Last Minute Bookings Pros/Cons, Why Having Karaoke/Instrumental Music Is Important, and the Vibo Summer 19 Tour

Brian B's April 2024 Music Review: 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 by The Travel DJ Blend with DJ Brian B

20 min listen

INTERVIEW: DREW PIERCE - What Songs To Play vs The Knot's DNP List (Part 2): 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. by The Travel DJ Blend with DJ Brian B

22 min listen

INTERVIEW: DREW PIERCE - What Songs To Play vs The Knot's DNP List (Part 1): 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. by The Travel DJ Blend with DJ Brian B

29 min listen

INTERVIEW: Joe Bunn - How To Save Your 2024 and Build For 2025: In talking with DJs weekly, I get the sense we're headed for a similar 2023 where a decent amount of DJs didn't have the year in 2024 that they had hoped 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 industry educator, Joe Bunn, we talk through what can be done to not only save 2024 but also plant seeds for 2025. by The Travel DJ Blend with DJ Brian B

22 min listen

Is Scaling The Only Path To Happiness?: I was targeted with a Facebook or Instagram ad by a business coach in the event industry space who made the claim that scaling your business was the only way to achieve true happiness. Having run various types of DJ businesses - from a large scale multi-op to a boutique agency to a single-op, I can emphatically tell you it's not the "only" way. In this episode, I give DJ business owners a couple things to consider in this area. by The Travel DJ Blend with DJ Brian B

13 min listen

2 Ways You Can Win With A Booking Besides Money: Most people think the only way you can win with a booking is by getting paid. No doubt, that is important. But in this episode, I offer two other "wins" you can gain from a booking that are rarely talked about but will absolutely move the needle forward in your business. I also discuss 2 monetary landmines that you should look to avoid. by The Travel DJ Blend with DJ Brian B

9 min listen

Are You Really Triggered By The Knot's Do Not Play List?: I had a completely different direction I was going on the podcast this week and then the Knot's Do No Play List article (from January 2024) made the rounds on social media. As usual with these things, it conjured up a lot of emotion within the DJ community and boy did we see a few folks get triggered. I'm frankly at a loss as to why. What an opportunity you have to show yourself as the expert to your client. In this episode, I give you my thoughts on this. by The Travel DJ Blend with DJ Brian B

15 min listen

Brian B's March 2024 Music Review: 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 March 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 by The Travel DJ Blend with DJ Brian B

22 min listen

6 Time Efficiency Tips For DJs: Being a mobile DJ owner is not for the faint of heart. Since running my own business, I've never found a time where I was like, "I'm bored." It doesn't matter if you're a single-op or a multi-op owner; you will always have a never ending list of things to do. That being said, we should never be beholden to our job. It should be a means to an end. Over the years, there's 6 things I've incorporated into my workflow to help me stay efficient with my time. Time is the one thing we can NEVER get back. Once it's gone, it's gone. In sharing these tips, my hope is that you can find at least one of them useful and that it can give you a sense of feeling like you are in control of your responsiblities instead of time and tasks controlling you. by The Travel DJ Blend with DJ Brian B

16 min listen

High Priced DJs: Mastering Preferred Venue Lists: A homemade Halloween costume, Chevrolet Astro van seats, and blowing $1000. What do these things have to do with being the highest priced DJ on a preferred venue list where you find yourself unable to land events due to the other lower priced DJs on the list? You'll have to listen to find out. by The Travel DJ Blend with DJ Brian B

10 min listen

Brian B's February 2024 Music Review: 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 February 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. by The Travel DJ Blend with DJ Brian B

18 min listen

Brian B's January 2024 Music Review: 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 January 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. by The Travel DJ Blend with DJ Brian B

20 min listen

Are You Asking For A Client's Event Budget?: This episode could be a game changing listen for you. At the very least, it should give you all the confidence you would ever need to go out to the world with your pricing, no matter what it is. In the last month and a half, I've been asking clients this question: What Is Your Overall Event Budget? Maybe I was naive for the last 20 years, but after reviewing what it is clients are spending on their events and what percentage of the pie we're receiving, it doesn't seem to me to be an even exchange when you look at the overall impact we have on events. I think it's time we change that. Listen and let me know if you agree. by The Travel DJ Blend with DJ Brian B

16 min listen

5 Networking Efficiency Tips In 2024: Is networking your kryptonite? Or maybe you find it challenging to do it efficiently (and effectively)? As someone who books business around the country (and a few internationally), it's important that I have a system that not only works but is manageable with all the other things I have going on (family life, other business ventures, etc.). In this episode, I share 5 networking strategies that are working for me in 2024. by The Travel DJ Blend with DJ Brian B

16 min listen

DJs Beware: Planner 'Dream Team' Verbiage and Fake Inquiries: I haven't done a rant in a while but this one is warranted. This "dream team"verbiage you're seeing by planners is not helping the industry. In fact, it further divides it. By creating this elitist category of creatives, it also has led to fake inquiries. Nobody deserves that. I address the elephant in the room on this episode. by The Travel DJ Blend with DJ Brian B

15 min listen

W2 (Employee) vs 1099 (Subcontractor) Classification: In response to the last episode, some listeners wanted me to cover W2 (Employee) vs 1099 (Subcontractors). I've actually run my company both ways a few different times. In this episode, I share the pros and cons to both and give you an option at the end that may be advantageous for those wanting to blur the lines between office workers/event performers. by The Travel DJ Blend with DJ Brian B

23 min listen

How To Pay Your DJs: 3 Options: One of those "learn on the job" things in the mobile DJ world is how to pay your DJs if you become a mutli-op owner. It usually starts with a copy and paste of someone else's way of doing it and then it morphs into whatever it takes to keep your Djs on the staff. Guilty, party of 1 of those approaches. Over the years, it's become apparent to me that there are 3 options to paying your DJs. I go through the pros and cons of each. At the end of the day, you have a 100% booking pie to work with. Once I wrapped my head around that, it was easy to figure out what I could offer my DJs. What are your thoughts? Am I missing a method? Does one I mention resonate for you? by The Travel DJ Blend with DJ Brian B

15 min listen

Goal Setting Strategy in 2024: Is goal setting hard for you? It was for me. For years, I felt like I struggled striking the perfect balance between making goals too easy and too hard for myself. There was no rhyme or reason to how I'd figure out what my goals were. A few years back, I started to get real intentional about my goals and put together a structure that not only serves my business well, but also is used for me personally and for my family. I wanted to share it with all of you in hopes of helping you create a goal strategy that sets you up for success in 2024. by The Travel DJ Blend with DJ Brian B

16 min listen

INTERVIEW: Malike Adigun - The Building Of A Brand: I thought this interview was lost. We recorded this 5 months ago but the file was corrupted. Somehow, I worked some voodoo magic and I was able to bring it back to life. Thank God because there's some gold in here. Malike Adigun is crushing it in Florida with company, Curate Entertainment. A large part of that success has been his marketing and branding. In that vain, he recently launched a new venture called "The Curated DJ" which is a branding and social media agency aimed at helping the mobile DJ figure out their brand identity and tell that story. We talk all the things in this episode. by The Travel DJ Blend with DJ Brian B

35 min listen

Airline Loyalty Programs: Recently got off a mileage run and documented that journey. I was flooded with questions about what that meant and why airline loyalty programs matter. With that in mind, I decided to record an episode on it. by The Travel DJ Blend with DJ Brian B

13 min listen

Brian B's December's 2023 Music Review: 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 December 2023. 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. by The Travel DJ Blend with DJ Brian B

21 min listen

The Fifty Thousand Dollar Theft (Update 3): Last year I posted an episode (Season 4, Episode 50) about a $50K theft I experienced. I had some progress on that front and shared update #2 (Season 5, Episode 22) in May of this year. Here's update #3 (more than 20 months after the theft occurred). Cliff notes version: I'm stilling clinging to the old adage that goes, "The wheels of justice grind slowly." by The Travel DJ Blend with DJ Brian B

15 min listen

Brian B's October's 2023 Music Review: 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 October 2023. 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. by The Travel DJ Blend with DJ Brian B

21 min listen

Brian B's November 2023 Music Review: 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 November 2023. 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. by The Travel DJ Blend with DJ Brian B

20 min listen

With Bad Customer Service Comes Opportunity: I've been noticing the denigration of customer service...not just on the national level but on the local level and even within the event industry. Therein lies the opportunity. In this episode, I talk through some of things I've noticed with the decline of service and I give a few tips on how you can stand out. by The Travel DJ Blend with DJ Brian B

14 min listen

Track Hacks: Courtyard Marriotts, Mileage Match, and Airport Parking: In this episode, I share 3 travel hacks - Courtyard Marriott hospitality/amenities, mileage matching with airlines, and keeping your paper airport parking ticket. I had to deal with all 3 this past month. Traveling as much as I do, my hope is that these hacks can save you headaches and improve your travel experiences. by The Travel DJ Blend with DJ Brian B

13 min listen

Brian B's August 2023 Music Review: 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 August 2023. 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. by The Travel DJ Blend with DJ Brian B

21 min listen

Brian B's July 2023 Music Review: 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 July2023. 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. by The Travel DJ Blend with DJ Brian B

24 min listen

Is Expansion The Metric For Success?: Recently, there was a discussion in the private event DJ world about how the McDonald's model should be considered as something to emulate - selling services for cheap (and potentially even a subpar product) to produce big net revenue numbers. But is that fool's gold? What are the pros and cons of such an approach? The opposite of this is to sell to less clients for more money. But is there another way other than those two options? I believe there is. We discuss all of this and more on this episode. by The Travel DJ Blend with DJ Brian B

14 min listen

What Happens When The Bottom Falls Out Of Your Pricing Model?: When the financial belts of our clients tighten or a disaster strikes (hello wildfires, oil spills and COVID), you're able to really test how resilient of a pricing model you have. When it comes down to it and things aren't booking, what do you do? A lot of companies are dropping their prices in order to keep business coming through the door. Sounds like a solid strategy, but is it? Have you ever thought of the consequences of making that type of move? In this episode, I talk through both the short-term and long-term effects of a price reduction strategy as well as how to create a pricing structure that not only allows you to make it to the other side but to do so in an even stronger position than you are today. by The Travel DJ Blend with DJ Brian B

22 min listen

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Last Minute Bookings Pros/Cons, Why Having Karaoke/Instrumental Music Is Important, and the Vibo Summer 19 Tour

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