[Dixielandjazz] Band leaders, put your local DJ out of work.

[Stephen Barbone]

How many times do we bemoan the fact that the DJs are eating our lunch?
(That we are losing gigs to them, for those unfamiliar American with
idioms)

Why not become the DJ?

Barbone Street gets asked do a lot of weddings for young people who hear
us at our various general audience gigs. They want our music, but they
also want to have their young friend's music too and when we quote a
price, saying we will only play Dixieland Jazz  & Swing, they blanche,
saying they'll have to hire a DJ too in order to please everybody. So
can't we do it for less? I used to just say "No".

Then the light went on. (I had always been using my CD player to play
OKOM during breaks on regular gigs) I offer to become the DJ simply by
saying I'll hook up my CD player to the sound system (Fender Passport
250). I then suggest they burn their own CDs which I will play on our
breaks at their wedding.

WORKS LIKE A CHARM.

Not only that, by if the Bride and Father want their dance to be Country
& Western (happened last Saturday) they burn a Randy Travis song and I
play it for them.

RESULT:

We did a six hour wedding reception. They burned 2 Miles Davis songs for
our break during the cocktail portion, the Travis song for Bride and
Daddy's dance and two hours of line dancing for the kids during our
breaks. Bride and Groom danced to their song,  "Ain't Misbehavin" which
we played and sang. Groom and Mom danced to "Georgia on My Mind".
Attendees (including the kids) danced to us playing "Wonderful World",
"All of Me" and various other OKOM songs.

We even got to eat dinner (one hour) without going back between courses
to play etc. Just put the CDs on.

Best of all, we got paid long green for six hours, played about 3 and a
half, had a great dinner and everybody went away saying this was the
best wedding band/DJ they ever heard. The groom insisted that I mention
my CDs and I ended up selling a bunch.

We learned to do this about 2 years ago and have been playing only OKOM
at weddings while DJing during the breaks, and/or using their CDs for
special songs that the bride and groom have custom made.

Our wedding business is growing and a new audience is enjoying OKOM. No
downside.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone