Mobile/Party DJ dealing with requests you don't have. Solutions?

[DJ Abide]

I do have my iPhone jailbroken to allow a tethered or bluetooth hotspot. But that wouldn't work at my residency as it's in a stone walled basement.

As for the rates I am familiar with not selling myself short and I am currently around $150 and hour as my set-up includes ZERO lighting, lazers, or any visual effects of any kind. I have a relatively clean set up and am very finicky about what wires are exposed. I'm looking at picking up one of those Facade's from (insert name of Facade mfg. here) and add a few quick/cheap lights.

[DJ Yaka]

honestly, i wouldn't go down the youtube route.

youtube rips, bad quality? could be anything on the audio, i.e adverts, a talk over. too risky as it would just sound poor.

i like the idea of having the back up laptop to download "good quality" audio, but its going to be extra gear to kart around.

what ever you do ....DO NOT start charging for requests. i understand where your coming from, but i think in the long run it could harm you big style. Imagine your DJing a wedding gig, and someone ask you for a request you don't have, and you say "i can get it for you but it will cost".... next thing they are telling the bride and groom, the bride and groom will not be too happy as they have already paid for you to DJ their. it's just hastle you do not need.

i encounter this problem quite a lot at my residancy. what i do is, just tell the punter "sorry i don't have that track, but i love the song, tell you what i will download it this week, so next time your in i will have it for you". then i simply jot the song down, and if i get spare time through the week, i will download it.

[Street Knowledge]

what ever you do ....DO NOT start charging for requests. i understand where your coming from, but i think in the long run it could harm you big style. Imagine your DJing a wedding gig, and someone ask you for a request you don't have, and you say "i can get it for you but it will cost".... next thing they are telling the bride and groom, the bride and groom will not be too happy as they have already paid for you to DJ their. it's just hastle you do not need.

Like I said earlier, I have NEVER ever asked for money for a request. It's always Me:"I dont have it" Them:"I'll give you $50 to play it!" Me:"Ok, let me see if i can go buy it real fast, but if the crowd leaves or complains, I'm changing it, deal?" The scenario you presented is garbage for this dude, you cant be like yeah I cant play it now, but I'll be playing it at the next wedding I'm gonna play at!(They arent invited to the next wedding FYI). People who DJ weddings dont use their DJ names, you dont see the dj name on the invitation, please op take advice from someone who has DJ'd everything from a headlining slot to a wedding to a small bar to a strip club.

THIS GUY ISNT TAKING REQUESTS AT A RESIDENCY OR NIGHTCLUB OR RAVE.

[DJ Yaka]

Like I said earlier, I have NEVER ever asked for money for a request. It's always Me:"I dont have it" Them:"I'll give you $50 to play it!" Me:"Ok, let me see if i can go buy it real fast, but if the crowd leaves or complains, I'm changing it, deal?" The scenario you presented is garbage for this dude, you cant be like yeah I cant play it now, but I'll be playing it at the next wedding I'm gonna play at!(They arent invited to the next wedding FYI). People who DJ weddings dont use their DJ names, you dont see the dj name on the invitation, please op take advice from someone who has DJ'd everything from a headlining slot to a wedding to a small bar to a strip club.

THIS GUY ISNT TAKING REQUESTS AT A RESIDENCY OR NIGHTCLUB OR RAVE.

i was just saying how i deal with this situation at "My residancy". i wasnt telling him to do the same.

but i do stand by my point on youtube rips as they are.....dogs ass

and i also stand by not charging for requests...... as it will just casue more and more hastle.

as for the DJ name.......... word gets around and people will find out you are charging for requests. plus how do you get more wedding gigs...or gigs in general...on the recomendation of people you have already DJ'd for. so if you piss the bride off by charging for requests cnances are she aint going to recomend you to a freind.

but the idea of jotting down the requests and downloading them at a later date, could help you out, as it will help build up an i depth music libary.

[Street Knowledge]

i was just saying how i deal with this situation at "My residancy".

which is something he doesnt have and therefore useless.

i wasnt telling him to do the same.

good because it doesnt apply in this situation.

but i do stand by my point on youtube rips as they are.....dogs ass

agreed, and a point I have already stated

and i also stand by not charging for requests...... as it will just casue more and more hastle.

Nobody has encouraged this and he hasn't mentioned telling the guests he is charging for requests, so stop talking about it. also it's HASSLE, not HASTLE

as for the DJ name.......... word gets around and people will find out you are charging for requests. plus how do you get more wedding gigs...or gigs in general...on the recomendation of people you have already DJ'd for. so if you piss the bride off by charging for requests cnances are she aint going to recomend you to a freind.

A. Your spelling is atrocious.
B. No it doesnt.
C. It wont if he follows what an experienced DJ in multiple platforms tells him.
also he never said he was going to charge for requests, read the original post he said he was going to charge more for this type of gig to be able to offset the costs of requests.
D. If you do a good job and follow what the bride/groom want and keep the guests happy, you're going to get more business.
E. stop offering advice if you have never professionally DJ'd a wedding

but the idea of jotting down the requests and downloading them at a later date, could help you out, as it will help build up an i depth music libary.

Agree

[Otacon]

^would love to be making that kind of bankkk

[DJ Yaka]

1st .... i am dyslexic mate, and its something i have been batteling with for years, so cheers for clearing that up.

2nd.... i have DJ'd at a wedding...several to be exact, along with other mobile, club, bar and promotional gigs...so thanks for clearing that one up.

3rd .... i am only trying to help the fella out.

[Maven]

Use Virtual DJ with their netsearch thing that you can simply stream the songs you don't have without using any external browser etc.

[DJ Abide]

As it was stated in my OP, I was implying charging more in general, not per request.

I do have a residency and I do agree with the "I'll get if for you for next week" as this is a GREAT way to build rapport and a following. In the suburban environment you don't have much of a choice but to take shitty requests.

[dj matt blaze]

I stand by my first post....You don't have to please everyone, especially when they ask for some obscure song that you never heard of, that you would never play again that no one cares about except for that 1 person who has the nerve to ask for it at a wedding. Now if it is a song that you should have, like any of the Wedding "standards" or anything in the Top 40 and extremely popular, well thats on you, there really is no excuse for not having it. But unless its the bride and grooms first dance song or their intro music that maybe the file got corrupt or you forgot or something along those lines that's actually important to the wedding, I wouldn't even consider trying to download anything or investing any money into a system that could do that, its just not worth it.
If you don't have it, you don't have it, again this is the very least of your worries at a wedding.