Sub-contracting

One very under-reported problem clients experience with DJ entertainment companies is the issue of sub-contracting or substitute DJs. Quite often the person you interview or consult with is not the person that ends up being your DJ.

When we created our postcard we gave a number of different proofs to dozens of friends, family and coworkers and one common theme was to make sure we made the point that we never subcontract. Then the horror stories began rolling in.

Knowing who your DJ is going to be is critical. As the client you should demand that you meet the individual(s) prior to the event. Personalities, styles, and interactivity vary greatly from one DJ to another and you should make sure you get the exact personality, style and interactivity that you like. Besides, you choices and preferences can get muddied as they're passed from person to person, so you should be able to deliver your concerns directly.

Make sure the company you talk to can provide you time with your actual DJ, not the possible, or most likely DJ. Try to find out if they overbook often and subcontract. In some cases you could have an entirely different company servicing your event. Firefly Audio never sub-contracts, never overbooks, and never hire substitute DJs. While we do have emergency coverage through a number of very successful DJs, over the past 3 years we've never had to utilize them.

Don't just choose an entertainment company, make sure you get the opportunity to choose and meet your DJ!

Who picks the music?

This might seem like an obvious answer. You do. But how you get from no music to a well thought out list is in the hands of the entertainment company. For example, at Firefly Audio we make every attempt in the world to get the client to choose their music without prodding. Granted, we're talking mostly about wedding receptions, but this goes for all events.


Most DJs and entertainment companies will post lists on their websites or provide their prospective clients with written lists of popular songs to choose from, but for Firefly Audio, this is a last resort. Even prior to the first in-person consult we'll let the client know that they need to start thinking of songs that mean something to them.

While we realize that a list makes things easier, we know that the clients will have a much more enjoyable experience if they pick "that" song rather than one on the list that fits well. The song playing on the radio during their first kiss, the theme song to their first drive-in movie, the song that was playing when he finally proposed. Those are the songs we want our clients to choose, not one on a canned list that we provide.


Do we have song lists? Of course. But as mentioned earlier, this is a last resort for Firefly Audio. First, be sure that you get to choose all of the important music. Second, be sure that the DJ or entertainment company know what to and not to play. Nearly every event has that person that wants something played 180 degrees opposite of the theme of the night. You need to know that the DJ or entertainment company you choose will tactfully turn down song requests that might break the mood of the evening. Third, choose the right fit for you and have fun!

Testimonials? References? Reviews.

Today we're going to talk about testimonials, references, and reviews. You'll notice as you shop online for entertainment that most sites include dozens, sometimes hundreds of testimonials. While we will assume for arguments sake that most are legitimate, one must keep in mind that what is displayed on any given website is 100% controlled by the owner. In other words, they could be entirely made up.

Firefly Audio considered including both testimonials and references on our site, but due to the unreliability of testimonials and the intrusiveness to our clients of being called upon to be references for an indeterminate span of time, we chose a third, more reliable and less intrusive method. Reviews.

Reviews are the best of both worlds. They are testimonials by customers that can't be altered by the reviewed company and are posted by clients that have used your services in the past. Instead of asking clients to be subjected to countless future phone calls we simply give them a link to our site and ask that they give an honest review of our services.

This accomplishes multiple things. It provides our potential clients an independent source for client opinions on our services and also pressures us to do the best we possibly can or risk a bad review that all can see. Firefly Audio prides itself in having an unblemished 5-Star rating with Yahoo Local, our primary source for reviews at the following address: http://local.yahoo.com/WI/Kenosha/Entertainment+Arts/Music/Disc+Jockeys

So to make a long story slightly longer, beware of hundreds of rosy testimonials and be wary that if they publish a lot of references, you may be asked to do the same. Be sure to look for third party reviews at sites like Yahoo Local and many bridal sites where company owners can't control the feedback. It will help you to make a more informed decision when choosing quality entertainment that suits your needs.

Renters or Owners? What Should I Do?

We mentioned in our previous post the question of companies renting vs. owning the equipment they use for events. While many companies may rent if they book an event much larger than they're accustomed to, or that may only happen on rare occasions (making the expense of purchasing the equipment unreasonable), others do business only with rented equipment. So what does that mean to you? It means you should dig a bit deeper by asking some tough questions.

If the company is renting their equipment, be sure to ask if they're renting enough extra equipment to backup all the primary equipment they rent. This adds another large expense to the renting company, so in many cases they try to keep backups to a minimum or not rent them at all. Keep in mind, this question should be asked of companies that own their own equipment also, but it is very common for equipment owners to also purchase backup equipment or have 100% redundancy much like Firefly Audio did when purchasing our equipment.

A properly drafted contract, which we'll talk about later, should address any issues concerning the stoppage of entertainment during your event. This is fine for recurring events such as birthday parties and the like, but is of little consequence for once in a lifetime events such as wedding receptions or milestone anniversaries. Be sure that if you're planning one of these once in a lifetime events that the entertainment company you choose has complete redundancy to ensure that your event's entertainment continues from start to finish without interruption.

Last but not least, never accept "Don't worry, if something happens you get a full refund" as an answer. It's YOUR event, so in the end it's up to you to ask the tough questions and make the best choice for you and your event!

You Get What You Pay For - Part II

There are many issues that clients should address to find the entertainment company that is right for them and unfortunately many, if not most clients don't know what questions to ask. For instance, "Is your equipment owned or rented?" That might not seem like a major issue, but in many cases it is.

Most rental equipment is in decent shape, but aside from that, what does it tell you about the company itself? Our company, Firefly Audio has invested over $10,000 in equipment and lighting. Does that make us "better" than the competition? Not necessarily, but it does mean that we're committed to the business and plan on being in it for the long haul. That in itself has many implications. It makes our reputation and credibility more precious causing us to work harder to make sure we strive to go beyond any client expectations. We can't do a few mediocre jobs, get some shoddy reviews and simply decide to pack up shop by not renting equipment again.

And from a purely equipment standpoint, in most cases, owned equipment is in much better condition than comparable rented equipment. Firefly Audio stores their equipment in a climate controlled environment and performs a complete full-load system and backup test the day prior to every event. Unfortunately, in many cases companies that rent equipment don't rent backup equipment in order to lower their costs and increase their margin while leaving their client's event completely vulnerable to random equipment failures.

So this is where price comes in. Companies that rent equipment can often charge much lower prices because one-time rental fees for most run-of-the-mill DJ equipment is much lower than the cost of investing in state-of-the-art DJ equipment. Again, does this mean that higher priced DJs are always better or that all companies that rent equipment are substandard? Of course not, but these are some serious considerations to take into account when deciding on the entertainment for your particular event. As mentioned in Part I, is it worth the risk when planning once in a lifetime events?

You Get What You Pay For - Part I

As with most other purchases you make in your daily life, when it comes to DJ entertainment, generally, you get what you pay for. While this might seem obvious, with the recent economic downturn there has been an explosion of new "DJs" coming onto the scene because of the perceived low cost to start a DJ business. Unlike companies like Firefly Audio that spend more than $15,000 on state-of-the-art DJ equipment, lighting, and legal obtained music, many simply use home stereo equipment they have on hand and populate their music library with pirated music tracks illegally downloaded from the Internet. A "$150 a night!" free ad on Craig's List and suddenly there's another "DJ" business in town.

Don't misunderstand, "$150 a night!" DJ services shouldn't automatically be written off. There are "diamonds in the rough" and if you can stomach a little trial and error with anniversaries and birthday parties you just might find one. The drawback to this method is that it can result in some less than spectacular events and obviously wouldn't be wise for once in a lifetime events like wedding receptions. In our next "You Get What You Pay For" installment we'll talk about the differences between some DJ entertainment companies and others.

Welcome to our blog!

Firefly Audio is always dedicated to making sure that you choose the best entertainment for your event, whether or not you choose Firefly Audio. We've been in business long enough to know that sometimes we're not the perfect fit for your needs, or the job just isn't right for us. That being the case, we're going to dedicate this blog to helping you choose the entertainment that is right for you. Southeast Wisconsin is teeming with entertainment and as with anywhere, there are good companies, bad companies, new, old, experienced and inexperienced. What will follow in this blog will help you navigate the sometimes muddy waters and help you pick the best fit for you!

If you have any questions, suggestions, or comments, please feel free to contact us at rzink@fireflyaudio.net! Thanks and enjoy!