Issue 146 - December 2012 - The Show Issue

ISSUE 146

DECEMBER 2012

WWW.MOBILEBEAT.COM

MBLV17 The Show Show Issue Issue The Featuring: Featuring:

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by Seminar Seminar Speakers Speakers by Show Entertainment Entertainment Show Exhibitors Exhibitors and more! more! and

“HOUSTON, WE HAVE A REMIX.” The RMX-1000 Remix Station gives every DJ the ability to personalize their mix by creating and adding multiple remix effects.

Along with the onboard multi-bank rhythmic sampler, the RMX-1000 has four remixing functions: Isolate FX, Scene FX, X-Pad FX and Release FX. Also included is Pioneer’s Remixbox and RMX-1000Plugin VST/AU plug-in software. The RMX-1000...

Taking your mix, where no mix has gone before.

RMX-1000 REMIX STATION Scene FX allows users to choose 5 build up or break down effects Isolate FX focuses on HI/LOW/MID frequency bands X-Pad FX enables users to develop and add new sounds Release FX: re-set and override current effets with ECHO, Break, or Back-spin effect Remixbox software & RMX-1000Plugin VST/AU plug-in software included

PIONEERDJUSA.COM

MOBILE BEAT: THE MOBILE ENTERTAINER’S MAGAZINE • ISSUE 146 • DEC 2012 • WWW.MOBILEBEAT.COM

TRACK ONE

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JUICE MBLV17 News / American DJ Party Update KEYNOTE: Disappointing the Right People

Jon Acuff

13

Chat with a “Quitter”

Ryan Burger

16

KEYNOTE: Success? I’d Like to Phone a Friend Please

Dana Steele

18

KEYNOTE: Life is Change

Judson Laipply

20

SPONSORED: DigiGames - The Right Questions Lead to the Right Answers

Rob Johnson

22

EXHIBITORS: The Biggest, Best Assortment of Mobile DJ Products & Services All Under One Roof, at One Time

24

Where’s the Line?

Mark Walsh

26

It’s Getting Harder and Harder to Breathe

Jake Tolley

27

The Good, The Bad and the Truly Ugly

Tom Haibeck

28

Speaking Her Language

Vickie Musni

30

Acting Like a Two-Year Old

David Hanscom

32

How to Double Your Website Leads Immediately

Stephanie Padovani

36

Create a Perfect Reception

Rex De Jaager

36

Learning How to Shoot

Arnoldo Offermann

37

SPONSORED: Bride Live & DJ Intelligence - Taking Customer Relationships to the Next Level

37

SPONSORED: European Body Art: Turn $10 Into a $500 Profit

38

Hey, DJ! Get Off My Lawn!

Ron Ruth

40

Female DJ Forum

Jean Craycroft

40

Tots*Tweens*Teens

John Rozz

40

50 Games in 60 Minutes

Robbie Britton

41

Being Prepared

Michael Smith

41

What Do You When the Music Stops?

Andy Ebon

42

A Different Spin: Behind All That Spin

Michael Buonaccorso

42

Next Level Sales Tactics

Joe Bunn

44

It’s Not a Sin to Be a Bottom Feeder—Just a Shame to Stay There!

Ken Day

45

The Triple A’s of DJ Success

Rick Brewer

46

Top Gun Marketing for the Mobile DJ of 2013 and Beyond

Alan Dodson

47

The Top Ten Things You Can Do To Increase Revenue…

Jason Weldon

48

EDJ WORKSHOP - Build Your Own DJ Computer System, Part 1

Richard McCoy

50

E-BEAT

Pioneer XDJ-AERO / Numark iDJ Pro / Cosmic DJ App

52

EYE CANDY

ADJ Seminars / Chauvet DJ Slimpar™ Quad IRC / Blizzard Torrent F3™

54

SCOOP

HK Elements Speaker System

Arnoldo Offermann

55

SCOOP

Wicked Audio Solus Headphones / Gruv Gear Cart and Bag

Mike Buonaccorso Jr. / Tom Chaput

56

PRODJFILES

Jorge Lopez / Matt Windsor

MB Staff

60

YOUTH EVENT MASTERY

Revamping Your Marketing

Arnoldo Offermann

62

PLAY SOMETHING WE CAN DANCE TO

The Hoedown

Jay Maxwell

65

ADVERTISERS

Company Contact Info

66

BUSINESS CHOPS™

Low-Cost, High-Impact Promotion

MOBILE BEAT • D EC E M B ER 2 0 1 2

From the Publisher...

Ryan Burger

MBLV17: SEMINAR PREVIEWS

4

6

Ryan Burger / Brad Dunsbergen

John Stiernberg

TRACK ONE

The Mobile Beat DJ Show & Conference Feb 4-7, 2013 Riviera Casino & Hotel, Las Vegas

I

n this issue we are celebrating all that is Mobile Beat Las Vegas 2013. I was talking with one exhibitor who was asking me about Vegas, and I explained to him this way. For those of you that know me this will make perfect sense, for the rest of you, do your best to follow the comparison...

All year long the World Wrestling Federation is building up to the next Wrestlemania. They are working on it all year long, they are hyping it, they are making plans for executing it, transportation, logistics and videos, talent and everything. Promotionally they have that logo up at every one of their events, it’s on every magazine, everything. All the while, they work on their two or three weekly television shows, other non-TV productions, their website, their magazine, their presence. It’s all about WWE and Wrestlemania.

That’s what it’s all about with Mobile Beat and MBLV. Show producer Michael Buonaccorso (in addition to being my advisor and “Godfather” of the DJ industry) spends almost the entire year living in the MBLV zone, working on it all year long. As I write this, I was just working with keynote presenters and some great new things we are planning for the 2014 Mobile Beat Las Vegas Show.

No other company in the industry has the dedication, planning and organization needed to bring you such a great trade show better than the unique team I have here at Mobile Beat. This is an amazing event that can only be produced with my team.

Based on input from our clients (you), and ideas gleaned from other industries and mentors, we are very proud of the slate we have put together for you for MBLV17—our 17th Las Vegas DJ Conference.

In this issue you will find a hefty sampling of what the show is all about. But the only real way to experience it is to get there.

If you are anywhere in North America, you can get yourself to the show for under $1,000—under $700 in most cases—and if you are in a state neighboring Nevada, you can pull off getting to the show for around $100 with a $20 exhibits and parties pass, some gas in your car and a hotel room!

Don’t miss out on you best opportunity of the year to see the newest gear, hear the best info, and network with an incredible community—your fellow DJs. Keynote speaker Jon Acuff puts it this way in our interview with him (see page 13): Do you know what fear fears? Community, and that’s what you’re going to have at Mobile Beat...just the idea of being in a room with other people who speak your exact same language. I mean, that’s really powerful....for me, if I was a DJ, the opportunity to come and be in a room full of people that get me, and get similar ideas, and that I can learn from, to me that’s invaluable.”

Lets talk about finding a way to get you there. Email me at rb@mobilebeat.com or call me at 515-986-3300x300.

See you in Vegas, Ryan 6

MOBILE BEAT • D EC E M B ER 2 0 1 2

www.mobilebeat.com ISSUE 146 • DECEMBER 2012 Publisher Ryan Burger • ProDJ Publishing Editor-in-Chief Dan Walsh Review Coordinator / Assistant Editor Jake Feldman Circulation Manager Kitty Harr Editorial Assistant / Writer Rebecca Burger Graphic Design Consultant Adam Rothberg Sales, Conferences, and Events Group Director Michael Buonaccorso CONTRIBUTORS Jon Acuff Dana Steele Judson Laipply Mark Walsh Jake Tolley Vickie Musni David Hanscom Rex De Jaager Ron Ruth Jean Craycroft

John Rozz Robbie Britton Michael Smith Andy Ebon Joe Bunn Ken Day Rick Brewer Alan Dodson Brad Dunsbergen Mike Buonaccorso Jr.

Tom Chaput Jay Maxwell John Stiernberg Rob Johnson Jason Weldon Arnoldo Offermann Stephanie Padovani Richard McCoy Tom Haibeck Thomas Edison

HOW TO REACH MOBILE BEAT: Tel: 515-986-3300 • Fax: 515-986-3344 E-mail: webmaster@mobilebeat.com Web: www.mobilebeat.com For subscriptions, address changes or back issues go to www.mobilebeat.com or contact Mobile Beat by mail at: 212 SE Main St, Grimes IA 50111 Back issues of Mobile Beat (if available) $5 (in Canada: $6, US funds) Shipping address: ProDJ Publishing • 212 SE Main St • Grimes IA 50111 Mobile Beat (ISSN# 1058-0212) is published by: ProDJ Publishing (BC Productions, Inc.) 212 SE Main St, Grimes IA 50111 January, March, May, July, September, November, December (7 issues per year).

Ground shipments to: 212 SE Main St, Grimes IA 50111 Periodical postage paid at Grimes, IA and additional mailing locations.

Subscription rates: US and possessions: $25 for 1 year, $45 for 2 years and $65 for 3 years Canada: $35 for 1 year, $65 for 2 years and $95 for 3 years All other countries: $60 per year Subscriptions outside the U.S. must be paid in U.S. currency.

Postmaster – Send address changes to: Mobile Beat • 212 SE Main St • Grimes IA 50111 Copyright © 2012 by ProDJ Publishing All rights reserved. Reproduction of copy, photography, or artwork prohibited without permission of the publisher.

All advertising material subject to publisher’s approval.

Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation The following information is taken from US Postal Form 3526 filed October 1, 2012 at Grimes, IA. Mobile Beat Magazine (ISSN# 1058-0212) is published seven times per year

by BC Productions, Inc. The office of publication address is 807 N. Park St., Grimes, IA 50111. The Publisher is BC Productions, Inc., 807 N. Park St., Grimes, IA 50111, Ryan Burger, 807 N.Park St., Grimes, IA 50111. Subscriptions(US) $25.00 per year.

Circulation information for the Oct/Nov 2012 issue of Mobile Beat Magazine is as follows: Net Press run: 3,893. Total paid and/or requested 2,532. Total free distribution: 1,300. Copies not distributed: 61. Total circulation: 3,832.

Average Circulation per issue for the period October 1, 2011 through October 1, 2012 is as follows: Average press run: 4,588. Average paid and/or requested circulation: 3,157. Average free distribution: 1,361. Average copies not distributed: 70. Average circulation: 4,518.

JUICE

Lou Gramm Y

ou’ve heard his voice thousands of times on the radio: Lou Gramm—The Voice of Foreigner—will be appearing at MBLV17 show on Wednesday evening, February 6.

Best known for his role as the lead vocalist for the rock band Foreigner, he has also had a successful solo career. Gramm was the vocalist for many Top-40 hits, including “Juke Box Hero”, ”Cold as Ice”, “Hot Blooded”, “Waiting for a Girl Like You”, and “I Want to Know What Love Is”, which hit #1 in both the UK and the US in 1984. His solo hits include “Midnight Blue” and “Just Between You and Me.” Show Producer Mike Buonaccorso took special interest in booking the singer. Gramm hails from Rochester, NY, also the origin point of Mobile Beat Magazine.

Yamaha Speakers to Support Speakers Once again, Yamaha’s Live Sound Division will be helping presenters sound their best as official sound reinforcement provider for MBLV seminars.

“Yamaha is proud to provide audio

Rob Base & Cupid C

HAUVET and Pioneer DJ are bringing the excitement to the Exhbit Hall Stage, with two fantastic performers.

The legendary Rob Base will be performing his hits, including the iconic “It Takes Two”. He will also sign autographs and meet and greet the DJs that have spinning his dance tracks for years.

Returning to the MBLV stage after being a smash hit at last year’s 2011 ADJ Customer Appreciation Party, Cupid shuffles in with some fresh tunes and exclusive dance debuts. Get in on the “ground floor” as Cupid introduces his new track, “Old School,” to the DJ community.

Download a free MP3 of the new song on the MBLV17 parties page at www. mobilebeat.com/las-vegas-dj-show.

support for the seminars at Mobile Beat,” says Yamaha Product Manager, John Schauer.

“A great conference deserves great sound.

Yamaha is proud to be the audio supplier for this event. We hope you enjoy what you hear!”

Yamaha is marking the 125th year since commencing operations in 1887 with various events and major new product launches.

Come celebrate with them at MBLV17!

Party with Pioneer DJ A

t MBLV17, not only will Pioneer DJ be showing exciting new gear such as the CDJ-2000nexus, XDJ-Aero, DDJ-WeGO, RMX-1000, and soon-to-be released products, they will give demonstrations on the exhibit floor, on the stages and at a special Tuesday After Party at the Top of the Riv Penthouse Suite. The Pioneer After Party will be legendary with music, networking, late-night food and drinks and a fantastic view of Las Vegas from high above the Strip!

Herculean Event D

on’t miss the Hercules After-Hours Reception Wednesday, February 6th at MBLV17! Starting at 9 PM, right after the Lou Gramm concert, make your way straight to the Top of the Riviera Penthouse Suite, where you will be in for a great time with DJ Steve Sharp and the whole Hercules gang. At this after-hours event you’ll see some of the latest gear and enjoy food and drinks, featuring incredble tamales. Make sure to stop by the Hercules booth on the exhibit floor on Tuesday or Wednesday to get a VIP to the event.

MBLV17: The Mobile Beat DJ Show & Conference Feb 4-7, 2013 Riviera Casino & Hotel, Las Vegas www.mobilebeat.com/las-vegas-dj-show Register now at https://members.mobilebeat.com or by calling 800-257-7635.

Book your room at the Riv, where they’ve rolled back to room rates to $49 PER NIGHT!

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JUICE

Get On Your Feet!

ICONIC DANCE MUSIC STAR CRYSTAL WATERS HIGHLIGHTS ADJ CUSTOMER APPRECIATION PARTY

A

merican DJ has kicked its Customer Appreciation Party at the Mobile Beat Show into a distinctively dance mode for 2013.

Entertainment for the event, which takes place on Tuesday February 5th at 8 pm, is headlined by dance music star and Billboard Music Award winner Crystal Waters, who has recorded multiple Top 20 dance chart hits.

Joining Waters in the ADJ entertainment lineup will be Thrill da Playa and Mike-Mike, rappers from the legendary 69 Boyz, the Florida group famous for the “Tootsee Roll” dance/ song, and Daddy Black of 95 South (“Whoot There It Is”) fame.

“In the past, our Customer Appreciation Party has featured many rap legends like Naughty

By Nature and hip hop groups like Digital Underground,” said Scott Davies of American DJ. “This year, we’ve gone to more of a dance music theme. DJs love to get people out on the dance floor, and no one has done this better than Crystal Waters.

Combine her with songs like ‘Tootsee Roll’ and ‘Whoot There It Is,’ and you have a very high energy event.”

Waters burst upon the dance scene with her mega hit “Gypsy Woman,” which reached number 8 on the Billboard Hot

Helpful Hint Earns DJ Trip to Vegas

A

s the grand prize winner of the “DJ Quick Tip Contest” sponsored by American DJ, Budd Moyer’s advice earned him a trip to the 2013 Mobile Beat Show. The prize included an all-expense paid trip for Moyer and a guest, including airfare, ground transportation, hotel accommodations and free passes to attend the American DJ Customer Appreciation Party, starring Crystal Waters, on Tuesday, February 5.

Moyer, primarily a wedding DJ, submitted the tip, “Try to get the names of those making requests. It can help pump up the crowd on a song that may not go over well otherwise.” With over a decade of DJing under his belt, his quick

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100 charts and number 2 on the UK Singles chart, eventually being ranked number 48 on the “Greatest Dance Songs Of All Time”

by Slant magazine. The famous “la da dee... la dee da” refrain on “Gypsy Woman” has been sampled numerous times by artists from a variety of musical genres.

Other Waters hits include “100% Pure Love,” which remained on the charts for 45 weeks, peaking at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100; “My Time,” which reached number one on the dance charts; “Dancefloor,” a 2008 hit; and “Never Enough,” which reached number 20 on the dance charts in 2009.

In addition to Waters, the ADJ Customer Appreciation Party will include a joint performance by Thrill da Playa (lead rapper) and Mike-Mike, two of the members from 69 Boyz, and Daddy Black, part of the original duo that made up 95 South. The 69 Boyz dance hit “Tootsee Roll” reached number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, and 95 South’s hit “Whoot There It Is” peaked at number 11.

“We have some incredible star power for this party,” said Brian Dowdle, marketing director for American DJ. “People who attend will see a lot of big hits performed on stage. We do this party as a way of showing our appreciation for our customers, so every year we try to make it a special event.”

Sponsored by American DJ, American Audio, Global Truss America and Arriba Cases, the ADJ Customer Appreciation Party will be hosted

by DJ Sparky B. and will include a surprise guest star, as well as onstage appearance by Brian Redd of DJ YouTube Practice and Enjoy fame and former DMC champion DJ Etronik.

tip is based on experience. Budd Moyer has been DJing since 2000; in 2006 he moved to Arizona and started Black Tie DJ PHX. Moyer has chosen a mentor of his, Robert Walk, to be his guest. Moyer refers to Robert as someone who has made an “immense impact” on his career over the last year. Moyer said of Robert, “My family and I are grateful for him, and I want to thank American DJ and Mobile Beat for providing me a way to show it.”

Runners-up in the DJ Quick Tips contest won an American DJ or American Audio product of their choice, retailing for $100 or less. The runners-up were Jesse Lomeli, David Riley, Evan Kiley, Rafael Meriles, Nicholas Middleton, Mark Kilbourn, Jimmy Davenport, Jeff Chandler, and Kyle Byrnes.

FEATURE

Disappointing the Right People THOUGHTS ON “YES” AND “NO” FROM PRIMARY KEYNOTE SPEAKER

By Jon Acuff

L

ast year, I was supposed to run in an event called “The Warrior Dash.” It’s a 5K obstacle course that involves mud, fire, water and Viking helmets.

I’d signed up for it months before the deadline.

But 24 hours before the event, I decided not to go.

Why? Because I’m trying to disappoint the right people in my life.

For years, I thought, if I lived a perfect life, I could make everyone happy and never disappoint anyone. I know that’s a foolish thought, but people-pleasers like me are constantly intoxicated with thoughts like that.

But the day before the race I realized something: I was going to be out of town for the next three weekends. I speak at the Dave Ramsey Live Events and we were headed out to visit three different cities.

I had a choice to make.

I could either disappoint my kids and tell them, “Hey, on the Saturday before I’m gone for three Saturdays in a row, I’m going to spend five hours running in a race instead of hanging out with you.”

Or... I could disappoint my friends and tell them, “I’ve got to bail on the Warrior Dash.”

I decided to disappoint my friends. And the funny thing is that three of them had already decided not to run the race for the same reason. We hadn’t trained together for it, running over fire or through mud in the weeks before, and we weren’t that invested in it.

So instead of doing the race, I spent the entire Saturday with my wife and kids at a botanical garden. It was an amazing day, and I felt instantly like I had made the right decision.

In your life, you’re going to disappoint people, especially as you build a DJ business. Whether you’re doing it full time right

The biggest lesson for me was to not say “yes” to things I am ultimately going to say “no” to. now or working in that direction, your time is going to be limited.

And there will be people who want your time or your input or your attendance. Often, you won’t be able to give it to them. But it’s okay to disappoint people, as long as you make sure you’re disappointing the right people.

The biggest lesson for me was to not say “yes” to things I am

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MOBILE BEAT • D EC E M B ER 2 0 1 2

ultimately going to say “no” to. When my friends asked me to run in the race, I should have looked at my calendar, seen the travel I had scheduled for this fall, and said “no.” But I didn’t want to disappoint them, so I agreed to it. Which only amplified the disappointment of me eventually saying no 24 hours before the race.

Don’t tell polite lies, like “Let’s grab coffee sometime” when you have no intention of doing that.

Don’t commit to gigs that aren’t going to make you money, contacts or better.

Don’t believe the internal lie that you have to say “yes” to everything and will never disappoint anyone.

You will disappoint people. That’s going to happen. There’s great freedom in realizing that.

Just make sure when you have to disappoint someone, you disappoint the right people. MB Jon Acuff is the Wall Street Journal best-selling author of Quitter and Stuff Christians Like. He speaks to businesses, colleges and nonprofits across the country. He lives with his family in Nashville, TN. Read his blog at jonacuff.com and follow him on Twitter @jonacuff.

FEATURE

Chat with a “Quitter”

By Ryan Burger Ryan Burger: I’m here with the first presenter that we scheduled—heck, we had this guy scheduled before last year’s show was even produced—for our upcoming Mobile Beat Show. Jon Acuff has a bestselling book that I read and decided we’d have him out here. It’s all about being a quitter. But I’m not going to give away the punch line; I’ll let Jon do that. Jon, tell us a little bit about your inspiration for the book.

Jon Acuff: Well, the inspiration was that I had a number of different jobs in a number of different years. I’d been stuck in a cubicle, if you will, and had eight jobs in eight years and I was a serial quitter. And I felt like I wasn’t getting to be who I thought I was called to be at my jobs. And I’d jump and start a new job and the same problems from the last one would show up, until finally I had to stop and go, you know, the common denominator in every bad job I had was me. What am I going to do about that? How do I really be deliberate?

And so my passion was writing, so I started a blog on the side and started to hustle in the morning and find ways to do my passion but also do my day job. Because if you can do that way, your day becomes a platform you can jump from, versus a prison you have to escape from; because no one wins in a prison break.

And so for a period of time I kind of built this dream into something that was big enough for me to do full time, and ended up joining a guy named Dave Ramsey, on his team in Nashville. So I wrote Quitter about what do you do when you find yourself in that gap—between your day job and your dream job.

And I love working with DJs because so many of them get that. And it’s hard. I mean, you know what it feels like. You do an event on the weekend and you feel like I am in the zone; this is what I love to do. And then you kind of have to reenter the atmosphere of Monday morning and go, okay, was yesterday fiction? Was Saturday, did that really even happen, based on what I’m looking at Monday, right now?

So I love working with folks about what to do when you’re in that moment, and how do you plan your way out.

R B: I know in your book you gave some examples from when you were still doing a funky shuffle between your presentations and your weekday grind. You’d be changing after jumping off a plane...

J A: Yeah. I called it “the reverse Superman.” Because I’d land from doing a weekend gig and would have loved it, and then I’d have to get in a pair of khaki pants that are waiting for me in the car, do the reverse Superman in the handicapped stall in the bathroom, then go disappear into a sea of cubicles.

And so that kind of experience and that process was what I wrote Quitter out of.

FEATURE

There’s a way to do it...you don’t have to kind of follow the traditional “I saw an inspirational movie like Gladiator, so I’m quitting my job tomorrow” and then act surprised when it doesn’t work.

R B: Yeah. And you don’t want to lose your job while you’re trying to grow your side job where your passion is. Tell us a little bit about how you recommend that people plan for their future.

J A: Well, part of it is changing your mindset. I mean, think back to the days with Michelangelo and the Medici family.

They were patrons for him. He couldn’t have painted what he painted without that family supporting him. So part of it is saying, “You know what? My day job takes care of a lot of my financial needs and it’s kind of like my patron. It’s supporting my art as a DJ.” So part of it is that mental shift; not to see them as the enemy...

And the other thing is that you’ve got to see the benefit of staying at the day job at least for a little while. And one of the greatest benefits is that when you do that, you keep access to the most important word when you’re dreaming, and that word is “no.” You’ve got to hold onto that.

Because often what happens is that if you quit your job— say tomorrow, you say, “I’m going to DJ fulltime”—and you don’t have enough clients, you don’t have enough demand yet, you don’t have your social media presence built, you don’t have all these things in place and you quit your job, well, guess what, when somebody comes up to you and says, “Hey, we want to pay you one-tenth your normal rate,” and it’s a horrible gig...you have to say yes because otherwise the water’s getting cut off; your bills aren’t going to get paid.

But when you have a day job, you get to say no, and say yes to the right gigs. For me, I was offered a book publishing deal based on my blog and I still had a day job. And it was a horrible book publishing deal, so I got to say no to it. If I didn’t have a day job that was kind of my patron, I might have taken that book deal. And so I’m always encouraging people to see the value of that. And so that’s one way.

The second way is to just make sure you’re being smart with your time; to make sure you’re hustling. When people tell me, I want to quit my day job so I can focus on my dream, I say, well, have you already exhausted every other minute WWW.MOBILEBEAT.COM • D EC E M B ER 2 0 1 2

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FEATURE towards your dream that you could? So if you’ve got a day job and you’re going home and you’re watching three hours of TV at night, there’s three hours of dream time you could use.

I could give you 10 hours of free time right this second.

Just watch 10 hours less of TV. The average person in America watches 35 hours of TV a week. I’m not saying throw it out. I like TV. But maybe you should only dedicate one day of your life every week to television. And so there’s all this free time we could find to really work on in the margins of your life.

And then the last thing I’d say is remember that invisibility is a gift at first. You want to get really, really good at your craft before people are watching you. You know, I spent a

J A: Yeah, and how to serve the audience and how to read a room and where to take the emotional flow of a room. Yeah, there’s a lot that goes into it.

R B: Here’s kind of an odd question. You ever hired a DJ yourself?

J A: Funny story. I interacted with a DJ yesterday. And here’s the backstory. We’re doing a “Quitter” conference in September. And so one of the things that I’m really passionate about is trying to give people exposure. When I was writing my blog, people would let me guest post, and that was a great way for me to get my name on somebody else’s blog that had more traffic than mine did.

And we had a stand-up comedian who called the other day and said, “Hey, I wrote some guest posts for you and I got some stand-up comedy gigs based on writing on your blog.” So I started to think, what’s a way that I can introduce other people who are hustling on their dream to 100,000 people—to the readers of my blog?

And so we found a DJ who was amazing and he said he’d love to DJ the Quitter conference. I said, that’d be great. I can write a post about it; you’ll get to meet everybody. It’ll be a great time for you to do an event for 400 folks. And he emailed yesterday and said, hey, I can’t do it; I just got hired to go on tour with a huge band, and so he’s got an amazing opportunity.

And so for me I’m certainly disappointed we won’t get to see him because I think he’s a great DJ, but at the same time I love that. I love when people are chasing their dreams that way and getting opportunities.

R B: Very cool, very cool. What else should attendees that come to the show know in advance to convince them that they’ve got to get to Las Vegas in February?

year writing a blog that like 50 people read...and that was discouraging at first. But you know what it allowed me to do?

It allowed me to get better and practice my voice. The worst thing that can happen to you is if you all of a sudden blow up and you’ve got an audience of 10,000 people and you don’t have the chops yet, and 10,000 people are exposed to that. I’d much rather you learn when nobody’s watching, so that when they are watching...you can kill it.

R B: Yeah. Perfect example in our industry is there’s more than enough DJs go out when they barely know how to do it and they might wreck someone’s wedding reception...It’s kind of a tough thing for DJs to learn their performance craft without a crowd of some kind...

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J A: Well, I just think one of the most important things about events like you do is that one of the first things fear does when you’re chasing a dream is try to make you feel isolated, to put you on an island.

Do you know what fear fears? Community, and that’s what you’re going to have at Mobile Beat...just the idea of being in a room with other people who speak your exact same language. I mean, that’s really powerful.

You’ve chased a dream and you’ve been a full-time DJ for 15 years. You know sometimes how isolated it can feel to step out there and say, “This is the thing I’m going to chase.”

So for me, if I was a DJ, the opportunity to come and be in a room full of people that get me and get similar ideas, and that I can learn from, to me that’s invaluable.

R B: If readers want to find out more about you, Jon, where can they check you?

J A: Well, my blog is JonAcuff.com. And then that’s the same name I use on Twitter, @JonAcuff. So either one of those would be a great way to check me out. And my book, Quitter, is at every bookstore on the planet, so if you want to take a look at that before the event, great. If not, I can’t wait to see you. MB

FEATURE

Success? I’d Like to Phone a Friend Please “SOCIAL” MARKETING, ONLINE AND REALWORLD

By Dana Steele

W

ould you rather do business with a stranger? Or with someone you know or with someone recommended by someone you know?

You know the answer to these questions, don’t you? Of course, it is with someone you know or with someone recommended by someone you know.

I recently received this Facebook message: “I have the AV company up and running on the Island, already working with a couple of large companies on their events. If you Google ‘AV rentals in XXX’ or ‘DJ in XXX,’ my company is on the first page, second link below the sponsor ads. What’s wrong? Why isn’t my phone blowing up? Am I just being impatient?”

First of all, it is great that this company ranks so high on Google. Many companies would love to have that position on the uber search engine. I also don’t have a problem with impatience; we all want to see our companies grow and grow fast.

With that said, the problem here is relying solely on the Internet for marketing and promotion. Search engine position 16

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is critical for many businesses, but your marketing efforts must go well beyond your SEO or search engine optimization.

You must have a good networking plan, a networking plan that you work every single day. Here are just a few ideas to take the above-mentioned company, and yours, to a new higher level: Do something for someone who can hire you: ffer your services at a discounted rate, or for free, to meeting planners for organizations, associations, event venues and hotels. Many of these planners are members of non-profit organizations, have kids in schools or throw personal parties. Do what it takes to get your foot in the door and show these people what you can do for their larger events. Doing things for others will always eventually come back to you in positive ways. And once you are established, keep doing this.

It’s called karma baby!

Be social on social media: Talk about what you do, post pictures, thank meeting planners who have hired you and tag them in the post so their fellow meeting planners and followers will see the posts and start to check out you and your capabilities. Compliment their events, compliment other events you had nothing to do with. It’s all give and take; thus the word “social.” Your social media efforts have to go both ways—it’s not just me, me, me.

Be a part of your community: Let friends and family know what you are doing and ask for referrals. All too often we forget to utilize the people who love us most and truly want to see us succeed. Volunteer to help out a school or church event. Does your street do National Night Out? Haul out your equipment and really make it a party. Show your stuff and be a great neighbor at the same time!

Let others know how to find you with minimal effort: Always carry professional cards with your name, company name, phone number and email. Make sure your contact information is also very easy to find on your website and any of your social media platforms. I

usually follow up my speeches with a thank you note and a coffee mug with my website and logo on it. My contact information usually sits right there on their desk so I am top of mind forever. Or until someone takes the coffee mug— and then I’m on someone else’s desk.

Once they find you, do not make them wait: Answer any queries as fast as you can. Make sure you have a phone with Internet access, your email, your files, and your social media platforms. Potential clients expect answers within seconds; do everything you can to provide that initial service. If you have to wait to get back to your office or computer hours later to answer a question about a booking, the interested party will have gone elsewhere. I guarantee it.

Let your expert flag fly: Start a blog and write something every week or so. It doesn’t have to be long and involved. Just write about what you know, which should be making an event exciting. Share your expertise on the good, the bad, and the ugly of being a mobile DJ. Don’t worry about the competition stealing ideas.

First, they are going to do it anyway.

Second, you become the expert because you are the one writing the posts. Link it to your website, share your posts on social media. Get some content out there so people can find you!

These are just a few ideas you should be incorporating into your marketing efforts every single day. We were social long before social media. Get out, talk to people, form relationships, and never forget the old show business saying: “It’s not what you know but who you know!” MB Dayna Steele is a radio Hall of Famer, serial entrepreneur and the creator of Your Daily Success Tip. Sign up for the daily tip receive a free e-copy of Dayna’s latest book 101 Ways to Rock Your World: Everyday Activities for Success Every Day.

FEATURE

Life is Change WORDS OF WISDOM TO LIVE BY

By Judson Laipply

I

t often is our inability to accept the simplest things in life that leads to the most stress and anxiety. Realizing and accepting the fact that “Life is Change” allows you to let go of things you can’t control and focus on the things that you can.

Change is constant. Everyone, every day, is changing. Physically our bodies are in a constant stage of change as our systems work to keep our bodies healthy. We take in air and our bodies extract the oxygen and expel CO2. Our stomachs digest the food we eat removing nutrients and discarding the rest. We are in a constant state of change and so is the world around us, moving growing, shifting, evolving all the time. Life is Change.

Accepting this fact allows us to see the world through two lenses: changes that we have zero control and influence over and changes that we can influence and control. Understanding this distinction helps successful and happy people separate themselves from the depressed and miserable.

The ability to discern between these two areas of change will either have you relaxed and content or stressed out and full of anxiety.

This single ability to see and understand the difference is often the main differentiator between success and failure.

Every industry experiences trend and shifts. Do you realize that the “Internet” as we know it is a little over 15 years old? 1994 is when Netscape was released, allowing anyone to access the Internet. It was a game changer. Before the Internet, if a request for song came in and you didn’t have a copy of it in your 23 milk crates full of music, forget it. Now with just a few keystrokes you can fill even your clients’ craziest requests.

For some of you the change to the digital age was a rough one.

You fought it. Thought it was just a fad. Some of you still hold on to the “old ways” and refuse to see the reality going on around you. I bet it causes you stress and anxiety. You’ve grown angry thinking about how much better music sounds on vinyl or CDs and how anyone who uses digital isn’t really doing their job. If that’s the case, it’s official.

You’ve gone senile.

When changes happen that you don’t have control over, you have one of two choices: 1. Let it go and move on or 2. Hold on to it and get stuck. I’m not saying it’s easy. But I’m telling you it’s a necessity.

Holding on to things you don’t have control over is a one-way ticket to crazy town. It’ll cause you stress, which shortens your life span.

Holding onto things you don’t have control over actually shortens your life! So LET IT GO! They always say if you want to see a person’s true character, travel with them and see how they react when their bags get lost. If you travel much at all, chances are you have experienced the “joy” of waiting at the luggage carousel, not seeing your bag and then getting the sinking feeling in your stomach once that lonely old piece of luggage rolls around that says “last bag.” Sure enough, your luggage didn’t make it. Is it a pain? Yes. Is it frustrating? You bet. However, in the grand scheme of life, it doesn’t really matter. It’s out of your control and all you can do now is file a claim and wait for the airline to deliver it. Getting angry, frustrated, or all worked up will do absolutely nothing to bring your luggage quicker. You have to let it go.

Again, I know it’s not the easiest of things to do but it’s well worth it.

Your ability to let go of the things you don’t have control over will free up time to focus on the things you do have control over like your business decisions, marketing plans, lead building and follow up, networking, and of course giving your customers a fantastic experience! MB Judson Laipply is an inspirational comedian and the creator of “The Evolution of Dance”. He has appeared on The Today Show, Ellen, and many other popular programs. You can visit him at www. mightaswelldance.com. Through stories, crowd participation and laughter he will move MBLV17 attendees to let go of things beyond control, and focus energy on things they can change.

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MIDWEEK MONEY BROUGHT TO YOU BY

The Right Questions Lead to the Right Answers: A DigiGames-Hosted Seminar at MBLV17

R

ob Johnson has been performing his Midweek Money Seminar for years. He has been entertaining audiences for 20 years. The entire premise of his seminar is to help entertainers improve their bottom lines.

He will take attendees through all things he has added to his “DJ company” over the years, showing the variety of what’s possible in offering entertainment to clients. There will

also be a time for the audience to share their ideas. One of the messages Rob has heard repeatedly in feedback from past seminars is that it is an entertaining and fun time, filled with practical ideas.

Ultimately, THE right question is: Do you WANT to increase your bottom line? If the answer is yes, come check out Rob’s latest new and improved seminar on Tuesday afternoon at MBLV17.

You can also see hands-on demos of DigiGames technology in Capri Room 3 and at booth 203 in the exhibit hall.

Rob Johnson has hosted Trivia Parties and Game Shows for over 10 years. He is the current spokesperson for DigiGames and uses their equipment exclusively. He has performed throughout the United States, Europe and the Caribbean. Rob is also the owner of The Music Man, Inc. and performs comedy stage hypnosis shows as The Hypno Man. He has also presented his “Midweek Money” seminar at multiple conferences and conventions including Mobile Beat, WEDJ, Wedding MBA, WedPro2011, ArmDJs, and various ADJA events.

If you would like Rob to speak at your local event or demonstrate DigiGames gear to your group, contact him at 701-710-1657 or rob@digigames.com.

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Basics for Smooth Bar Trivia Events T

he following ideas may seem obvious, but are necessary to keep to in mind for a smoothly running bar or pub-based trivia games.

Limited number of teams per table. Most bars will limit the number of teams that can sit at a single table, usually to one team per table. Bars may even restrict teams from allowing patrons who are not playing to sit with them. This is to prevent the team from getting help from outside of the team.

Limited number of members per team. Bars will often limit the number of members each trivia team can have. Some will not allow individuals to play, so teams must be at least two people.

There will invariably be a maximum number of members allowed so massive teams do not have an advantage. This number is typically less than ten and may even be as low as four.

No calling out answers. The reason may seem obvious, but it ‘s not just because of “cheating.” Whether the answer is correct or incorrect does not matter. Whatever is shouted can influence how teams answer the questions.

No sharing answers. Sharing answers with other teams is usually prohibited. Players who want to participate together should be on the same team. This keeps it fair, so teams are not getting ahead or behind by using answers from other teams. It also makes sure that teams are not sabotaging each other.

No outside sources. In this digital age, participants in pub trivia do not need to lug a library into a bar to cheat. All they have to do is go online using their mobile phones. Because it is easy to get any question answered in seconds, the use of mobile devices to either call a friend to get the answer or go online and get the answer is almost always against pub trivia rules. Without this rule, participants with no internet access would be at a severe disadvantage. Furthermore, there would be fewer wrong answers.

Following the rules is important for teams that want to win or at least play legitimately. Teams should make sure that every member is aware of the pub rules and is willing to follow them.

Being disqualified for one member’s bad behavior takes the fun out of it. MB

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FEATURE

Where’s the Line?

IMPROVEMENT THROUGH SELF-ASSESSMENT

By Mark Walsh

N

ow here’s a good question: What makes a good DJ good, a bad DJ bad and an average DJ ok? Where’s the line? What separates the Pro from the AAA and AA leagues?

In an industry with no formal regulation, no governmentcertified qualifications, it is very hard to define the boundaries.

So, as DJs, we have to rely on our own peer to peer interpretations and the perceptions generated by our clients and their guests.

Most clients will only book a DJ once or twice in their lifetime. We are not an everyday purchase. However, the public will compare our industry, its quality and practices to other products and services they encounter from other sectors. So, as an industry, we must promote our service and value.

So in DJ terms, what is value? In a nutshell “value is the perception that a service provided was worth the price paid, if not

considerably more.” Value is never a figure in itself, and certainly isn’t about being cheap. McDonald’s provides value, offering (usually) fast service for a cheap yet tasty meal. However my favorite steak restaurant also provides value; the excellent food and attention to detail from the waiters is well worth the cost of a meal, even though it is many times more than a Big Mac. This perception of value is largely down to the customer.

If I went for a quick fast food meal and got landed with a huge bill, I’d certainly not feel that I’d received good value for money.

Equally, if I’d taken Mrs. Walsh out for an anniversary dinner and been presented with McFood, even if the price was low, I’d still not consider it to be good value.

It is so important to know exactly what a customer is looking for, and also to have the courage to turn down the job if you can’t deliver it. They may want something that you can’t offer in terms of service or performance, but equally they may want a lot less 24

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than you routinely deliver and therefore not be looking to pay your fee. In both cases you won’t be able to deliver value. An NFL player or merchant banker will assess value in a totally different way to a potato picker or someone whose sole role in life is to put the frosting on donuts.

WAYS TO RAISE YOUR GAME Many DJs want to raise their prices and earn a good wage for what they are doing, but unfortunately don’t understand what they need to do in order to provide a service that offers value.

You can’t just charge more; you need to deliver more as well, to raise your game.

One way I raised my game was by spending time documenting some of my business processes. I reviewed my event tasks and performance elements. By analyzing every fragment and documenting my thought processes, it soon highlighted areas I needed to improve on. It also showed areas that I just took for granted where I was actually quite skilled.

Take something simple like music and what tracks to put together. For a few weeks I recorded my sets and links and I found that I had a natural skill in choosing songs that fit together well. Without realizing it, my music programming was logical. I used stabs and fades to my advantage, whereas I listened back to other DJs and their music programming was all over the place. This was not about beat matching, this was about selecting the correct two songs to go together, knowing the tracks and using their flow to my advantage. Since analyzing this element of my performance it is now something I look at pre-event when programming my clients’ set lists. By deconstructing my processes I am able to deliver a far slicker set.

In contrast, I found a weakness in my MC technique. I used to use the word OK far too many times on the microphone. This process of analyzing everything I was doing highlighted this annoyance and I was able to work on rectifying it.

So where’s the line? It is for you to decide. By dissecting what you do, what your clients want and giving every event the attention to detail it requires, you will naturally be the right side of any line you or your clients project. MB In his seminar, Zero to Hero, UK wedding DJ Mark Walsh draws from 20 years of experience to show how to take an average party and turn it into a night to remember. He looks at ways you can keep your dancefloor moving all night, utilizing clever dance-floor rotation, timely set pieces and more. Mark will teach you to take advantage of the lulls in the night and that EVERY party starts the moment you arrive on site, not after the buffet! make the difference between an average party and a great party, and thus the difference between an average DJ and a great DJ! A regular contributor to Pro Mobile Magazine, he is also the co-founder of the biggest DJ show in Europe, BPM.

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FEATURE

It’s Getting Harder and Harder to Breathe DON’T SUFFOCATE YOUR PERFORMANCE...LEARN HOW TO CATCH MORE AIR

By Jake Tolley

I

f you’re like most Americans, you watch, or are at least familiar with, the singing competition The Voice (which, by the way, featured MBLV performer Cupid this season).

It occurred to me while watching this show that most people associate the “voice” with just one aspect of their own voice, the singing portion, completely ignoring the part that they use the most, their ability to speak. As entertainers, MCs, salespeople and businesspeople, we rely on our ability to speak, to speak for long periods, and to speak well.

The first step to assuring the longevity and quality of your voice involves a skill that many people take for granted, so much so that they, without even thinking about it, are constantly doing it wrong.

Yes, as you are reading this article, you are likely breathing incorrectly. You may be thinking to yourself, “What?! How can I be breathing wrong, I’ve been doing it since I was born!”

While the body was designed to breathe a certain way, there are still ways to breathe that are effective but not fully proficient. There is a simple way to check to see if you’re breathing properly. First, stand up and place one hand on your chest, as if you are saying the pledge of allegiance, place your other hand on your stomach just above your belly button. As you breathe in you should feel one hand rise further than the other. Now common sense says that the hand that should move further is the one on your chest, as your lungs are filling with air. That presumption is, however, incorrect. What causes our lungs to fill with air isn’t the expansion of your lungs but rather a vacuum created just beneath your lungs. A thin layer of muscle located between your lungs and your stomach, called the diaphragm, creates that vacuum. As the diaphragm

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expands, outward and downward, it creates an empty space in your chest cavity. Now if you paid attention in high school science, you’ll know that vacuums must be filled with something. In this case, your lungs draw air in from your open mouth to fill that space. So in reality, the action of breathing does not come from pushing your lungs out and open, but rather, pushing your diaphragm down and out, which should result in your stomach pushing out farther than your chest.

So, as your head is reeling from this new bit of information, let’s do some more fine-tuning to your respiratory abilities. The idea behind breathing is to get as much air in as reasonably possible. As we established above, our diaphragm is capable of creating much more space in our chest cavities for our lungs to fill than the muscles in the chest itself. One problem, which is unfortunately all too prevalent in the world of DJs, is bad posture. “What does the way I hold myself have to do with breathing?” you may ask.

Well more than you may think.

Remember how we talked about breathing requiring extra space in your chest cavity? Well, if you slouch down, even just a little bit, it crunches down on your lungs, in essence pinning them down and preventing them from expanding outwards to their fullest potential.

Remember, good posture is not standing as stiff and upright as a British soldier (that can actually be just as detrimen-

tal as slouching) but, rather standing up naturally, and bringing your shoulders back so they are roughly in line with your hips.

So, lets try that first exercise again, hands on your chest and stomach. Open

your mouth and push your stomach outward, you should feel your lungs fill up significantly more than before, allowing you to speak better, longer, and with more control. MB Jake Tolley offers a quick overview of the mechanics of the voice and how the voice works in his seminar, SPEAK UP! He’ll demonstrate some simple warm-ups to use before speaking, low-impact speaking techniques, and other vocal maintenance methods in this presentation. Jake will also discuss troubleshooting techniques and prevention of common vocal ailments.

Jake is co-owner of Fuze Entertainment in Cleveland, Ohio. He has over ten years of classical voice training, focusing specifically on vocal quality and endurance.

The Good, The Bad and the Truly Ugly A REVIEW OF WEDDING DJ WEBSITES

By Tom Haibeck

D

ollar for dollar, there’s simply no better marketing vehicle available to most businesses today than their website.

That’s especially true for wedding professionals. Brides typically fall into the 20-35 age range, and the medium of choice for that age group is the Internet. According to The Knot, brides turn to online research an average of ten times per week to preview wedding fashions, find suppliers and plan their big day.

The major wedding websites, such as The Knot, David’s Bridal and Wedding Wire, are well aware of the marketing power of the Internet. That’s why they spend millions of dollars on the creation and maintenance of their websites. And they employ one key marketing strategy that’s absolutely essential to their success.

They design their websites and create messaging that matches their target audience.

In this case, the target audience is brides.

And if you spend some time leafing through major wedding magazines or clicking through those million dollar wedding websites, you will notice a certain congruence between the look and feel of those mediums.

The pages are “clean” and easy to read.

They employ plenty of “white space”—which

means there’s lot of open area on the page.

The “tone” is fun, upbeat and romantic. And the overall look and feel is young, hip and professional—a reflection of the brides they’re trying to target.

Contrast that with the “look and feel” of

the business cards, brochures and websites used by many mobile entertainers. Big, loud logos on a shiny black background. A mish-mash of colors and imagery. Cheezy clip art. And an underlying message that says “designed and produced on the cheap through Kinkos.”

Those tired, schlocky websites tend to turn brides off before they ever enter them.

And that’s a shame, because many of the mobile entertainers behind those websites are highly talented professionals who simply lack the knowledge and resources required to address those design flaws.

Until now. Today, there are countless ways to build high quality, professional looking websites using simple, easy-to-build templates from the likes of Wix, GoDaddy and WordPress. And the total cost in building them can be less than $500.

In my seminar, we’ll take a look at wedding websites to offer helpful tips and insights on how to tweak and/or re-build for better results.

I’ll walk through the steps involved in re-branding your corporate image, from the creation of a new logo to the launch of a new website.

Along the way, I’ll also showcase some of the “best of the best” wedding websites and highlight why they’re so effective. Of course we’ll also look at the “worst of the worst” wedding websites. (Let’s hope yours isn’t one of them!)

Finally, I’ll discuss the simplest, most costeffective “build-it-yourself” web authoring tools currently available. MB Tom Haibeck has spent the past 30+ years in the advertising and public relations industry (Haibeck.com), experience that he will bring to bear in The Good, The Bad & The Truly Ugly of Wedding DJ Websites. His PR firm was one of the first in North America to market its services through a corporate website. He was also one of the early pioneers in the creation and marketing of digital information. His books, Wedding Toasts Made Easy and The Wedding MC have sold over 100,000 copies worldwide (largely through his website, WeddingToasts.com).

PRO ACADEMY Wednesday February 6 High Powered Lasers for DJ’s: Technology, Safety, & the Law – Dan Goldsmith Practical DMX: Offering Your Clients More!

– Ben Stowe, CTS Video DJ’s Toys, Tips and Tricks – Nick Covino

Thursday February 7 Above-Average Audio – Ben Stowe, CTS Monograms: Projecting for Profit Power to the People!

– Ben Stowe, CTS

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FEATURE

Speaking Her Language THE 4 DIALECTS OF SPEAKING “BRIDE”

By Vickie Musni

H

ave you ever noticed that some of your clients are different from you? And that not all of your clients are the same? What about the fact that a bride can have a very different personality from her fiancé? (Or from her parents?) Each personality has different needs and preferences. If you want a bride to truly hear what you are saying, you must speak her language. And the better you can understand her particular “dialect” the better you will be at speaking to her needs and establishing a strong connection.

Perhaps you were taught the Golden Rule as a child – that you should treat others the way you want to be treated. While I agree that this is a great principle for broad topics like good manners or ethical decisions, it isn’t a great rule for figuring out the best way to treat individuals with different personalities.

The observation that people can be very different from one another is not new. Around 400 BC a Greek thinker, Hippocrates, came up with the theory that what makes people so different is the make-up of their body chemistry. Almost 600 years later, a Greek physician, Galen, built upon Hippocrates’ ideas and developed the idea of what he called the four temperaments. He then selected terms for these personality types basing the names on the supposed imbalance of body fluids: Sanguine, Choleric, Melancholy, and Phlegmatic. But for our purposes in the seminar, we’re going to simply learn them by four corresponding colors.

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Even though there were some flaws in their theories, Hippocrates and Galen had a lot right. When you first meet a bride you won’t be able to discern every aspect of personality, but with some basic understanding of the four temperaments you will be able to make an educated guess and speak in a way that will most likely address her specific needs. The “Speaking Her Language” seminar will address the specifics of how to identify a personality type based on visual and verbal cues, explain the primary needs of each type, and give practical suggestions for how to “speak” each personality’s language most effectively.

Now that you understand that everyone you meet will have some combination of these four basic temperaments it is important to approach potential customers with this information in mind. However, since it isn’t practical to ask each bride who visits your booth at a fair or drops by your store or studio to take a personality test, you will need to use other clues to try to quickly determine the personality of a potential customer (or her mother!). This is particularly important if your first point of contact with a bride is at a wedding fair. In that situation you have a very limited amount of time to establish a connection with a bride and make her want to do business with you, before she moves on to the next booth. Therefore, the more you can discern about a bride’s personality right from the start, the stronger connection you can make with her, and the greater chance you’ll have of making the sale.

While the old adage that “opposites attract” tends to be true in personal relationships, in a business setting, you are most likely to attract customers whose language you are speaking.

Before you go to work at your studio, store or office – and especially before preparing for a wedding expo or trade show of any kind – review your notes on the different personalities and think through what you want to say to each type of bride you meet.

The more fluently you can speak each “dialect” of Bride, the more genuine and effective your communication will be. MB In her seminar, Speaking Her Language: The 4 Dialects of Speaking “Bride,” Vickie Musni will share some powerful secrets for quickly identifying the personalities of clients you meet and gaining insights into the needs of each personality type, allowing you to know what each most wants to hear. Vickie and her husband Craig founded Ever After Creations, where she currently focuses on sales and networking. She started studying personality styles about 15 years ago, and has gone through extensive training, including a professional speaker’s communication seminar based on the personalities, as well as the Personalities Training Workshop. Vickie has presented to various networking groups and conferences including chapters of the ADJA, AFWPI Regional Conference, and most recently on the DJ Cruise. community groups.

FEATURE

Acting Like a Two-Year Old AN UNEXPECTED WEAPON TO COMBAT “THE ENEMIES OF OUR SUCCESS”

By David Hanscom

A

t MBLV16 I presented part one of my “Success” series called “Compounding Your Success.” It focused on the importance of spending more time on yourself that you do on your business. This year, part 2 of the series will be “The Enemies of Our Success.”

This presentation will dive into some of the largest hang ups we all face that are holding us back from achieving true greatness, many of which we don’t even realize.

It will also offer clues to help you begin to identify the enemies when they appear and action steps on how to attack them and turn your thoughts and actions around.

One of the most fun action steps is “Acting like a two-yearold.” Now I know, many will say “I already do!” but this may be a different outlook than you are thinking of. There are several characteristics that two-year-olds have that most of us have lost somewhere along the way.

The first is persistence. I can remember that when my youngest daughter was around that age she had already fallen in love with ice cream. It became a nightly event that she would

always come to me about 30 or 45 minutes prior to dinner time and ask for an ice cream. I would explain to her that we would be having dinner soon and that I did not want her to ruin her appetite. Of course at that age she probably did not even comprehend what I was saying, to her the only mission was to get that ice cream. So it was, “Daddy, I really love ice cream,” “Daddy, my favorite ice cream is chocolate, what is yours?” and on and on. The next thing you know we are at the dinner table ready to eat and there she sits, ice cream cone in hand. Of course, I know the knee jerk reaction is it’s my fault for giving in, but the bigger message to get out of this story was her persistence. She knew what she wanted and didn’t give up until she got it. How persistent are YOU toward your goals, toward what you really want in life?

The next characteristic is “childlike faith,” you know Santa Claus is coming to town, the tooth fairy and the Easter bunny. As children, we all believed that a large man was going to visit every home in one night, slide down the chimney and leave presents for all the good boys and girls. Or what about the tooth fairy who is somehow going to fly into the room at night, money in pocket, somehow get to the tooth under your pillow, drop off the money and leave with the tooth. Again, we held on to belief this with everything we were. We had faith that these wonderful things were real and could happen. The one day someone came along and let us in on the “truth.”

For many it was actually a traumatic experience and diminished that childlike faith I refer to. Once again, the same thing happens to us as adults and business owners. We begin our businesses with the faith and trust in their success. We will be able to do what we love doing as a “skill” but turn it into a revenue stream. For some it takes off immediately, while for others the roadblocks appear almost immediately. Whether it’s that friend or family member who asks “How are you going to make a living doing that?” or not being able to put up the capital to really launch your business effectively. Whatever those road blocks are, they start to break down that childlike faith and cause you to second guess yourself. It is important to do your best to keep that childlike faith close to your core. Sure, reality will set in and challenges will arise, but without faith what do we really have? MB The Enemies of Our Success will be an essential presentation at MBLV17 for those who are serious about self-development. Presenter David Hanscom has been in the entertainment industry for over 20 years. He built a successful mobile DJ business and was able to combine his life lessons learned in the process with his entrepreneurial spirit to build several other businesses. His passion for helping others guides him while his business savvy allows him to be able to continue the skill of DJing he loves so much. His recent battles with and overcoming weight and health challenges are a true testimony of the power of self-improvement and overcoming the Enemies of Our Success. In 2011 he partnered with dub nutrition with a combined mission to create “one healthy generation” #uniteforone.

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FEATURE

How to Double Your Website Leads Immediately

By Stephanie Padovani

“I

need more leads so I can book more weddings!”

It’s

the #1 challenge reported to us by our wedding vendor friends and clients.

This task can be daunting when you think about how many leads you have right now compared to how many more you need to earn the income you really want for your DJ business. It’s just so much work!

It can feel like trying to climb Mount Everest and staring up at the mountain that seems to stretch up and up and up—so high you can’t even see the top.

It’s true that it may be a long journey between where you are today and where you really want your wedding business to be. Fortunately, you don’t have to climb the whole mountain at once. Just put one foot in front of the other and you’ll make the climb bit by bit. In the same way, you can get more leads and book more weddings by taking a series of small actions that let you climb the mountain that is your goal.

MORE PROFIT, LESS WORK There’s a devastating myth that many DJs buy into: If you want to double your profits, you have to do double the work. But that’s simply not true!

A series of 10% improvements to the key measurable aspects of your business will result in 2x the income. That means better results after making only a few minor changes. Now that’s good news, isn’t it?

My husband, Jeff, and I will be revealing small changes that yield big results in each of seven key areas in our upcoming presentation at Mobile Beat Las Vegas 2013, “Turbo Charge Your Wedding Business: 7 Simple Changes to Double Your Profits.”

Let’s talk about just one of these key areas today: getting more leads from your website.

45% OF YOUR POTENTIAL LEADS ARE NEVER CAPTURED Your website is often the biggest source of leads that you aren’t taking advantage of. Why would I say that? Think about how many website visitors you have per day. Now compare that to how many website leads you get per day. A typical DJ may have 50 visitors per day, but he’s lucky if even one of them is a website inquiry.

What happened to the rest of them? Statistically, about 50% of your website visitors are not your potential customers; either they are competitors spying on your site or people who aren’t 32

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in the market for DJ services at all.

Following this example, over 45% or more of your potential website leads vanish never to return.

All those potential leads, all those brides visiting your website, and most of them are NOT calling or emailing you. They leave and most likely never come back again.

CAPTURE THOSE LEADS BEFORE THEY DISAPPEAR But what if you could capture website visitors on that first visit so that you can follow up with them until they’re ready to book?

This one simple change that can double your website leads overnight!

Add a big, prominent call to action at the top of every page of your website.

Your “call to action” is the action you want the website visitor to take. If you want the bride and groom to contact you, make it easy for them. Your contact button should be unmissable.

When I say add your call to action to every page, I mean every single page. Many of your website visitors don’t land on the home page of your website. They often come in on a blog post or some other page. If they don’t see your call to action immediately, you lose them.

It’s not enough to simply tell the bride or groom to contact you. You must give them a compelling reason to do so. Offer them some type of incentive to take that action, such as a discount, a special offer, or my favorite, a free report filled with irresistible wedding planning ideas and inspiration.

Tell them what to do and give them a good reason to do it, and your website visitors will respond. MB In Turbo Charge Your Wedding Business: 7 Simple Changes to Double Your Profits, an interactive presentation geared wedding specialists, Stephanie and Jeff Padovani will teach specific strategies designed to get more leads and book more weddings, which can be used right away to deliver fast results. Learn how to increase leads, get more website traffic, set up more meetings and convert them into bookings, and how to increase your average income earned per wedding. The Padovani’s started a wedding entertainment company in 2000 and in only four years built a six-figure wedding business, leaving their corporate jobs behind. Check out www.bookmorebrides.com for more on what they have to offer.

MOBILE BEAT

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SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL GEAR STORE! SPARKS, NV

✪

LAS VEGAS, NV

✪

LOS ANGELES, CA

WEST

✪

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HollywoodDJ.com

Planet DJ, Inc.

931 East 11th St Los Angeles, CA 90021 hollywooddj.com 800-700-4542

1315 Greg St Suite 101 Sparks, NV 89431 planetdj.com 877-4DJ-Gear

Limelite Pro-Audio and DJ Supply

Colorado Sound N’ Light

4601 W. Sahara Ave, Suite H Las Vegas, NV 89102 limeliteproaudio.com 702-364-9922

12061 Pennsylvania St Suite B102 Thornton, CO 80241 csnl.com 303-429-0418

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✪

MIDWEST

THORNTON, CO

Your local music gear retailer is still the only place you can get your hands on actual gear to try before you buy! Stores listed here typically have DJ gear-savvy sales people ready to help you make the right buying decisions. Don’t miss out on what the stores have to offer!

DEALERS

B BEMIDJI, MN

LINCOLNWOOD, IL

✪

NLFX Professional 1319 Naylor Drive SE Bemidji, MN 56601 nlfxpro.com 888-660-6696

Audiolines.com

3924 W. Devon Ave Suite 300 Lincolnwood, Il 60712 audiolines.com 847-679-0505

BROCKTON, MA

ROCHESTER, NY

✪

✪

LEVITTOWN, NY

WARREN, MI

✪✪✪NORTH BABYLON, NY

✪

CANTON, OH

FRESH MEADOWS, NY

✪

Pro Audio & Lighting 3842 E 13 Mile Warren, MI 48092 proaal.com 586-582-0871

Pro Audio Video, Inc 1620 30th St NE Canton, OH 44714 proaudiovideo. net 330-494-2100

EAST

✪

ACROSS AMERICA

I DJ NOW Long Island 1015 Sunrise Hwy N. Babylon, NY 11704 idjnow.com 800-355-7746

I DJ NOW Queens

Stop in , or better yet, tell a friend who has not yet experienced Mobile Beat to stop in at your nearest participating DJ gear dealer, to receive a complimentary copy of MB with a product purchase.

181-24 Horace Harding Expwy Fresh Meadows, NY 11365 idjnow.com 718-762-0100

Sound Source 161 Norris Drive Rochester, NY 14610 soundsource.com 585-271-5370

Music Trends The DJ’s Toystore 2947 Hempstead Tpke Levittown NY 11756 musictrends.com 888-621-DJDJ Electronic Bargains DJ Superstore 970 Montello Street Brockton, MA 02301 ebdj.com 800-336-1185

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FEATURE

Learning How to Shoot

Create a Perfect Reception

By Arnoldo Offermann

By Rex De Jaager

W

ouldn’t it be great if life came with a set of instructions? DJs do have a set of instructions, and the opportunity to direct events to make the dreams of brides and grooms come true. In the most simplistic terms they are: 1. Polish and educate the DJ/ entertainer; and 2. Educate the client. It can be summed up in one word: “Homework.”

I’m sure that you have heard that a DJ can “make or break” an event? Some DJs haven’t yet figured out that they can MAKE the event! Some DJs, unfortunately, are “minimizers” and are preprogramed only to “show up and throw up.” Others will take control and make the right decisions that will make memorable memories of a lifetime for a bride and groom and their families.

As a general rule, it is easier to plan in advance than to put out fires the day of the event. If you survey a thousand brides before their events about their thoughts on the most important features of the event, then have them complete an evaluation afterward. Do you believe the results will be the same? We know the results. In almost all cases they will tell you that they wish they would have spent more time and money on the entertainment. It’s unfortunate that many brides remain “uneducated” when it comes to planning a successful wedding. As professional entertainers, it is our job to educate them!

We need to guide them through the maze of things that can or shouldn’t happen. But DJs can’t help their clients if they are not, themselves, disciplined and knowledgeable.

Part of your “homework” is to know what your brides want.

All couples are different. It should be your goal to customize each event. The music that the bride and groom desire to hear and what activities that will occur should not be the only topics for your meeting with them. For example, you should discuss the venues, parking, power requirements, even food. At times you may even have to tell potential clients that you may not be the right DJ or company for them. Again, in a nutshell: Polish and educate the entertainer first, and then educate the client. MB Rex De Jaager will provide dozens of ideas you can use to Create a Perfect Wedding Reception by Avoiding the Screw Ups in his MBLV17 seminar. He’ll show how you can make your business a well-tuned machine that produces perfect, memorable events for your clients. Owner of the Virginia Beach’s Tidewater DJs, Rex has 25 years of experience as a DJ and MC. With a wry wit, he has a encapsulated much of his DJ wisdom in his new book 101 Ways to Screw Up Your Wedding Reception (Without Really Trying) (www.101waystoscrewup.com).

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H

ow are your photos? You could have the sharpest looking rigs, but unless your photography can properly display such arrangements then your marketing will suffer. Networking with the photographer is always a good idea that can lead to win-win networking, but their ultimate goal is to take photos that the bride wants and not photos to boost your marketing.

What does this mean? You may not get any photos of JUST the uplighting, or a before and after of a flood fill. You also may have to wait a while to get those photos, and your copyright use may be limited.

Heading to your local electronics store and buying a point-andshoot is a bad idea. For photos that will take your marketing to the next level, you’ll want a Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera, such as the Canon T2i. What do these cameras offer that point and shoots don’t?

• Exceptional low-light performance • A wide array of lenses that give you many options • HD Video recording with unsurpassed quality at an affordable price.

• Outstanding image quality.

You’ll notice a little wheel or menu on top of most DSLRs with MANY options. Ignore all of them, except for M (Manual), AV (Aperture Priority) and sometimes Tv (Shutter Priority). Anything else is like buying a sports car and choosing the automatic 3 speed transmission.

You won’t learn photography overnight, but there are MANY great books that will teach you to shoot with a DSLR in Manual Mode Once you get the hang of it, your photos will WOW your prospects. We get MANY calls from people who saw our photos on our blog and were so impressed by the lighting they knew we’d be a great fit.

So what will you need? This list can get expensive QUICKLY, but this IS your marketing. The lenses (AKA Glass) can cost more than the camera itself, but when the body is upgraded, your lenses are still there. Here’s some items you’ll need, other than the obvious such as batteries, memory cards, etc.: • A body, The best one for DJs, in my opinion, is the Canon T2i. It offers an unmatched bang for the buck.

• Glass. You’ll want a “fast” lens. This means it shoots at a wide aperture, which allows more light in a short amount of time. The Canon 50mm 1.8 is often called the Plastic Fantastic or Nifty Fifty; it’s a VERY fast lens at a dirt-cheap price: $99 in most stores!

• Flash. Don’t use the Pop Up Flash. Once in a while you’ll want to fill in some light, get a flash that will allow you to aim the light somewhere besides the person’s gace.

• A book (or video) on photography.

• Lots of practice!

Once you get the hang of it, your marketing will look stellar and grab your prospective clients better than ever before. Plus, photography is a fun hobby that yields many rewards. Try it out today! MB In Photography for DJs, Arnoldo Offerman will cover everything you’ll need to know to get started on your own: the best camera for your needs, lenses, and settings. You will learn, without technical jargon, the difference between shutter speed, aperture, ISO sensitivity and how these work to create the perfect exposure. You will also get a crash-course on how to use Adobe Lightroom to make your promotional photos pop.

FEATURE

E

ntertainment professionals know the importance of providing customers with an experience that will knock their socks off. From the very first interaction one has with a customer to the day of their special event, the goal is to build an unforgettable relationship.

Bride Live and Intelligence, Inc. have teamed up to offer the most cutting-edge customer relationship tool around. Join Bob Scott and Jay Thomson, co-founders of BrideLive, and Darren Hughes, president of DJ Intelligence, as they unveil the ultimate software package that is sure to take your customer relationships to a higher level.

Turn $10 Into a $500 Profit with EBA

Sponsored Seminars

Taking Customer Relationships to the Next Level with Bride Live & DJ Intelligence

FEATURE

I

n the current economy, diversification of services is not just an option but an essential element for any DJ business striving to succeed.

At this seminar you will learn how to generate $500 profit in just 3 hours of operation with the European Body Art (EBA) turnkey business systems. EBA offers the world’s only complete body art systems designed to provide airbrush tattoos, airbrush custom logos, black light tattoos, glitter tattoos and airbrush face painting united in one simple operation (a system in a box).

No experience is necessary, as each system comes with allinclusive DVD training, while the exclusive and revolutionary ZeroG airbrush requires zero cleaning and zero maintenance.

The seminar covers everything you need to know to operate a successful airbrush body art business, including marketing, pricing, operational cost, our reward programs, training and employee management.

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FEATURE

Hey, DJ! Get Off My Lawn!

By Ron Ruth

O

ne of the greatest rewards of growing older is being asked for advice from my peers, particularly those who are much younger or may be in the beginning stages of starting their businesses.

It’s satisfying to help others succeed and watch them reach their full potential. After all, I didn’t get to where I am today without the friendly, helpful advice from a number of mentors; people who were there to keep me from doing something stupid.

I wish I could say they were 100% effective. I believe with age comes a responsibility to give back whenever possible and to prevent other DJs from making unnecessary mistakes. My presentation, “Hey, DJ! Get Off My Lawn: Unsolicited Words of Advice from A Seasoned DJ” at Mobile Beat XXII in February, 2013, is your chance to learn hard lessons the easy way.

At the Mobile Beat 2012 Conference, I had the pleasure of sitting on a panel with show producer, Mike Buonaccorso and Keith Alan of Keith Alan Productions in Connecticut. The title of the presentation was “DJing from 50 & Beyond.” As “seasoned” professionals we were asked to share tips and advice with a growing number of DJs who are approaching their 50’s on how to keep the momentum of their business going as they, themselves, grow older.

For me, the most surprising moment came while looking out from the stage to see that so many of those who came to that presentation were actually older than most of us on the panel.

What didn’t come as any real shock was to hear the wisdom they contributed to the conversation. A great many of those individuals, some very well known and all successful in their own right, told incredible stories of the adjustments they made to overcome the stigma that age plays in influencing a far younger client’s decision to choose their services.

Besides a look forward, many of the “senior” DJs provided a 20/20 view of their past; a view with insights of the business decisions they made to become successful and remain in the industry for so many years. What everyone heard and shared in was a conversation that included a discussion of avoiding the mistakes we “older folk” had already made and how to grab on 38

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to and make the most of opportunities that a good number of newcomers and even veteran DJs tend to overlook.

It was extraordinary watching the faces of the more youthful DJs in the room. They quietly listened, taking in every word and respecting the wisdom of those who have already learned the life and business lessons that a younger generation of DJs will eventually face and how the choices they make today can influence their future success.

As I said earlier, those of us on the panel were not and still are not the oldest DJs still enjoying what we do in the industry.

I’m not even certain that I fall into the category of most experienced. I didn’t come into the industry until 21 years ago. I will, however, be turning sixty this year and I’m not thinking about retirement any time soon. My DJ friends love giving me a hard time about my age. One DJ even asked me recently, “How much longer do you plan to be around?” Of course, after he realized how he mis-phrased his question, he quickly tried to reframe it to when I plan to retire. I knew what he was trying to ask in the first place, but it was still fun to watch him squirm, especially under the “get off my lawn” glare that can only come from an “old guy.”

During my presentation, “Hey, DJ! Get Off My Lawn!: Unsolicited Words Of Advice From A Seasoned DJ,” at MB XXII in February, 2013, I’ll share three, personal life and business lessons that most DJs tend to ignore but have the potential for providing long-term success and a greater level of respect from other wedding and event professionals in your market and increased referrals from the clients you serve.

Through stories, photos, video and a variety of DJ and other professional resources, we’ll explore the impact that passion, collaboration and exceeding expectations has on your attitude and on the success of your business and events. We’ll look closely at missed opportunities to excel, discuss overlooked occasions to lead when no else will and explore how to reconcile the difference between what is in the best interest of your business and that of your client.

“Hey, DJ! Get Off My Lawn!” is an honest and candid approach for helping DJs of every age from doing something stupid and making potentially devastating and career ending mistakes presented by an “old guy” who has already made more than just a few of them. MB You’ll experience an honest and candid approach to helping DJs of every age avoid potentially devastating and career ending mistakes at Hey, DJ! Get Off My Lawn!: Unsolicited Advice From A Seasoned DJ. Presented by “old guy” Ron Ruth, who has already made more than just a few of them. DJs will discover three personal life and business lessons that most tend to ignore but have the potential for providing long-term success while generating a greater level of respect from other wedding professionals and increased referrals from clients. Ron is a 20 year veteran of the Wedding Entertainment Industry, and is the author and key presenter of two highly acclaimed wedding workshops for engaged couples entitled “The MAGIC Behind An Extraordinary Wedding Celebration!” and the “The Best Groom…Ever!”

FEATURE

Female DJ Forum J

ean Craycroft will moderate a discussion focused on issues of interest to the female DJ community. Join the ladies in a round table discussion and open up the dialogue to share ideas on how fun is it to be a girl in the boys club!

Potential topicss include, for example: • How we should sell ourselves in the market to achieve the top level • How to take your business to an interactive company level, incorporating lighting, dances instruction, video mixing etc.

• Relating to brides and other clients • Setting up and run the equipment • Issues of physical strength, carrying DJ gear • Buying DJ equipment • Trouble shooting audio problems • Having confidence to be a self-starter • The desire to be your own boss • Multi-tasking • Being multi-talented, wearing many hats • MCing technique • Knowledge of the types of music and reading the crowd or dance floor • Family or mate support of the DJ life style • Personal style • Working with different people every week Women are invited to share ideas, information, challenges and opinions on various professional experiences in the entertainment industry. Group members include industry leaders, experts, newcomers, and everyone in between. This meeting will most certainly be an exciting gathering of strong, forward-thinking, entrepreneurial women. Come join Jean and the girls for what surely will be a fun, informative, FEMtatsic time at MBLV 2013!

In 1994, Jean Craycroft founded C&C Entertainment and has succeeded in making her company a top name in the highly competitive mobile DJ industry in the Greater Cincinnati area.

Jean knows that constant innovation and diverse professional experience keep her business fresh, fun, and exciting. She brings a wide variety of business and entertainment experience to the table, being a radio personality, as well as doing professional work in videography and local sports promotion and management.

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Tots*Tweens*Teens John Rozz

T

his market is big and off the hook. John Rozz will speak on the needs—to be taken seriously— of this ever growing market that will always be there, even in bad economic times. He will explain why teens are WORLDY, SOPHISTICATED, DISCERNING with HIGH EXPECTATIONS, TODAY’S TRENDSETTER’S/TOMORROW’S ADULTS and more. He will discuss the millions of dollars spent on this age group and even share his own experiences with the opening of his private event space “Club Lucent,” which caters largely to thi demographic.

He will discuss and show great visuals of what your team should look like, and how to act correctly with “TOTS*TWEENS*TEENS in our ever changing world.

He will also give you leads on starting up full proof events such as “Touch A Truck” and “Trunk or Treat.” These are just two of the many unique events for which your company can supply sound, lighting, DJs and MCs, and where you can show off your WRAPPED VEHICLE. To get the most out of this seminar, you’ll need to “think like a kid and party like a teen!” i promise I won’t tell your kids.

At 63 years of age and still spinning, MCing, performing and coming up with over-the-top ideas, John must be doing something right.

50 Games in 60 Minutes Robbie Britton

R

obbie Britton is interactive and on a mission. His mission is to share 50 interactive games with you in one hour, and at the same time share his point of view on being an interactive entertainer. He will also cover everything from how to create new games, to how to tweak the games that you already know to fit your events. If you choose to join him on this mission, be ready for a fast paced and interactive seminar.

Robbie has been a full time self-employed mobile DJ for over 20 years and is the owner of Funville inc., an event solutions company. He is the producer of the Appalachian Regional Mobile Disc Jockey Symposium (ArmDJs.com) that is now in its sixth year. He is the founding President of the East TN Chapter of the American Disc Jockey Association, a Peter Merry Leadership award recipient, and has been voted the People’s Choice as “Best DJ” in his home town of Greeneville, TN for five years running.

FEATURE

Being Prepared Michael Smith

H

ow far in advance do you prepare for an event? A week before? A month before?

When you sign the contract? When you first meet the client?

How prepared is your business? Shortterm? Long-term? In this seminar, we’ll look at ways to answer these questions. A key to success lies in the preparation. How prepared are you? What are you prepared for? Learn to use the tools you possess that will help you be prepared.

We will also discus how far you go or should you go for your clients. When should you protect your clients and when should

you protect yourself? When should you say “yes” or “no” to them?

Preparedness is just a part of crisis management.

In this discussion you will learn: • To define and identify the differences between an issue and a crisis • If a crisis does occur, how to deal with it.

• What the five stages of a crisis are • The four steps of planning and preparing Michael Smith started DJing when he was 16 years-old and has run his own mobile DJ business since 2000. He has a degree in public relations with experience in crisis communications and media relations. A long-time scouter and involved with law enforcement, emergency preparedness is something Michael has been involved with all his life. Michael has presented to several networking groups, conferences and associations such as chapters of the ADJA, TEAM, the DJ Cruise as well as to local law enforcement.

FEATURE

What Do You Do When the Music Stops?

By Andy Ebon

T

his is not an article about a power outage. It is about thoughts you may have that are difficult to share. Very private thoughts.

The big questions: How much longer do I want to be a mobile DJ? What do I do, next?

When your mind begins to consider such deep questions, it’s hard for insecurity not to creep in. Sometimes it’s all in your head. Other times, you perceive true awareness of nearing the end of the road.

One morning, listening to KSFO radio in San Francisco, I heard Coach John Madden talking about the football lifespan of running backs. His theory was this: “A running back only has a certain number of games in his body.”

Through Junior High, High School, College, and the NFL, a running back takes a pounding.

And one day, seemingly overnight, their production falls off... and before you know it, they are done…. Career over!

In sports, it is difficult for an athlete to settle into a post-sports world, easily. In football, the team just cuts you. Often without warning or ceremony.

I began to wonder if DJs only have a similar, limited lifespan of work. Some of it is physical. As you age, stamina begins to wane.

Aches and pains start to creep in.

Some of it is mental. Does the bride who seems more her big brother’s age, than her father’s age? As a female DJ, it’s not uncommon to feel that pressure, even more so.

Am I hip enough to emcee a Bar Mitzvah?

Do I like keeping up on current music? Do I even enjoy today’s music?

These are all legitimate questions? They are also symptoms; not just of insecurity, but perhaps of approaching the final horizon of your DJ life. Regardless of how you answer these self-directed inquiries, it’s important to understand whether such thoughts are a phase, a problem that can be solved, or the beginning of the end.

In my mobile DJ life, I built two successful companies and sold them both. At Mobile Beat 2013, we’ll address many of these questions, and more. Please understand that there are various good answers. Even you can misread the situation, and make a definitive wrong move.

I can tell you, in advance, that my first decision to sell my company was a mistake.

And, it was avoidable. I was so certain I was ready to sell I signed a 5-year non-competition agreement. In just a few months, the mistake was obvious to me, but it was too late. And yes, I had to wait out the full five years before starting again.

And what if you decide it’s time to sell?

What’s your business worth? How do you estimate that? What is the profile of a logical buyer? How do you make potential buyers aware that you are interested in selling your enterprise?

Should you list the sale with a business broker? How do you prevent leaking of a possible sale to your business contacts and employees?

Self-reflection is a tool for being for ward-thinking.

It’s also reasonable to waver and change your mind when considering the possible outcomes and paths.

By sharing a little perspective and taking questions from DJ’s, brave enough to speak about this, in a public forum, perhaps I can help you recognize the correct timing and the possible exit strategies and transitions to other career endeavors.

It’s likely that you will retire or depart the mobile DJ industry, at some point. It would be nice to do it on your terms, with your own timing.

What do you do when the music stops?

That’s an even tougher question. This session will challenge you to look in the mirror and help you look forward. It’s a scary, and important, confrontation. Together we’ll look into the Magic 8-Ball ® and shape your path. MB In his seminar What Do You Do When the Music Stops? Andy Ebon will discuss causes and solutions related to burnout. He founded and operated two San Francisco mobile DJ companies during a 26-year disc jockey career.

His companies, Music Man and Designer Music were both highly successful. His achievements with Designer Music earned him accolades as San Francisco Small Business Owner of the Year.

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41

FEATURE

A Different Spin: Behind All That Spin

By Michael Buonaccorso

A

bout three years ago, after 21 years with Mobile Beat, I concluded that the history of the mobile DJ industry had never been summarized in an all-inclusive work, leaving a void, a lack of a single source of the history of what is relatively a new field, that of the mobile DJ. So much had taken place in such a short time, and looking over the mountains of data we had accumulated over the years in compiling over 100 issues of the magazine, I decided I had the resource material to put together such a work. The result was A Different Spin, the first and only book of its kind, including information on the concept of the mobile DJ, the development of technology and music, the issues of copyright, social interaction and much, much more.

Ironically, I soon learned it didn’t seem to matter. I found interest in the book to be less than stellar, begging the question, “Do DJs even care about this history?”

Was the character of this group more similar to plumbers, an occupation with a history documented back to the Roman Empire, but of little interest to the masses of plumbers out there living only in the present, interested in only that next leaky faucet?

In addition, while writing the book and compiling its evolutionary timeline, I stumbled upon some stunning conclusions.

When applying a critical thinker’s perspective to the accumulation of facts and figures, the mobile DJ industry seemed full of contradictions and inconsistencies. Among them was the simple fact that the mobile DJ trying to establish an individual reputation as a legitimate “artist” was up against an entirely different set of objectives than the individual who wants to serve the mobile DJ industry as a service provider. But again, like the facts and figures, for those living in their personal versions of realty, it was of little value.

Thus, the idea of creating a seminar was born, to see if perhaps a personal introduction to the material might help. Very little of the book content is revealed in the sixty minutes, but what you will learn is the methodology used to take a critical look at the issues and problems of the industry, many of which have remained unchanged over two decades, and see how to connect the dots for some startling results. For a unique few, it will be a forum of inquisitive minds seeking relevant information that just may help them in a better evaluation of their business goals and decisions. MB If you are interested in finding out “where you came from” as a mobile DJ in order to better understand where you may be going in the future, don’t miss A Different Spin: Behind All That Spin.

Presenter Michael Buonaccorso is the co-founder of Mobile Beat Magazine and the originator/producer of all 17 MB Las Vegas shows, as well as past MB summer events. He has been involved with the industry as a DJ or media professional for over 30 years.

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Next Level Sales Tactics

By Joe Bunn

A

t the upcoming Mobile Beat Show in Las Vegas in February, I will be presenting a “must-see” seminar entitled “Next Level Sales Tactics.” Basically, it is concerned with what to do once you have a bride committed to coming to meet with you.

In the seminar we will be covering these key points, and more: • Creating and using a Powerpoint/Keynote presentation • The “bride book” and other forms we use • Tricks for making them feel at home • Where and when to meet • How to dress, speak, etc.

For this article, let’s focus on the last point above, one of the most basic and simple things that you can do, how to dress at the meeting.

I’ve often heard of DJs showing up to meetings dressed like they would on a Saturday at a wedding, in a suit and tie. I am not going to knock that look, but the truth of the matter is, do you really wear that in your day-to-day life? I don’t. I am a jeans and polo or buttondown kind of guy, and that is what I wear to my meetings. If you have multiple DJs it is even more important that you convey to your staff what is and isn’t acceptable for meetings.

For my company, “standard” includes either NICE jeans or khakis and a Joe Bunn DJ Company polo shirt with our logo emblazoned on it. Or, they can also wear their own polo or buttondown. What is NOT allowed? Torn or ripped jeans, shorts, flip flops/sandals, hats or any other type of “slacker wear.” (Also, I have banned showing up from your other job at Bob’s AC Repair in that work shirt.)

The reason for all of these rules is simple, it’s NOT professional. The old cliché is true: First impressions are everything. Think about it: If you were getting married and meeting with various vendors with your fiancé, would you want to give thousands of dollars to a DJ/florist/baker/ whomever who doesn’t have a professional appearance? How do you know that they can “clean it up” on your wedding day?

At my seminar, we will cover this topic in greater depth, and many more sales tactics that you will be able to take back to your market and use right away. MB DJ Joe Bunn, presenter of the power-packed seminar, Next Level Sales Tactics, has been rocking events for the past 26 years. 15 years ago, he went at the DJ business full time, starting with a couple of DJs and rapidly growing his multi-op business to 18 DJs. Now, Joe Bunn DJ Company does almost 700 events each year. Joe has won numerous industry awards from ISES, NACE and other wedding organizations, as well as countless “Best in Show” bridal show awards. Joe has also been featured in Mobile Beat and other national magazines, and TV shows such as Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

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eventinfo@InnovativeFoto.com US Toll Free: 800.933.2682 ext.177 www.InnovativeFoto.com International: 001+603.324.3240 ext.177

FEATURE

It’s Not a Sin to Be a Bottom Feeder— Just a Shame to Stay There!

By Ken Day

W

ho decided that being a bottom feeder was the cardinal sin in the DJ world? Last I checked, almost every single mobile DJ is, or has been a bottom feeder in one way or another during their DJ “career,” business, hobby, or employment. Is there some magical price point that is universally recognized for being a bottom feeder? It’s merely a starting point for most DJs, until they learn what it takes to up their game and their prices...and, maybe at some point make it their business—hopefully a successful business.

Don’t think that because someone in your market has been in business for a while that they are successful and making money.

I talk to DJs from all over the US, Canada, UK, Japan, Korea, and Australia that have been in the business for several years and they are all seeking the magic formula that will make them financially successful in their business.

The biggest problems I see and hear all the time are DJs that evaluate and adjust their business and performance by the companies that are near them. When I say “near them,” I don’t mean in geographic location alone. They compare location, performance methods and style, pay scale, appearance, marketing modalities, and everything else you could think of to other companies within a 60 mile radius, on average.

No matter how hard you seek the magic formula, there is never a single, simple answer to success and there is no one exactly like you or your situation—no matter how many times you hear about the “one” program or process that will make all the difference.

It takes a little time and adjustment, but most of the time, you can bring your business into tightly knit, custom-built program that improves business and bank accounts based upon a few core items and then several “uniquely you” items that should be brought into play.

The answer to success for you is multifaceted: motivation on your part, discovering and acknowledging your strengths and weaknesses, targeted information for your company business operations, education on performance manner and styles, automation of your processes, and gratification and satisfaction for you and your clients.

Now, after all this banter I’m not saying you have to become a full-time or multi-op DJ to be considered a success. But, there are a host of mistakes that can be avoided by finding someone willing to mentor you and share the information that can make the difference—someone who will also share the common and not so common mistakes made by new and not so new DJs i My suggestion to you is this: Go to the Mobile Beat DJ Show in Vegas this coming February and connect with a few people that are “in the know.” Maybe you can also come by my presentation. Go to the show and see what is possible. MB If you’re ready for it, Ken Day will teach you How to Make a 6-Figure Income as a Solo Operator or Part-Time DJ at MBLV17. Ken Day will share the common and not so common mistakes made by new and not so new DJs, to help you avoid the pitfalls and stumbling blocks of success. He’ll also provide the shortcuts, methods, and automation tactics that can boost you to the next level.

Ken has been in the entertainment industry for over 35 years and has performed as a radio disc jockey, club disc jockey, mobile disc jockey, television commercial actor, news anchorman, compere / master of ceremonies, corporate events and team building coordinator, night club owner,stage lighting and sound company owner, events promoter and coordinator, as well as a night club andrestaurant business and marketing consultant in the USA and other locations around the world.

MBLV17: The Mobile Beat DJ Show & Conference Feb 4-7, 2013 Riviera Casino & Hotel, Las Vegas www.mobilebeat.com/las-vegas-dj-show 44

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FEATURE

FEATURE

The Triple A’s of DJ Success

By Rick Brewer

I

n working one on one with thousands of DJs (and having been a DJ myself) I watch and pay attention to what works and more importantly, what doesn’t work with mobile entertainers. I have found that there are three necessary ingredients to be successful.

Let’s face it; Many of us, while having a great background and training, do not have the opportunity to look from the outside in at other businesses on a regular basis. If and when we were able to see success in action, we would no doubt employ those methods, techniques that have proven themselves.

ACTION The first and most crucial of the three ingredients is action towards that which makes us money. While this seems fundamental, many DJs simply do not put enough emphasis on this step. Herb Keller, the founder of Southwest Airlines had a singular measurement for new ideas were brought to him, that is, does this idea/concept help us to become/maintain being the leader in low-cost air travel? When this rule was applied, it would eliminate 95% of anything that passed by his desk.

The one standard I want you to apply to your action step is this: Does it add directly to my bottom line? When you apply this rule, you will find that much or most of your time spent is not hitting this standard. I preach about the concept of marketing and how you need to spend the majority of your time marketing in your business as this draws in prospective customers. Without customers, the best equipment in the world will sit and gather dust.

ABILITIES By abilities I mean the compententices that will help you in making money. Again, if you are the best mobile entertainer out there, but nobody knows about you, your Saturday nights will be filled with reruns on TV rather than giving guests the show of a lifetime. It is crucial that you become a competent and even expert marketer and salesperson. Focus on the money-making options and you will be able to better yourself through the terrific training out there. In fact, I dare say if you are not going to Mobile Beat, maybe that is where you should start investing in ways to improve your marketing and sales skills.

ATTITUDE Without the attitude that the business is out there, you simply will not act. You need to know that brides who buy are out there and looking for what you provide. In fact there are more potential matches to what you have to offer than your business can handle.

By having the attitude that your perfect customer is out there waiting for you to find them, you hit the ground running each and every morning.

Without this attitude, it becomes easy to get lost in the minutia of your life that don’t make you any money.

All three of these components make a powerful whole. Without action, having a great attitude and fantastic ability will bring the same result as having a lousy attitude. And if you don’t know how to close a sale, all the marketing techniques in the world won’t be of use. Focusing on each of these crucial three areas will not simply help, but will thrust you forward in finding more success. MB Rick Brewer will be speaking on 5 Crucial Ingredients to being a DJ that Dominates at Mobile Beat 2013 and will show you further ideas to help you with your Actions, Abilities and Attitudes.

Rick regularly speaks to about 60 wedding associations around the United States and is a leading expert in marketing and selling to brides. Come learn proven techniques that you will be able to use in your business immediately.

DON’T WAIT: GET YOUR PASS TODAY!

Book your room at the Riv, where they’ve rolled back to room rates to $49 PER NIGHT! Register now at https://members.mobilebeat.com or by calling 800-257-7635 WWW.MOBILEBEAT.COM • D EC E M B ER 2 0 1 2

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FEATURE

Top Gun Marketing for the Mobile DJ of 2013 and Beyond

By Alan Dodson

S

uccessful marketing can be done in many different ways, but for entrepreneurs, the most effective is the kind that uses unconventional methods to achieve conventional goals, primarily investing energy instead of money to move forward. I call it the “Top Gun Mentality,” and when put into effect, it becomes a business and sales philosophy for winners.

Because of the downsizing of American companies, easy access to technology and the entrepreneurial spirit, people around the world are moving to small business in huge numbers. It also seems that where ever you turn, everyone is a DJ these days. But not everyone is capable of operating a successful business. The failure of small business startups also keeps up a record pace. One of the top reasons for failure is the absence of effective marketing for those businesses.

Using an aggressive, efficient marketing approach to develop your DJ business is an action plan that can be easily understood and is undeniably inexpensive. Plus, it will give YOU a wonderfully unfair advantage on your competition. It will bring clarity in a cloudy world and a growing personal economy in a time when you need it the most. If you make the effort to understand how it works, it will give you the power to be a leader in your market.

UNIQUE MARKETING In the seminar, you will learn some tips and tricks that will help you move your business upward in your own market—and most of it will cost you nothing but some time and energy.

For example, when you are contacting prospects, it is important to differentiate yourself from your competition. One way you can do so is to utilize methods that are unlike what the others are doing. Most DJs and other event professionals send a HUGE amount of email and make phone calls responding to leads that they have obtained via bridal shows, online, and through other sources. Unfortunately, these prospective customers are being bombarded with large numbers of emails and many of them will be deleted without being read. A better way to reach them may be via regular postal mail, but with a twist. Use brightly colored envelopes that will grab their attention. Hand address and use unique postage stamps, and maybe a funny sticker sealing the flap. This is different and will be the first thing they open and read when they pick up

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their mail. You will find that this will double or triple your response rate.

The difference between winning and losing, that is, growing and leading your market or just being average, is decided by a very slim margin. While an average business invests 3% to 4% of their gross sales in marketing, a winning business will increase this to 7 to 10%. Although this seems as though you will be doubling your expenses, you will find that the resulting increase in business and profits will net you more on your bottom line.

ETHICAL MARKETING Increasing your marketing is important, but honesty beyond scrutiny is paramount. Years ago, we would say that a happy customer tells three people and an unhappy customer tells 10. In today’s online world, an unhappy customer tells thousands—instantly.

Share bad news as well as good, and your credibility will be increased greatly. Don’t make promises you can’t keep; under-promise and overdeliver and you will be respected and appreciated. Use satisfied clients in your marketing materials, not just their quotes, but their names, dates and locations (always with permission) because a satisfied customer is 90% more believable than any claim you might make.

EFFICIENT MARKETING Work to be more efficient! In today’s world, it’s important to use today’s technology to increase your productivity. Learn to utilize web sites, video brochures, informational audio, e-mail, autoresponders, and tele-presentations to increase your reach and gain an edge over your competition. The biq question is, are you taking full advantage of available technology? You must know who you are selling to and be able to reach that specific demographic. It is easier than you think. One of the best things about using modern technology for marketing, is that people tend to divide themselves into convenient discussion groups or other online communities by their interests, which you can identify and target. You must, of course, have a great web site that anyone can access, but if you’re not targeting specific mailing lists, discussion groups, or forums where your potential customers are most likely participating, those prospects may never learn about you or find your web site to get more information.

This seminar, which is a small preview of the Top Gun Level 2 Workshops, will guide you in the right direction—toward increased marketing success. MB Alan Dodson began his DJ career in 1972 on the radio in Northern Michigan and now specializes in weddings. Well-equipped to present Top Gun Marketing for the Mobile DJ of 2013 and Beyond, he has been a sales and marketing professional for most of his adult life and owns and operates a regional bridal show, now in its a 28th year. He recently opened a wedding/events venue with his wife and teaches. Alan consults nationally and internationally, helping DJs and other event professionals excel in their local markets, via his Top Gun Weddings Workshops.

FEATURE

FEATURE

The Top Ten Things You Can Do To Increase Revenue…No Matter What You Are Doing!

ONE IDEA TO WHET YOUR APPETITE...

By Jason Weldon

M

y seminar is going to be on 10 things you can do to increase your revenue…no matter what you are doing! Here’s a little teaser to entice you to stop by my presentation—one of the top 10 things you can do: HIRE A YOUNG, GOOD, POTENTIAL DJ TO WORK WITH YOU At first, this isn’t going to generate revenue, in fact, it will do the opposite. But, in the long run, it could be one of the best moves you make. Now, I’m not telling you to go out and start a multi-op company, far from it, but having a second DJ that can do smaller, cheaper events, allows you to still get the exposure of your company name, while teaching someone the skills needed to DJ one of your shows.

This is going to start really small for you. All you are going to do is have this “second” DJ tag along with you every single time you go out. Have them practice with the gear during the week. Give them little tests. Basically, you are letting them learn by simply watching you. And watching you for a long time. Six months should be the minimum. Again, you are not formally training them, so there is no program. The program is watching you on shows.

Once you feel comfortable enough with them, sit down with them and discuss compensation. If you know what you have to pay them, you will know what your profit margin will be on each show.

Then, let them do an event. Give them an event that they can’t possibly mess up. Something small and easy. And have faith!

The idea is that this person will get good. Over the years they will continue to grow and get better. They are not going to stay the “entry level” DJ forever. Within a year or two, you may have the chance to let them do your school dances, or maybe some corporate events. But imagine, if after two years, they can do a wedding!

So let’s do the math: How many events are you turning down because they either can’t afford you or you are already booked? But now you have this second DJ. So you decide that you could take on that small school dance or church event next year if this DJ works out. But at a price much better for the client. Let’s say $300. You pay the DJ $125 and you keep the balance of $175.

Now, it isn’t going to get you rich, but it’s

the idea that your starting another form of revenue. It is going to take time.

Let’s just say that the same DJ, two years later, can now do a wedding at your $800 rate. And you pay him $350 and you keep the balance of $450. Again, not making you a millionaire, but you now have two weddings you can do in one day, making you 56% more than you would have if you didn’t have another person.

There are many advantages to having just one more person.

The down sides just aren’t there. Because it is just one more person and not a “crew” of DJs, things can be a little less formal.

As the owner, you can have a lot of control over what they do and can be consistently watching their growth. You are now able to take on the shows you couldn’t have done before, allowing you to be in two places in the same time. This will ultimately generate more potential prospects that would want to hire you. And we all know what an increase in demand does for your pricing!

The downsides that we all here over and over again are always the same. “You are training your competition” and “What happens if they mess up or worse, don’t show up.” Sometimes you have to take a chance. There are a few ways you can protect yourself from them leaving, so that can be managed. And as for the “not showing up or doing a bad job,” well, this is mitigated by you having them shadow you for as long as it is necessary, so you can confidently say that will never happen.

The most exciting thing that can happen is when the phone rings and they don’t ask for you to DJ, but the second DJ that you have been training for all those years.

It will bring a smile to your face and revenue to your business. MB Jason Weldon’s seminar, The Top Ten Things You Can Do To Increase Revenue…No Matter What You Are Doing! will help stimulate more revenue growth as soon as you get home from the conference. Each and every point will deliver value to your business no matter what part of the country you are in. Most of these ideas will be easy and fun to implement and some will be a little more advanced and require some change, but overall you will find them all adaptable to your business model.

Jason Weldon has been involved with the special events industry since 1997. With his company, Synergetic Sound and Lighting, he provides entertainment concepts, as well as A/V and lighting design to the higher end clients of the Philadelphia Metro market.

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EDJ WORKSHOP

Build Your Own DJ Computer System PART ONE OF TWO

By Richard McCoy This is a follow-up to an earlier article I wrote on laptops versus rackmount computers. Many readers of Mobile Beat have requested more information on the rackmount systems I use.

To help those who wish to build a solid rackmount computer system, I will provide all the information required to build a strong DJ computer system. To properly cover the process, this is part one of a two-part series or articles.

As I mentioned in the previous piece, while the ease-ofuse a laptop system may be attractive, the advantages of a rackmount system outweigh most laptops. My view continues to be supported by the examples I’ve witnessed from laptop users throughout the DJ industry. I have no doubts that for many DJs, a laptop is the best solution, based on their computer knowledge and experiences. However, for the high-end, technically savvy DJ, the versatility of a fully equipped rackmount computer outweighs the limited simplicity of a laptop.

In this article, I will describe the procedure for assembling and testing your own rackmount DJ computer. Some basic technical skill and computer knowledge would be very helpful in this procedure. If you’ve assembled a computer system in the past, you should have no problems putting together this computer. It is even possible to purchase a ready-to-use rackmount system if you are lacking the skills necessary to build your own. Either way, you’ll have a very powerful, versatile DJ computer system for all your music, video and karaoke requirements.

Using the proper equipment can make a difference between a good show and a great show. Understanding how this equipment works and integrates into your show is just as important as the music you play. In his MBLV17 presentation, Computer System Integration and Design, Richard McCoy will help DJs understand and develop a strong familiarity with computers and how they are integrated into our music systems. He’ll compare laptop and rackmount computer systems, and will actually demonstrate how to build a rackmount computer and integrate it into a full music system.

Richard has been an electronics hardware/software engineer in Silicon Valley for over 45 years, and is listed on several patents. During that same time, he has also operated as a mobile DJ, doing more than 4000 shows. Richard has contributed to the design of chips, graphics cards, audio and video systems, computers, and even satellites, as well as DJ lighting and sound equipment, while working for companies like Fairchild, Acer and Atari.

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SELECTING A CASE The foundation of our rackmount computer is the case. I suggest using a 2U style case with a depth no greater than 15 inches. This will allow the system to fit in most DJ cases. The computer case I recommend is sold by Cirotech (model number RM-2254) for about $175. This steel case supports an mATX motherboard (8” x 9.6”), up to four 3.5-inch hard disks, one slim optical drive, two USB front ports and a 300W to 600W power supply. This system accepts only low profile bus cards for additional functions. This case will also accept two “hot swap” hard drive bays to allow the insertion of removable hard drives. A case with only one removable hard drive front slot is available for $130 (model RM-2255). Cases do not include power supplies.

SELECTING A MOTHERBOARD: The choice of a motherboard will determine the functionality and performance of the entire system. There are many manufacturers with a variety of functions and performance levels to select from.

I suggest a mid-range product that can provide all the functions and performance without breaking the bank. The advancement in processors and motherboard integration has produced very powerful systems with a small footprint. My choice for a motherboard is the model 760GM-P23 from MSI. This board will accommodate an AMD, 64-bit CPU and 16GB of DDR3 Memory. The motherboard also provides 1GB LAN, DVI/VGA Video and SATA3 with RAID 1-6 support. It will also support 7.1 channels audio out. I found this motherboard and CPU kit available for $150.

This motherboard can be used without any additional adapter boards. Similar boards may be used, depending on your budget and performance requirements. Most motherboards are capable of accepting a variety of CPUs and memory sizes/speeds configurations. Additional video output capability (second display) can be provided with a video adapter card.

Since the decompression of MP3 audio and MP4 video files requires only a small amount of CPU cycles, a very powerful or fast CPU will not provide a significant performance advantage over, lower-end CPUs. The overhead to process audio/ video files depends more upon disc and file access speed than CPU power.

EDJ WORKSHOP

FEATURE

ASSEMBLY

well without modifications. Installing the RAID function may require Installation of the power supply, mother- modification of the BIOS. Read motherboard installation instrucboard, CPU, memory, hard drives and optical tions to configure this function. The RAID function will allow two drives is straightforward, if you have some or more hard disks to “image” each other so if one HD fails, then the basic computer understanding and a few other will continue system operation. Hot swapping will allow the technical skills. The PS2 power supply should removal and replacement of a defective HD while power is still on be installed first. It is placed in the rear right- and the system is operating.

It is very important to make sure your OS has the latest updates hand corner and attached with a few screws.

The rear I/O bracket is snapped into the from the manufacture. Check for updates from the Windows website place provided. Next, the motherboard is and install them before any other software or drivers are installed.

Once the OS is installed and updated, DJ software can be installed; ensure that the rear I/O connectors are mated with the rear bracket. A few screws installed along with the necessary drivers to accommodate the are then used to secure the motherboard in controller to be used. If you can absolutely guarantee that all place. Install the hot swap module next. This music, video and karaoke data transferred to this system is free of case will accept two removable hard drive viruses and malware, then no virus protection software is required. containers. Additional hard drives may be However, it is still best to have some type of system protection installed if required. For faster disc access, installed for those times when a client may provide a disc or thumb use 7200RPM SATA6 hard drives. Install up drive for music or videos. I use NOD32 from ESET (Antivirus $30) to 16 GB (800 to 1333) of RAM memory in because it has a low memory allocation and requires few system the two available sockets. Plug all the power resources to operate. Other virus programs can interfere with your supply connectors into the motherboard, DJ software and disrupt your show. NOD32, which will scan USB hard drives and optical drives, plus the SATA drives and other input sources rapidly and without much computer data/power cables. Wiring diagrams should be available in the manual overhead. Avoid using this system for other computer tasks that may clog up or interfere with your DJ software. that accompanies the motherboard.

As shown in the accompanying chart, a minimum DJ system The final component to be installed will be the CPU and its cooling fan. Follow all the instructions accompanying the CPU to ensure proper can be assembled for about one half the price of the high-end installation! The CPU can only be installed one way, so DO NOT FORCE system. Your DJ style and requirements will determine the comthe CPU into its socket. Be sure to use a thermal paste to facillitate plexity and performance you need in your system. Either system will heat transfer to the fan assembly mounted on top of the CPU. The fan do the job; one just a little better than the other. One of the beauties assembly should snap on top of the CPU. Different motherboards can of rackmount systems like these is that as computer technology use different CPUs and different fans. Connect the front panel THE BOTTOM LINE: Costs to Build Rackmount DJ Computer Systems switches and indicator lights to the mother- Parts Configuration 1 Configuration 2 board as indicated.

(Best) (Minimum) There may be a 2U Steel Case RM-2254 $175.00 RM-2255 $130.00 few power supply connectors that will not Motherboard & CPU $150.00 $150.00 be used and should 400 Watt $ 70.00 300 Watt $ 50.00 be moved away to Power Supply prevent any interfer- DDR3 RAM 16GB (1333) $145.00 4GB (800) $ 35.00 ence with the moth(2 x 2TB, 7200RPM, SATA6) $220.00 1 x 500GB $ 80.00 erboard. Once the Hard Disc assembly is completed, Hot Swap Adaptor $ 56.00 None $ 00.00 the system is ready (GeForec 210, 1GB) $ 41.00 None $ 00.00 to have its operating Video Card system installed. In Optical Drive Slim CD $ 33.00 Standard CD $ 20.00 most cases, this would Ultimate OEM $200.00 Home OEM $100.00 be Windows 7, to Windows 7 OS ensure compatibility NOD32 Antivirus $ 30.00 $ 00.00 with most DJ music/ video software.

TOTALS $1120.00 $565.00

OPERATING SYSTEM

Prices shown are based upon advertised sale prices and may vary from region to region.

Windows 7 Ultimate 64-Bit is my preferred OS. However, this version is twice the price of the Home Premium version, which will still operate satisfactorily.

An OEM copy of Windows 7 can be purchased for about $100. Install the OS as per the on-screen instructions after inserting the CD into the optical drive. The default motherboard BIOS setup should work

moves forward, each component of this system can be upgraded as needed. This is something that usually cannot be done with laptops.

Part two of this series will show you how to assemble a complete system including the computer, mixer, controller, keyboard, mouse, display and system case, all in a compact unit. MB WWW.MOBILEBEAT.COM • D EC E M B ER 2 0 1 2

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E-BEAT

Connecting with Creative DJing PIONEER XDJ-AERO PROVIDES NEW WAYS TO ENGAGE

By Ryan Burger

A

lthough I don’t actively DJ as much as I used to, and usually leave the writing of reviews to my staff, this product—the new Pioneer XDJ-AERO—just hit me and I wanted to take a tear at it personally.

Being an iPhone/iPad/iMac kinda guy for the last four years, the Pioneer XDJ-AERO’s interconnectivity with the outside world of audio and computer products interested me. At first glance, I was extremely impressed with the aesthetics of the product, with its smooth lines and curves, and heavy-duty construction.

In my gigging experience, going from CDs to rackmount DJ computers to a Denon hard drive-based unit to the MEP-7000

from Pioneer, I’ve been looking for a newer professional piece of hardware that doesn’t depend on a computer (being Windows or Mac) in the background doing most of the heavy work. Nothing against all the DJ software manufacturers out there, but I’ve just had too many operating system crashes pushing me in this direction.

SYSTEM There is a reason why Pioneer calls the XDJ-AERO a “DJ System” rather than a “controller.” It truly is a full all-in-one DJ setup with everything you need, that is not relying on a laptop to control it. The DJ can use USB drives, tablets, smartphones such as iPhones or Android units, laptops, and more.

While this unit can serve as a controller for software setups, its main function is to be used with music files via USB connectivity. Although I had a little trouble getting a hard drive hooked up at first, within a few minutes I was able to get a 500GB USB drive from Seagate to come up along with a number of thumb drives.

Next, I set up the connection with my iPhone through the rekordbox app, and was able to send the tracks via the built in wi-fi connectivity between the XDJ-AERO and my phone.

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No additional router or heavy settings needed other than the network that the XDJ set up with a protected password. At that point I was now able to control the unit from elsewhere, load songs across the network and do much more.

In practice, this allows the DJ at wedding reception to get to the entrance of the reception hall to introduce the wedding party, while still being able to trigger the needed tracks for a grand entrance. The wireless function is also great for tracks that are downloaded during the gig due to customer requests.

So now you have the three different aspects of control: rekordbox, MIDI controller mentioned quickly above, and the USB memory stick or hard drive storage device. On the mixer side of the system, it’s a very functional and flexible stand-alone two-channel DJ mixer that is switchable to up to four musical sources (Deck, Line In/Phono In, Deck 2, Line/ Phono In 2), with a 1/4” mic input plus 1/4” TRS outputs, plus 1/4” AND 1/8” headphone jacks mounted on the front.

The stand-alone mixer also allows you to expand your setup with vinyl or CDJs. When it comes to manipulating songs through sampling and effects, this is a well-stocked unit that adds some exciting options for the mix DJ. A new feature I haven’t seen before is the Jog Drum.

The Jog Drum feature allows you to launch, scratch, and manipulate samples/sounds with a turn or tap of the jog wheel.

This unit is well designed for the professional mobile DJ who wants to be connected to the hardware from anywhere in the room. While it would be a challenge to quickly find tracks manually on the three-item scrolling screen, well-organized DJs could set up their directory structure to make it work or use the rekordbox functionality. Using the rekordbox DJ music management app, users can prepare and manage music stored on their portable devices, and also create playlists. If the tracks are analyzed in the included rekordbox software, the tracks can be sorted easily by artist or song title. The organized music in the device can also be wirelessly synched with a computer utilizing the Pioneer rekordbox music management PC or Mac software, adding convenince when preparing music for playback on a Pioneer DJ system.

The learning curve for getting around on the XDJ-AERO is not steep. If you have done anything with DJ controllers in the past you will be able to jump in quickly. MB

www.pioneerdjusa.com

E-BEAT

iDJ Pro Ate My iPad

By Brad Dunsbergen

I

love my iPad. It goes with me wherever I go. I use it for just about everything under the sun, so when we received the Numark iDJ Pro for testing purposes at the Mobile Beat offices I was just a little more than stoked. After all I have already been using Algoriddim’s DJay app (19.99 iTunes App Store, not included) for the last year as a backup to my main rig. Now I can finally have a hands on controller and bring my iPad front and center as my main rig.

One of the first things you will notice about the iDJ Pro is the build quality and similarities to Numark’s own computer controllers, the NS6 and Mix Deck Quad. The top of the unit is very sexy with it brushed black matte aluminum. The capacitive touch sensitive platters are also very similar to Numarks other units and respond just as good. The buttons, knobs and faders have a hard rubber feel and work smoothly. A big difference from Numark’s computer controllers are the large knobs instead of faders for each of the deck’s volume controls. It took a little time to get used to using the knobs, but now I really like them for the precision that they give. This had to be done to allow enough room for the iPad to sit front and center. On the rear you will find balanced XLR and RCA outputs. The front has connection for a ¼ in TRS microphone with gain and tone control, both ¼ and 1/8 inch headphone jacks with cue and master mix adjustment and volume control, and RCA auxiliary inputs with gain control.

The dock for the iPad is made of a velvet type material and has Velcro risers that lets the iPad fit snuggly inside and prevents the backside and bezel of the iPad from being scratched. The iPad slides into the dock home button side towards the top. The iPad connects to the iDJ pro via the old 30 pin type of connector. For those with the new iPad, this may present a problem because the hatch for the dock will not close when using an adapter.

Weighing in at a featherweight 5.6 pounds, the combination of the iPad and iDJ Pro is definitely a back saver. I would recommend the optional Numark Controller Backpack or a flight case for protection of the unit while in transit.

That’s Cosmic T

here is a musical cosmic wave hitting the galaxy…and your iPhone/iPad. Game audio boutique, GL33k, is aiming to bring Cosmic DJ, an up-and-coming social music creation game, to your iOS device. Cosmic DJ is currently up for donations and funding on professional crowdfunding site Gambitious (www. gambitious.com), with Q2 2013 release target date. For more info on how you can help release this game to the world, and to check out the perks for pledging, go to http://gambitious.com/ideas/2036-CosmicDJ, or go directly to video walk-thru of song creation with Cosmic DJ at http:// vimeo.com/54239137. You can also get

Once the iDJ pro is plugged in with the supplied power supply and the DJay app is fired up, I was greeted with a different welcome screen than I was used to, the new welcome screen that has the Numark logo on it and then a customized user interface specifically for the iDJ Pro. Getting started using the iDJ pro and DJay app is very simple. Start by pressing the load button on either deck will bring up the itunes playlists. Then use the browse knob to find playlist you want and then the track to play. Now load the track to the deck using the appropriate load button for the deck. All functions for loading a track from within the DJay app can still be made using the touch screen on the iPad. Cue points can be set by using the jog wheels to find a specific point in the song and is as simple as pressing the cue button or pressing one of the three hot cue buttons. Matching the tempo on the opposite deck is as easy as using the pitch fader or simply pressing the sync button. For those times when the beats aren’t quite matched up they can easily aligned by nudging the side of the platter or by using the pitch bend buttons. Above the platters on each deck is the looping section, this contains a auto loop, loop x1/2, loop x2, loop in, loop out and reloop button. Above the looping section are the EQ knobs. These are the normal High, Mid , Low. The FX section has filter knob FX parameter knob and FX on/off button. Also all FX functions can still be controlled on the touch screen of the iPad. Sound output from the iDJ pro is crisp and clear with specs of <+/- 2db, 20Hz-20KHz and a signal to noise ratio of 105dB. Over all I was more than impressed with the quality, feel and sound output from the iDJ Pro. It is just too bad I have to send it back, but at a suggested price of $499 this just may find a way into my main system permanently sooner than later. MB

www.numarkdj.com

an idea of the entertaining vibe behind the game in a very funny video from Cosmic DJ founder Matt Piersall, known in Austin, TX clubs by his DJ name, Class Prez: http://vimeo. com/48402814.

Cosmic DJ pits you as the “Cosmic DJ of Legend,” summoned by the ancient force of the groove to create club anthems that will change the beat of the galaxy forever. Cosmic DJ combines fast-paced, asynchronous, multi-player gameplay challenges with an exciting and fun single-player musical creation adventure! Test out your DJ skills to create

space disco, electronic music, techno and more in a stylized retrofuture world. Using the sounds of five core instruments— bass, guitar, drums, percussion and keyboard—players create unique tracks set within celestial scenes that span the universe. Once the tracks are completed, they can be turned into MP3s and uploaded to SoundCloud, put up Facebook and Twitter, and shared with your friends.

Keep up with Cosmic DJ at Facebook. com/CosmicDJGame or through Twitter at @CosmicDJGame .

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EYE CANDY

American DJ Helps You Maximize Your Lighting L

ight is a critical part of a DJ’s performance and color is vital to the success of any good light show. To help you get the most out of your gigs while putting a little extra “green” in your wallet, American DJ is sponsoring “Color Me Beautiful (and Profitable)”, a seminar by Michael “DJ Mikey Mike” Susca, and “Getting the Most Excitement Out of Your Lights” by Arnoldo Offermann at the 2013 Mobile Beat show in Las Vegas.

Mikey Mike, owner of Direct Sound, will share his 30+ years’ expertise and knowledge by providing tips for using the right color combinations in your lighting design style. Topics will include why getting the right color is important to your client, how to apply the right mix of color to bring the event together, and how to take advantage of additional colors that are available through RGBA/Quad Color Technology. Mikey Mike will explain how vibrant or pastel colors can highlight cakes, floral arrangements, table dressings and even the bride and bridesmaids’ dresses.

Mikey Mike will also explore how the use of DMX computer control, battery powered lighting and wireless remotes can help you rise above your competition and make your gigs more profitable.

The Color Me Beautiful (and Profitable) seminar will be held on Thursday, February 7 from 1-2pm in the Double Skybox at the Mobile Beat Las Vegas show.

American DJ is in the business of selling lights, but the company wants to make sure that DJs get the most “pure lighting excitement” out of the lights they have, even if this doesn’t always mean buying a new fixture. With this in mind, Arnoldo Offermann, Mobile Beat columnist and creator of the Master School Dances video series, will be talking abou “Getting the Most Excitement Out of Your Lights” The president of A Premier Entertainment-4SchoolsOnly (4SO), Offermann became a sought after and highly paid DJ by specializing in school dances in his native Florida. While other local DJs claimed that schools never paid above $500, Offermann has earned as much as $15,000 per event, an accomplishment he attributes in large part to his company’s stunning visual presentations and light shows.

“While music is obviously the most important part of a dance, the visual appeal of our lighting is what propelled 4SO above other companies in our area,” says Offermann. “You don’t always have to buy new lights to accomplish this goal. We learned how to maximize each light’s potential to create exciting visual shows with high return on investment that allowed our company to expand every year...and these are the secrets I want to share in my seminar.”

Other topics to be covered include: LEDs vs. traditional UV lights; designing for your client and NOT for your fellow DJ; and even why “selling gear” is OK.

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Max Out Color & Control with Slimpar™ Quad IRCs from CHAUVET DJ

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wo quad-color LED PARs join the CHAUVET® DJ SlimPAR™ family of powerful, low-profile wash lights. To maximize color options and simplify control during mobile gigs, CHAUVET® DJ SlimPAR™ Quad-6 IRC and CHAUVET® DJ SlimPAR™ Quad-12 IRC includes punchy amber LEDs and a built-in infrared receiver for wireless control with an optional infrared remote control (IRC).

Fitted with 4-watt, quadcolor LEDs, both the Quad-6 and Quad-12 produce a broad spectrum of pastels with natural-looking colore temperatures and impressive saturation. Create any color your client requests using the built-in digital display, or easily control static colors and automated programs with the simple press of a button on the optional remote. If you prefer to pre-program customized light shows, each fixture features four or eight channels of DMX control. For safe and secure transportation, both fixtures easily fit into the CHS-30 VIP Gear Bag. For increased design flexibility, both units work in master/ slave mode with other quad-color CHAUVET® DJ SlimPAR™ wash lights. Both fixtures provide a smooth even output, are suitable for on-camera use and feature 100 percent silent operation due to convection cooling systems.

www.chauvetdj.com.

Blizzard Unleashes a New Torrent F3™

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lizzard Lighting is pleased to announce the latest addition to its Torrent™ series of LED powered high –brightness moving heads: The Torrent F3™. Equipped with a 50-watt US-Made Luminus™ CST-90 LED light source, the fixture incorporates feature requests received directly from mobile DJs, club installers and other users.

The fixture features a rotating gobo wheel with 7 brand new rotating, interchangeable gobos plus open, and a static gobo wheel with 8 gobos plus open.

Seven richly saturated dichroic colors and a 3-facet rotating prism are also standard. The included DMX remote focus also enables popular “Gobo Morph” effects and unique aerial effects while ensuring razor-sharp pattern projection.

The unit’s 50-Watt LED and highperformance optics provide a remarkably flat, even field of light output across the entire image. With luminous intensity of 7,250 Lux at 2 meters, with standard 15 degree optics, the Torrent F3’s output compares favorably with other 75-watt-class LED fixtures.

www.blizzardlighting.com

Bulb Maker Projects New Image

By Ryan Burger

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SRAM has been known in the DJ industry as the manufacturer of the bulbs that go in a large percentage of the DJ lighting for the last 20-25 years and has been a manufacturer of LEDs that are lighting many of the DJ effects that we have been using for years.

OSRAM now manufactures LED fixtures in the entertainment field that DJs are part of. The KREIOS G1 is the first fixture in this product line.

The OSRAM KREIOS G1 LED image projector was shown at the LDI conference this past October and will, hopefully, be shown at the Mobile Beat Show in February 2013. Mobile Beat has reviewed the KREIOS G1 and find it to be sturdy, compact and light weight. It can be pointed in any direction with a 120 degree tilt and 360 degree pan. The projector delivers an output of 800 lumens using just 24 watts of power. With bright LEDs, it projects a crisp, sharp image in normal room lighting conditions and even better in the settings that most DJs work within. The G1 takes standard E size gobos along with printing your own gobos

on transparency material with a colored printer. So now it gets very simple to provide that Bride and Groom name on the dance floor vibe.

“The OSRAM KREIOS G1 LED image projector provides users with tremendous spotlight image projection capabilities for special events such as weddings, anniversaries and corporate events”, said Jack Burwick, Product Marketing Manager, OSRAM SYLVANIA. “Before, LED ‘LEKO-LIKE’ technology was on the verge of becoming the next big thing, however it just wasn’t there and wasn’t bright enough. The OSRAM KREIOS G1 LED projector marks the serious arrival in real event situations of LED Gobo Projection” says Jake Feldman, Production director for Mobile Beat and BCP Live.

www.sylvania.com/kreios

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Elemental Sound A VERSATILE, SEXY SPEAKER ECOSYSTEM

By Arnoldo Offermann

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y now, you may have heard of the HK Elements. To review these piece by piece would be unfair, as the configurations are endless. Instead, I want to review the experience of versatility and sound quality which make them so gosh darn attractive.

At first glance, you’ll see that there’s several pieces in the Elements series. Small 10” powered and/or passive subwoofers that pack a wallop (seriously, shook my house), small drivers in slim arrays that snap together like legos, amps that match the look to power additional mid/high units, poles to elevate said mid/high units and even carry the signal so no wires show, and bases.

Scrap the bases. Even HK recommends to avoid those for DJ use. It seems that when you have a tall, thin speaker, your guests believe it is a pole to lean on. The bases look really clean, but unless you’re on a stage, don’t risk it. Instead, use the subwoofer as it allows you to install the mid/high units directly to it, or elevate them via the superhandy-dandy poles.

Versatility is this system’s biggest advantage: I used one powered sub which also powered two mid/high units for a small teacher conference of 75-100 people.

Honestly, I could’ve done it with just ONE mid/high unit, but I liked the looked of two.

I did a wedding of 75 people and used two subs with one mid/high unit on each one. The bass was beyond powerful and I even turned it down a tad. It was a refreshing combination of clean, yet powerful bass, but we’ll talk about sound quality later.

Got a bigger system? Pair up a passive sub to be powered by its amped twin and then use the small amp pack and mid/high units, which are designed to look the same, for a powerful system that can handle a lot of event applications. Put this combination on both sides of the dance floor and you’re going to feel like a DJ god. I know I did.

I fell in love with this system at InfoCOMM when I saw four subs and six mid/high units stacked together—times two. As I used the configuration I had, I 54

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almost wept thinking about what the stack from InfoCOMM could do at an event.

So yes, I can’t make this any clearer: The HK Elements have UNLIMITED combinations.

The best part is portability, as I could bring a nice LOUD rig and fit it in my car without even harnessing my Hispanic packing skills.

It just fits in nicely. The mid/high units are super small and you can get 6-8 of them (or their matching amps) on the floor of your car. It’s ridiculous how portable they are and even more so when you see how quick they are to set up.

I had a rental where I needed to provide sound and a mic for 50 people. Normally, I set up a speaker, plop it on a tripod, and run the wiring down the back of the tripod so no one sees it. This takes 2-3 minutes to look super clean. With the HKs, I plugged in the subwoofer (so no cables needed to be hidden), snapped the pole on the sub, and locked in two mid/high units (called E435) and I was done. Literally less than 45 seconds and I was set up and ready to go.

Just had to plug in the wireless mic.

Did I mentioned it looked SO much better than a speaker on a stick?

This comes in real handy for ceremonies, too. I like to hide the equipment but not the sound itself, so I placed the subwoofer on a small wall out of the way but near the guests and locked in a mid/high unit right on top. Setup time? 20 seconds and it was INCREDIBLE how great it looked and sounded.

I really wish more people sold these so you could hear them. With a flat EQ, the bass tones were rich and deep, mids were pronounced with no muddy vocals, and the highs complemented perfectly. I played my favorite Sinatra song (“Fly Me To The Moon”) and amid the lush fusion of highs, mids, and lows in the song, each was distinctly identifiable, yet blended together in perfect harmony. Yes, this indeed could be the PERFECT speaker system.

The HK Element is NOT a limited design, letting you continue adding on to it as your event needs grow. You scale it up or down based on the event without having to buy a whole new system. The best part of this is that *if* a unit fails, you just replace one small component, rather an entire system.

Shop around and you know that when it comes to quality, affordability, and small size, you only get to choose two. With the HK Elements system, they opted for quality and a small compact size. That’s right, folks, this is NOT a cheap system. Then again, Bentley isn’t a cheap car, and Rolex isn’t a general store watch either. We’re talking about a speaker line that screams luxury. We’re talking about a truly sexy speaker system that turns heads and turns ears. My clients DID notice a difference. MB

http://hkaudio.com

SCOOP

Making Style and Sound Affordable

Useful Items from Gruv Gear

SOLUS HEADPHONES FROM WICKED AUDIO DELIVER THE GOODS

By Tom Chaput

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Good examples would be the offerings from Beats by Dr. Dre or Pioneer’s recent HDJ designs, both high quality, fashionable offerings But until now, that fashion has come at a price. In response, the engineers at Wicked Audio have introduced their Solus headphones, taking a different approach. They offer a decent, quality pair of headphones, while still exhibiting stylish characteristics.

When first opening the box, the first thing that one notices is the attractive packaging. Everything is very high quality, and the box is very similar to that one would find if they purchased the Beats Pro headphones that we reviewed a while back. And inside the box, Wicked Audio is very generous when it comes to included accessories. We found a carrying case, a 1/8” to 1/4” adapter, as well as two extension cords for the audio cable.

The headphones are made entirely of plastic, save for the leather headband and ear cups.

The ear cups cleanly swivel out of the way, which comes in handy when cueing up songs. But the allplastic construction of the hinges is definitely the weak point of the design. Unfortunately, the audio cable is not removable from the phones themselves. If the cable wears or shorts out, the entire pair of headphones will need replacement. However, this audio cable is made out of red braided cloth, suggesting a quality cord that won’t wear out quickly. The audio cable also has an inline volume adjustment, as well as a stereo/mono switch.

Solus have a decent sound output, and they will certainly be more than adequate for most mobile DJs in almost any situation.

In our testing, we found the sound quality decent, but the mid-range was on the lacking side. They do not sound as good as higher end offerings from the likes of Pioneer and Beats by Dr. Dre, but they are also not nearly as expensive. And for DJs using these solely for cueing up songs, sound output obviously trumps sound quality. And in that area, the Solus deliver. With a street price of around 50 bucks, they are definitely just as good of sound quality (if not better) than other offerings at this price point.

Overall, Solus is a decent quality, stylish headphone available at a very reasonable price point. If you’re into looking stylish while you kill it on your dance floor, Solus delivers. MB

have used many assorted folding carts in my career but nothing as heavy duty as the V-Cart Solo from Gruv Gear. The cart was very well packaged and assembly was a snap. It almost took me longer to remove it from the carton than it did to put it together. All the tools needed for assembly were included and the instructions very clear and concise. I noticed when attaching the wheels that they have roller bearings that revolve on the heavy duty axle; this means that when loaded it will roll very easily and quietly. The tilt back feature makes loading and moving your DJ equipment— especially through doorways—very safe and easy. The cart can be used in two configurations, either upright like a two-wheeler or flat like a four-wheel cart. I’m partial to the four-wheel configuration, which is easier to handle. Either way, this cart will make moving your equipment in and out of an event a piece of cake.

This cart is weighs more than most of the carts I have used, but it rolls well down sidewalks, on carpet and across thresholds. It is well thought out in design and has features missing from other carts.

The Gruv Gear ClubBag is designed to hold today¹s lightweight DJ gear, with plenty of room to hold a mixer, hardrive, microphone, cables or a laptop computer. It has one compartment designed to hold the laptop and one large padded compartment that has two removable dividers. This allows you to customize the interior to make three smaller, two medium or one large compartment, all accessible through zippered doors. This bag has one feature I really like: The interior is not black it is light orange. This makes finding small things easier in less than ideal lighting conditions.

Another neat feature is the Velcro headphone strap fastened to the top of one the bag’s compartments. There is also a separate removable zippered sleeve with a padded interior that was a perfect fit for my 13” Mac Book Pro laptop.

The bag has a padded carry handle that is not only sewn on but is also reinforced with rivets. There is also a slot in the back so it can be slipped over a small luggage cart.

This ergonomically designed backpack also has three well placed pads that cushion the load against your back and shoulder straps that make for a comfortable carry when loaded with gear. All in all I found this to be well-engineered and constructed backpack to hold the essential DJ gear. MB

www.wickedaudio.com

www.gruvgear.com

By Michael Buonaccorso Jr.

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he latest trend in DJ fashion? Headphones. Over the past couple of years, all of the major players in our industry have been introducing headphones to the market that not just sound good, but are fashionable as well.

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Jammin’ with Jorge Lopez AN INSIDE LOOK AT A SO CAL ENTERTAINMENT POWERHOUSE

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lthough he has spent many years building a hugely successful Southern California entertainment company, Jorge Lopez is also known to many within the industry as a business-savvy DJ with a passion for sharing his knowledge through writing and speaking.

We caught up with this busy entertainer and talked about his DJ origins and his multi-op philosophy...

Mobile Beat: Jorge, please tell us a little bit about the territory that you cover.

Jorge Lopez: ...I’m from J&M Entertainment here in Southern California. Officially, our office is in Valencia, which is about 30 minutes north of LA...But here, you know, “nobody walks in LA” as the song goes, and we travel. So we cover an area pretty much from Santa Barbara to Irvine to the Inland Empire, Ontario, that area. So we cover a pretty wide area, and so that’s why we have the different cities. It’s an SEO aspect, and then also we do actually meet with clients in those areas because we do a lot of promoting and marketing in those areas.

M B: So do you have separate offices or do you visit with the client on their terms?

J L: We basically have our corporate office with our full corporate staff, everything else, is in Valencia. From there I have relationships with other venues where we’re able to use them as satellite offices...So that way, when we do a bridal show, for example, in Anaheim, then we can meet them in our Costa Mesa office and we’re not asking them to

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drive all the way north, because with the traffic out here, it could be a couple of hours of driving sometimes.

M B: A lot of DJs know you because you’ve spoken at conferences, especially for us in Vegas, on business growth. But how did you get to the point of spreading your knowledge?

I guess, first tell us where J&M came from. By the way, what’s the “M” for?

J L: Well, I guess here’s as short of a story as possible...

Originally the business was J&J Entertainment, and that happened right out of high school, 1980. It was a friend of mine named John, who was an actor and this and that, and he used to DJ the skating rink. And so we came up with the concept of, hey, let’s get a DJ business. So he borrowed some money from his dad, I borrowed some money from my grandfather; we went out and bought a DJ system.

I remember all told, it was $6,000 it cost us to buy our first DJ system. So now you had two 18-year-olds with a $6,000 DJ system. And that was it. We DJ’d for a little while, this and that, and then eventually he wanted to go be a tour guide at Universal Studios, so we ended up splitting up and he went off pursuing the acting career. I was in radio at the time. I actually had gone to broadcasting school and was starting working at radio stations and did so for 15 years, throughout Southern California.

During that time I kept doing the mobiles and doing parties and all. And at one point, a buddy of mine named Mark Brady came to me and said, how come you’re not doing this fullfledged anymore? Because I had to sell some of the equipment when John went away. And Mark reinvested some money; we bought more gear; and that’s where J&M was created—for Jorge and Mark.

And then we did the business together for five or six years, and then eventually he was going to go branch out. He wanted to create franchises, and I actually wanted to pursue my radio and acting career, which was doing quite well at the time, so we split up. And what ended up happening was people kept calling me, “Hey, Jorge, you did my sister’s wedding; please do mine.” It kind of wouldn’t let me get out of the business. “Okay, I’ll do it, I’ll do it.” Next thing I knew, I was booked every Saturday again.

And then I remember the one day I got a call from somebody who I really liked and they wanted me to do their event and I couldn’t. They said, “Do you have anybody you could refer to me—anybody at all?” And then I realized that one of the guys I was taking with me as an assistant, he could do it. And that was the beginning of multi-opping, where I realized I could start sending another guy out. And then from there I started hiring guys, training and so on, and then started two, three systems and started building that way.

M B: How do you train your DJs? J L: That’s actually a funny thing, because initially I would try to see if I could find guys that DJ’d already and had talent

PRODJFILES and skill and all that, and I didn’t have a lot of success with that initially, because they would bring in their talent but sometimes bad habits I didn’t like.

And so I started finding out that I actually had more success finding guys who had great personalities—stuff you can’t teach. Then I could teach them from the ground up how to DJ—music selection, programming, technical stuff, how to coordinate an event, all of that. And then they did learn it “my way,” and they wouldn’t contest it, because the only way they knew was the way I had taught them...I didn’t want to make it where it was so factory-like, where everyone is an exact template...

M B: Describe an average weekend for J&M. J L: Average weekend for us is five to seven events. Of that, we would have weddings as our primary on the social side. Our business is pretty much half and half now, social and corporate.

Weddings are number one on the social side, and second for us is quinceañeras...They come to us for the milestone stuff; you know, the 30, 40, 50, 60th birthday; weddings, quinceañeras, big anniversaries where they want more production, more organization, usually more things involved.

And then the corporate side we’ll do during the week a lot. We do technical production...screens, audiovisual stuff for business meetings or conferences. We do a lot of award shows now, that sort of thing.

M B: How often do you personally still go out? Obviously you’re deeply involved in the business during the week— educating your own DJs, helping out other people across the country. Do you still personally roll out every weekend?

J L: At times, yes. I mean, January, February, March, or first part of April, I might do two, three events in those first three, four months. Sometimes in the “run of the season”—what I call the middle of April through end of October or beginning of November—I might work pretty much every weekend, because I enjoy it.

I mean, there were a few years where I literally did maybe 20 events the whole year, but these last few years I’ve rekindled my passion for performing. I actually love weddings. I love how to present and create emotion and do all of that.

M B: Describe your office situation. It has a showroom vibe, which we featured in an article on office spaces back in September.

J L: You come into our spacious lobby and you have a full set of leather furniture right in the front. There’s a lot of TVs around our place; there’s a TV right in front and it’s already playing a loop of whatever type of event they’re coming in for...”Oh, look at those shots and the lighting,” and what have you.

We have another office right there that’s pretty much all glass...It’s glass because when we’re meeting for say, a consultation, we like them to see another couple who’s already in there coordinating; they’re already at that level. I think all of that creates a psychology of them going, hey, that’s somebody doing something we should be doing. They see how well they’ll be taken care of in the process...

...In the warehouse we have built our lighting demo ballroom, if you will. It’s a large room, 15-foot ceilings, carpet, drapery on one wall. We have all different types of lighting in there. We do a full lighting demonstration, from LED, programmables, gobos, DJ lights, so that clients can see everything they can pick from.

And they love it. We call it “the fun room.”

They all come out of there having a great time...We also have a couple of photobooths set up, so they come out, they get to go in the photo booths, play around, get some pictures taken.

M B: So what’s the average wedding couple spending with you?

J L: I would say right now it’s about $4,000 to $4,500, probably like an average package for a wedding.

M B: And the average in your market, I’m assuming, is $1,200 or $1,500, ballpark?

J L: I would say out here it’s $1,200 to $2,000.

M B: Where do you see yourself going with this business?

Do you see yourself out there gigging 15, 20 years from now, still having the excitement you have for weddings and everything? Or are you trying to train the next generation to take over?

J L: Well, for me, I’ve already been working on an exit strategy...Because of my radio background, I do a lot of voiceover work, and that’s where the technical production events come into play for me, because they’re things that I can produce and design...I do the technical directing...And since we do the video production, I do a lot of voiceover work on that too.

I have an entertainment director, Dave, so I don’t even do all the training anymore. Two or three times a year, I’ll come into some of the training and do a special thing...but really, the entertainment director does his thing. MB For more info on Jorge and J&M Entertainment, go to www.jamentevents.com.

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Building a Perfect Production MATT WINDSOR LIGHTS UP CHICAGOLAND WITH AN ACCENT ON QUALITY AND A KNACK FOR BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

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att Windsor is a young DJ who has already made a big splash in the DJ world, with his company A Posh Production, serving the Chicagoland area. After working as a manager for a much larger company, Matt has taken the lessons he learned and applied them to his growing business.

Mobile Beat: We are here with Matt Windsor of A Posh Production, out of Elmhurst, Illinois, which is about 10 miles west of Chicago. Matt tell us a little about how you got into the DJ game.

Matt Windsor: I got into the business just by helping someone DJ events. I started setting up equipment for them, watching them do what they were doing. That was at about 10 years old, and I was really interested in it.

I started to do smaller private events for him and then got really big into the nightclub scene in Chicago and became the resident DJ for Odyssey Cruise Lines at Navy Pier. I did all their public, private weddings on the boats, which went around Lake Michigan. There I won CitySearch DJ of the Year because of not only my work for the private events but for the nightclub that was there as well.

Then I went back to the weddings; I was the general manager for one of the largest multi-ops in the Chicagoland area. And about two years ago I decided it was time to break out on my own, and I’ve been running at full speed since.

M B: From your website, APoshProduction.com, it looks like you’re primarily wedding-based. So you don’t do much of the club scene anymore?

M W: No. I’m actually sponsored by Denon DJ. They do fly me out to do some different events. But except for them, it’s primarily private events, mostly weddings.

M B: Speaking of Denon, what gear do you use on your average show?

M W: Either the MC-6000 [mixer/MIDI controller] or the SC-3900 media players. I’m also using Serato.

M B: What’s the rest of your rig like? Are you using powered speakers?

M W: Yep, most definitely. I’m using the QSC K-series and the KW-series. I also use the QSC 18-inch subwoofers, the 181s. And then from the lighting standpoint, for the larger weddings I’m a big fan of the Elation Platinum Spot Pros.

M B: It looks like you’re big into uplighting. Do you have a certain hardware you use there or is it kind of a mix of different things?

M W: I actually use something that was designed for my company, but it’s similar to some other lights you may see out there. Yeah, we’re very big into uplighting. On any given Saturday we have around 10 uplighting events going on.

M B: So how many DJ events do you have?

M W: About four to five. I try to focus mostly on lighting right now.

M B: What’s the inspiration for that area of business?

M W: I’m very quality-driven. I want to make sure everything is perfect. And I feel that you have a lot more control of the quality of lighting events then you do DJ events, so I try to focus on that more and show ourselves as a high-end DJ company that is very picky about which events we do.

M B: Besides referrals, how do you access those higher-level

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PRODJFILES events? What kind of advertising do you use?

M W: I’m a big fan of Wedding Wire.

M B: Well, I’m assuming you don’t want all the Chicagoland DJs to be hitting that and doing the same thing you are, or do you want to share your secrets?

M W: To tell you the truth, I’m a member of the American Disc Jockey Association.

I’m also the membership director and I’m all about networking. I’m all about helping each other out and having the good guys stay on top. I’ll be completely open and candid about what they should do to better their company.

I mean, for example, in January I have a seminar where I basically explain bridal consultations and how to do them properly. I have an amazing booking rate.

And I did that for the entire Chicagoland ADJA group.

M B: About the Chicagoland ADJA—I’m assuming you joined pretty quickly after you went out on your own, or had you worked with them before that?

M W: I was a member with the previous company I was the general manager of. The owner of that company let our membership lapse and I really missed going and networking and learning at the monthly meetings. I think I started my new company in October and I was at their first meeting in October.

M B: What do you see as the biggest advantage to joining a local association or a chapter of the national group?

M W: Well, for local, it’s a bunch of great people who have your back. Here’s a perfect example. Last week, at the last minute, a groom called and needed an 8-foot projector screen. He actually needed two of them; I had one. I posted on the Facebook group for the ADJA Chicago chapter and said, does anybody have an 8-foot projector screen? And my warehouse manager was at another DJ company’s office in 15 minutes picking it up. It went that quick.

M B: It’s all about taking care of the client. There’s a lot of DJs out there who claim to be professional who make it look bad for us, but there are also a bunch of people like you, who are trying to get the stereotype of DJ to move in the other direction. You definitely have that kind of a vibe with your Chicago compadres, it seems.

M W: Yeah, most definitely. We’re really trying to show that there’s more out there than the stereotype that has unfortunately fallen on us...I’m huge on relationships. I try to build a personal relationship with each client, and that customer service aspect is the most important thing when it comes to

business. I mean, that’s probably why my company’s doing so well, because of how quickly I am to get back to emails, how quickly I am to cater to my clients.

M B: Okay. You covered the local association. What’s the big advantage for you being involved in the ADJA nationally?

M W: Again, it’s great guys to fall back on, in case of anything you may need, or they may need from you. I specialize in doing music videos. Someone from the ADJA in the New York chapter hired me to go to Nashville, Tennessee at the Opry House to DJ a wedding for them.

M B: So it’s all about connecting up and everybody taking care of each other on both a local and national basis.

That’s great. What else do you want to tell us about A Posh Production or your DJ experience in general?

M W: You know, like I said, I managed a much larger DJ company in the Chicagoland area, and I really saw what I felt was the proper way to run my own company, and that’s one of the main reasons why I broke out on my own. And I guess just customer service is the most important thing, and no matter what, having your clients look at you as one of their friends and not just as a vendor at their event.

And from there, your company will just shine. Answer emails.

Answer phone calls. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard, “Wow, you were the first person that answered your phone; I’ve been calling 15 different DJ companies.” And I’ll get that event just because I answered my phone. MB

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YOUTH EVENT MASTERY

Revamping Your Marketing IT’S TIME TO GET IN SHAPE FOR THE NEXT SEASON

By Arnoldo Offermann

T

his year has gone by fast, hasn't it? With that thought in mind, hopefully you will be entering 2013 with a full-on attack plan for bigger and better events. With that being said, it's time you take a look at your marketing; or perhaps let your clients give you honest opinions.

I'm no marketing genius (well...), but I like to think I'm good at what I do. What I do know is that I want to stab my eyes with a hot fork when I gaze upon most DJs' marketing work. It's time to pull out every piece of marketing firepower you have: website, business cards, flyers, emails, etc.

"But Arnoldo, I still have 1000 cards left over." Don't care. If it's outdated, they're getting tossed.

In this day and age of minimalistic visual marketing, you need to remember that text should ONLY tell what's TRULY important. Cut the fluff out. The same goes for photos: Too many photos can be distracting.

LOGO First look at your logo. It is modern? Is it easy to remember? Does it look good in color and black and white? If your logo has: Comic Sans MS, generic clip-art, DJs with an apostrophe (as in “DJ's”), then it's time to scrap it and start over. By this, I mean hire a pro.

Let me be ugly here. If at one point you thought that clip art and Comics Sans MS was logo-worthy, you need to step away from Adobe Illustrat—I mean MS Paint.

This is the most important part, and one that you cannot take lightly. A logo shouldn't change every year, it should be as close to permanent as possible. Your logo will define the style, colors, and overall feel of every bit of marketing material your company pushes.

CARD How does your business card look? It should have your logo, your name, company name, tagline and contact info. That's it. The more text you have, the harder it is for the crucial info to stand out. If you want to add photos, don't add too many. One per side should be enough. (And make it an AMAZING photo/graphic; spend a lot of time deciding this.) A business card doesn't have a lot of room, so you need to make the most of limited space.

How's the paper weight? It shouldn't be too thin and it needs to be a normal size. I know there are marketing "experts" out there who talk about funky-shaped cards (one that's the size of a hand, or another that's triangular shaped). Rule of thumb, if Arnoldo Offermann specializes in youth events, and is the driving force behind 4 Schools Only, a hugely successful division of A Premier Entertainment, in Central Florida (Tampa, Orlando). Find out more at www.4schoolsonly.com, www.apremierentertainment.com and www.arnoldooffermann.com. He shares many of his school success secrets at www.masterschooldances.com.

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MOBILE BEAT • D EC E M B ER 2 0 1 2

it doesn't fit in your wallet, it's likely to get tossed. I don't recall any triangle shaped Rolodexes either. Yes, people still use those.

SITE How's the website? Does it load quickly? By quickly I mean seconds. If you're testing your website on a straight fiber optic connection, STOP IT. Check it on a slower DSL or cable connection. Sign up for Google Webmaster Tools and Google Analytics while you're at it. Make sure all photos are DJ-relevant. By this I mean that every photo should scream your company goal. In my case, we rock parties, so every photo we use enhances that.

Do you have videos? Do they load quickly? Are they unique and NOT generic?

Are all photos and videos current? DO NOT DATE YOUR MARKETING MATERIAL. If you have a photo that shows a monogram with 2009 and it's almost 2013, that doesn't send the right message about your company's event frequency.

Next is your actual text copy. Make sure spelling and grammar are proper and there are no formatting issues. Lose the fluff. For example: "Congratulations on your wedding! We know this is an exciting time, but shopping for a DJ can be difficult. Entertainment can make or break your wedding reception. [ Insert boring and made-up Martha Stewart statistic about wedding entertainment.] XYZ DJs are the leading DJ in this area! Our DJs and MCs are the #1 rated vendors in this state. Call us today for a free consulation!"

Yes, the above exists, even after being paraphrased. Argh.

Consider this instead: "XYZ is a company dedicated to bringing a unique entertainment experience in the county, state area. Using a team of talented DJs and MCs, plus the latest in lighting technology and

YOUTH EVENT MASTERY video mixing capabilities, we can create a wedding reception that is uniquely yours. As you browse through our website, jot down any options you like, then call us at 123-456-7890 so we can create something amazing just for you!"

Here's where it gets interesting. The first paragraph was shorter than my second one, but it had more fluff. Marketing techniques such as "#1 in.." and other BS like that simply do not work. "Well, this guy said he's #1, so I have to hire him"...said NO BRIDE EVER. Avoid cliché phrases and make your copy seem warm and welcoming. Yes, I am aware text is also used for SEO, but you can cut fluff without hurting SEO. Don't know how? Pay an SEO expert, and DO NOT use the big companies that wind up telemarketing all of us.

Your links should also be fluff-free. Make them direct and to the point. Each link should be so important that if a client saw only one, that page alone would still wow them. If any link points to an "under construction" page, then scrap it.

FLYERS, EMAILS, VIDEOS Your flyers should follow the same basic concept as your website.

Minimal, but high-impact, photos should be used with very minimal text. Logo should be prominent, as should contact info.

Some of you may be asking about Q-Codes, and I've no idea what to tell you, except I think they waste valuable page real estate. By the time one fires up the app, takes the photo, and waits for the

program to react, they could've just opened up their browser. I don't know many people (and by that I mean none) who actually use Q-Codes.

Look at your emails: Again, avoid FLUFF! Avoid generic email addresses (—@aol.com ...REALLY?!?!?) and get a vanity email, they're free with almost any URL registration. In this day and age, there's no excuse.

Remember that we're in the online video age. One or two post-processed videos aren't doing you any good. It costs $100 for a simple video camera and $5 for a table-top tripod. Again, there really is no excuse. If you don't think it doesn't affect you, remember there's more and more people like me who SELL against DJs who don't have videos. After all, who buys a cake without tasting it, or a wedding album without seeing the photos?

AND STILL MORE You're still not done...Look at your bridal show setups, your attire, even your hair style, cologne, and so forth. All of this should be consistent and be tied together somehow in a nice little ecosystem that says "I should be your DJ." All of your marketing materials should have consistent color psychology. If they do not, Google my article on this.

Oh, and remember...for the love of God, the plural form of DJ is DJs, not DJ's! MB

Lighting Makes All The Difference

ElitePar TRI TM

ElitePar RGBA TM

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ElitePar QUAD TM

ElitePar 5 TM

WWW.MOBILEBEAT.COM • N OVE M B ER 2 0 1 2

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PLAY SOMETHING WE CAN DANCE TO

The Hoedown FOLLOWING THE CLASSIC ROAD TO PLAY LIST SUCCESS

By Jay Maxwell

C

ommunication is a wonderful thing. All animals communicate with each other in a language that only they can understand. Humans have thousands of different languages and we typically associate with those who speak the same language.

Husbands and wives, for instance, typically speak the same language, yet at times they may not communicate with each other in a way where the message is clearly understood. For the most part, my wife and I usually understand each other extremely well. However, recently there was an

exception to this general rule, when she told me that our church was having a “hoedown” and they wanted me to provide the music for it.

In past years, we had a fall festival just before Halloween, so I assumed that the hoedown was simply the theme for the fall festival and that it would take place the last weekend In October. Imagine my surprise when my wife asked me just a few days before the last Friday in September how the planning was going for the hoedown that was to happen that weekend. This weekend? Instead of another month to plan the music for the event, I had two days. Worse, I wouldn’t be able to personally be there so I had to arrange all the songs in advance.

Luckily my wife volunteered to be in charge of the music, starting and stopping the playlist and controlling the volume during the event.

Mobile Beat’s resident musicologist since 1992 (issue #11), Jay Maxwell runs the multi-talent entertainment company, Jay Maxwell’s Music by Request, LLC, in Charleston, South Carolina. He is also a professor of Business at Charleston Southern University. His passion for detail and continuous research of clients’ requests can be found not only in this column, but also in his annually updated music guide, Play Something We Can Dance To.

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One of the hardest things about creating a playlist for an event where you are not personally going to be present is to determine what you think will motivate the crowd to have a great time. It had only been two months prior to this event when I had to do the same thing for my 35th high school reunion which I wrote about in a previous article. At least the music for this hoedown was focused on creating an atmosphere while families with young children enjoyed fun games like find the horse shoe in the haystack, bobbing for apples, and ring toss in the gym.

One option was to simply get a “best of” album of bluegrass music and have my wife track it during this two hour event. Realizing that

wasn’t very creative, I decided to wrap my head around the idea of fun, uplifting, Americana music—a bit of bluegrass, some old-fashioned country, and maybe a country line dance or two.

FINDING INSPIRATION ON THE ROAD There were two inspirations for this list. In creating anything from an article to a music list, I try to think before I create. For this list, I was thinking about what is uniquely American, and two thoughts kept occurring. One was the thrill that I’ve had for over twenty years of riding down the highway in my convertible with the top pulled down. The highway that I was imagining riding down was the oncelegendary Route 66. Though the highway is now the Historic Route 66 and no longer can take you from Chicago to Los Angeles on its 2,400 mile stretch through the American West, it has a distinct history and will forever be a part of American culture. Thus, the list was to have 66 songs on it—just enough for a two-hour event.

The next inspiration for the list was to think back a major vacation my wife and I took last year on our twentieth anniversary, to Nashville Tennessee. We left our children for a week with friends so that we

PLAY SOMETHING WE CAN DANCE TO could celebrate twenty years of an absolutely wonderful life together.

Naturally we visited the Mother Church of Country Music, the Ryman Auditorium. To tour that historic building, the birthplace of The Grand Ole Opry, where almost every name in country music played at one time, was awesome. And the night we went to an Opry show at its new location was unforgettable. Regardless of what artist played, they all stood in the same spot­—a six-foot circle of oak that had been cut from the original floor of the Ryman Auditorium and placed in the floor of the new building. Those small pieces of oak floor still inspire each artist to continue the tradition of making and playing American music.

The result of the church hoedown? The only issue that we had

was that the pastor was standing directly in front of the speaker just as Charlie Daniels sang “straight to hell” in the “In America.” The pastor didn’t say anything, but my wife was a bit embarrassed.

For the most part, the play list served its purpose as background music rather well. The main feature of the night was the smell of real hay that had been brought in, and the fun of the games. It was only at the very end of the night that a couple of adults came up to my wife and asked her to play “Copperhead Road.” My wife, without thinking it through, had to ask them why they wanted to hear that song. Naturally, they replied, “we want you to play something we can dance to!” MB

66 Hoedown Hits SONG TITLE

ARTIST

SONG TITLE

ARTIST

1

GET YOUR KICKS ON ROUTE 66

ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL

34

NEW MULE SKINNER BLUES

BILL MONROE

2

ROCKY TOP

OSBORNE BROTHERS

35

STAND BY YOUR MAN

TAMMY WYNETTE

3

BOOT SCOOTIN’ BOOGIE

BROOKS & DUNN

36

BUFFALO GALS

SQUARE PLAYERS

4

DIXIE HOEDOWN

SAM BUSH

37

SIXTEEN TONS

TENNESSEE ERNIE FORD

5

DIXIELAND DELIGHT

ALABAMA

38

BANJOS GOING HOME

OSBORNE BROTHERS

BLACK MOUNTAIN RAG

EDDIE ADCOCK

6

THANK GOD I’M A COUNTRY BOY

JOHN DENVER

39

7

ANOTHER DAY

YONDER MOUNTAIN STRING BAND

40

COTTON EYE JOE

REDNEX

8

PIG IN A PEN

DOUG PHELPS

41

WABASH CANNONBALL

BENNY MARTIN

9

IN AMERICA

CHARLIE DANIELS BAND

42

BABY’S GOT HER BLUEJEANS ON

MEL MCDANIEL

10

JAMALAYA (ON THE BAYOU)

HANK WILLIAMS

43

FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES

GARTH BROOKS

11

BEAUTIFUL STAR OF BETHLEHEM

CONNIE SMITH

44

DUELING BANJOS

JOE MAPHIS

12

CHATTAHOOCHEE

ALAN JACKSON

45

DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS

GENE AUTRY

FOX ON THE RUN

BILL EMERSON

13

I WALK THE LINE

JOHNNY CASH

46

14

WALTZ ACROSS TEXAS

ERNEST TUBBS

47

COPPERHEAD ROAD

STEVE EARLE

15

SHOUTING ON THE HILLS OF GLORY

RALPH STANLEY

48

MIDNIGHT FLYER

MAC WISEMAN

16

MOUNTAIN MUSIC

ALABAMA

49

KISSES SWEETER THAN WINE

JIMMY ROGERS

17

COAL MINER’S DAUGHTER

LORETTA LYNN

50

TURKEY IN THE STRAW

ZIP WILSON

18

LIFE IS A HIGHWAY

RASCAL FLATTS

51

YELLOW ROSE OF TEXAS

GENE AUTRY

19

ELVIRA

OAK RIDGE BOYS

52

TULSA

WAYNE HANCOCK

20

COTTON EYED JOE

ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL

53

TAKE ME BACK TO TULSA

BOB WILLS

21

ACHY BREAKY HEART

BILLY RAY CYRUS

54

SOUTH’S GONNA DO IT AGAIN

CHARLIE DANIELS BAND

22

ORANGE BLOSSOM SPECIAL

JOHNSON MOUNTAIN BOYS

55

BOOGIE BACK TO TEXAS

ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL

23

YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE

GENE AUTRY

56

MOUNTAIN DEW

GRANDPA JONES

24

SWINGIN’

JOHN ANDERSON

57

AIN’T GOING DOWN (TIL THE SUN COMES UP)

GARTH BROOKS

25

COUNTRY ROADS

JOHN DENVER

58

SUNNY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN

JIMMY MARTIN

26

THE BALLAD OF JED CLAMPETT

LESTER FLATT

59

KENTUCKY WALTZ

BILL MONROE

27

WHERE I COME FROM

ALAN JACKSON

60

UNCLE PEN

RICKY SKAGGS

28

DOWN YONDER

BENNY MARTIN

61

ROSE GARDEN

LYNN ANDERSON

29

BLUE MOON OF KENTUCKY

ELVIS PRESLEY

62

EL PASO

MARTY ROBBINS

30

I AM A MAN OF CONSTANT SORROW

SOGGY MOUNTAIN BOYS

63

BUTTONS AND BOWS

GENE AUTRY

31

HEY, GOOD LOOKIN’

HANK WILLIAMS

64

WILL THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN

GEORGE JONES

32

BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN

GENE AUTRY

65

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

WILLIE NELSON

33

RING OF FIRE

JOHNNY CASH

66

HAPPY TRAILS

ROY ROGERS & DALE EVANS

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MBLV17

REIGNITE REIGNITEREIGNITERE

REIGNITE Learn from the best the industry has to offer, check out the latest gear and business-building products and services, network with peers, and party in classic Vegas style, at Mobile Beat’s seventeenth DJ event, MBLV17

TUESDAY TRIPLE ALL-STAR LINEUP Follow Your Passion and “Quit Your Day Job” with Jon Acuff Jon Acuff, author of Quitter, will show you how to “blow up your dream without blowing up your life.” He doesn’t just write about it... he segued from day job to dream job when he joined Dave Ramsey’s team to become a full-time author and national speaker. If you are thinking about going “all in” on this DJ thing, don’t miss this seminar!

Relight Your Fire and Refocus Your Energy with Judson Laipply Offering much more than just a funny dance, Judson Laipply is a sought-after motivational speaker who will inspire with a funny, high-energy session that is sure to be a show highlight! His presentation will, of course, include a live performance of his YouTube sensation, “The Evolution of Dance.”

Rock Your World, One Day at a Time with Dayna Steele For almost 20 years as the First Lady of Houston Rock Radio, Dayna Steele rubbed shoulders with and interviewed the icons of rock. Now, as a success consultant, FastCompany blogger and author of 101 Ways to Rock Your World she will help you apply the success secrets of the biggest stars to your own entertainment career.

AT THE ORIGINAL LAS VEGAS EVENT FOR DJS:

THE MOBILE BEAT DJ SHOW & CONFERENCE February 4 - 7, 2013

Riviera Casino & Hotel Las Vegas, NV MON NIGHT, FEB 4:

“I’ve Got the Power” 1990s Welcome Party with MC Johnny Rozz

TUES NIGHT, FEB 5:

American DJ Customer Appreciation Party

WED NIGHT, FEB 6: Mobile Beat presents Lou Gramm The Voice of Foreigner EXHIBIT HALL STAGE: Rob Base & Cupid

REGISTER NOW

https://members.mobilebeat.com

or call 800-257-7635

IT PAYS TO STAY AT THE SHOW HOTEL Riviera room rates rolled back to $49 PER NIGHT Stay in the center of the action, at the gateway to the Strip!

64

Come early and enjoy the Big Game, Vegas style, on Sunday, Feb 3!

FREE bonus seminars on Monday MOBILE BEAT • D EC E M B ER 2 0 1 2 afternoon, Feb 4, for early arrivals

ADVERTISERS

CONTACT MOBILE BEAT SALES AT

515-986-3300 x304

OR EMAIL SALES@MOBILEBEAT.COM FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION

COMPANY

WEBSITE

PHONE

PAGE

A Different Spin

www.adifferentspin.info

-

25

American Audio

www.americanaudio.us

800-322-6337

3

American DJ

www.americandj.com

800-322-6337

68

Beautiful Bride Magazine

www.beautifulbridemagazine.com

855-274-3375

37

Blizzard Lighting

www.blizzardlighting.com

-

17

Bose

www.bose.com/dj1

800-905-1979

5

CHAUVET

www.chauvetdj.com

800-762-1084

7

ColorMaker

www.colormaker.net

407-862-3363

51

DigiGames

www.digigames.com

888-874-8427

21

DJ Intelligence

www.djintelligence.com

-

33

Eternal Lighting

www.eternallighting.com

-

61

EV (Electro-Voice)

www.electrovoice.com

-

29

Global Special Effects

www.globalspecialeffects.com

256-229-5551

65

Hercules

www.hercules.com

-

11

I DJ NOW

www.idjnow.com

631-321-1700

25

Innovative Foto

www.innovativefoto.com

800-933-2682 x177

43

MBLV17: Mobile Beat DJ Show

www.mobilebeat.com/las-vegas-dj-show

-

64

Master School Dances

www.masterschooldances.com

-

66

Music Trends

www.musictrends.com

888-621-3535

33

PayAnywhere

www.payanywhere.com/mbdec

877-243-9114

39

Odyssey Innovative Designs

www.odysseygear.com

626-588-2528

9, 31

Pioneer DJ

www.pioneerdj.com

-

2

ProDJ Publishing

www.mobilebeat.com (Bookstore)

800-257-7635 x0

65

Promo Only

www.promoonly.com

407-331-3600

67

Trusst (Chauvet)

www.chauvettrusst.com

-

19

Yamaha

www.yamaha.com/livesound

-

15

FOCUS ON BUSINESS

BUSINESS CHOPS™

Low-Cost, High-Impact Promotion HOW DO I OPTIMIZE PUBLICITY AND EVENTS TOOLS IN THE SOCIAL MEDIA ERA?

By John Stiernberg

L

ast time we talked about measuring the success of your promotional efforts. We established that “what gets measured gets done.” Now let’s go deeper into choosing the promotional tools that are both affordable and effective.

Is publicity really free? Is social media the best way to get my message across? Can a mobile entertainer do a showcase gig without it looking like a free audition? This article addresses these issues and recommends three action tips for success.

THE MYTH OF “FREE” PUBLICITY One of the common myths of business is that publicity is free. Sure, some media outlets (print, broadcast, online) will pick up a press release from time to time and drive your search engine optimization (SEO) positioning. But that does not necessarily translate into the kind of third-party credibility that real publicity brings.

While there are costs involved (both time and money—see November 2012 article), publicity is a relatively low cost, relatively high impact promotional tool. The challenge is to 1) publicize something that will actually get your target customers’ attention and 2) keep the time/ money investment within your budget.

What are the costs of free publicity? Here are the key line items: • Build and maintain your contact database • Write, produce, and distribute press releases, backgrounders, and collateral material • Build and maintain your website and social media presence (Facebook for fans and buyers, LinkedIn for event planners, agents, and institutional clients) • Monitor activity including website visits, wall postings, and sales inquiries • Follow up (what a concept!) on leads, thank you notes, and results tracking “But I do all that myself.” Oh really? Are you better at promotion or are you better at doing gigs as a performer? How do you want to be positioned? And do you have the time to do a thorough job? It is likely that you will need to engage and pay professional service providers in order to have a sustainable promotional presence that turns into more gigs and higher revenue. Here’s the point. While integrated publicity and promotion is affordable and effective, it is not free.

EVENTS ARE NEWSWORTHY, CHARITY EVENTS PUSH BUTTONS Here’s an example of a promotion that integrates 1) a showcase charity gig, 2) local broadcast media, and 3) your online tools: Your local television news team is unlikely to send a camera crew to your showcase at a wedding planners conference. However, they may cover a charity event tied to a good cause. Examples include anything tied to 1) children, 2) senior citizens, and 3) health. So let’s say that the local hospital is staging a fundraiser for childhood cancer research.

Who is going to entertain the staff and volunteers? Is there a telethon involved? Are there photo/video opportunities?

Your performance at this type of event puts you in the spotlight and can be publicized. Here are the steps to turning a charity showcase 66

MOBILE BEAT • D EC E M B ER 2 0 1 2

into a brand-builder (assuming you get booked of course): • Secure permission to invite guests. These can include past, current, and prospective clients. For the hospital (or event host), everyone is a prospective donor or volunteer, so they are likely to say yes.

• Use your Facebook/LinkedIn/website/Evite to invite people to the event.

• Track responses and call people personally to nudge and thank them.

• Get photos and video footage during the gig. Include clips of you performing plus audience reactions. This is prime YouTube material.

• Send the press release after the gig. The real credibility builder is that you did the gig, not that you were thinking about it.

GET STARTED NOW A charity showcase event is just one example of using the event/media/ follow up approach to low cost promotion. Here are three suggestions for turning a one-off into a sustainable campaign.

Action Tip 1: Identify those charitable organizations in your trade area that are 1) approachable and 2) tie the most closely to your target client base. Depending on your geographical location, there may be more opportunities than you need. This will allow you to be selective.

Put the opportunities in priority order before you contact anyone.

Action Tip 2. Design a “best case scenario” event that benefits the organization as well as you and your firm. Be ready to present the concept and the logistics aspects up front. Don’t leave the production details to chance (like AC power to an outdoor presentation space).

Action Tip 3. Do a test. Approach prospective event hosts one at a time (based on your priority list). Once you’ve got a committed event date, think of it as the beta test that will allow you to learn and debug before going on to the next one.

HERE’S THE POINT… While publicity isn’t free, it can be a powerful low cost promotional tool.

Events are relatively simple to publicize via social media. They are especially valuable if you can get video testimonials and live show footage to post online.

Be sure to implement the Action Tips in sequence: 1) create a target list of charitable organizations that stage events, 2) design a best-case event scenario, and 3) do a test gig. Besides learning and promoting, you will also get a good feeling about supporting a worthy cause.

Next time we’ll continue on theme of showcase events tied to publicity and social media. In the meantime, best wishes for success in mobile entertainment in 2012! MB John Stiernberg is founder of Stiernberg Consulting (www. stiernberg.com). With over 25 years experience in the entertainment technology field, he currently works with audio and music companies on strategic planning and market development. His book Succeeding In Music: Business Chops for Performers and Songwriters is published by Hal Leonard Books. Contact John via e-mail at john@stiernberg.com. You can find John on LinkedIn, Plaxo, and Facebook and follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/JohnStiernberg.