Abiquity Entertainment

Mobile DJ's provide a "service".  The problem with some service based businesses such as mobile DJ'ing, is that for the most part, they aren't very well regulated, which unfortunately opens up the door for lots of amateurs and con artists.  You have to be careful and do your research before making a selection, otherwise you end up playing mobile DJ roulette.  This guide has been written by me to help make your quest for a DJ easier.  Even if you decide not to go with Abiquity, I want to make sure you are armed with the information you need to make the right decision.

1.  APPEARANCE IS EVERYTHING:   

     When starting your search, it's important to look for services that portray a professional appearance.  Look for the ones that promote themselves using well designed advertisements and/or websites.  Believe it or not, this can go a long way into telling you what kind of business they are.  If their website looks cheap and disorganized, there is a good chance their business is too.  This isn't true 100% of the time of course, but more often than not, it is.  Just do a search for "Mobile Disc Jockey" with your favorite search engine and look at how bad most of the sites are.  It's almost laughable.  If a company can't spend the time or money to design a decent website, it's likely they aren't too serious about their business.  On the other hand, if a service cares enough to spend time molding a professional appearance, it's a good bet they care about every little detail of their operation.

2.  REACH OUT AND TOUCH SOMEONE:

    It's important to call prospective DJ's and get a feel for their personality and professionalism.  Are they courteous and warm?  Do they genuinely seem to want your business?  Are they knowledgeable about the service they provide?  Don't be afraid to ask questions.  This is extremely important.  Below we've provided a list of questions you should ask when interviewing a prospective DJ.  

* How long has your service been in business?

The longer, the better here.  There are just certain things you learn with experience that can't be assimilated overnight.  An experienced DJ will be able to adapt to most any situation thrown at them because they have seen it all before.

* Do you have references I can contact?

We recommend asking for 2 or 3 references.  It's always good to hear from someone who has used their service before.

* Do you bring backup equipment and music?

This is monumental.  What happens if an amp blows or a CD deck goes down?  If they don't have backup, your event is toast.

* Is your music licensed and legal?

Protect yourself from unethical DJ's.  Make sure they are going through the proper, legal channels to purchase their music.  Retail, pay-to-download services, and record pools are all legal means of obtaining music.  DJ's that are too cheap to buy their own music are probably too cheap to pay for good equipment and the cost of keeping it properly maintained..

***Note: Mobile DJ's are not required by law to have their music licensed through ASCAP or BMI because the service mobile DJ's provide is considered "private", not "public".  If the event is open to the public, the venue owner is responsible for obtaining such licenses, not the DJ.

* Do you use contracts?

Make sure they use contracts to legally bind their services and lock in the date of your event, otherwise, there is nothing keeping them from taking another gig at the last second and leaving you stranded. The contract should be fair and protect the interest of all parties involved, not just the DJ.

* What music format do you use?

There are many music formats available today.  Each have their own positives and negatives. I recommend staying away from services that still rely on cassettes.  The sound quality is horrible and tape jams can be disastrous.

Records can be ok, particularly for parties were hip-hop or club music will be predominant.  Outside of those instances though, we don't recommend it.  Vinyl wears down over time and the sound quality diminishes easily, not to mention, pops, clicks, and skipping are all very commonplace.   Also, they're cumbersome and take up lots of space.  I'm not even going to mention what can happen if they are left in a vehicle too long on a notoriously hot Texas summer day.  Besides, today's modern CD players allow DJ's to beat mix and scratch just as easily as if they had turntables.  

Speaking of which, CD's are a very good medium with excellent sound quality.  The only real issue is skipping, but that's only if the DJ doesn't take care of his CD's and/or uses cheap equipment.  Another benefit is that they don't take up a lot of room.

Mini-disc work great but offer slightly less sound quality and less storage space (meaning less tracks per disc) than CD's.  They offer a protective "shell" that makes them very durable and extremely resistant to scratches.  Mini-disc are held in high regard by DJ's because of their great indexing capabilities and their space conscious design.

Digital music such as .wav, .mp3, & .wma, are all innovative and wonderful new ways of playing music from a computer.  Their integrity is never compromised and the sound quality is excellent, (particularly .wav files which can surpass CD quality sound).  What separates them is the compression used to create them.  For example, .mp3 & .wma use higher compression than .wav, which sometimes results in a slight loss (virtually inaudible) in sound quality, however, they take up much less hard drive space as a result.  The ability for digital music files to be saved to a hard disc for easy storage and accessibility makes them an increasingly popular choice for the cutting edge DJ.  Abiquity has fully adopted this digital medium for it's performances with CD's as backup.

3.  WILL THE REAL MOBILE DJ PLEASE STAND UP?:

      Sometimes, in an effort to make more money, a mobile DJ service will actually contract out with a client even though they have no DJ's available.  They then turn around and subcontract your event out to another DJ who works for some other company just so they can make a little extra money off a "finders fee".  Many times this is done without the clients knowledge and they don't know who their DJ is till the day of the event.  You may think you are doing business with "Company A", but in reality, it's "Company B" who've you've never spoken to.  Make sure you know who your DJ will be if it's not the same person you signed the contract with.  At Abiquity, I feel that subcontracting out is a shady business practice and I'd never stoop so low to make an extra buck.  If you book with Abiquity, you get me and no one else.  Sure, I could make more money by contracting out or hiring DJ's to work for me, but I'm more interested in quality over quantity.  The only way to truly make sure something is done right is to do it yourself.

4.  AGE IS BUT A NUMBER:

      Not true.  Age is actually a very good gauge to go by when looking for a mobile DJ.  I would recommend staying away from really young DJ's between the ages of 16 - 21 and find someone at least in their mid 20's.  Young DJ's just don't have the experience, the music knowledge, the attention span, or the maturity to run a quality service.  There are exceptions to every rule of course.  I feel I was one of them.  I started at 19 and even though I think I was a pretty good DJ back then and had a much more in-depth knowledge of music than most kids my age, when I look back on it, I wasn't anywhere near as prepared as I should have been.  I had no backup equipment and my music catalogue had lots of glaring omissions in it.  I was flirting with disaster at every show.  I got lucky and nothing ever went wrong, but it sure could have.  I just didn't think about stuff like that back then.  It was a naivety resulting from my age.  So, the moral of the story is, don't be a test subject for a young DJ in training.  Make sure you decide to go with an older DJ that has lots of experience and who is prepared to handle any situation, whether it be socially or technically.

5.  YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR:

     This holds very true in the world of mobile DJ'ing.  A mobile disc jockey service takes a lot of money to run (if you're legit).  New music is released on a weekly basis and a respectable service will spend the money it takes to keep their playlist current.  I spend hundreds of dollars a month on music alone.  It's also costly to maintain, repair, and upgrade equipment, as well as advertise and maintain a web presence.  You should be very wary of any service that advertises extremely cheap rates.  There is simply no way a DJ with properly maintained, professional gear, a legal music library, and proper training would work for cheap.  Those that do are not serious about their job and it's just a part-time hobby for them.  In nearly every instance, their sound system is inadequate, their playlist incomplete, and their social skills are on par with that of a rock.  The money they make from these "occasional" gigs isn't used to better their service, instead it goes straight toward something else.  DJ'ing isn't a career for them and they look at it as a way to make a quick buck.  For me, this is all I do.  It's my passion and it's my career.  I'm not saying it's impossible to find a decent cheap DJ out there, but just make sure you really do your homework before committing to anyone.  There is a reason some DJ's can charge ridiculously low rates and it's usually not a good one.  Don't say I didn't warn you.

     Having said all that, the opposite is also very true.  There are lots of services out there that charge way more than what they are worth and will try to take you to the cleaners.  The trick is to just do your research and find a DJ that you feel comfortable with that fits within your budget.  At Abiquity, I try to be as fair and as honest with my pricing as possible.  I charge what I truly think I'm worth and not a penny more.  My rates are determined by conducting extensive market research and comparing the offers and services of my competitors.  I try to situate myself somewhere in the middle with my pricing. While I'm not the cheapest DJ in town, I'm certainly far from being the most expensive one either.  I have a package for nearly every budget and I'll always try my best to give you the most bang for your buck.

6.  IT'S A FACT, JACK!

     Did you know that over 80% of all wedding guests say the most memorable part of the night was the reception/entertainment?  Your entertainment is what your guests will remember the most, and will be what ultimately makes or breaks your event, so don't go with just anyone.  Go with a proven, reliable professional like myself.  Trust me, you'll be glad you did!