Ten
Questions you MUST ask a DJ when interviewing them.
By......... Mike Fernino
Most
people have " NO IDEA " what to ask a DJ when
interviewing them for a job. For many couples planning
a wedding, or party, this is the first time they have ever
hired a professional DJ. At least, they hope to hire a
professional.
As a mobile entertainer for 20years, I know the BIG questions to ask a DJ.
If I were in the market to book a DJ, these are the key 10 questions I would
ask. Please feel free to use this list when interviewing any DJ service. I
have included the ten questions along with how Music In Motion would answer
these questions.
In NO
particular order........................
1.
Q: How long have you been in business?
MinM A: Since 1984 - 20 years
2.
Q: Are you a full-time DJ or part-time DJ?
MinM A: Music In Motion is a Full-Time DJ company with 14 professional radio
DJs that average atleast 10 years in the music business each!
3.
Q: Do I know who my DJ will be? Will he/she be on the
contract?
MinM A: Music In Motion always makes a contractual commitment to assign the
DJ by name! That means, the second you sign the contract, the name(s) of your
DJ(s) will be listed on the contract! You can have access to your DJ at any
time during the preparation stages of your event, and meet them personally
before the event. In the case of a wedding or Bar/Batmitzvah, you can interview
with the DJ a few months before the event to go over final details!
4.
Q: What do you have for backup equipment and music?
MinM A: Music In Motion has 4 backup plans in place.
a.) We offer an emergency network of DJs. With 14 DJs on staff, we will always
have DJs "ON Call" just in case.
b.) We offer backup equipment for every event. A # 2 sound system is always
carried on the vehicle so you have a complete system sitting in the van, in
the parking lot of your event. Not a backup up amp or speakers, a complete
sound system!
c.) Back up music collection. The Music In Motion DJs carry a laptop computer
with 5000 songs just in case our CD collection is lost, stolen, abducted by
aliens, etc....
d.) We even carry emergency power! That's right, power! Music In Motion now
features the " Galaxy Far Outlet " system. This complete backup power
source is a mega battery/microprocessor that provides up to 4 hours of power
to run a DJ system on in the event of power failure. In the world we live in
today, this is NOT such a crazy idea!
5.
Q: What style or personality do you bring to an event?
MinM A: At Music In Motion, our service is totally CUSTOM. That means, not
only do we custom produce your music, but the style of the entertainer will
be appropriate for the mood you wish to set. From low-key an sophisticated,
to high energy and enthusiastic, we have the right DJ for your event.
6.
Q: When do you arrive to our event and do you do double
Saturdays?
MinM A: It is the policy of our professional service to always arrive 1 hour
prior to start time. We also NEVER accept a double on a Saturday if it will
conflict with your time slot. That means, NO surprises last minute!
7.
Q: What is the area you service and are there any travel
fees?
MinM A: Music In Motion services ALL of New England and New York/ TRI State
area. There are never travel fees for Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.
In many cases very nominal charges for upper New England and New York state.
8.
What services do you provide for an event beyond just
playing music?
MinM A: Music In Motion provides 4 key elements to an event.
a.) DJ This should be obvious.
b.) Master of Ceremony. We host the event on your behalf with introductions,
cake cutting, and all other events.
c.) Music Consultant. We will offer you great insight to music in our pre-event
meeting. We can give suggestions or even let you listen to music from our huge
collection.
d.) Event Coordinator. This is MOST important. We will run and facilitate the
entire event for you so you don't have to. From coordination with your caterer,
to communication with the photographer, sit back and relax and know a professional
is running your event for you!
9.
Q: How extensive is your music collection. Is it on CD or
computer?
Music In Motion uses technology to provide our clients the
best service and reliability possible.
Our new state of the art computer systems are designed with
complete back up hard drive networks.
We still use CD as well to make sure there is nothing that
will interrupt your special event.
We NEVER illegally pirate music. Rather, all of our master
archive is from original CD to wave file.
Our computers run music playback software exclusively to guarantee
a stable operating system.
With multiple hard drives and CDs together, I guess you can
say......
" we don't put all of our eggs in 1 basket. "
and we will not operate in this manner. An original CD will
always sound better than a compressed computer file!
10.
Q: What makes you different from the other DJs out there?
MinM A: I like this question. It often will stump an unprepared DJ/sales person.
Music In Motion is a complete service and a great combination of all of the
features mentioned in questions 1-9. We try to get the entire service perfect,
instead of being good in only a few areas. From our reputation of excellence
to our personal service, add up questions 1-9 and see how Music In Motion compares
to the competition. I think you will see we add up to a 10 !!!
Read Past Articles:
"What to Look for in a Bridal
Show Vendor"
"Upbeat
or low key DJ? The Big Question"
"How Important is Entertainment?"
"Where
to Look for Wedding Music?"
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