The Travel DJ Blend with DJ Brian B DJ Brian B

Though it's not often considered, clarity in messaging is critical in closing a sale, gaining marketshare, justifying your rate, etc. If you are struggling in any of these areas, it almost always is directly linked to a confusing message. In this episode, I share 5 questions to run every bit of communication/messaging through in order to keep your messaging clear, concise and memorable.

I had a "triple event" weekend which was both a sobering reminder and an encouragement to pursuing artistry. When I was starting out in this industry, my whole sales process and value proposition was wrapped into what I could do "at" their event. The problem with that is you can't guarantee a lot of those things because so much of it is out of your control. A few years ago I shifted to selling the things I could control. While that may add a few more layers to my process (that I actually do enjoy), there still is the "day of event" pay-off that you hope for as a creative. What happens when the pay-off doesn't occur? I cover that and more in this episode.

With my music episodes, I try to present to you evergreen tracks that will be with you for a while. I subscribe to a ton of record pools beyond digging through blogs, Patreon, streaming services, Shazam, and the like. I thought I would share my top 10 most interesting musical track finds with you from the month of April 2024. Bonus: I'll give you the source on where to find the tracks I talk about. Not only do I hope to save you time in finding gems but I also give you my take on how/where I use them within my sets

Earlier this year, the Knot published 26 "Do Not Play Songs" from the perspective of a guest attending a wedding. Some (not all) DJs made comments to the effect of, "These are go to songs for me" or "I'd feel handicapped without them." In an effort to help those DJs, Drew Pierce (fellow DJ, editor and programmer extraordinaire) and I give you replacement song ideas for songs #14-26 on the playlist with part of this interview. If nothing else, keep these song ideas on your radar in case they do appear on a client's do not playlist.

Earlier this year, the Knot published 26 "Do Not Play Songs" from the perspective of a guest attending a wedding. Some (not all) DJs made comments to the effect of, "These are go to songs for me" or "I'd feel handicapped without them." In an effort to help those DJs, Drew Pierce (fellow DJ, editor and programmer extraordinaire) and I give you replacement song ideas for songs #1-13 on the playlist. If nothing else, keep these song ideas on your radar in case they do appear on a client's do not playlist.

In talking with DJs weekly, I get the sense we're headed for a similar 2023 where a decent amount of DJs aren't having the year in 2024 that they had hoped for as it pertains to both bookings and revenue. In the same breath, they are hopeful based on inquiries for the upcoming year (2025). I've always been a realist rather than a glass half full/glass half empty type person. The reality is that we still have 3/4 of the year to go. If things aren't hitting, don't pack it in. In this interview with my good friend and DJ industry educator, Joe Bunn, we talk through what can be done to not only save 2024 but also plant seeds for 2025.