Who wants a wedding DJ when you've got an iPod?
By Ryan Block 
posted Sep 21st 2005 2:40PM
posted Sep 21st 2005 2:40PM
We kind of understand the rationale. Why spend hundreds of dollars to hire a wedding DJ when you can load up an iPod
or two (or a laptop, for that matter), and choose the playlist yourself down to the last song? Got a request? Put it in
the queue, buddy! Because for less money than hiring Robbie Hart to belt out the classics you can just buy yourself a
shiny new friend and sort it out yourself. Of course, the DJs argue that only a live person behind the decks can sense
what the crowd wants to hear right then, time music properly, do intros, and all that rot, but as we recently learned
when we actually did attend a wedding DJed by iTunes and a playlist, it just doesn't seem to matter as much as they
might have you think.
[Via TechDirt]
I actually did that at my wedding last year. I borrowed a buddy's laptop and groomsmen took turns keeping an eye on it. Worked flawlessly.
Good luck with your IPOD Speakers!
Just got married about 1 1/2 months ago and I should've gone with the ipod and a friend. Instead we went with a DJ who told us to tell him some songs we liked and he would figure out what went along with those. (He told us he had done some weddings where people had given him a list of songs and it didn't turn out well) The result: he sucked...he had no clue what we wanted to listen to.
The bottom line: you know better than anyone what your friends and family would like to listen to. Only get a DJ if you aren't into music or most of your invitees are not of your generation/background.
We did exactly this for our wedding last year. Worked like a charm.
I handled my sisters wedding this Aug with a G4 iBook, Airport Express, Klipsch amp and speakers and 20G of lossless music.
The wireless (airTunes) was the icing on the cake... it allowed me to join the party.
http://www.jacobandkimmy.com/weddingphotos/images/tn_Riskin0860.JPG
Worked well with a PowerBook for a friend of mine.
I did the same thing for mine (iTunes & Powerbook) last month. I had made 5 playlists ahead of time with the idea of selecting the 'dinner playlist' then to follow with 'classic dance' (for people who actually know how to waltz, etc.) and then a couple of 'modern' playlists for everyone else. But I never had anyone in charge of the music - so people (mostly my younger sister) ended up using Party Shuffle and my original playlists for guidance. Something must of worked, because people were dancing all night long.
Please hav some respect for REAL DJ's... Wedding DJ's just play requests, and start one song at the end of another... and I agree (as a DJ) that Ipods are just as good at that...
HOWEVER! There is no freakin way an iPod is going to replace dance music DJ's and HipHop DJ's. Your iPod can't beatmatch, make artistic blends, scratch, perform well with an MC, keep the energy up for minutes at a time and know when the crowd needs a break...
And seriously, a wedding doesn't really have jack to do with what DJing is about. Wedding DJ's do an easy job for easy money... but good DJ's spend their lives learning how to put on a show, just like any other performer.
I'm sorry, this article offended me because I felt as though it was presented to people who are ignorant of what real DJ's do, and gave a bad name to all DJ's without specifying the difference between a wedding dj and a real dj.
Thanks for listening.
I would have to disagree with these comments, I occassionally DJ for a company that specializes in weddings when I have a free saturday night and need some extra bucks. We pride ourselves that having a live experienced DJ can make all the difference in the party/dance portion of a reception.
An iPod or laptop will never know how the crowd reacts to the song it just played, if a swarm of disco freaks just cmae on the dance floor it wouldn't know to maybe throw another 70's classic in there to keep them dancing, it will just go on to Billy Bob's request for "Stairway to Heaven".
I do admit that there are a lot of really bad and some really creepy weding DJ's out there, I have met many, but if you do your home work, go to a Bridal convention/show then you can meet a veriety of guys & gals. I suggest interviewing a few to get a feel for them then make your decision.
But on that note, I use my 17" Powerbook along with my CD collection and an iPod for back-up.
1 vote of support here, biochemlab. Get 'em!
It works great with the Party Shuffle feature in iTunes as well. Usually I'm the one in charge of music when a friend has a party, or if my mom has her annual Easter party.
Sadly, after playing "I wanna be your dog" by the Stooges last Easter, I had my DJ privileges taken away.
Fishes,
narco.
Its a good idea and probably worth it.
Wedding DJ's make my want to vomit, with their stupid straw sombreros and inflatable saxaphones they pass out. I hope my wedding, should i ever get married has none of that awful cliche crap.
Bio> I think the article stated several times "wedding DJ". So it did in fact differientiate between a wedding DJ and a "REAL DJ". I mean really guy, it was a one paragraph blurb on people who have successfullly used Ipods/Itunes in their weddings and saved a few hundred bucks; not a global commentary on the fascinating world of DJing at large.
I got married in June and I used my Powerbook G4 and some nice speakers for my reception. It worked great. Everyone commented on how easy it was to request music and how cool it was that I didn't have to pay a bunch of money for a DJ. I recommend it to anyone getting married.
Narco,
Maybe that's because you should have played the Uncle Tupelo cover of "I Wanna Ben Your Dog."
It's much better :P
U know its all about decks really!
i take tunes to my parents' events all the time.
when the older folks are around, it's statler brother, slim whitman, marty robbins, jim reeves, hank williams, johnny cash.
a little later, the country/light rock comes out: tim mcgraw, alabama, nitty gritty dirt band, meatloaf, journey, toby keith, fleetwood mac.
then when the party hops for the younger generation, its system of a down, trapt, nirvana, green day, crystal method, metallica, audioslave.
this works like a charm every single time. everyone is happy. i can easily use this same process for a wedding dance.
however scratching, mixing, and a professional voice with a light show and the necessary fog machine is for hire only. you can't replace an "entertainment experience" with music only. otherwise live bands would just play their cd's at a concert and sign autographs. that's the whole draw...the SHOW.
peace. d.
I've deejayed dozens of weddings, parties, proms, dances, and happy hours over the past dozen years (not my day job) and my iPod's made all the difference in the last year. I charge pretty low rates for my service and after 2 or 3 gigs I paid for my 40 GB 4th Gen iPod pretty easily. Since then, I've made more than enough to buy a Shuffle and start looking at a Nano.
Before I bought my iPod I used to haul around bins of CDs, filling up the back seat and trunk of my car and throwing out my back carrying those $@#!ing things up and down stairs, stages, and through large parking lots. Now, the only thing that gets tired is my thumb. :D
And I take some umbrage to the ideas that all wedding/dance/party DJ's don't have a clue about how to put together a good mix or work well with a crowd. Though I don't spin vinyl at a club, my skills in putting together a diverse selection, working dynamically off of a crowd's vibe, and integrating appropriate requests into the playlist seems to pay off well - more referrals than I can count and lots of thank yous and praise after the gigs.
All in all, the equipment makes things a lot easier, but upgrading from CDs to an iPod does not a great DJ make. You've got have a pretty wide knowledge and selection of music, a good understanding of who your audience is (both the tastes/special requests of the client and the party crowd), and an ability to change up on the fly as the event progresses. All the iPods in the world can't provide you with that.
Luckily, I've only seen one "wedding DJ" in my life. And just like Jimmy said above, he had inflatable saxophones! All the real DJs I've seen doubled as a sheepherder, keeping the wedding schedule on track and helping out with the announcements, and putting on a scratch and mix show for a little bit amidst playing the regular tunes.
i'm getting married next may, and i'm desperately trying to convince my fiance to just do this. the kicker is my best man is a dj and he has a laptop with over 80 gigs of music as well as a full sound system.
any more tips?
if you need to save some $, doing your owm music is great. just make sure the person in charge of the iPod/powerbook has a clue about music. a bad playlist could very easily sink your reception. and good djs often provide some lights too which can add alot to your party.
I was married in November of 2001 and we did it both ways: My wife's cousin, Mike (who is a professional DJ), was our DJ for the introductions and the after-dinner stuff... but my iBook was set up on the DJ stand dishing out the dinner music so Mike could eat with his family and talk with the folks from out-of-town, etc.
With the simple stuff, an MP3 player or laptop makes a ton of sense. But, in terms of having an announcer, who is comfortable in front of a crowd, a DJ is usually a good thing to have. If it's a small wedding in your parents' backyard, then a good sound system and a loud, but not obnoxious, relative should do fine. ;)
#17 - Have your best man put together a playlist with you and the fiancee and have a friend of the family who has a clue about music and whom you trust monitor/run the playlist as the night goes on. If something goes seriously awry, the best man can fix it, but otherwise it's taken care of.
An iPod (or a laptop/computer and a descent pair of speakers) are great alternative to a DJ if money is of concern for your wedding or event. an play list gives YOU control, you know what will be played, or the selection of songs placed on shuffle.
A DJ on the other hand brings to the function what an MP3 cannot, games, announcements, that spontaneity and general voice over, someone that is used to speaking in front of a bunch of happy party go-ers.
I was recently at a friends wedding, the DJ was $800 (5 hours), granted I could have setup the playlist as I had most of the songs played in my CD collection, but a DJ knows which songs go with which (expertise)... we can only do a best guess (with sometimes horrible results!), an DJ's experience at hosting the event is what you are esentially paying for, song selection comes a close second.
At the end of the night, my friends wedding DJ had trucked in over 3 oversized suit cases loaded with CD's (60k+ songs, requests were welcomed), i'd say that he played most of the music from his laptop as i'd bet he usually plays the same selection of songs at each of his weddings, possibly modding the list to include minor fixes and songs that are getting a little old in the tooth!
My biggest complaint... the music was WAY TOO LOUD.
Just a note to the offended DJ's, when it come's to a rave your the man! For a Live Dance show, gotta have a DJ. But, for a wedding I'm sorry but an IPOD is the way to go. Save the money and let The Chemical Brother's handle the dance part of your wedding.
I use to dj through high school and then at local clubs in Toronto through the late 80's and early 90's ( as one of the guys stated in a previous post, most dj's take wedding's to make BIG money with little effort ) and when I got married in '98 I didn't want a dj, so, with the help of SAW audio on a good ole 486 DX 66 I played live off two turntable and 2 cd players and recorded it all to the hard drive. I then turned around and burned 8 cd's worth of live music, over 9 hours, on an old 4x HP CD burner. At the wedding, I hooked up 2 5 disc changers to the PA system and away we went. It was great with no complaints from 70 or so guests. I imagine it will only be a matter of time before Gemini mixers comes out with a dual iPod mixer!!
Cheers
OR you could just hire a DJ who USES iTunes... like at the last wedding I went to. :-)
All well and good until, here in Canada, the AVLA enforcement officer or local RCMP Mountie comes in looking for your license for the public presentation of copyright material.
Not having one means the party is stopped, equipment and music siezed (even personal equipment) and fines issued.
A percentage of the Hall rental fee is for licensing depending on location. Even though a "Private Party", you are in a public facility and required to have proper permits/licenses.
Wedding DJ's are not allowed to use premixed music and are required by Law to manually mix the music.
You must be able to provide ALL copyright information on request for all your music or you are in violation.
Professional DJ's accommodate ALL of your guests all of the time. They can adjust instantly to any situation and are available as an experienced person to handle any MC duties if required. Like any profession there are good and bad. Referrals are your best way to prevent some of the bad ones.
But using players, playlists and source devices without proper licensing, in Canada, will eventually cost you a lot.
Yes, you can use a laptop with a DJ program on it but it, too, must be licensed and the license must be affixed to the computer.
Yes I have worked as a wedding DJ for 15 years but I have been doing weddings for nearly 30 and I have seen the above scenario play out to the detriment of all.
I am not against the idea I am just leting you know there are rules and laws that must be followed.
A professional DJ will eliminate a lot of the worry.
There are only two things people remember from the wedding; how the bride looked and the party. You look after one and the DJ looks after the other.
I would never pay some deusch bag to play songs for my wedding off of his ipod. What the hell are you guys thinking.If what you care about is announcements and spontaneity, just pre-record the announcements before hand and load them in between every 15 songs on your playlist. Then you can not only hear songs that you want but people can get a heads up when the speakers magically command them to prepare for the chicken dance.
Seriously though, when i get married i'm either djing myself off and on using either vinyl or cd-decks (real cd-dj decks like pioneer cd-dj 1000's) or hiring a well known dj to spin tunes. Ipod dj, that's deusch bag for "hey i'm 40 years old and still cool...right?"
I used my iPod for reception music and it worked like a charm. The only problem was that it didn't crossfade. I wish I had a laptop at the time but...
I got complements all night about the music. I just created a hand-selected playlist from my library and hit play. Put the classics (Sinatra, Ella, Armstrong, etc) first and older crowd then eased into more modern stuff (Killers, David Gray, Black Eyed Peas, etc) for my friends. By midnight we were rocking it out with dance/house music and danced the night. It was a great time. People stuck around until 230am and had to be dragged out.
I've gone to several weddings since then and the music has sucked at all of them. Wedding DJs have no talent. They just trainwreck terrible songs together. I have yet to see a wedding DJ seamlessly transition from one song to another. iTunes does a better job than they do. I keep telling my friends that I'd DJ for them, but they keep going out and spending cash for a lame DJ that they're unhappy with. Eventually, they'll figure it out.
Does iTunes have "Wind Beneath my Wings"?
Yeah, how sweet. Just use your 80 gigs of illegally downloaded music and an iPod to make money and put a legitimate DJ out of business. *Applaud* I love this generation.
I'm getting married in about 10 days, and believe me, I've thought about doing the whole DIY DJ setup since the day I proposed.
We've been engaged for about 16 months, and wound up booking the DJ about a year ago. He's a good guy with a ton of experience and a good price, but even a good price is way more than just renting a PA system and hooking up my laptop.
One of the reasons why we picked our DJ is because he was flexible with his setlist (which we found to be a bit of a rarity in the DC metro area). At first, I was happy, I didn't want to deal with any of it. Just have the guy play some tunes, and we'll groove. All good.
Then the audiophile in me took over.
I didn't want structured-dance songs like the Macarena or the Electric Slide or YMCA. I started thinking of songs I wanted to hear that he didn't have. We wanted string covers of rock songs for the cocktail hour. He didn't have it. I wanted some ska and some electronica he'd never heard of. He didn't have it. I wanted covers that were only released in Japan. He didn't have it. The end result? I've burned over 5 CD's of material for him to use, mix and work into the evening.
Now, is that his fault that he didn't have the music we (I) wanted? Nope. He's a good guy, a great DJ, and has a decent template setlist. I'm a weird guy with eclectic and weird taste. But the problem is that I'm now in a situation where I've paid a guy over $800 to press play on his CD player and tell us when dinner is served and when it's time to cut the cake. Seriously, I could've paid a friend to do that for $50 and a bottle of Jim Beam.
In retrospect, I might've (should've) opted to go the DIY route, but I can see how it's not for everyone. I'm a picky, controlling audiophile, so it would work for me. For the average joe bridegroom, just let the professional handle it.
Hmmm . . . "BV" - that's douche bag for "my wife, friends, and family are on the dance floor & taking photos on the happiest day of my life and I'm behind my Technics 1200s or Pioneer CD-DJ 1000 making sure that my record collection is properly mixed" . . . right?
And no - I'm in my twenties, and a few thousand songs and dollars richer thanks to my iPod.
Doesn't anybody hire bands anymore?
I recently did this for a friend's wedding (with a laptop), except it was just the rehearsal dinner music, and background music before the band came on and between sets.
Get a real band for the reception- that's worth real money. All the wedding DJs I've ever seen have been talentless unimaginative hacks. I'm sure there are good ones out there, but they are rare. Like most aspects of the wedding industry, it attracts people with mediocre skills who smell easy money.
About putting professional DJs out of business: I remember countless stories during the height of Napster about wedding/party DJs who were happily downloading everything they played, most without remorse. If you ask me, someone playing stolen music (and you're assuming a personal user isn't just ripping from CDs) off his/her laptop is way better than paying some hack DJ to make money off of stolen music.
I might've gone with a real band, but they cost more, and my tight budget wouldn't allow it.
Plus, most of the live musicians we spoke to worked union shifts of 40-20 (40 minutes playing, twenty minute breaks). Don't get me wrong, I'm all about a live sound, but I'd still have recorded music for a third of my evening, and I wanted my party to just start hopping and not stop until we were kicked out. I thought that the transition from live to recorded music would be too awkward for a nice night-long dance party.
one thing an ipod cannot do is be your karaoke DJ. A guy with a laptop full of great karaoke songs, a mixer and a couple of mics can make for a great party... unless you hate karaoke.
Numark's iDJ mixing console: http://numark.com/
Big iPods! (sucks to your software crossfade!)
I agree with "biochemlab" completely.
I hate wedding/bar mitzvah/etc DJs with a passion, they give REAL DJs a bad name and piss me off to no end with their lame party games and stupid blow up guitars and saxes and YMCA and Macarena and ARRRGGGGGHHHH!!!!!
Anyway, I've been DJing for my fraternity parties for awhile now, and mostly just use my PowerBook since most of my vinyl is electronic music, and frat boys (other than myself) generally don't like "techno".
I'm trying out Native Instrument's Traktor DJ Studio, and it's pretty sweet but I need a better dual-output soundcard (internal audio + USB soundcard == very crashy == not suitable for live DJing) as well as some sort of MIDI controller (Behringer BCD2000 or Kontrol-DJ look sweeeet)
http://www.behringer.com/BCD2000/
http://www.kontrol-dj.com/html_eng/
For my wedding, all I can say is I want The Dan Band (think Old School)
Wow, I didn't realize that such a topic would polarize people.
I've seen good wedding DJs and bad wedding DJs. It really depends. And it really depends on the couple if they want to hire a DJ or use their own iPod to provide music.
Personally, if it means that I can save money, and I can find some friends to help monitor the music, I'd rather not hire a DJ. I care more about me saving money than whether or not a DJ has a job. Besides, it's not like iPods will put DJs out of business any more than TVs put the movie industry out of business.
Besides, if my friends, the groom, and I were in charge of the music, it guarantees that horrible, horrible stuff like "The Chicken Dance" and "The Macarena" never get played at my reception.
To 'Ipod dj': I guess the average person having a wedding knows nothing about djing or let alone cares as long as the dj plays 'i like big butts'. You have to feel at least a little bit guilty swindling people's money for a performance that could easily be duplicated by a laptop and winamp. I'm sure you throw in some flare and everything, but I just can't imagine, in my point of view, paying someone to caress a click wheel for 4 hours. Just doesnt add up to me.
I got married 7 yeears ago and did this. I used a laptop running Winamp hooked into a kickass home stereo. Worked like a champ.
brian
http://myvogonpoetry.com
#28, great point. in the US, wedding DJs "theoretically" are paying public performance fees to ASCAP/BMI.
17 USC Ch1 106(4)
This was suggested in Cosmo not long ago in a special wedding issue on how to save money.
BV: I think you're right about most people and their DJ needs: they don't know much it, they don't care much about the selections, and they have a list of a few songs that they want played (first dance, family songs, etc.).
In my experience, though, it seems that people want to not have to worry about the music, they want to make sure the music played is appropriate (I'm not going to play "Closer" by NIN - unless, of course, the bride & groom inexplicably want it), and they want to make sure the music played is good (variety of styles and genres, can get most everyone on the floor, maybe a song or two that's really good that most people don't know, etc.).
As far as can tell, it's really hard to find someone who can provide all that in one package. Anyone can put together a playlist of music - not anyone can do the rest of it.
As for the guilt part, I don't charge much - I live in the DC area and charge $75/hr (they provide the sound equipment, which often comes with the hall or venue). If I charged more, I do think I'd have problems sleeping at night.
But all in all, it seems to hit the sweet spot for people pretty well - I've been able to get some good referrals and make some extra money on the side doing this.
This is article reminds me of something.....Oh yeah, here it is:
http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000757040098/
http://www.numark.com/index.html?http://www.numark.com/products/product_view.php?v=overview&n=132
iPod DJs rejoice!
Sure, I'd love to make $75 profiting off of other people's work, especially if I didn't have to pay any royalties or usage fees. That'd be awesome.
iPods simplified it for my and my friend, we do one or two events a year and just use our band's PA, we used to burn tons of discs, then we moved to using laptops, now we just use 3 ipods.
We get a list of what they want to hear and then we add to that and bring along the top 100 tracks from the last 20 years.
and with on-the-go playlist making it's easy to cue up tracks
DG: Hey, it's in our power to change our usage laws and our enforcement of them to resemble Canada's. But in the meantime, I buy my CDs from the record store or my tracks from iTMS or other sites (non-WMA of course, ;) and am using them totally legally, AFAIK.
Doh! - I amend my earlier comment:
After checking out 17 USC Ch1 106(4) (thanks austinkennethlee), I guess our enforcement needs to change, not our laws, if we are to start paying royalties and usage fees on the music we use when DJing. I guess this portion of the law (as it applies to DJs) may be falling the way of anti-spitting and anti-cursing laws in most municipalities . . .
Even in the US, your license to play music on a CD you purchase only covers personal and in-home use. For ANY public performance, including playing background music in a store or restaurant, you are supposed to pay performance royalties. As you know, enforcement is quite a bit more lax than in Canada- who knew the mounties were such fascists!
This is a big part of the reason that services like Musak are still popular with corporate retail and restaurants- the licensing fees are handled by someone else. ASCAP might not have the resources to pursue enforcement at your wedding, but you can bet they will go after the Gap.
Exactly. Having had the pleasure of dealing with wedding music selection woes personally not too long ago, the wedding DJ rates include fees to publicly perform music. That's one of the reasons it costs more than downloading 20GB worth of music onto your iPod.
You will probably get away with iPodding in your own wedding, unless your guestlist is a who's who of the music industry movers and shakers, but if you intend on doing that and getting paid by third parties, please expect to get jailed rather soon.
I am actually IpodDj'ing with a friend of mine, our act is DJ X-wing Vs. Tie-fighter, and we rock the show with our electro madness, i use ipod, he uses (blah) CD's.. The Rebellions were technologically far more advanced then the Empire anyways :P
I got married last year.
We used a Creative Zen 40gb. Is it ok, too?
At my brother's wedding, I took 2 of my SONOS ZPs, 2 controllers, a 160GB NAS, a Pioneer amp and a couple sets of speakers.. worked beautuifully.. The wedding party had one of the remotes and the other zone was set up for people who didn't want to hear that crap! (I wasn't in the wedding...)
We did this last year. Figured a DJ or band would cost us about $500 or more so we spent it on an iPod that should last years and about 100 iTunes songs. We had one playlist for our formal reception (light jazz) and another for the partay afterward (dance mix). Worked very well.
As a PROFESSIONAL DJ (w/o the props) for the past 27 years (started beat mixing disco in 1978), I have to lol when reading these comments about having an iPod as the "DJ" at your wedding. I have yet to hear an iPod make one announcement of the bride and groom, the cake that needs to be cut, the bride dancing with her dad, etc. Use your iPods for frat and house parties but if you're serious about having a good wedding reception, hire a great DJ or band. If you're just going to hire your geek friend who has a large CD collection and a nice home stereo, then yeah, go with the iPod.
I did the same thing just this April. The best man and I picked up a professional PA from a rental yard. We hooked up the 60GB IPOD and had music all night. Way cheaper that a $1000 DJ.
I have to agree with #59 a good professional DJ with emphasis on the word professional doesn't just play the tunes, he should become part of the day itself announcements etc, it's easily done, smoozing with the guests, bride and groom beforehand. Now that's something you don't get with an ipod dj. The DJ Dj can make a special day seem even more special and more memorable than iPod dj.
As for djing with CD's and laptops well call me old old school but I love the vinyl, always have always will thats what I call djing.
Always the geek trendsetters :) my wife and I got married 3 years ago in June, and did the whole DJ reception thing with a rented pro PA, her TiPowerbook & iTunes, and one uncle who was happy to get behind the mic to MC the introduction of the bridal party. Music was a very eclectic mix of Ultra-Lounge, hair metal ballads, and late 80s/early 90s dance tracks. It was a lot of fun and probably saved us about $1000. As for professional DJs: I'm sure they have their place still, but ask any of our 150 guests if they really missed the tacky guy in the bad rented tux, who probably didn't own half the music we played.
I posted earlier about working my own wedding, but, my last 'professional' gig was for a friend of mine who had been 'born again' and was marrying an orthodox Christian man and she was converting again. Anyway, they wanted me to work their wedding, even though they don't dance, because they were having guests who like to shake a leg. When we got together for our music selections process, they handed me a stack of songs I 'couldn't' play, which was greater than the songs I could play. Not too mention it was Christian music!! So, I worked the wedding - which by the way had no drinking, no caffeine and no fun, BUT, at the end of the night, the brides uncle who I think snuck a flask in was loaded and came up to me and asked me to play Pink Floyd. I looked on the banned list and they weren't there, so I played 'Comfortably Numb" and he went out there and danced like a drunken fool... it rocked!
Basically, my point is there are good and bad points to having dj's.
Cheers
We did this for our wedding in 9/04, and then again for my (new) brother-in-law's wedding earlier this month. The truth is, unless you own your own speakers and mixing board, you won't save THAT much money, but in our cases, ever dollar counted, and what mattered more was CONTROL. For my own wedding, at least, I spent hours on the playlist making sure the song transitions made sense and that the right mix was on the list to please the crowd (whom we knew well, better than any hired gun at any rate). We used a laptop with Winamp Pro and SqrSoft's Advanced Crossfader to pretty good effect. In both cases a groomsman was in charge of making sure nothing crashed, etc., and we had backups just in case.
BUT, you don't save much money, and you DO take on a lot of stress. At a friend's wedding a week after hours, the groom spent several hours the morning of the wedding burning CDs of his music because he couldn't get his laptop to interface with the sound system! At our wedding, one of the rented speakers turned out to be busted, and we spent some harried hours getting the company to swap it. UNNECESSARY STRESS!
Still, for me, I took a lot of pride in putting together a mix that the audience liked. We had a website up several months before the event where people could request (or even upload) songs they wanted to hear, some of which made it to the final playlist. I liked the playlist enough to create a CD of highlights, plus music from the ceremony.
As for the interaction of a live DJ, we wanted none of that. We've seen plenty of weedings where a DJ coming from a totally different set of expectations would impose all sorts of things on the couple (like when and how to cut the cake) that we just didn't want, since we weren't going to cut the cake, throw the bouquet or garter, etc. etc. Actually, if we had the budget, we would have gladly hired a "real" DJ for a flat-out party, but real DJs are a hella lot more expensive than the wedding hacks out there.
@ 51-53: I believe the way the RIAA works in the US is that they shake down the venues, not the DJs, since going after the little guy is often too difficult or expensive. The venues often pass the cost on as part of the rental fee. They WILL go after the bigger guys; in once case I know of the RIAA actually went after a law firm that specialized in IP after somehow finding out that they had held a holiday party at which they "must have" played music (probably got that info from the venue, who wanted to pass the buck). The law firm refused on principle, but most corps don't have the time or money to deal so they just pay up -- the very definition of extortion if you ask me!
I also did this for my wedding in September of last year. Worked like a charm!
...and a Kia Sophia is much cheaper than a Mercedes 500 SL. Please. You guys need to get a grip. I'm guessing you've either seen some really bad wedding DJs (and Lord knows they are out there) or money is really tight.
Did you use plastic flowers instead of real ones to save money there too? Did you give out boxed lunches to your guests instead of a hot meal as well? Did your buddy with the disposable camera take some good shots? What a joke.
I got married in 2000, had the capability of running a playlist etc. Went with a professional DJ and am very glad. She kept the energy level at an INSANE level and was very much on the ball. But the same year a friend had a wedding that the music was run off a playlist, adn it worked also. It all depends, I guess.
iPod DJ: I'm looking for a DJ for my wedding in the DC area -- do you have a web site, or could you tell me how to contact you? Thanks!
iPod Bride - feel free to e-mail me at sanfranhouse@hotmail.com and I'll see what I can do . . . :)
NPR's take...
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4803824
I hear all the great stuff from ipod dj's. i do dj and have saved many wedding where the the bride and groom pick their faves and not stuff you can really dance to. where are the oh we did an ipod and nobody danced?
sure pick the hit and no misses. they happen to and more than you think.
I dj without any props if you need a dj in sf bay check my site out.
good luck ipod you are cool.
I've been a "real" DJ for about 13 years now. But I've recently stating deejaying some weddings. I can tell you it isn't that easy of a job. It's actually very stressful. This is the bride and groom's big day and you want everything to be perfect for them....at least I do. From playing the first song they dance to together and introducing them as Mr. & Mrs. So-and-So, to making announcements that the buffet/bar is open, to reading the crowd and playing what you think they want to hear. Wedding DJs are not all created equal. I usually DJ wedding of my friends or people I know so I already have a good idea of what they will want to hear. I also meet with the bride and groom beforehand to make sure we are on the same page about the music they want played at their reception.
A laptop or iPod cannot do that, my friends.
Thats a horrible idea. Unless you are running a budget wedding where this kind of thing is a necessity hiring a DJ is crucial. Better yet hire a band and a DJ. No one remembers flowers, food, or the dress but they do remember if there was free alcohol and if the DJ or band sucked or not. It's the key to the whole event. Unless you are gonna run around and try to "guess" what your guests like leave it to someone who has been doing it for a living.
First let me say that I am not a DJ, but my wife is. I'm a geek, and as a geek, I've completely computerized her DJ system. She has a custom built pc in her rackmounted in her stand, and we use iTunes for the music player. Since I work for a large telecom company, I also installed a broadband wireless modem in the PC so she can get online and purchase music while performing. If we don't have a song you requested, give us 5 minutes and we will. I opted not to use a laptop for her setup because laptop sound cards are usually substandard or "adequate" at best. While we do take requests, we will not let the bride and groom select EVERY song that gets played. We feel it is our job to entertain your guests, and I will guarantee you that not everyone has the same musical tastes as you. We do offer a searchable music library for your event, and we send you the iTunes playlist after the fact so you can see exactly what was played at your event and purchase copies of any songs you want. (Sorry, can't help myself...I'm actually pretty proud of myself for the iTunes search! view it at: http://www.byrequest.dj/cgi-bin/itms4all.cgi )
Some wedding DJs are good and some are horrible. Plastic props, straw hats, and other such junk should never be used at a wedding. All good wedding DJs would gladly join you in making these bozos die a horrible death. The value of a good wedding dj lies in getting your guests to interact with each other. Groom's Uncle Bob may have lots in common with Bride's Friend Mark, but they'll never know it if they don't interact. Some groups are great at interaction. Some are not.
Another job for a good dj is to play music that the crowd enjoys. Some other djs touched on this, but none hit the nail on the head in my opinion. A simple shuffle has no way of knowing who is dancing to what. A person does need to run things, but putting your 12 year old nephew won't do you any good either. The person in charge of the music needs a large amount of music knowledge. A good DJ should have this knowledge. A good DJ should be able to identify a song based on a few bars hummed out of tune or a snippet of lyrics that are slightly incorrect.
One question I've never seen answered in any of the tips on using an iPod for your wedding is where do you get the speakers? Or the Mics? or the Mixer?? Do you know how to set up mics, speakers, and a mixer? If not, will the rental company give you a tutorial? What do you do if the sound is crappy? A good will not only know the answers to these, but will have back up parts readily available in the event of catastrophe.
Another indication of a good wedding dj is one who is covered by insurance. Imagine your neice slipping in a puddle of soap from your $20 Wal-Mart bubble machine. Think the venue will cover the medical expenses?
That being said, if you KNOW your group will interact without being tricked (or just don't care if they interact or not), and if you've got a person with an encyclopedic knowledge of music that will run your iPod (instead of enjoying your reception), and you have adequate insurance to cover any accidents that occur due to your iPod setup, and you have a large enough music library to make sure everyone gets to hear the music they want, and you're able to get your hands on adequate dance lights and speakers, then by all means use an iPod. You honestly have no need for a DJ. I have huge problems with DJs who feel that they should get paid $40k a year for working 40 gigs. Technology like this allowed us to LOWER our prices substantially, and all the DJs out there who charge thousands of dollars a gig are no better than the tuneless hacks with straw hats and plastics saxophones.
Just a note on the performance licenses, RIAA, CESAC, BMI, and ASCAP:
First, the RIAA is concerned with copyrights, not performing right. CESA, BMI, and ASCAP are concerned with performing rights. Everyone pays the RIAA when they purchase music in any format. Digital, CD, vinyl, doesn't matter. The RIAA gets a cut. ASCAP, CESAC, and BMI don't care where or how you got the music, but if you want to play it to an audience, you need to license the performing rights. If you want to do a concert in the park, play music in your bar, or pipe tunes over the phone while people are on hold, you talk to CESAC, ASCAP, and BMI.
That being said, DJs who buy their music, never deal with the RIAA. DJs who copy their music may get a summons just as any other 13 year old, grandma, or college pirate would. The RIAA is a non-issue for a legit DJ.
You would think that DJs would have to deal with ASCAP, SESAC, and BMI, but they only license locations. Their royalty scheme (err... setup) is dependant on how many people *might* here the music. "Your bar holds 75 people? Ok, your fees are $700 a year". or "You want to play Beatles covertunes to a stadium of 60,000 people? That'll be $75,000 please." Since mobile DJs do not perform in one given location (thus the term *mobile* DJ), they can't be licensed by the big three because the big three have no capacity for determining what fee structure they should fall under. Dumb? You betcha! But that's the way Congress set it up when they last passed any major copyright legislation.