DJ Buyer's Guide

What Are Professional DJ Services Really Worth?

No doubt this question has crossed your mind and it is a very good question at that. Since most people have never hired a DJ service before, the task may seem a bit daunting with all of the hype and the sheer amount of information that will be sent to you by the services you have contacted. In fact, one of the most puzzling things you will notice is the great disparity of pricing from one DJ service to the next. In light of this, Good Knight Entertainment wishes to give you the information that you will need to make the right decision for your wedding or special event. The next few pages will save you thousands of dollars and a lot of headaches!

First, let’s look at what services your DJ actually provides. In a nutshell, these are: Event Coordinator, Master/Mistress of Ceremonies (MC or Emcee), Music Library, Music Programming Artist, Audio Technician, Equipment Rental Service, and Equipment Handler. Now, let’s look at each of these individually and determine their individual worth.

Event Coordinator:

Your DJ works directly with you, our banquet professional, the photographer, videographer, and other vendors to make sure everything works like clockwork. Since your event is special to you and, for the most part is completely unrehearsed, having a professional handle the details makes all the difference in the world. Most event coordinators get $100/hour for what they do.

Master/Mistress of Ceremonies:

A professional Master/Mistress of Ceremonies will keep guests well informed and interested throughout the event, without distracting the attention from the guest of honor or bride and groom. Most MCs get $150/hour for what they do.

Music Library:

In a four-hour event you would program approximately 60 songs. If you were able to use 2 songs per CD and had to purchase 30 CDs this would cost at least $300. To our knowledge, nobody rents a music library because of the licensing issues. So, you would have to buy all these CDs. But we don't bring just 30 CDs, we bring close to 44,000 songs so we have just the right music selection for your guests and your taste. So the cost for the music library for your event would be about $300.

Music Programming Artist:

The most obvious thing your DJ does is program exactly the appropriate music at the exact moment for your specific event. We look at guests, honor your requests, consider the time of day or night, evaluate the event in general and use our many years' of experience to play just the right song at the right moment. We are going to set the hourly rate for such services at $100/hour.

Audio Technician:

We are experienced audio technicians, able to design and troubleshoot professional sound systems. Since every DJ sound system is custom-designed, our understanding of these complicated systems is crucial and we may need to step in at any time to trouble shoot a problem. The going rate for audio technicians is $75/hour.

Equipment Rental:

This is rental of a top-quality audio system including delivery, set-up and testing with integral back-up. Music library not included. Understand that contrary to what some people may tell you, you cannot get a good room-filling sound with a home stereo without making your guest’s ears bleed on the dance floor and those in the back will barely be able to hear the music. There are a few home systems on the market that may let you slip by, but these systems usually cost more than $10,000 and those who own them are very reluctant to tear them apart to bring them to your party; which leaves the most economical choice of renting the equipment. Audio/Visual rentals for a day goes for $400.

Equipment Handler:

Almost every live show has a professional equipment handling team to transport and set-up the equipment. Union scale for this is $25/hr. This cost considers drive time plus set-up and tear down.

So, the breakdown on this is:

But what about the DJs advertising that they perform for $100 to $300 for a wedding or special event?

Another great question that has no doubt crossed your mind. At even $300 per event, what is lacking that they charge so little for their services???

Do they have the proper equipment? Do they have a wide variety of music to select from? Have they actually purchased the music they play? Do they carry insurance? Do they offer a money back guarantee? Do they have a contract that protects you and them equally? Do they have the necessary skills, talent and experience to make your party a success? Why does the veggie platter cost more than their services?

Quite simply, one cannot run a profitable business on such low rates. One will not have the proper cash flow to insure that you have a reliable sound system, an up to date music selection or the appropriate skill level to motivate and entertain your guests. Even more so, you will not be covered by liability insurance should there be an unfortunate incident and provide backup equipment in case of theft, fire or accident. There are certain costs that must be covered in the course of running a business, if these needs are not met then you should be wondering where corners have been cut and how it will affect your special event.

Let’s look at this from the big picture. The national average expense for a wedding is currently about $25,000. At four hours for the wedding ceremony & reception, that equals a cost of $6,250 per hour. If your guests leave just one hour early because you did not spend enough for quality entertainment, you will have thrown away over $6,000 of your hard-earned money!

Taking this one step further with the price above, you spend just $2,500 on renting equipment, buying a handful of CDs and you pay someone you know who used to be a DJ, or have played music on their stereo for a backyard party. Chances are that your friend, with all of the best intentions in the world, is unable to make good choices in music to get your guests up dancing and keeping them there. This is aside from the fact that they may or may not even make the announcements correctly or even knows how to use the equipment you have rented. Your party is a flop and people leave an hour early… Sadly, you just wasted your money.

That just amounts to your monetary investment in this one special day. This does not take into account the dozens of hours that you will spend on reading materials such as this, meetings with various vendors, making phone calls, writing invitations, traveling, dress / tux fittings, obtaining any licenses or permits that are required, planning, etc. Also missing from the above equation is your emotional investment as well. The pride, the hope, the dreams, the sweat, the stress and the tears all make this as unique a day as you are. Good Knight Entertainment knows you will pour your heart and soul into this one special event…

How much is your time, your hopes, your dreams and your sanity worth to you?

The price you pay for entertainment is directly proportional to the quality you receive, which in turn is directly proportional to the success of your special event. In other words, you get what you pay for. As you can plainly see, Good Knight Entertainment has a firm understanding of just how precious a wedding or any other special event really is.

But what do you get for your money’s worth when you secure Good Knight Entertainment’ services?

Good Knight Entertainment’ Six Main Features:

Music:

Good Knight Entertainment’ currently carries more than 40,000 songs to each and every performance. This larger than average library covers the major hits from the Big Band hits of the 40’s to today’s hottest hits in Top 40, Rock, Adult Contemporary, Alternative and Country. We can provide the music in MP3 format on Computerized Playback Systems or on CDs through commercial grade DJ digital CD players. Both methods offer a virtually skip-free and distortion free playback. Each and every song is legally owned by Good Knight Entertainment and our DJs will pull up requests in mere seconds, allowing for more time to focus on you and your guests.

Sound:

The sound system for the playback of this wide variety of music consists entirely of commercial grade sound equipment specifically designed for the rigors of mobile DJ use and neatly mounted in protective cases. Not only will your sound system have enough power to be heard at the back of the room at a comfortable level without making anyone deaf at the front of the dance floor, but it will also look very clean, orderly and professional. All cables and cords are kept out of site as much as possible so as to not take away from the décor of your event.

Master Of Ceremonies (MC or Emcee):

Just about any type of event needs someone to make professional and timely announcements, in a clear, well-spoken manner. Most people fear public speaking and lack proper techniques to talk to a group. Even after September 11, 2001, the number one fear in America is still public speaking. Good Knight Entertainment’s MCs continually hone their skills by practicing their techniques and they are very good at what they do!

Entertainment:

More than just music or someone just pushing play on a CD player, Good Knight Entertainment’ disc jockeys know how to read a crowd to get your guests up dancing and keeping them there for the duration of your event. Good Knight Entertainment will be as interactive as you desire, from making announcements, to motivating your guests, to coordinating games, to leading some dances.

Planning:

Good Knight Entertainment has performed hundreds of weddings and other events, that experience is priceless in helping you plan your special event. Your disc jockey will give you as much or as little planning assistance as you desire. Additionally, you have powerful online planning tools available to you 24 hours a day, seven days a week from Good Knight Entertainment’ web site. Covering all of the various details has never been easier! Be sure that you have a password setup so that you may access these tools online and modify your event information at your leisure.

Coordination:

Good Knight Entertainment will coordinate your entire event with all of your other service providers before and during your special event. Since so much time is invested with working with you, your DJ will make phone calls to each of your service providers prior to your event to cover any unforeseen contingencies before they become a problem. Also, during your special event, your DJ will hand each service provider a brief outline of all the details so that everyone is working off of the same page, literally. This promotes a smooth transition between details, makes sure that all of your vendors are on schedule and in the right place at the right time.

As with all things in life, quality and professionalism has its price. But with Good Knight Entertainment’s services, you save time, money and headaches. When you book Good Knight Entertainment’s services, you get more than just music; you get peace of mind and insurance that you and your guests will have the time of your lives.