Booking a DJ: when, how, and how to spot a good one
3 min read
Booking a DJ sounds like one step and is really four: ask, compare, talk, confirm. The third is the one most often skipped and the one that matters most. Here is what should happen at each stage, and how to tell when something is missing.
When to start asking
The short answer is earlier than it feels. The longer one depends on the date.
- Saturday between May and September: six to twelve months ahead. Good dates often go a year out
- Saturday outside the season: three to six months
- Friday or Sunday: three months is usually enough, often less
- New Year's Eve and the Saturday before Christmas: a year, and that is not an exaggeration
- Company parties in November and December: September at the latest, or it gets tight
Late requests are still worth making. Anyone with several DJs in the team can make more work than a first no suggests.
What belongs in a quote
A quote consisting of one line and one number is not a quote, it is a price tag. These should be in writing before you compare anything:
- The name of the DJ who will actually play – not the name of the agency
- Start time and planned finish, and what an extra hour costs
- What equipment comes along, in plain words rather than model numbers
- Whether travel, setup and pack-down are included
- When and how you pay, and whether a deposit is due
- What happens if the date has to move
The seven questions before you confirm
Each of these has an answer that lets you relax, and one that means you should keep looking.
- Will you be playing yourself? Good: a name. Bad: we will decide later
- Do we talk through the running order beforehand? Good: yes, by video or phone. Bad: just send us a list
- What happens if you fall ill? Good: cover from the team with the same running order. Bad: that has never happened
- Do you know our venue? Good: yes, or we check the essentials with them beforehand. Bad: it will be fine
- How do you handle requests from guests? Good: a clear position. Bad: we play anything
- Do you carry spare equipment? Good: yes, in the van. Bad: the gear is new
- What is not included in the price? Good: a specific list. Bad: nothing really
The third question tells you the most about a supplier. That has never happened is not an answer to what happens if it does.
Hiring gear or booking a DJ – a difference that counts
In search, hiring a DJ and booking a DJ mean the same thing. In practice they are two different transactions. Hire equipment and you get boxes you set up yourself. Book a DJ and you get somebody who reads the room and reacts to it.
For a small party in a club house, hired gear can be the right call. As soon as there are speeches, a running order with fixed moments, or more than eighty guests, the difference stops being convenience and becomes the reason the evening flows or stalls.