How to Sign a Binding Contract with a Wedding DJ

Wedding receptions are often the highlight of any wedding. The food, the cake and of course the dancing and the music! Getting a wedding DJ for your reception may just be the easy part. Ensuring that they keep their end of the bargain is the hard bit. Depending on a verbal agreement may be foolhardy. A wise step to take is to get a written and binding contract that covers all important aspects of the agreement. Here’s how:

Binding Contract

A binding contract identifies the parties to the contract. In this case the parties are you and the wedding DJ. The full names of both parties should be written. The nature of the relationship between the two should be written together with the date.

Important Details

State the venue of the reception and the address where the disc jockey will report for his performance. Also, the date of the engagement should be shown. This should specify day, month and year. Say 12/20/2012.

Do mention the hours of work or performance by the toronto wedding DJ should be shown. This should cover time of arrival by DJ, set up and performance. Any expected breaks should be set down.

Additionally, agreed pay should be specified. Specifics to give include, deposit paid, amount per hour or total for the day, mode of payment and date of payment. Overtime should be provided just in case.

Obligations

Duties and obligations of both parties should be listed as exhaustively as possible. This may include; who provides the equipment is it the wedding party or the disc jockey, lights, power, music to be played. Sometimes the bride or groom may have chosen particular songs they want played at the wedding reception at certain times say entry and exit so this needs to be clear to the DJ.

Cancellation clause

This is a clause that details instances when either parties can cancel or pull out of the contract, with limitations of course. Remedies for such an action should be detailed in the contract. Some of the remedies include rescheduling or postponement of the engagement, providing back up in the case of the DJ or refund of prior paid fees. Issuing of an adequate notice period of cancellation should be specified.

Signature

At the end of the contract are areas for appending the signatures for the parties and witnesses. The date that the contract was entered into should be given. Other details such as contact information or a few identification details of the parties should also be included.

Steps to Mix iTunes Songs

How would you like to be able to offer your own DJ services?  Create fantastic and different remixes of your favorite songs and beats with iTunes and you cannot only wow your friends but also be sought after to offer DJ services at parties.  You could start a new career!  If you know how you can get iTunes to do all the work for you and it is as simple as hitting the play button.

So here are the easy to follow instructions so that you can start your own DJ services:

Starting Off

To get rolling, click twice on the iTunes icon to get started.  The next step is to choose “File” then you will choose “New Playlist” this is where you will create your own.

Give the music file that you are going to make a name use something that is going to be easy to remember and easy to find.  Now you drag over all the songs that you choose into that playlist file.  Next you must choose “shuffle” towards the bottom left hand side of your screen.  Once you have done this music play order for iTunes will be random and you can enjoy not knowing what is going to come next.  You can chose as many tunes as you want to bear in mind that if you are going to have a long session offering your DJ services you don’t want to play the same music over and over again.

Mixing

To ensure that your DJ services are awesome you don’t want any silent breaks after a track so choose the “Edit” option and then “preferences” to make sure that the tunes will keep coming see what is going to work best for you.

You are nearly ready to offer your DJ services choose “Playback” then go and tick the “Cross-fade Songs” option.   Decide on how much time you want for your tracks to play out or play in.  When you move the scale to the right you get more time when the songs intermingle and to the left you get less time.   Using this makes sure that there are no awkward silences.

Playing

Now all you have to do is choose “Ok” to save your options and when you click twice on your playlist file name you have an iTunes jam that is going to wow your audience.  You are now ready to start your DJ services.

What was 2012 DJ expo all about?

The 2012 Dj expo was out and out interactive event that was held at the Trump Taj Mahal in the city of Atlantic of New Jersey in August. It had 20% more attendees than last year and had the perfect blend of new technology, opportunities to network and exceptional panels for the seasoned as well as the new mobile DJs.  

 

This expo produced by the magazine DJ Times and Testa Communications, drew more than 6,000 participants and offered over 150 exhibitor booths. For over twenty-two years, this 27^th show featured seminars, parties and exhibits that drew companies such as Pioneer DJ, Rane and Chauvet as well as many others.

 

Featured Legends

 

DJ legends such as John “Jellybean” Benitez and Paul van Dyk were keynote speakers and hosted evening events.   There were live performances on the stage from JES, Sean Paul and Pretty Poison’s Jade Starling.

 

Awards

“DJ of the Year” was awarded to New Jersey native Jack Bermeo for the second year in a row. In addition, Matt Pellettiere, also a New Jersey native won an awards package that consisted of DJ lights from American,  Beamz gear, Pioneer gear and a Promo Only subscription.

 

Summary of panels, workshops and seminars

 

This expo offers mobile DJs seminars, panels and workshops to help make them successful. In his keynote presentation, Paul van Dyk discussed his rise to one of the best DJs despite having a deprived childhood in East Germany. Jellybean Benitez also gave a keynote presentation that discussed his rich career that spans from playing tin NYC’s top clubs such as Studio 54 to running a successful record label which helped launched mega-stars such as Madonna. Chauvet DJ partners offered a seminar providing tips to increase their bottom line by $10,000 as well as a demonstration of a dry-ice machine. Another seminar led by Ken Moss, founder and CEO of Kingdom Photobooth shared his methods to book almost 1,000 rentals to add immediate cash flow. Other workshops provided business education such as music copyright law. Attendees also had the opportunity to participant in a focus group that will help determine new product decisions for the entire DJ market.  

 

With all of these exciting sessions as well as the top-notch exhibits, the 2012 DJ expo was a well-organized event that showcased the health and vibrancy of the mobile DJ industry. The success of this event despite the tough economic times is a testament that this event will continue to exceed the expectations of participants. Here’s looking for 2013’s event.

Common Wedding DJ Blunders

A wedding DJ is a must for your special day. There are no excuses for not hiring them but it also important to discuss important matters to avoid some mistakes that can ruin your special day. Some common mistakes that a disc jockey for weddings might make should be avoided to keep the celebration filled with only happy memories.

Music Hits That Do Not Meet Guest Expectations

Aside from a lot of dead time during your special day, one of the worst mistakes a wedding DJ can make is playing music that is not popular or entertaining for the listeners or guests. After the ceremony, your guests not only look forward to the food you will be serving, but to the entire program as well. They expect entertainment, singing and dancing. They wish to see you happy, but they also look forward to having a good time themselves. They did not just come to bid you best wishes, but to celebrate it fully with you, as well. However, if you did not meet up with the disc jockey for weddings before your special day, chances are he will be guessing what you and your guests’ music preferences are and that may not be a good thing.

Sound Systems that Are Not Working Properly

Finally, everyone is waiting for the words spoken, then suddenly the microphone falls or is not working properly. You paid for the videographer, but with a poor sound system all you have is a silent movie to watch for the rest of your lives. In some instances, your guests might love the music and would like to sing along, but with a poor sound system, they might rather stay in their seats and some might even leave rather than let their ears suffer. Not a good sight, but it can happen. Make sure to check the kind of sound system your entertainer offers.

Humor or Jokes that Aren’t Funny

In order to kill some time while you are preparing for the next part of the program, your disc jockey for weddings might take that time to entertain your guests. Adlibs are normal, but with humor or jokes that are not funny, or worse, insulting, makes the guests upset instead of entertained. This may leave a bad mark on your special day and might even keep guests questioning your lifetime choices too. Your Toronto wedding DJ can make or break your special day, so make sure to get to know them better and discuss your expectations clearly to avoid major blunders that become part of your lifetime memories.