR better DJ, sound system, music selection and lighting; but also two additional services of your choice!  (up lighting, ceremony sound, monogram projection or slide show).

This particular company had a very nice website, which other than my own, is rare.  Having done web design in the past, I know the importance of a good, easy to navigate site.  A good website isn't everything though and that's something this other company needs to learn.

I also inquired about their photo booth. Their photo booth is TWICE the price of ours!

As the owner of The DJ Guy, I GUARANTEE that you will have the absolute best in sound, music selection, lighting and professional looking setup; at the best prices.

Call us today to book your "once in a lifetime" event!