Even when I am acting as your Master of Ceremonies, I keep the focus on you. I always remember that I am not the star of your show.

I only play "Family-Friendly" music. I look at it this way. If I'd feel funny playing a song with my own mother present, then it's not something I want to play when your mother is present. The exception is when the guest of honor makes the request.

Yes.

If for any reason you are not satisfied, you are entitled to a full refund. All I ask is to be allowed to learn from the situation, by having the refund request in writing, detailing the reasons for the dissatisfaction.

Yes. I always tell people to make sure to get a contract for all of their event vendors. Your special event should not be the sort of thing you trust to a mere handshake.

Unfortunately, there are many unprofessional DJs are out there, people who insist upon full payment in advance, and then do not show up, provide poor excuses, and then refuse to refund any money already paid. Without a contract, you're out of luck.

Even if the vendor provides a contract, be sure to read it. Many vendor's contracts protect the vendor but do little to protect their clients. I encourage you to compare my contract to see for yourself. Download my contract, It's all plain-english, common sense stuff, but very important for both of us.

Additionally, while I expect an initial payment when the contract is signed, the balance is not due until the day of the event, not the weeks or months beforehand many of my competitors demand.

The initial payment is about 33% of the total.

If you need to cancel, the balance due will be determined on a sliding scale based on the reason for the cancellation, the amount of time provided to resell the scheduled date to another client, and whether or not your party is rescheduled.

If I need to cancel, I will provide you with the choice of a full refund or substitute entertainer at a substantially reduced price.

In the event of a mutual cancellation due to a Winter storm or other similar situation, all money paid is applied to a future re-booking, or refunded if I am already booked on the new date.

No. I never book two events on the same day. I would never want to risk my reputation by sending a substitute.

That is a very common occurrence with budget entertainers and/or entertainers that do not use a contract. Those types of DJs have given the DJ industry a black eye by using substitutes, canceling at last minute, or simply not showing up at an event - and then often not providing a refund.

I would have to be very sick to risk my reputation by getting a substitute to cover for me, after you have put so much trust in me to hire me.

That situation has happened once. I was in the hospital. From my hospital bed I made a couple calls to my entertainer friends and had one of them cover an event, scheduled for two days later. I then called the client to explain the situation. Of course she was not happy that she was getting a substitute. Who would be? But she was extremely happy that I was able to get the substitute, that she didn't have to scramble to find someone, and that I was able to provide the substitute with all of my notes about the event. The event went well. The client, although nervous at first, was happy at the end.

That entertainer is still at the top of my list of who to call in an emergency. Through my association with other entertainers I am able to keep that list long and up-to-date.

Yes. I carry a two million dollar liability and property damage policy.

Many venues will not allow an outside vendor into their facility without insurance. Additionally, while a situation where a claim would be made is extremely rare, you don't want to be the party host when an incident occurs, and the vendor involved does not have insurance.

Yes. It is my preference to meet at least once prior to booking. I'd like to get to know you, every bit as much as you want to get to know me.

Meetings can include both pre-booking inquiry meetings, and post-booking planning meetings.

However, this is the day and age where so many people seem to do everything on the internet or via email. If that's you, I can accommodate you with my extensive internet based planning tools.

Some references are posted on my Referral Letters page. Additionally, just ask for a listing of past clients with contact information.

Just as you wouldn't want outsiders at your event, I cannot invite you to a private event where I am working. However, you CAN come to one of my public or charity events. Contact me for the date and location.

I attempt to tailor every event to your wishes. Therefore any video I provide would not demonstrate how I would perform at your event. Additionally, such a video would be illegal without written permission from everyone that appears in it. Yes, I realize that other entertainers routinely provide videos without getting that permission. That doesn't make it right.

I have thousands of songs to choose from, but not every song is for every group. I tailor my selections to the group assembled. This is my ability to "Read The Crowd" and play just the right music at just the right time.

I never beg or cajole people to dance. I may make announcements to encourage dancing, but it will be in a passive manner. I will never pull people onto the floor, either physically or over the microphone.

Some people will never dance. Others may dance no matter what song is being played.

Then there are those people that need a nudge to get started. For them I may play songs like the Cha Cha Slide and Macarena. Songs that do not require a dance partner. Additionally, I will get on the dance floor and lead these dances if necessary. Once your guests are on the dance floor, I mix great party songs with your requests.

In addition to merely playing great music, I can help coordinate some unusual events and games that will make your party different and more entertaining than the average affair, and fun for everyone - fun even for those people that won't get out of their chair all night.

That really depends on you and your desires. I can play upbeat party music all night long, or start with mellower music at the beginning and during dinner, and build towards the high energy party music later in the evening. I try to emulate your style at your event.

Yes. It's your party, not mine.

I provide online party planning tools, including a music library search and select system, making it easy for you to select your requests, as well as mark any songs as "Do Not Play."

Yes and no.

There is great debate whether there is a difference in the sound quality between CD and MP3. While I agree that it may be possible to tell the difference under ideal conditions, a noisy banquet room is far from ideal conditions. And the debate usually centers around low bit rate MP3.

I therefore have come up with a compromise. I do not use the MP3 format for the songs most often played, but instead use Apple's Lossless high quality format. For the music I play less often, I have converted to high bit rate MP3. The remainder of my music library has been converted to a medium bit rate MP3 - still higher than the bit rate that is typically sited in the MP3 sound quality debates.