How to Hire the Right DJ for You

There are hundreds of DJ available, charging anywhere from $200 to $6,800 for a four-hour event. How do you make this critical selection, and be sure you're not picking the wrong DJ? With this huge price range, hiring a DJ by comparing prices or websites is insane.

You're Not Hiring a Webmaster; You're Hiring a DJ.

Forget the glossy brochures, fancy websites, slick business cards, photos, edited videos of strangers dancing around, "discounts," and lists of "satisfied" clients. Everybody who has been in the DJ business for more than a year has all this, so it won't help your decision-making process. None of this "cool stuff" will guarantee a good show, either. It only shows that the DJ has purchased good marketing tools. That impressive website was probably designed by great webmaster, not the DJ. It doesn't actually tell you anything about whether the DJ is a reliable and talented performer, whether he or she acts professionally, whether the DJ has a good personality, or how well he or she will perform for you.

It's Actually Quite Simple. Book a Meeting.

Call to find out if the DJ is available on your date. If so, agree to or ask for a meeting. If the DJ is unavailable, there is no need to go any further. The best DJs are usually booked six months to a year in advance. Book as early as possible to avoid disappointment. You want to avoid ending up with a "leftover" DJ rather than the 'right' match for your event. (How do you know a restaurant is good? By seeing how difficult it is to get a reservation, or by looking at the line in front, of course.)

At your meeting, you can evaluate the DJ in person, away from the skills of their advertising or marketing staff. Your prospective DJ should provide a sample professional contract, their insurance certificate, their fee schedule, and some marketing materials, organized neatly and professionally.

Look at the DJ's materials, but your real agenda should be determining if they are really listening to your needs. Ask yourself: How flexible is the DJ? Was he or she on time for your meeting? Does he or she strike you as mature, experienced, professional, and reliable? How is he or she dressed? Can the DJ speak clearly and be understood?

Most importantly, do you feel the DJ's personality matches your needs and expectations? Is he or she "simpatico" with you and your guests? Request a lunch, coffee, or dinner meeting in-person. That will allow you to check manners, posture, charisma, and alcohol consumption. Allow enough time to chit chat so you can test musical knowledge. As any personnel professional will tell you, you can tell a lot about a person by the way they eat and drink. Is the DJ personable, mature, and friendly? Is the conversation forced and uncomfortable, or does it come easy and naturally? Go by your gut feelings, or that little voice in your head, and you will usually be right.

Questions to Ask:

- Are you the DJ who will actually be performing at our event?

Believe it or not, the substitutions of someone you have never met is one of the major complaints about DJ services. This is sometimes a problem for larger DJ companies that have "multiple units."

- May we make requests?

You should be able to request approximately six to twelve songs that have special meaning for you. But if you go beyond this number, you will be removing the DJ's ability to react minute-by-minute to the guests, and that's a very bad thing. Rather than being too specific with dozens of song or artist requests, it is far wiser to request genres of music like disco, rap, rock 'n roll, country & western, line dancing, or other musical styles.

- Have you personally performed in our venue?

If not, then the DJ should immediately volunteer to meet with venue managers and/or event planners to measure electrical runs and capacity, room shape, configurations, lighting, layout, ceiling height, access, and a thousand other details that you should not have to worry about. If this level of care and planning is not volunteered by the DJ, or doesn't happen well in advance of your event, it's a big red flag!

- How much do you charge?

This should be your last question. Why waste your time asking before you even know who your DJ is likely to be, or what additional or optional services (like up-lighting or emcee duties) are available? Surprisingly, if it appears to the DJ that you are merely shopping around for the lowest price available, some truly "in-demand" DJs (who compete based on quality rather than price) will find an excuse to refer you to someone else–not the other way around!

Keep in mind that quality costs more–it always does. (Rolex or Timex? They both do precisely the same thing, so why would anyone ever buy a Rolex? The answer is quality.) The most common ways DJs cut their rates are by using equipment that is old, substandard, cheap, non-professional, or used. Some DJs cut prices by hiring inexperienced students with limited musical knowledge. Many "budget" DJs are uninsured, have unreliable transportation, have no backup equipment, or use illegal music copies.

Be reasonable about setting your DJ budget. As with anything, you usually get what you pay for. If you are spending more on your wedding cake than you have budgeted for a professional DJ, you're way too low. Your DJ budget should be at least eight-to-15 percent of your total event budget. That's less than the 18-to-20 percent mandatory tip some caterers charge, so even the best DJs are a bargain!