note to viewers

Thursday, September 29, 2016

The Prom and Homecoming Music list format guide and 2016 popular school dance song list

So the fall 2016 season has hit and it's time to start putting together your DJ music list for those proms and homecoming dances. Building a music list that's appropriate and also really keeps the crowd happy is definitely a challenge. You've been through website after website for teen music lists, high school and middle school DJ song lists and more. We have some song help and tips to make your crowd move to the beat for that high school dance, middle school dance and even college dance formals.

Any school dance is going to have a mix of tastes and styles of songs. You've got your hip hop and rap crowd, your heavy rock crowd, electronic and dubstep music crowd and even Latin music crowd. Having a variety playlist that focuses heavily on the majority and of course fits in what the other crowds are listening for is exactly what you want. You also want to incorporate the usual line dance songs too. Even for you DJs out there this is a great guide to keep you in tune with how to keep your dance floor crowd happy.

The format that is fairly standard at many schools for a music request list is beginning of the evening pop and moderate paced hip hop songs, working your way into the top hits, hip hop and pop dance type songs, throw in a line dance every 4-5 songs, a slow dance every 5-6 songs and in between that an electronic and a rock song. Here's a breakdown of a proven method we use for over 100 school dances a year. We will breakdown examples

Top 40 pop songs beginning,  2-3 hip hop songs, 1-2 pop songs, rap song, 1-2 electronic dance style song, line dance, (your choice; Latin song or rock song) then start all over.

(Make sure you have RADIO EDITED MUSIC) Most schools we know of expect clean content.

Below is a song example and at the very bottom I will have a list of some popular 2016 below this.

Major Lazer Cold Water, Twenty One Pilots Stressed out, The Weeknd Can't feel my face, Justin Timberlake Can't stop the feeling, Pitbull Fireball, Flo Rida My house, Fifth Harmony Work from home, Meghan Trainor No, Sia Cheap Thrills, Drake Jumpman, Martin Garrix Animals, Cupid Shuffle, Elvis Crespo Suavemente, then add in a slow song maybe; Ed Sheeran Thinking out loud.

Then start the process over with the next line of songs. Now of course you can mix it up and add more songs, less songs, your own picks and whatever works for the students. This is just an idea of a good format that works. Below are some great selections for songs to keep your dance crowd happy.

Silento - Watch me whip
Cha Cha slide
The wobble
Hit the Quan
Lean & Dabb

Chainsmokers - Closer
Fetty Wap - Trap Queen
Drake - Jumpman
Rihanna & Drake - Work
Flo Rida - GDFR
Rihanna - This is what you came for
Mike Posner - I took a pill in Ibiza
Pitbull - El Taxi
Shawn Mendes - Stitches
Desiigner - Panda
Chainsmokers - Roses
 Flo Rida - Low (Apple bottom jeans)
D.R.A.M - Broccoli
Fall Out Boy - Uma Thurman
DNCE - Cake by the Ocean
Drake - One Dance
Meghan Trainor - No
Calvin Harris - How deep is your love
Chainsmokers - Don't let me down
LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem
Rihanna - Needed me
DRake - Controlla
Lil Jon - Turn down for what
Gente De Zona - La Gozadera
Future - Wicked
Lil Dicky - Save day money
Pitbull - Fireball
J Balvin - Ginza
Kiiara - Gold
Drake - Too good
Skrillex - Where are you now
David Guetta - Hey mama
Wiz Khalifa - See you again
Natalie La Rose - Somebody
Nicki Minaj - Truffle Butter
Justin Bieber - Sorry
Drake - Hotline Blong

You can add in some other classics from the early 2000s as well but these are popular on the charts. Enjoy and happy Prom, Homecoming and School Dance planning out there!


Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Marketing and Advertising Tips for the 21st century

Many things have changed since the days of advertising in the yellowpages, word of mouth and mailers. We've opened a whole new generation of marketing and advertising for small businesses and even large corporations. In a matter of barely 10 years the revolution of internet has changed the way we do business. With blogging, social networking, emailing and interactive websites we have a virtual market at our finger tips. So what's right for you?

The largest industry that has evolved within the last 6-8 years is social media. Myspace, Facebook, twitter, instagram and even snap chat have made their way into millions of peoples phones and computers. You can advertise your brand or business idea on any of these social platforms. In our experience we have seen our business grow on Facebook and Instagram. Why are those so popular when advertising a brand, service, product or idea? People love pictures and video! Your customers like to see something in action, it reassures them that, what you have to offer does what they want it to do. A picture is worth a thousand words and a video is 10 times a picture. Say for example you have a smoothie shop or your selling a healthy drink that you want to popularize. Taking pictures and video of the blender making the drinks, fresh fruit, happy customers trying your drinks, etc impacts new customers. By creating a Facebook page and/or an Instagram page with  updates, pictures and information you can plugin new customers who will follow you and their friends will follow you.

This day and age having a website and email is a must. Customers don't save to many flyers these days but will remember a website that's catchy. But when creating your company website with a name, make sure it's simple and your potential views and customers will not forget it. If you own a medical supplies company or say a fitness center and you are trying to attract new people you want a website they will remember. For example; theplacetoworkout.com is not hard to remember but to long of a phrase. Uworkout.com or theworkout.com are simpler to fit on a business card and easier to remember. Those were just ideas but if you own any kind of service make sure your website is short enough to attract your viewers. Also make sure your website has the phone number and email on ALL your pages. This way if your potential customer has viewed the info and they're ready to commit then you have a way for them to contact you right away. A customer electronic fill out form is even better, it will increase you possible sales.

Blogging is another method of sale that's been around for many years but has been perfected for the future. You can join any blogging service or install one on your website like thousands of other businesses do and write about your daily or weekly experience in the business of what you do. The internet loves great content. If you're in the business of antiques or arts and crafts you can write all about different topics in those areas. Those viewers who stumbled upon your information just like you have here will say, "Wow, I'm going to check out their website." You can also post pictures on your blog, website and of course as I said social media.

Last but not least video marketing on youtube, vimeo or your own website are great avenues to gain customers. You can video how a product is made, how it works, how you perform your service or what your customers are saying. Demo videos and promotional videos will highlight your brand or company and help sell your service.

Overall you can decide which internet advertising and marketing works for your business. Always use lots of content, "information," pictures, videos, etc. Excite your potential customers with new stuff, updates, new info and they will stay interested. One more thing be as consistent as you can commit to daily or weekly updates and you will help yourself build that exposure to new customers and even other businesses to partner with.

Monday, September 26, 2016

Let's Talk Price Mobile DJ event planning and wedding party vendors what's it worth to you

The entertainment industry's clientele are filled with price shoppers, budget keepers and money savers. Yes this statement is sort of an opinion and sort of a fact. I don't mean to make a "straight to the point assumption," but day in and day out we know and work with many people looking for that entertainment bargain. Especially in the mobile DJ world.

We've become very inflated with people claiming to be experts in the business because they took a 6 month course on wedding planning or purchased some equipment on the internet. We've gone from 15-20 event companies in the area to 300-500 so-called experts. Let's say you're looking for a DJ for your wedding. You can call DJ Erik G (made up name for this article) and he will Deejay your wedding for you. But he's only been doing it for about 2 years, does he know the ins and outs of music for your guests and how to smoothly keep the pace and your dance floor full? Crystal Entertainment will charge you $850 for a 4 hour reception and DJ Erik G said he will do it for $200. The DJ at Crystal entertainment has 15 years experience and performs at weddings full time. You decide to go with DJ Erik G and are saving a lot of money!

The day of your event he shows up on time and ready to start but when it comes time to introduce the bridal party he messes up some names of your bridesmaids and groomsman, his microphone cuts out a couple times and the music is really loud. Well, you consider yourself pretty easy going and just keep going. The first dance is fine but wait........He forgot the Bride and father dance. That might put a damper on the reception because you had a specific song request for that. DJ Erik G doesn't have a wedding timeline to fill out, you just told him what you wanted and emailed him the list prior to the day of the reception and hoped he got it all. You'll just have to pick a different song. Later on during dinner the music is not exactly what you would like for your guests and some of it you've never even heard of. Moving on to the dancing he does a fairly good job on mixing the music but you gave him a list of about 10-15 of your favorite songs and he played maybe 3 or 4. Well, you really wanted to hear several more of these. In the very middle of the toast to the bride and groom the microphone cuts out. The best man is talking and then you can't hear him anymore. Pretty much everybody in the room noticed that one.

Overall you'll say DJ Erik G is a 5.5 out of 10. You remember dancing the night away but you most likely won't forget the best mans interrupted speech and the fact that the father and bride song was not played. You might forget about those things 5-10 years later but at this point it's not exactly what you wanted. I'm not saying that a wedding DJ needs to be $1200 but definitely at least middle of the road or above $500. The mobile DJs that charge a little higher like to put more investment into their equipment so it sounds good and works good. We also have a full library of music that we invest in as well. Many side-liner DJs use youtube as a music source and aren't familiar with the overall flow of an event.

To wrap this up for now, keep in mind that cheap is something you will remember and I can tell you it's probably not for the best. You want someone with experience and knowledge who is familiar with the songs that work for a reception, the timing and smoothness of music and announcements. This goes for an entertainment professional. Wedding planners who have a reputation of not showing up on time, not answering calls and calling back, or any other vendor is just terribly organized can pose a question about how things will end up. Choose wisely and ask questions.

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Picking out music for a Wedding Reception and Ceremony

So you or someone you know or somebody they know is planning a wedding and need help coming up with music for the reception and the ceremony. Many people count on the DJ or entertainment to help in this process. Many times the DJ will give you a music sheet or allow you to build a list on their website. Most likely you won't have to build the entire list for the whole reception. As a professional in the business I have some tips and suggestions to help you make it a great evening and help out your DJ or Band.

Whenever planning anything such as a wedding, a party, bar mitzvah, sweet 16, quince, corporate event or school dance keep in mind you're going to be having "guests." Yes, other people that want to enjoy themselves too. So filling a list of 25 songs that only you like may not be the best way to fill your dance floor. Now if you're making a small list of songs for a ceremony it's okay to pick songs just for you. For example many brides will go with songs by the Piano Guys as their per-ceremony music before they officially start or maybe the Vitamin String Quartet. They might pick Chrisina Perri A thousand years for the song the bride is walking down to, or possibly Pachelbel Canon in D which is a great instrumental  classical song. Many brides and grooms like picking songs that are instrumentals. You can find many pop songs or country songs on YouTube that are great for walking down the aisle. Maybe you want a song during a candle lighting or sand pouring, a great instrumental would work just fine. Websites such as the Knot or Weddingwire have really great song lists available to choose from. You can even ask your entertainer for suggestions. It's possible that the bride and groom have a sentimental song they enjoy. K Ci & Jojo All my life or Shania Twain from this moment. You will only need about a minute of the song.

You also get to pick an ending song as you walk away. Some fun choices are Stevie Wonder Signed Sealed Delivered, U2 Beautiful Day, Bruno Mars Marry you or something fun. You can get creative with your ending song as this is the "moving to the party song."

Your reception music should comprise of songs that will appeal to a variety of ages. Even guests that are older are enjoying some modern songs such as Robin Thicke Blurred Lines, Bruno Mars Uptown funk, etc. This is also a party for the guests to celebrate the bride and groom, so if they are the only ones on the dance floor and everyone else is sitting down it may not be fun for them. Writing up a music list of all hip hop isn't appealing to Aunt Betty who wants to hear Sister Sledge We are family. A list of 20-25 top songs of your choice will help get people moving. Include the 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s music. It's OK to include disco and funk; Wild Cherry Play that funky music, Kool & the gang Celebration, etc. Throw in a couple modern songs Flo Rida Apple bottom jeans, Usher Yeah for the booty shakers out there. Maybe a rock and roll for the older generation; Bob Seger Old time rock & roll or Billy Idol Mony Mony. Include 1-2 slow dances to be played periodically throughout the evening. Not to many though because people get bored when there's to much slow dancing.

One thing brides worry about is, "But what if nobody dances?!" You don't have to include cheesy type songs but possibly an ice breaker song to get the people up who feel funny about actually "dancing." The Cha Cha Slide or the Cupid shuffle are good dances to show people what to do, and more people join that way. You may also want to include a motown style or golden oldies such as Isley Brothers Shout or Rock around the clock, Chuck berry the twist for those people who will be saying "please play an older song."

To sum it all up keep everyone in mind, you don't have to know the exact songs they like but keep your age groups, family and friends attending. Your friend Mike who's 25 most likely won't dance all night to the golden oldies he might enjoy something new and Aunt Betsy doesn't want to hear Snoop Dogg all night either, she might want something from the 70s. You can even call your closest people and ask for 1-2 favorite songs. Happy song hunting and we'll do another part to this post soon.

Saturday, September 24, 2016

Party planning and event planning experiences do's don'ts and Vendor happenings DJ, Caterer, Planner

If you're a mobile Disc Jockey, a club DJ, or even a party planner or party thrower, you've had a great experience and you've probably had a not so great experience. There's always something we all have to deal with when it comes to guests, event services and/or vendors, a facility or venue, maybe just something beyond your control. Whatever it is the only thing you can do is continue on the path to success and keep planning, keep setting up, and keep performing. It's extremely difficult sometimes but no matter what everything will work out and the job usually gets done.

Many of us have been there, the DJ doesn't show up, the caterer is late, the guests arrive late or maybe too early. The best preparation you can have for the next time is follow up with everybody the day before and make sure you have cell phone numbers, emails, and contact info of your event experts you can even exchange numbers between vendors. Check in with everyone and find out what time they're all arriving. The DJ is arriving at this time, the food will be served at this time the announcements and activities take place at this time. Having a small agenda that everybody gets is a great way to keep everyone on track.

Allot extra time for all vendors and activities, if the introductions are at 5pm have them start at 5:30pm when you put together all the details prior to the day of. This way if everyone including vendors are early then everything is on time. If the vendors and/or guests are late by 30 minutes your schedule will still be as close as possible. Nothing will ever be completely on time minute by minute.

Make sure there's enough space for setup. As a DJ nothing is more difficult then arriving to a venue and finding out you have very little setup for your Deejay Gear, speakers, lights, etc. Make sure you ask about how much space they need. One of the biggest challenges we as DJs face is being setup far away from the dance floor having to project over tables in the way. This can really be a big no no. Many of the reasons why vendors have trouble with other vendors is because miscalculations and miscommunications. If everyone has the space, time and idea of what's happening it goes a lot smoother. Another example; you arrive and find there's no power available whether it's for the DJ, caterer, photo booth, etc. Always check prior to events that there is proper power for everyone. It will save you lots of time not having to panic.

Have a layout plan, we as DJs like to to be close to the dance floor as I mentioned in the last paragraph. Photo Booths often times like more space in an area that's not real crowded, caterers like a nice long wall or area where guests can line. Making a setup to complicated often times can make it much harder to coordinate things.

Another recommendation that some planners or venues don't do that much is hire companies that provide multiple services. A lot of times people feel it's a better deal to shop around and hire each specific service but when the day comes and you have to track down your photographer, caterer, DJ, photo booth, videographer or even your wedding officiant it's a lot of work. If you find a service that provides your DJ and photo booth or photographer DJ and photo booth that's reputable, I might add, then if there's issues you can contact 1 company not 5. Just a word of advice for you planners out there. Planners come up with an easy template that the vendors understand, making it a long drawn out detailed list can be confusing.

Plan ahead, make sure everyone is comfortable with the timing including your customers and try to be organized. You will 99 percent of the time be so glad you did. It won't always be perfect but if you do get into an issue handle it calmly and efficiently. 

Friday, September 23, 2016

Uplighting and Room Uplights for a Wedding or Party

You see uplighting at numerous weddings, parties, corporate events, school dances, bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs, sweet 16s and just about any kind of event where there's music or some kind of entertainment. So what is uplighting or uplights? Uplights are those lights you see that beam a color up the wall in a banquet hall, reception hall, hotel or country club. Lighting specialists use anywhere from 10-20 uplights in an entire room. It gives that room a dramatic color effect to match the decor or the theme of that party or wedding. 

An uplight can really add that elegant and classy look to an event. Look at your average room, most rooms are one color on the walls, beige, tan or your basic white. Now imagine if your planning an a wedding, a party, a corporate event, sweet 16 or mitzvah and you want to really excite your guests when they walk in a room. That is the idea behind uplighting. Say your bridal party is wearing a light blue and your center pieces are a light blue, you can illuminate the room in a light blue color and make the entire room glow beautifully.

 Back in the old days not that long ago the 1990s and early 2000s lighting production companies used lights with color gels that had really hot light bulbs as uplights. They were dangerous, could cause a fire or burn someone. Those days are over! Uplighting has taken a modern turn for the better. With the new technology of L.E.D. which allows for lights that stay cool to the touch all the time and the changing of colors within a second, the possibilities of uplights are endless. Uplight companies can ow provide a full selection of colors from one solid green, blue, amber or lavender to mix and match light pink and light blue, blue and white or moving lights. Uplights can change the entire atmosphere of your event. Guests will tell you how cool your room looks just by adding a simple touch of uplighting color to it. Consult your local lighting specialists.



We are an uplighting company based in the state of Florida and we specialize in changing your room color and creating an amazing uplight decor. "Wow" your guests with a dramatic and elegant room update and ad it to your services. You will be so happy with the look of L.E.D. uplighting. There's both wired and wireless uplight options available. You can put uplights under your tables for a really cool glow effect or line the room with them.