Thursday, August 23, 2012

How Steve Jobs Changed The Mobile DJ Industry

Steve Jobs changed the landscape of the music industry in 2001 by introducing the iPod.  Today, it's old hat to be able to store thousands of songs on a portable digital device that you can fit in your pocket.  But before the laptop and iPod, having such large collections of music was quite a feat left only to music nerds (some of whom are DJ's such as myself) who would proudly fill spare bedrooms, basements, closets and cargo vans in order to have such a collection.

Apple also wanted to dominate the market on how people purchased their music.  No longer was it necessary to buy whole albums (CD's) just to own the two or three great songs that came with the eight or ten mediocre songs you really didn't want.  Consumers, fans of music, could download music one song at a time without even leaving their home.  Toward this end, Apple needed to place a value on just a single song and it would be about a dollar.  Today, it's typically a little more than a dollar but still a pretty reasonable price for a song that you know you'll love before you even buy it.

Some of the information we have about innovators and entrepreneurs such as Steve Jobs suggests that they don't much concern themselves with the consequences of their inventions.  Their passion is such that if they believe they can accomplish something extraordinary, they should - just for the sake of doing it.  This idea is debatable.  Probably most innovators at least consider how their work might affect society.  And most probably see their innovations as positive socially as well as profitable economically.

If digital music transformed the music industry (it's still transforming) it most certainly dramatically changed the way mobile DJ's go about their business of delivering entertainment to their many local events.  In the late '80s, when I first began DJ'ing, clients saw the value of their DJ service simply in the fact that one (or two) people alone could transport and deliver thousands of songs to the site of their event.  Whether vinyl, audio cassette or even CD format, carrying thousands of songs was quite a job.   Add to the music the audio equipment that was then large, bulky and quite heavy and you really required a lot of muscle as well as a cargo van or a small truck.

Now, sound equipment is getting smaller and lighter.  Music can be stored on small very portable devices.  As said earlier, many high school kids can now boast thousands of songs kept in a pocket of their backpacks.  Thank you Steve Jobs for your innovation but sir, you also made music a commodity.  And customers value commodity products in a different fashion that is often more difficult to sell.

I fall on the side of innovation more often than not and I'm quite glad that Mr. Jobs made music so readily accessible.  It does, however, change how I must market my DJ service.  Interestingly, when I meet with prospective clients they hardly ever ask about music, storage and playback devices, etc.  They pretty much assume that I either already have or can quickly get any song ever digitally recorded.  So, if music is now a commodity, like bottled water, what really stands one DJ service apart from the rest?

First, I remind prospective clients that we legally purchase our music from reputable vendors.  We are not pirates!  It's easy to gloat over stolen property.  But if we say we own 10,000 songs (and more with each passing day) you can readily do the math to figure out our investment.  Next, we do use professional grade gear and that is still not consistent in the industry.  Some DJ's are bringing sub par devices they used at their college frat parties. So I typically take a moment to reiterate these important considerations.

What really stands a DJ service apart from the rest is the experience they bring to the event and the personal attention they are willing to give their clients.  It's easy to rely too heavily on automated websites, software programs and the like in the effort to seek efficiency.  I must say at this point, that we do offer such conveniences to each client and they are extremely helpful.  We are careful, however, not to use technology to the point that we lose human interaction.  Most people still want to sit down over coffee and get to know the person who will be helping them with their wedding reception, anniversary, fundraiser, birthday party, holiday event or whatever it may be.  We do not use technology as an excuse to ignore human beings.  Our real value is in the PERSON who will bring the laptop, the sound system, the lights, etc. and that PERSON'S unique personal experience as an MC and DJ to make it all work in our client's favor, to make their celebration really fun and memorable.

So to innovation we say, "bring it on".  Thank you Steve Jobs and Apple.  But real value will always be found in the person, the people.  And if this is true, we'll be in great shape for a long time! View Steve Jobs Introducing the iPod in 2001

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Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Who Will Pour the Drinks at the Head Table?

This is the one thing that is almost always overlooked at the wedding reception.  It's a small thing and it won't ruin your night, but hey, why leave anything to chance on your big day?

It's about an hour into your reception and all of your guests are enjoying cocktails and looking forward to a delicious dinner.  It's at this point where your DJ will want to do introductions to formally get the event going.  Your DJ does a fine job organizing the members of your bridal party for the entrance and he gets the attention of all of your guests, not always an easy task by the way.  The introductions go well and everyone is pumped to get on with the party.  You are all in the dining area and next on the agenda are the long anticipated toasts!

Your best man and maid of honor are extremely nervous but ready to go nonetheless.  But wait, you discover that no one has poured drinks at the head table.  All of your guests have something to drink but you have empty glasses... Somewhat embarrassing.  You'll either go ahead with the toasts anyway - with empty glasses OR you'll all scramble to the bar to get something which will appear a bit silly and will interrupt the flow of the evening.

I've learned as an experience DJ to check the drink situation at the head table before starting with the introductions.  And, sure enough, it's the one thing most often forgotten.  I think it's because everyone just kind of assumes that someone else will do it, that it never gets done.

As you plan your reception be sure to know ahead of time who will be responsible to make sure drinks are ready for you at the head table, or sweetheart table if it's just the two of you.  Ask your catering team if this is part of the service they provide, often it's the case but not always.  Is this something your bartender will do for you?  Don't assume, ask.  Sometimes it's a designated family member who makes sure drinks are ready for you when you enter.  In any case, be sure that someone has been delegated the task.  You'll be glad that you planned for it when you are introduced to your table and your DJ will have one less thing to worry about.  Cheers!

Click here if you want to learn more about our DJ service or receive a price quote for your upcoming event!

Monday, January 23, 2012

Weddingwire.com Honors My Life Media!

{North Olmsted, OH} – January 23, 2012 – WeddingWire, the nation's leading wedding Marketplace, is excited to announce My Life Media DJ Services has been selected to receive the prestigious WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2012 for DJ!

The esteemed annual awards program recognizes the top local wedding vendors from the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism within the wedding industry. While many industry awards are selected by the organization, My Life Media DJ Services was selected based on its stellar reviews from past newlywed clients.

My Life Media DJ Services is recognized as part of the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire local vendor community, comprised of over 200,000 wedding professionals throughout the United States and Canada. The Bride’s Choice Award recognizes  the best local wedding vendors across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, based on their overall professional achievements throughout the past year.

“WeddingWire is thrilled to honor the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community,” said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire. “Since the launch of the Bride’s Choice Awards™ program four years ago, thousands of outstanding wedding professionals have been recognized by the bridal community for their supreme service and dedication to the wedding industry. It is with great pleasure that we congratulate My Life Media DJ Services for their continued professionalism and commitment to enriching the wedding planning experience for engaged couples.”

We are happy to announce that My Life Media DJ Services is one of the very best DJs within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Project Wedding, Brides.com, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for taking the time to review our business on WeddingWire. Thanks to their positive feedback we were able  to receive the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ for 2012.

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today at http://www.weddingwire.com/biz/my-life-media-dj-services-lakewood/0d200ac634b4807b.html.

To learn more about the Bride's Choice Awards™, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

About WeddingWire, Inc.
WeddingWire™, the nation's leading marketplace serving the $70 billion wedding industry, is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding professionals. For engaged couples, WeddingWire offers the ability to search, compare and book over 200,000 reviewed wedding vendors, from wedding venues to wedding photographers. WeddingWire also offers a comprehensive suite of online planning tools for weddings, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding professionals, WeddingWire is the only all-in-one marketing platform for businesses online and on-the-go. WeddingWire offers one simple solution to build a professional network, improve search visibility, manage social media and reach mobile consumers. Businesses that advertise with WeddingWire appear on WeddingWire.com, ProjectWedding.com and other leading sites, including MarthaStewartWeddings.com (NYSE: MSO), Brides.com and Weddingbee.com.
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Click here if you want to learn more about our DJ service or receive a price quote for your upcoming event!