Best business tip (life tip) from Black and White Affair Dj Services (A Life Hack)

Life is about balance.   Well- balanced folks can not be all work and no play. Therefore one cannot be all play and no work. Some folks work to live while others live to work. There must be a balance to be truly happy. Goals that are written become the plan to follow.

Books provide oodles of useful information.  Learning is an ongoing process and does not stop with a degree or certificate. I read a book that mentioned going after goals in business.  The typical person sets yearly goals and tries to get them done. The goal is written and they have 365 days to get the goal accomplished.  It also mentioned when deadlines are due then the go getters finish their goal.  Why wait for 12 months when one can have quarterly goals that only go for 3 months.  More goals can be accomplished.

In business, everything is tracked from receipts of purchases to how many postcards were sent out. Some months end up being busier than others and that is recorded.  

One of my most prize possessions right now is a black notebook. In the back of the book, I write my quarterly goals (for example for October, November, and December). I just do not just write my business goals, but my work out goals, plus my big chores I want to do around the house. In the front of the book I do my weekly write out where I put down what I did toward my quarterly goals.

For example, one of my quarterly goals is to create content for my blog and in my weekly goal for Wednesday I  created a new post.  Also I want to run 30 to 40 miles a month, and I ran 2 miles in my weekly write out for that one day. True that it is nice to go after business goals, but at times the only one that holds us accountable is ourselves and it’s best to write it out. It is rewarding to actually see what we have done written out.

Every day I try to do a few activities for business and health. I may have created a new mix or made a funky playlist. Maybe I played basketball for a few hours. One can not live on bread alone. There must be a balance of other activities outside of work. 

DJ Mixes: Mixcrate, Mixcloud and Sound Cloud:

Do not put all your eggs in one basket!!!

The Mecca of dj mixes was on a site called Mixcrate. Started in 2010, anyone could post his or her mixes for anyone to stream or download. One could upload a mix accompanied with an image then the dj was mixcrate famous. People around the world could listen to the mix. Typically one mix could be listened over a hundred times and downloaded just as much.  Fans could download the mix to put it in their music library. Listeners could like the mix, which would drive more plays. Mixcrate had no restrictions on the how many songs per artist could be in the mix. I could dedicate a mix to an artist and make it their greatest hits. It was exciting times since the world was the stage.  What was a curious situation was the people of Nairobi Kenya would be following me. At one point I had 580 fans and about 20 of them came from Nairobi. Shout out to the folks of Nairobi for showing me the love.

At one point I had over 200 mixes on the site.  Anytime I created a mix, I posted it and sometimes I would not back it up. Then one-day mixcrate stated that it has shut down due to a letter from the record industry. From that point on, no one could search for mixes or download anything. Some of my mixes were lost and never to be found. What I learned is not to put all my eggs in one basket and always have a back up to my mixes.

Another option I had to post my mixes was soundcloud. It was a simple website to upload original music and mixes. I never posted anything in soundcloud but alas that site is rumored to be shutting down soon.

After mixcrate went down I had to locate all my mixes and label all the songs. I never had a record of that but I was able to label all my mixes with the songs in the order they appeared.

With Mixcloud, it seems like I get less plays and it is harder to have people follow you. But it is easy to upload and have an image for the mix. One could pay to boost the mix, which advertizes the mix for mixcloud users. Once I month, I post a current top 40 mix which helps me keep in tune with what is hot is there. Current music gets some attention but the old school is what makes people on mixcloud fans.

With technology, a dj does not need to hand out cds and can send out links of the mixes. Nothing is full proof so djs have to back up their mixes so that the music can live forever.  The lesson is always have back up to everything because one never knows when technology lets you down and one has to go old school to save the day.

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Hiring a dj for a school dance

Each district has their own way to hire a dj. Often times it is easier to be an employee of the district to avoid the red tape. A prospective dj often times will have to be fingerprinted, and fill out paperwork and may need insurance. Especially for middle schools there seems to be more red tape than high schools. More often than not, high schools require a contract and an invoice so the dj can be paid.

Hiring a younger 20 year old dj versus an over 30 dj:

Positives: closer to the age of the dancegoers so very familiar with the music.

Negative: Not as much experience. May bring entourage and those helpers were not fingerprinted.

Over 30 dj: More experience doing big events. Bigger music library. No entourages.  Usually higher end equipment since been working longer. There was a time I was able to do a school dance since their dj did not have working equipment. I was surprised since it is important to have back ups to your back ups.

Negative: Not as familiar with music.

Once a dj is selected for a school that is when it is time to be prepared. Typically schools are into what is playing on the radio. Some schools are hip-hop based or some are pop/ house based. I have seen times where it felt like a (edm)rave then a year or two later it was back to hip-hop. What makes a dance a good one is the playlist. 

Playlist: This is when teamwork is needed. Dj has to contact the activities director (the one who hired you) to get a playlist. Its best to get it from multiple students and make it one list. Best to ask for it a week before so it gives the music man time to set up for it.  I have seen lists derived from one student and everyone would not be happy since they had no part in developing the list and the student has a particular tastes. Especially if the student does not really know what is hip. A good Dj knows his event. If the school population has a high Latin population it would be ideal to put some good Spanish music in the playlist.

Even though a song can be clean (without profanity) the content can be a little provocative. Its good to be familiar with the song before it’s played at the dance.

During the dance itself, it could be distracting to take requests when the dj is trying to beat match. It would be ideal to have a clipboard where students can put artists and the name of the song on an excel sheet or word document. When a song is playing the dj can mark the clipboard if the song is coming and check off the ones s/he already played it.  With a clipboard, it will avoid too many students going behind the dj area. If cabling and plugs, its ideal to have as few people in the dj area.

If a song is requested many times, then dj knows it will be a crowd pleaser. The question is can a song be played twice. When I djed at clubs that was one of my commandments. Thou shall not play a song twice.  But at school dances, then one can get away with it if you play it early then later in the dance. If it’s a real heater then maybe throw it in 3 times. But those songs are rare. 

Hopefully, the dj and couple can meet months in advance. Even if that is not possible, a few weeks notice would also suffice.  The key is to be prepared. Bride and groom will be less stressed making sure they have a dj is booked for their wedding. It is the mobile dj who brings the party to the event. Never tell the dj, “I trust you to play good wedding music”. Weddings are a custom event and bride and grooms should take advantage of it.

Bride and groom should work on the list together.  Keep in mind the dinner music is mostly background music. The music will not be as loud so guests can communicate while they eat.  If your guests are requesting songs that bride and groom do not like, then they can play them during dinnertime. Also during the cocktail hour, songs that particular guests like can be played at that time. During this time, the bride and groom are taking pictures and not even around to hear the music.

Try to avoid sending djs multiple lists. It would be easy to get lost in emails. Technology has brought us Gmail and couples and djs can share living documents or what they call Google docs. Songs can be loaded with notes on the document then it can be deleted if needed to be. Also with technology, Shazzam or Sound Hound can pinpoint what songs that are heard and do not know the name of the song. It keeps a record of the songs that were searched and then can added to the list.

First dance songs are special. If the dj is talented then s/he can premix the song and edit it if they want to combine two songs seamlessly. The song can be a song they listened to when they first started dating.  It could be a song that one of the two loves and the other just wants to go with the flow. Software programs like Garage Band or Logic can do a great job editing music. There is a lot of online info on how to do it right.

The most important music of the night is the dance component of the night. The music will be bringing life to the dance floor.  Send the Dj Get as many songs as you can that you love. Sometimes the dj can read the crowd, but sometimes they may put a song that slows the vibe of the event so its good to give the dj a lot of selections.

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Not having a dj versus having a dj

Throwing an event can be an expensive endeavor. Some people have never thrown a big event before and do not know where to start. Often times they reach out to others who have thrown some type of event before or they go search online to see what tidbits of information that they can gather.

They find having the best food can be one of the most important decisions of the event. Little that they know that music also plays an imperative component of the event. Music sets the vibe of the event. It can be the subtle background during dinnertime or it can be the party motivator during the dance portion of the night.

Money can be a factor. Some folks do not know what djs charge for events. For wedding events, djs can charge 800 to 2500 depending on what the bride or groom wants. Upgrades can be multiple dj set ups such as reception music system (speakers, microphones, and dj controller) and the ceremony PA system (speakers with mixer) with multiple microphones, specific up-lighting and or any other lighting, photo booth, and television screens or projectors with screens.

For other events such as birthday parties, school dances, anniversaries, or reunions can run from 100 dollars an hour to 200 dollars an hour. There is a difference in price between weddings and other events because weddings take more planning thus more preparation.  In either case, all events need a playlist. There have been events where the clients want every song played in a certain order or as open as clients just wanted rock music. Every event is different.

So the question is, Does the party event thrower wants to save a little money and play music off an iPod or hire a dj?

The positives of an iPod /iphone or digital device that contains music: Its economic if you already have one. Set up the playlist and press play.

Negatives of ipod/iphone or digital device that plays music: What happens if device breaks?  (Power cords no longer work or batteries run out) How can one make announcements? Who will make announcements? Who will do the bouquet toss count? Limited music and silence in between songs

Positives of a dj: A Dj can make announcements when needed.  A Dj can adjust the microphone levels when different people give speeches or toasts. People hold microphones differently and have different volumes in their voices.  A Dj can pllay certain music at certain times and can read the crowd and continue with the energy of the room. A dj can suddenly change the music if no one is feeling the song.  Good djs have backup equipment incase of equipment malfunction (extra hard drive, extra laptop, extra speaker, or cabling). Also A Dj can Provide more energy for the room.

Negatives of a dj: It would be more expensive than ipod/iphone or musical device

Remember the times in high school or college when one went to a get together. There were the times they were playing an iPod or stereo. It was pretty mellow and calm. Think of the times where a dj was involved, there was so much energy and gleefulness.

Basically if one wants to up the level of the event then a dj must be hired. But then again any ole dj will not suffice. Make sure one checks their reviews or if any of your friends have recommendations.  Again the event should be memorable, so with the right ingredients will make it one your guests will always talk about.

At the beautiful Club Autosport in San Jose, Black and White Affair Dj Services hooked up their system with the house system, Easily, you can  have sound run through out the whole establishment with only 2 15 inch speakers. It was nice to have all that power already built in the venue. At the venue, patrons have the option to have a stage or not. There is a huge big screen located on the premise to show slideshows or videos.

Prom goers were dancing to their favorite tunes while being next to classic cars that they took selfies with.