So you are getting married and in your search, you have found Airwaves Music. You are looking for a Kelowna DJ or a Vancouver DJ or something in the surrounding areas. Your budget is tight and you have called around and you aren’t 100% sure if you should choose an ipod or a DJ. While we may be biased, we want you to do what is right for you as one of our core values is to help others first. We have done our best to fairly weigh the pros and cons so that you can make a fair and educated decision.

So here goes nothing, we are ready to share our knowledge with you in order to help prepare you to answer the daunting question….will you go with an iPod, or should you hire a DJ?

Below are the main pros and cons of each decision. In the end, only you can decide what the best option is for you

iPod

iPod’s were never designed to single handedly run a party. They were the newcomer after the “walkman” and the the “discman”. The idea of having one of these portable devices supplying music at your event isn’t new and both our Kelowna DJs and our Vancouver DJs have been answering these questions for years. Here are the pros and cons of using ipods:

iPod Pros:
-iPod’s are much cheaper than a DJ. You don’t have to pay a DJ and you don’t have to worry about hiring the wrong DJ who might be cheesy or play bad music. All DJs are not created equal but all ipods are. Hiring a good ipod is much better than hiring a terrible DJ. For Kelowna DJs or Kelowna Musicians and Vancouver DJs and Vancouver Musicians, ask some vendors about Airwaves Music before choosing an ipod. You will be surprised by our affordable pricing coupled with our high level of experience.

-You have complete control over the music selection ahead of time-A good DJ should help you with this too as part of their service with a “music checklist”, but unprofessional ones often do not.

iPod Cons:
-You still have to rent and setup/takedown the PA gear. PA rentals range in cost from $400 for something small up to over $1000 for a large system. You also have to coordinate the lights… Plus, who is going to be running the ipod? One of your guests? Shouldn’t they be enjoying your wedding or special event? Are they reliable? Will they have a few too many drinks and mess it up? Is this going to be a smooth, trustworthy process? All of these questions are valid and are worth thinking through extremely carefully. In our opinion, your family and friends are there to celebrate with you, not to be your DJ. You could have an acquaintance do it, but this brings up a difficult question… If you aren’t close enough to have them as a guest, are they really close enough to be trusted with the music?

-Noone is running the system, so guests will be fighting all night and stopping and changing songs without anyone controlling it. You may need an ipod guard to stop all your guests from single-handedly destroying the flow of your playlist!

-If something goes wrong with the sound system-screeches, feedback, you need a mic to turn on and off, the sound is WAY too loud or too quiet, there isn’t enough bass, you are out of luck. Noone will be there to mix on the fly, so you are basically hoping (wishing and praying) that everything works out

-If your guests don’t like your playlist and stop dancing, you become the DJ and the blame goes on you

-All the responsibility is on you for the night to go well

DJ:

-Good DJs have experience. They know how to read the crowd and keep the dance floor bumpin’ all night. They know when a good party song needs to be played, when to play something traditional and when to play the odd slow dance. In short, they’re the masters of the dance floor

-DJs setup the equipment, monitor it all night and set it down. This is less strain on you physically and less stress. They are experts at their gear and could work it with their eyes closed

-DJs act as a filter-making sure the good requests get played and the drunken request for songs like “love hurts” at your wedding reception don’t get played

-DJs mix live-they adjust the mid, the bass and the treble on each individual song to make sure it flows smoothly and the volume levels stay the same. As well, good DJs match song tempos and keys in order to have songs seamlessly transition from one to the next

-Good DJs can MC when you need a rescuer!

-DJs often bring the PA and the lights-all included

-Good DJs have a huge selection of songs and know how to make the night run smooth. You should think of it like you are paying then 25% to bring and setup the gear, 25% to run it and 50% to ensure that your night goes amazing. Good DJs can basically guarantee you will have an unforgettable event.

Cons:
-DJs can be expensive-some ranging over $2000 for an event like a wedding reception

-Not all DJs are created equal-like any industry, there are good ones and bad ones, professional and unprofessional. Ask other vendors or business owners what they have to say and who they recommend. Good DJs will have reference letters from vendors (not phony made up names of past clients, but real businesses you can call). Good DJs have a website and they return your calls and emails within 7 days minimum.

-Some DJs are out of date. Make sure that if you are going to hire one, they keep up with the latest trends

-Some DJs drink and smoke-Taking smoke breaks and drinking on the job can ruin an event-ensure your DJ doesn’t ahead of time and ask for a reference.

-Some DJs have hidden costs-ensure your DJ will give you a Price Sheet or a full quote ahead of time so you know what you are getting into.

TIP *** Also try googling Kelowna DJs and Kelowna Musicians or Vancouver DJs and Vancouver Musicians before you hire a DJ and speak to some companies over the phone. The ones that take the time with you, answer your questions, provide you with references and follow up with you are the only ones worth hiring. A high quality of customer service shows you their level of professionalism.

For large or serious events, trusting an iPod is a gamble. If you are a gambling type of person then this option may in fact work out for you. If you want a guarantee that your event will be spectacular, find a good DJ. You don’t need to hire the most expensive DJ, but find one with some experience, who has a website, some references, returns your calls and seems professional. Whatever you do, don’t hire a cheap DJ. DJs charging ridiculously low amounts are the fly by night guys. They have even been known to take deposits and run. Find someone who charges a fair price, middle of the road or slightly higher as you know that they are serious and are making enough money to run a professional DJ business. If your DJ only charges $500, they would have to do 60 gigs a year just to make 30K, nevermind the cost of advertising and equipment. There is just no way they can run a proper business for this price.

Along with the food and the ceremony, the party (IE: THE MUSIC) has been shown statistically to be the most memorable part of your party. Using an ipod instead of a DJ is similar to doing the catering yourself. If it is a once in a lifetime event, create a budget and do it up right if you can. Airwaves provides Kelowna DJs and Vancouver DJs as well as Kelowna musicians and Vancouver musicians which are professionals with over 10 years experience each. Our teams are extremely small, experienced, reliable and affordable. You spend a fraction on a DJ or live band that you do compared to catering or your ceremony location yet it is of equal importance. Set a budget aside and find a great DJ. We recommend Airwaves in the Kelowna or Vancouver area. We watched the market for over 10 years before we started this business because we knew there was a gap. Other Kelowna DJs and Vancouver DJs were either affordable yet unprofessional or extremely professional yet expensive and often unreliable. Airwaves filled that gap and we are confident that we are the very best at what we do. We have the experience and yet because we work as a collective group, we are able to offer competitive pricing. Nobody else in the industry comes close to that.

So, for a serious or important event, hire a DJ and a GOOD one.
For a pool party or if you are the gambling type, grab an iPod. But don’t say we didn’t warn you. Just know the risks ahead of time and make your choices accordingly. DJs are the pros, so trust them like you trust a good mechanic or electrician. They know their stuff, but only get them if the event is important to you or has over 30 or so people attending.