One cannot run a dj business over night. They have to build their song library, get their contracts in order, and have the best equipment available, and pay for the all time committed and marketing.

For djs to have all the newest latest music they are involved in digital record pools. Djs are able to download daily the latest songs. If the song is an older one, they can search through the database to get the classic.

Anyone can play music with entry-level sound system but you get what you pay for. Ideally one wants professional equipment to be played at their event that sounds like a million bucks not like equipment you buy at a garage sale.

Contracts are in place to protect the client and the dj. It holds the dj accountable for what services will be provided with the times permitted and it holds the client accountable for paying for the service.

Setting up for a wedding is not a piece of cake.  It takes hours to find the right songs and labeling the songs so they go on at the right time. Often times, I meet with the couple more than once to figure out we are on the same page. This wedding is the couple’s wedding not your own, so it is their custom playlist that you are playing.  The dj has to set up the equipment before the wedding and have to take everything down after the wedding.

  Djs have to market themselves. They cannot sit around and hope someone contacts them. They have to pay to be at a Wedding Expo and pay for postcards. Also they can do online advertisements, which can lead to hundreds to thousands of dollars depending on the service they are using.

Good Questions to Ask Wedding Djs before You Hire Him/Her  (and better answers from Bay Area San Jose based DJ)

Can you provide a wireless microphone or multiple microphones?

Yes, I do have a wireless microphone and can connect multiple wired microphones if needed.

Can you provide sound for our ceremony also?

I do have multiple sounds systems and have done multiple events for the ceremony and for the reception.

Do you have mixes online or on cd we can listen to?

Please check out www.mixcloud.com/wingmansj

Can we see your song list?

We do have over 70 k songs. We help you make your playlist.

What is included in your quote?

We do one to two consultations to talk about the wedding and playlist.  The dj actually performing at the wedding and set up and take down. It includes the use of top of line equipment.

Are there any genres of music you feel that you specialize in?

I do love playing the old school. I am a child of the nineties so I love to play R&B and hip-hop of that time. I also listened to what my older siblings listened to in the 80s so I have an ear for that. When I first started spinning records it was the music of the 00’s.

How can we collaborate on the playlist together?

I want to the wedding to be a soundtrack of the couple’s life. I can make suggestions but they have the final say. Usually we use a google document to add and take away from the list.

How many breaks do you need?

What are breaks? I may need 10 minutes to eat but I am always on the clock. 

To have a successful reception, the bride and groom have to set up a good team for the wedding.  I have heard from different couples that sometimes setting up the perfect wedding is like working a part time job. Wedding parties are interviewing different vendors and talking to their friends about venues and trying to figure out what would be the best for them.  But once a good team is formed then it can take off the stress of a wedding. A wedding is an event that should be joyful and memorable that should be shared with loved ones.

A bride or groom should not be worried about the caterer or the dj making mistakes. Once they hired their team then they should be able to handle the wedding event. The bride should have a wedding planner or a trusted bridesmaid handle any issue.

The wedding day goes by fast. It will be done in a blink of an eye. After taking photos after the ceremony, the bride and groom would head to the grand entrance of the reception then usually jump into their first dance, then  the father daughter dance followed by mom and son dance. The food is now served and it's time to talk to the guests at their tables.

Make sure you make time to eat. You spent a lot of time selecting the food  make sure you enjoy it. Sit down and and eat. It is going to be a long night of socializing and dancing so make sure you are nourished.

In a nutshell, set up your team of professionals to handle your wedding and eat your food. These tips will make your reception magical. 

Marshmellow and Anne Marie Friends 

Ariana Grande No Tears Left to Cry 

Drake  Nice for What

Calvin Harris  Dua Lipa  One Kiss

Taylor Swift  Delicate

BTS  Fake Love

Selena Gomez  Back to You

Clean Bandit ft Demi Lovato  Solo

Madison Beer  Home with you

Cardi B  Bad Bunny J Balvin  I like

Kanye West  Yikes

Childish Gambino  This is America

Shawn Mendez  In my Blood

Rich the Kid  Plug Walk

Cardi B  Be Careful

Ella Mai  Boo’d Up

Lil Baby and Drake  Yes Indeed

Nicki Minaj  Chun-Li

There is a saying that “Nice guys finish last.” I do not believe in that. I believe we should be nice and considerate in life. I read an article              ( http://promobiledj.com/4-actions-to-keep-a-customer-for-life/ ) 4 Actions to Keep a Customer for Life by Doug Sandler, the nice guy. He talks about 4 skills that are important to maintain good customer relationships.

Exceed Expectations:  Always do what you are supposed to. If you promise to bring 4 speakers and a wireless microphone then bring it. Everything is always stated in a contract and the dj has to follow through.  Once I speak with a client and always assure them I will send them a contract within a day and in a day a contract is in their inbox. My job is to make the client happy.

Be Consistent: I like being at an event about an hour before the event, so I can do sound check and make sure everything looks nice and tidy.  During events, clients do not want to keep on guessing but feel at ease knowing that you are consistent.

Inspire to Wow them:  I probably spend a lot of time on playlists. Typically the client gives me a few songs and I have to work off that to deliver the vibe that they want.  Or the client may give me a lot of songs and I will put as many as I can to keep the crowd moving.

Get Personal: Its good to know the folks that you serve. It helps with the playlist and when you use your MC skills and to see what type of humor would appease them.  It is not just business but what the dj is providing is an experience that guests will talk about.

CARDI B  BE CAREFUL

BEBE REXHA  MEANT TO BE

ZEDD MAREN MORRIS  THE MIDDLE

DRAKE  GOD’S PLAN

CAMILA CABELLO  NEVER BE THE SAME

BAD WOLVES  ZOMBIE

POST MALONE  PSYCHO

LIL DICKY  CHRIS BROWN FREAKY FRIDAY

MARSHMELLOW  FRIENDS

SAWEETIE  ICEY

SZA KENDRICK LAMAR  ALL THE STARS

XXXTENACION  SAD!

BLOCBOY JB FEATURING DRAKE  LOOK ALIVE

MIGOS  STIR FRY

OFFSET AND METRO BOOMING  RIC FLAIR DRIP

MIGOS FEATURING DRAKE  WALK IT TALK IT

STEFFLON DON AND FRENCH MONTANA  HURTIN ME

BLAC YOUNGSTA  BOOTY

TINASHE  FT OFFSET  NO DRAMA

Mixers are the brain of the PA system. A forty-dollar mixer can work but at the same time people get what you pay for. The professional mixers I recommend is the Yamaha MG06X and his bigger brother Yamaha MG10XU.

The MG06X is the size of an ipad. You can connect multiple microphones to it and have so much control of the gain, highs and lows. Also it has buttons to mute out a microphone if needed.  A 2 dj setup can be connected with this mixer. The beauty of this mixer is it can be added with another music system and it gives you more headroom to add more volume if needed. Each channel has a gain and then the master gain can be increased. If a dj decides to just play music and use microphones off his dj set up it sounds a certain way. Most controllers do not focus on the clarity of the microphones. They have other attributes it focuses on. But if the microphones are connected to the Yamaha mixer, it is so much clearer and it gives the option of multiple microphones. The mixer can be purchased for 120 dollars.

The older brother Yamaha MG10XU is a force of nature. Four microphones can be connected with the mixer. The highs, lows, and mids can be manipulated plus it has 24 effect programs that can add to the channel such as delay, flanger and echo. This mixer is so much bigger than his little brother so you would need more space for it.  This mixer can be purchased for about 200 dollars.

Both can do the job and it depends on how many microphones are needed and how fancy somebody wants the effect to be. 

In Honor of the NBA All-Star Game and the rerelease of the Jordan 3 Cements:

MJ Quotes on Motivation, and Hard Work

I have been fortunate enough to be able to see MJ compete on the basketball court. His sheer desire is very aspiring. In high school, he was cut from his high school team then was able to work hard enough to make the team the following season.   As a basketball coach myself, I try to motivate my team to never back down and give it their all.  In basketball and in life, we have big events and it is what we do to prepare for the event is what matters the most.

I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.

Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.

I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.

My attitude is that if you push me towards something that you think is a weakness, then I will turn that perceived weakness into a strength.

If you accept the expectations of others, especially negative ones, ten you never will change the outcome.

Talent wins games but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.