Beyond the DJ Booth

Joe Bunn and Brian B
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Brian B and Joe Bunn tackle questions about the private event DJ industry, share music, gear/gadgets, and stories from their events.

  1. What Actually Works At Gigs

    2 days ago

    What Actually Works At Gigs

    Send us a message Every DJ has songs, transitions, and little tricks they keep coming back to because they simply work. In this episode, we're sharing what's consistently working for us right now at weddings, corporate events, and private parties: from current dance floor tracks to dinner music, walk-in playlists, and programming strategies that are getting real-world results. We kick things off, however, with a fun challenge that turns into a conversation about instincts, pattern recognition, and why trusting your ears matters behind the booth. We also drop a DJC Recharge (the event we both throw with Jason Jani in Raleigh this November 16–18), announcement of a speaker we're excited to welcome back to the DJC stage. Tom Gambuzza from EMG joins the lineup to teach the long game of building a healthier DJ business through financial discipline, leadership, hiring, cash flow management, and making decisions that position your company for long-term success. From there, we dive into Annie's Playlist, sharing tracks and edits we're actually using at gigs right now, plus why certain songs are connecting, how long we're letting them play, and ways to keep energy moving without overstaying a moment. We also swap stories from recent events, including adapting to challenging room layouts, returning to DJ for repeat families with sky-high expectations, and a growing issue facing event DJs as more venues crack down on CO₂ cannons. Finally, we answer a listener question about creativity and how to make room for it when your calendar is packed. If you're looking for practical ideas you can take to your next event, this episode is full of them. Support the show RESOURCES & LINKS Our website. Please leave a review! - https://www.beyondthedjbooth.com/ To book Joe Bunn: https://bunndjcompany.com/ To book Brian B: https://djbrianbofficial.com/ Joe’s Gear Finds on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djjoebunn Brian’s Gear Finds on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djbrianbofficial DJ Event Planner free demo: https://www.djeventplanner.com/signup.php Brian B's Coaching Options: Https://www.thdjscreativeedge.com

    37 min
  2. When The Client’s Daughter Hijacks The Decks

    1 Jul

    When The Client’s Daughter Hijacks The Decks

    Send us a message A packed dance floor can disappear in one song, and sometimes the person asking for that song is the one signing the check. We open with a wild high end wedding story where the playlist is a tightrope: a huge do not play list, a “keep it upbeat” mandate, and a room full of guests who do not share the bride and her daughter’s festival taste. When a Sophie Tucker request clears the floor, we break down what we do next, how we narrate it, and how we rebuild momentum without getting defensive or breaking trust. Then it gets even messier. The bride’s daughter, who claims she DJs, walks onto the stage, leans into the laptop, questions whether Serato is “professional,” and asks for headphones so she can play tech house. We talk through the decision to let her take a turn, how to keep control of the booth, and why framing the moment on the mic can protect the vibe. If you work weddings, corporate events, or any private events, this is a masterclass in boundaries, diplomacy, and saving the night when the plan goes sideways. From there we move into practical value: dinner music crate finds that actually work in real rooms, how we pace dinner and cocktail energy, and why a few “Shazamable” tracks can make you sound expensive. We also answer listener questions on DJ pricing strategy, raising rates with conviction, what matters on sales calls, and whether photo booths are a smart add-on once you factor staffing, transport, and risk. Subscribe for more private event DJ tactics, share this with a DJ friend, and leave a review if it helps. What’s the hardest client request you’ve ever had to play? Support the show RESOURCES & LINKS Our website. Please leave a review! - https://www.beyondthedjbooth.com/ To book Joe Bunn: https://bunndjcompany.com/ To book Brian B: https://djbrianbofficial.com/ Joe’s Gear Finds on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djjoebunn Brian’s Gear Finds on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djbrianbofficial DJ Event Planner free demo: https://www.djeventplanner.com/signup.php Brian B's Coaching Options: Https://www.thdjscreativeedge.com

    40 min
  3. Handling Bad Song Lists From Couples

    24 Jun

    Handling Bad Song Lists From Couples

    Send us a message A packed dance floor is not guaranteed just because a couple hands you a long playlist. We’re Brian B and Joe Bunn, and we’re starting the season by getting real about what happens when client expectations, modern music culture, and the actual room collide. First, we share a big update for private event DJs: the DJ Collective in Raleigh (Nov 16 through 18) and why we’re genuinely hype about keynote speaker Jess Ekstrom. She’s an author, founder, and high-level conference speaker, and we talk about what makes that kind of voice valuable in a DJ conference setting, plus the extra value add attendees get. Then we shift into the stuff DJs argue about weekly: AI music, platform licensing, and how a flood of soundalikes and fake releases could change what “new music” even means on streaming services. From there, we get practical with cocktail hour picks, including records that feel timeless and newer songs that still sound like yesterday. Pop culture brings the heat with an extreme “do not play” list and a conversation every wedding DJ will recognize: how do you stay professional when the couple bans half the common toolkit? Story time goes deeper with a K-pop-heavy wedding where the playlist shows up five days before, two-thirds of the tracks are missing from the library, and the dance floor never fully catches. We wrap with a question every mobile DJ should answer: how do you weed out couples who are not a good fit before the contract turns into a long night? Subscribe, share this with a DJ friend, and leave a review if the show helps you book smarter and DJ better. Support the show RESOURCES & LINKS Our website. Please leave a review! - https://www.beyondthedjbooth.com/ To book Joe Bunn: https://bunndjcompany.com/ To book Brian B: https://djbrianbofficial.com/ Joe’s Gear Finds on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djjoebunn Brian’s Gear Finds on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djbrianbofficial DJ Event Planner free demo: https://www.djeventplanner.com/signup.php Brian B's Coaching Options: Https://www.thdjscreativeedge.com

    44 min
  4. Working with Live Musicians

    17 Jun

    Working with Live Musicians

    Send us a message Somebody sends us a mystery package and it turns into a real conversation about community, merch, and how much value listeners can create around your brand when you actually let them in. From there we shout out Patreon supporters around the world, plug The DJ Collective in Raleigh, and talk about why being in the room with other working DJs still matters if you want sharper ideas and better execution on your next season of gigs.  Then we get practical. If you’ve got TV screens collecting dust, we break down how a QR code driven live photo stream can become a clean, modern add-on for weddings and corporate events. We talk Instant Spotlight, why the “free trial” makes it easy to test, what extra gear you’ll need (yes, another laptop), and how you can price it so it is worth the effort without feeling like a cash grab.  The biggest segment goes deep on DJing with live musicians. Sax is already a proven dance floor booster, but adding violin and a full drum kit changes everything: tempo management, programming, when to pull vocals, and how to give the musician real shine instead of a quick 15-second window. We also get honest about standards, showmanship, and why some players can elevate your set while others accidentally box you into one BPM all night.  We close with a spicy etiquette topic, selective gratuity, plus a gear corner pick (Ulanzi battery handle grip for 360 cams) and a question of the day on gauging volume levels without relying on venue meters. Subscribe, share this with a DJ friend, and leave a review. Where do you land on tips at events, all or nothing? Support the show RESOURCES & LINKS Our website. Please leave a review! - https://www.beyondthedjbooth.com/ To book Joe Bunn: https://bunndjcompany.com/ To book Brian B: https://djbrianbofficial.com/ Joe’s Gear Finds on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djjoebunn Brian’s Gear Finds on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djbrianbofficial DJ Event Planner free demo: https://www.djeventplanner.com/signup.php Brian B's Coaching Options: Https://www.thdjscreativeedge.com

    31 min
  5. Are Pay to Play Venues Worth It?

    10 Jun

    Are Pay to Play Venues Worth It?

    Send us a message Paying a venue to get on their “preferred DJ” list sounds like a shortcut until you’re staring at the invoice wondering if it actually produced real work. We dig into a real pay to play example with clean numbers: a $2,500 annual buy in, seven leads so far, three bookings, and $7,200 in booked revenue. Then we get honest about how we judge DJ marketing ROI without getting lost in spreadsheets, when gross revenue is “good enough,” and when you absolutely have to subtract labor and treat time as the real cost. If you run ads on The Knot, WeddingWire, or any vendor platform, you’ll recognize the bigger point: track leads, track conversions, and reassess mid year before you renew anything.  From there, we jump into travel gig story time. Brian talks about a Monday wedding where the couple’s relationship is tied to a single song in a way neither of us expected, leading to Paul Russell showing up and performing. Then Joe recaps his Alys Beach event - the vibe, programming a slow trickle crowd, and the pressure of playing in a premium environment where everything looks perfect on camera. We also get into what a great content creator actually does, why it’s worth paying for, and how that footage can level up your DJ business marketing when it’s captured the right way.  We finish with an off the record rant about aggressive Uber cologne, a real talk moment about power outages and audio systems that get throttled mid set, plus a tight list of current tracks that are working for doors open and peak hour. In Gear Corner, we share a practical recording setup for clean board audio and crowd noise, and we answer a listener question on how to price sound and lighting for destination weddings when you don’t know the local production companies yet. If this helped, subscribe, share it with a DJ friend, and leave a review so more booth heads can find the show. Support the show RESOURCES & LINKS Our website. Please leave a review! - https://www.beyondthedjbooth.com/ To book Joe Bunn: https://bunndjcompany.com/ To book Brian B: https://djbrianbofficial.com/ Joe’s Gear Finds on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djjoebunn Brian’s Gear Finds on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djbrianbofficial DJ Event Planner free demo: https://www.djeventplanner.com/signup.php Brian B's Coaching Options: Https://www.thdjscreativeedge.com

    41 min
  6. How Private Event DJs Stay Sharp

    3 Jun

    How Private Event DJs Stay Sharp

    Send us a message You can usually tell when a couple filled out your DJ planning form with AI, even if they never mention it. The answers look perfect, but they don’t sound like them and that can wreck the very thing people pay a premium for: personalization. We dig into how we’re seeing ChatGPT style responses show up in wedding DJ questionnaires, what it means for music discovery and prep, and how to sanity check details without awkwardly accusing a client. One of the simplest moves is re confirming the high impact items on your final call, like guest count for sound system planning, while keeping the conversation human. Then we get into a spicy one: AI written reviews. A DJ friend is sending couples an AI drafted review after multiple follow ups, making it easy to copy, paste, edit, or ignore and he claims a 90% success rate. We talk through the ethics, the brand risk of generic praise, and why lowering friction is often the real problem in Google reviews for wedding vendors and private event businesses. We also hit Gear Corner with a practical wireless in ear monitor setup for DJs who work with musicians. If you’ve ever had a headphone cord yank when you turn your head, or you’re tired of running hard lines to a drummer from an Allen and Heath mixer, this is for you, right down to the connector choices that keep your booth clean. We close with a listener question about wedding planner timelines: when to wait for the planner’s latest version, what entertainment specific questions we still ask, and how EventSync can scan a timeline and pull only what we need. If this helped you tighten your planning, upgrade your DJ workflow, or rethink how you use AI tools, subscribe, share the show with a DJ friend, and leave us a review. Support the show RESOURCES & LINKS Our website. Please leave a review! - https://www.beyondthedjbooth.com/ To book Joe Bunn: https://bunndjcompany.com/ To book Brian B: https://djbrianbofficial.com/ Joe’s Gear Finds on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djjoebunn Brian’s Gear Finds on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djbrianbofficial DJ Event Planner free demo: https://www.djeventplanner.com/signup.php Brian B's Coaching Options: Https://www.thdjscreativeedge.com

    28 min
  7. Learn How to Say No

    27 May

    Learn How to Say No

    Send us a message That tiny moment when a couple scans your QR code at a wedding show can decide whether you book the date or never hear from them again. We talk through what went wrong with sending people to a long website contact form, why friction destroys conversions, and how a simpler raffle style lead capture setup can help you collect names and phone numbers fast. If you have ever worked a bridal expo and watched leads slip away while someone fumbles with a form, this one will feel familiar. We also jump into two real-world gig lessons. First, a story about being asked to staff additional DJs for a major event at a budget that basically guarantees a bad outcome, and why saying no can actually protect your reputation long-term. Second, Joe breaks down a 40 to 45 minute Latin set inside a wedding, including how the couple mapped which tracks must play out, how to keep the dance floor locked with recognizable anthems, and how to approach any cultural music block like a program instead of a guess. Then we hit gear and business reality: in-ear monitors, hearing protection for DJs, and the ongoing conversation around spam and fake leads on The Knot and WeddingWire. We share how we personally spot bot-style inquiries, why tracking lead sources matters, and how to judge true ROI by bookings, not just messages. If this helps, subscribe, share the episode with a DJ friend, and leave a quick review so more working event DJs can find it. Support the show RESOURCES & LINKS Our website. Please leave a review! - https://www.beyondthedjbooth.com/ To book Joe Bunn: https://bunndjcompany.com/ To book Brian B: https://djbrianbofficial.com/ Joe’s Gear Finds on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djjoebunn Brian’s Gear Finds on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djbrianbofficial DJ Event Planner free demo: https://www.djeventplanner.com/signup.php Brian B's Coaching Options: Https://www.thdjscreativeedge.com

    33 min
  8. From Conference Stages to Wedding Madness

    20 May

    From Conference Stages to Wedding Madness

    Send us a message The part nobody tells you about being a working DJ is how often you’re building in the dark. Social media gives you instant dopamine, but long-form work like podcasting, education, and community takes time to show results. We open with some real talk about staying consistent, what actually feels fulfilling, and why the listeners who support on Patreon make a bigger difference than they probably realize. We also drop a few updates for DJ Collective in Raleigh, including the upcoming ticket price increase and why we’re excited about new faces on the lineup. From there we jump into the road stories and lessons that come from conferences and travel. Joe shares his “Meet Me At The Crossroads” talk from Midwest DJs Live, breaking down the big decision points that shape a DJ business, then we zoom out to the part that hits hardest: if you’re not careful, the work steals your life. If you’re a private event DJ, multi-op owner, or just trying to scale your bookings without burning out, this section is for you. Then we go full DJ gear mode. We rant about road cases costing more than the TVs they protect, talk Stagecoach and the weird crossover of country culture with EDM and pop moments, and get into two gig stories that feel like a masterclass in “expect the unexpected” including a worship-music cocktail hour wedding and a Serato beachball crash right before the last song. We wrap with a gear win for corporate events (a wireless HDMI adapter that actually works) and practical advice for marathon outdoor gigs in extreme heat: breaks, hydration, electrolytes, fans, sock changes, stools, and using mixes strategically. If any of this sounds like your weekends, hit subscribe, share the episode with a DJ friend, and leave us a review so we know you’re out there. Support the show RESOURCES & LINKS Our website. Please leave a review! - https://www.beyondthedjbooth.com/ To book Joe Bunn: https://bunndjcompany.com/ To book Brian B: https://djbrianbofficial.com/ Joe’s Gear Finds on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djjoebunn Brian’s Gear Finds on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djbrianbofficial DJ Event Planner free demo: https://www.djeventplanner.com/signup.php Brian B's Coaching Options: Https://www.thdjscreativeedge.com

    49 min
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About

Brian B and Joe Bunn tackle questions about the private event DJ industry, share music, gear/gadgets, and stories from their events.

Information

  • Creator
    Joe Bunn and Brian B
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    95
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Beyond the DJ Booth
  • Show Website
    Beyond the DJ Booth

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