Starting a Mobile DJ Business
By Phil Wright
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Firstly and most important to becoming a DJ is of course MUSIC, It stands to reason that you must like music in order to be a DJ! In the world of Mobile DJing you MUST be open and receptive to all kinds of music as not all audiences are the same, in fact I don't think I've ever come across any two that are alike, everyone you do will always have it's own unique elements no matter how subtle. That may sound absolutely obvious but if you're a fan of say Britney Spears for instance or Justin Timberlake and no other music exists for you outside of Britney or Justin, then quite simply being a mobile DJ is not going to work (unless you just do gigs for their fan clubs of course), but somehow I think the regular work just wouldn't be there. (Any fans of the artists above there no offence intended, I like some of their stuff myself, it was purely an example). I'm not saying I like all of the songs all of the time but you MUST be open minded about it as it will pay off dividends in the future when your out their DJing and at the end of the day the more versatile you are and the more your mobile DJ/Disco business prospers and that is the key to make this a success you must treat this as a business, not a night out! For example, looking at my experience alone, my music catalogue AND TASTES now run through so many different types of music genres and styles. Coming myself from the UK and a background of Motown, Soul, Disco and Jazz Funk as my roots ( Lets get this out of the way right now - YES, I HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR A WHILE!! ) if someone had predicted to me then that in twenty years time I would come to regard songs from such styles as Swing/Big Band Music, Rock, Punk (New Wave), Ska and more recently Salsa, as acceptable styles of music to use to create the right atmosphere for a good party I would have thought that they were insane! But here I am today telling you that it's all true and I think that that's part of the reason that I'm still DJing today and as for the Salsa - wow! The music the rhythm and the dancing itself is so hypnotic it's amazing and if you do get to do a salsa night you'll NEVER have an empty dance floor which I find incredibly satisfying because if people enjoy themselves they will be back for more and your phone wont stop! Just look at some of the recording artists that have been around for absolutely years and are still having chart hits today, admittedly not as often but they still manage to get up into the top 10 or 20! . . Take Madonna as an example she has adapted her style of music over the years to fit in with the current trends and in a similar way that is what a DJ has to do! Listen to the new music, take it on board and accept that you may need to modify your play lists to accommodate these new sounds and styles. Please don't let this worry you though, you will still be asked to play the classic disco tunes, and cheesy music from the past that secretly everyone wants to here, but the good thing is that you can be more selective on which ones you play because the new popular tunes from the likes of Justin Timberlake, Britney, Rihanna, Kelly Rowland, Kanye West and Mika are going to be requested by your younger audience (and sometimes even from your OLDER audience members :) and as there is only so much time in an evenings entertainment that in itself gives you the ability to pick and choose (to a degree) what you are going to play. If you get requests for something you think may not go down well (and believe me you will), don't commit yourself to playing it by saying Yes I've got it, tell them you'll have a look for it or and the chances are that they will be forget about it because they are too busy having a good time. However there are those that can be extremely persistent and at some point you will have to either bite the bullet and play their request, or tell them nicely that you can't play it at the moment because it doesn't fit with the type of music your currently playing, but when you change the music style shortly OR when there is a lull in the dancing you will put their request on for them. Believe me you will get natural Lull's in the dancing sometimes. Remember that you are usually dealing with a very wide age group when doing mobile disco's and the older ones (although they like to think otherwise) can't keep up the pace of your younger audience, sometimes this can work against you, but if you plan your sets out two or three songs ahead it will more often work to your advantage. Investment As painful as it may be before you can start making money with your Mobile Disco Business you will have to handover a certain amount of cash to buy the mobile DJ equipment you need to get you on the road - Speculate to accumulate as they say! What will I need? The Basics Ok Then, let's look at equipment and put together a little shopping list of need only basis for a start. We will forget music for the time being as most people have their own collection that they have accumulated over the years which will give you a good basis to start from, so lets have a look at the rest of the gear your will need:- Decks Although still relatively new on the scene MP3 and Wave music files are now firmly established within the music community and accepted and used widely by DJ's because of their small files size and ability to still achieve CD quality sound. They can be stored on and played from MP3 players, computers and can also be stored on CD for use in MP3 compatible CD Players. Making them a good option is size and space is an issue and for any purists out there can now be scratched just like vynil thanks to the new technology that is available to us. Mixer This doesn't have to be an elaborate or complicated item to get you going, a simple two channel mixer with a mike input and gain (volume) control, A cross fader to blend from one song(channel) to another, a channel fader with a low, mid and high EQ (this enables you to adjust your bass mid and high frequencies to get the sound you want) and of course a master volume control. Amplifier Amplifier output power is measured in WATTS. The amount of watts that you get from an Amplifier all depends on the load (speakers) that you connect to it. This is usually referred to as "the impedance" and is measured in Ohms, so pay attention to the 8 and 4 Ohm ratings when purchasing an amplifier - 4 Ohm is more common for Mobile most mobile DJ's. Speakers Ah yes! I always find that this is a tough one even when I'm buying for myself. I think that the best thing you can do have a look at your budget and then do your homework by having a look in local DJ stores near to you and of course check out the internet and see what is available to suit your budget. Remember that although it's nice to buy new cash is a little tight you should also have a look at some used equipment that would normally be in a more expensive range if new, as you need to have a good sound that your customers will enjoy so make sure if possible that you either ask other DJ's opinions about anything you are interested in or better still have a listen to them for yourself. Microphone This is something that you are going to need and the price range, quality and models available are vast Ranging from £5 to the high £100's however a good starting point would be something like a Shure PG58 (aprox £45.00) or a Shure SM58 at around the £65.00 - £70.00 mark. Lights These come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and prices and are very much down to personal choice. Again have a look around read up on what they do nowadays if you are looking on the internet a lot of companies have little movies for you to download which demonstrate what there products do which is very useful. The only thing I would say here is what ever you go for try and buy them in pairs if possible as nothing looks worse that seeing a disco setup with 3 or 4 totally different shapes and sizes of lighting as it looks as though no thought has gone into their presentation and presentation counts for a lot!! As an example if you had a couple of EVL spins and a couple of scanners you would have some great lighting onto the dance floor with the EVL's and your scanners would cut into the darkness as they spin and shake all over the place and you would be surprised at the show they can provide even from that simple little set up. Just one more thought - don't forget you'll need a various selection of leads to hook at of your new toys up as well Speakon leads to connect your amp to your speakers and phono plug leads to connect your decks to your mixer and then onto your amp - oh yes and don't forget. . . . Enjoy yourself!! - http://www.djsincsuperstore.com |
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Article added 02/13/2008.
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