Episodes

As a full-time destination event DJ, I'm booking all my travel right now for events up through May. As I did a search last week for some flights, I was shocked to find ticket prices were in some cases THREE TIMES more than the typical price. So how do you handle this? Especially when you're quoting prices 6-12 months out, how do you protect yourself without knowing something like a gas surge is on the horizon? In this episode, I give you 2 strategies to consider which will limit your risk of profitability and I also share a ton of little purchasing hacks along the way. Even if you're just the occasional flier for business or leisure, there's some tips for everyone in this episode.

Sometimes pop culture gives us moments (both good and bad) that we can learn from. Last night was one of them, especially as entertainers, at one the world's premiere events. In this episode, I give you 5 things we can learn as entertainers from the Will Smith and Chris Rock Oscar moment.

In this episode, I share why I think a negative can actually be a positive. We start out saying "no" as a child but at some point, we're told we should always say "yes". As entrepreneurs, I believe we need to get back to our child-like roots.

I subscribe to a ton of record pools beyond digging through blogs, streaming services, Shazam, and the like. I thought I would share my top 10 most interesting musical track finds with you this month. 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 events.

This might be one of the most valuable episodes I've ever recorded and not for the reason you think. Getting 5 star reviews is important no doubt, but building a foundation for your business that allows you to get them for 'a process that is certain' rather than 'an outcome that is not' is a game changing philosophy. This is where I think creatives in our industry need to go.

One of my podcast premium content subscribers asked me to cover how I create and present my custom proposals. It's morphed over the years and I feel like I have it in the best place I possibly can (at the moment). In this episode, I talk through what I include in the proposal, the tools I use to create the various pieces and finally how I send them out.

Whether we realize it or not, we all have a red line - that is, a place where we won't let a client or a creative partner (i.e. a planner, photographer, etc.) cross. If they go beyond that line, it threatens the quality of the work or at the very least, sets a terrible precedent for the remainder of the working relationship. In this episode, I talk about my red line and why I think it's important for every creative to establish one.

Ghosting - it’s just a part of what we have to deal with as an industry…or is it? In this episode, I make a case for how we can stop it all together. It takes a commitment to not be swayed by the almighty dollar and to stand in your truth. If we do this, we’ll finally be able to get rid of not only the negative buzz word itself but the action all together.

I've always been a fan of rewarding yourself (if you sell yourself) or your salespeople for a sale. There are exceptions but by and large sales is not easy - time and money spent to market for the client you want, the sales consult, the proposal, the signing of the contract and the payment. That's a lot of steps. So when you get that sale, you should enjoy the spoils, whether it's you as the owner/salesperson or your sales team. In this episode, I walk through how to set up a sales commission structure. I've been a part of some awesome companies/organizations that have this stuff on lock and think I can give you some out of the box ideas here, whether you are a single-op or a multi-op.

I've heard a lot of DJ podcasts recently reference the benefit of short formality song edits and NY/NJ Mini Dance Sets. I want to give the other side of that argument. Simply put, I'm not a fan of either. I think both hurt the reception more than they help. In this episode, I give you my take on both and leave you with some food for thought. View the songs discussed on our Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3B062ZZKgEoFrhM28KYuM5?si=b99e46a023b7436b DJs: Interested in Heavy Hits Music Pool? Go to https://heavyhits.com/For my podcast listeners only, enter promo code: BRIANB - it gets you a 30 day trial for $5. Try it now. Have a topic you want covered? Drop me a DM at @thetraveldjblend. Has this podcast helped you? Share your thoughts by leaving a review on the Apple Podcast App.

Part 2 of 2 wedding music "left turns" - songs that you didn't see coming; where the DJ takes things in a different direction than the norm or what the crowd was expecting. Joining me as guest contributors are Drew Pierce from Long Beach, CA and Stylus Chris from Washington DC. In this episode, we cover opening dance sets and peak hour dance sets. View the songs discussed on our Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3B062ZZKgEoFrhM28KYuM5?si=b99e46a023b7436b DJs: Interested in Heavy Hits Music Pool? Go to https://heavyhits.com/For my podcast listeners only, enter promo code: BRIANB - it gets you a 30 day trial for $5. Try it now. Have a topic you want covered? Drop me a DM at @thetraveldjblend. Has this podcast helped you? Share your thoughts by leaving a review on the Apple Podcast App.

My music episodes are back. In this episode, I talk through wedding music "left turns" - songs that you didn't see coming; where the DJ takes things in a different direction than the norm or what the crowd was expecting. Joining me as guest contributors are Drew Pierce from Long Beach, CA and Stylus Chris from Washington DC. Specifically in this part 1, we cover cocktail hour, doors open and dinner. DJs: Interested in Heavy Hits Music Pool? Go to https://heavyhits.com/ For my podcast listeners only, enter promo code: BRIANB - it gets you a 30 day trial for $5. Try it now. Have a topic you want covered? Drop me a DM at @thetraveldjblend. Has this podcast helped you? Share your thoughts by leaving a review on the Apple Podcast App.

Have you ever had to articulate to a client what your deposit is for? To me, the answer to this question is just one in a line of questions that tells the story of your business. In this episode, I talk through the most commons answers to this question that I hear from DJ companies. Then, I try and give a perspective on it that I think could really change the trajectory of how you approach your business in general. DJs: Interested in Heavy Hits Music Pool? Go to https://heavyhits.com/ For my podcast listeners only, enter promo code: BRIANB - it gets you a 30 day trial for $5. Try it now. Have a topic you want covered? Drop me a DM at @thetraveldjblend. Has this podcast helped you? Share your thoughts by leaving a review on the Apple Podcast App

Are you tired of constantly dealing with customers or clients who say you're too expensive or they've found a cheaper DJ? I know I was. I'd be told it was all about things like being more persuasive, responding quickly, or showing value. The reality is that it goes much deeper than that. In this episode, I give you a few different things to think about and some tips so you can avoid wasting your time with people that just aren't your client. DJs: Interested in Heavy Hits Music Pool? Go to https://heavyhits.com/ For my podcast listeners only, enter promo code: BRIANB - it gets you a 30 day trial for $5. Try it now. Have a topic you want covered? Drop me a DM at @thetraveldjblend. Has this podcast helped you? Share your thoughts by leaving a review on the Apple Podcast App

Don't you hate it when advertisers call you and want you to advertise or marketers ping you wanting you to to participate in something you have no interest in doing? You don't want to say yes but you also might not have the heart to say no. How can you word something professionally that stops them in the tracks? Here's one of my go to lines. This is a fail safe. There is no way they can rebuttal you on this type of answer...it stops them dead in their tracks and you put the onus on them to remember to reach back out. I hope this helps you as much as it has me. DJs: Interested in Heavy Hits Music Pool? Go to https://heavyhits.com/ For my podcast listeners only, enter promo code: BRIANB - it gets you a 30 day trial for $5. Try it now. Have a topic you want covered? Drop me a DM at @thetraveldjblend. Has this podcast helped you? Share your thoughts by leaving a review on the Apple Podcast App

It's a New Year...but man did this last one (2021) kick my butt; to the point that I ran out of gas and am just now finally getting well. I talk through how to have your family or significant others support you when things get crazy then share 2 things that radically changed my year in 2021. Links to programs mentioned: https://thinkcoresmart.com http://www.thegeraldisaacstudio.com DJs: Interested in Heavy Hits Music Pool? Go to heavyhits.com For my podcast listeners only, enter promo code: BRIANB - it gets you a 30 day trial for $5. Try it now. Have a topic you want covered? Drop me a DM at @thetraveldjblend. Has this podcast helped you? Share your thoughts by leaving a review on the Apple Podcast App.

Rant...Errr...DJ Dad Talk Time. From the inception of this podcast, the goals have been to #1 - have conversations that others in our industry aren't having; ones that go deeper than surface level and #2 - push our industry forward. So when I see something that runs contrary to that, I feel it's my duty to share my take on the subject in a way that may run counter to what the rest of our industry is doing. I don't do it to change you mind necessarily but to help us not become blind sheep following those who have the loudest megaphones. Lately, I've been seeing a ton of people using declarative statements on social calling out haters. What's the purpose? Do those who are truly successful and have actual haters do that? I'm not seeing it from where I sit. In this episode, I make the arguments for letting the haters talk and not giving them a seat in my headspace. DJs: Interested in Heavy Hits Music Pool? Go to heavyhits.com For my podcast listeners only, enter promo code: BRIANB -…

Another story from the gig log. I share the story (a first for me as a DJ as it pertains to this particular issue) but the greater point of the episode is to ponder when is enough enough as far as the private event DJ always being looked to save the day when there's an emergency? Where's the line? What has happened to competent professionals? I hope this is not the post COVID norm but maybe it is. Anyway, here's a call to the greater private event DJ community - the more we enable others by bailing out folks when it's not our responsibility, the more this is going to reflect poorly on us and the more often it will happen. The real loser in all this is the client; and that's the real tragedy here. DJs: Interested in Heavy Hits Music Pool? Go to heavyhits.comFor my podcast listeners only, enter promo code: BRIANB - it gets you a 30 day trial for $5. Try it now. Have a topic you want covered? Drop me a DM at @thetraveldjblend. Has this podcast helped you? Share your thoughts by leaving…

I worked an ungodly amount of events this past Fall. With that, comes a ton of stories. In this episode, I share 3 of them - the faulty power box, lost luggage, and one about a broken elevator. These are just the tip of the iceberg of things I've experienced over the last few months. More stories to come. But with each one, there's an opportunity to learn from them and not only get perspective, but get better at my craft. DJs: Interested in Heavy Hits Music Pool? Go to heavyhits.com For my podcast listeners only, enter promo code: BRIANB - it gets you a 30 day trial for $5. Try it now. Have a topic you want covered? Drop me a DM at @thetraveldjblend. Has this podcast helped you? Share your thoughts by leaving a review on the Apple Podcast App.

It takes a minute for me to get there but the crux of this episode is about transparency (especially with our social media). Do our clients really need to see everything? I think there is a line and at some point, transparency has some diminishing returns if you don't hold it in check. Here's my take on the subject. DJs: Interested in Heavy Hits Music Pool? Go to heavyhits.com For my podcast listeners only, enter promo code: BRIANB - it gets you a 30 day trial for $5. Try it now. Have a topic you want covered? Drop me a DM at @thetraveldjblend. Has this podcast helped you? Share your thoughts by leaving a review on the Apple Podcast App.

One thing I feel like I'm really good at is multi-tasking and getting things done. I DJ and sell my own events, run a DJ Experience called the DJC, record this podcast, run a coaching group and do individual coaching, am in 3 masterminds myself, have a mid-level DJ brand I own, handle my own social media and that's just my "work" life. Add in a wife, a kiddo, my own hobbies and interests and you can see things are busy for me. Then add to that the fact that I'm on the road at least half the year. I've had to learn how to be efficient and maximize my time. In this episode, I share some of the things I've learned along the way and give some pointers on how I make it all work. DJs: Interested in Heavy Hits Music Pool? Go to heavyhits.com For my podcast listeners only, enter promo code: BRIANB - it gets you a 30 day trial for $5. Try it now. Have a topic you want covered? Drop me a DM at @thetraveldjblend. Has this podcast helped you? Share your thoughts by leaving a review on the Appl…

Is there a difference between being thirsty and hungry? Absolutely there it is. In this episode, I break down the nuances between the two and talk through why I feel it's imperative that you get this right. This could literally make or break certain opportunities that are presented to you. DJs: Interested in Heavy Hits Music Pool? Go to heavyhits.com For my podcast listeners only, enter promo code: BRIANB - it gets you a 30 day trial for $5. Try it now. Have a topic you want covered? Drop me a DM at @thetraveldjblend. Has this podcast helped you? Share your thoughts by leaving a review on the Apple Podcast App.

As you move into higher end events, you will inevitably be working with a planner. So it makes sense to ask, what are planners looking for in DJ Set-ups? This may influence what you invest money into. I don't think it's as complicated as it may seem. Communication is key. In this episode, I talk through what is truly important here and share a few of the things that have worked well for me. DJs: Interested in Heavy Hits Music Pool? Go to heavyhits.com For my podcast listeners only, enter promo code: BRIANB - it gets you a 30 day trial for $5. Try it now. Have a topic you want covered? Drop me a DM at @thetraveldjblend. Has this podcast helped you? Share your thoughts by leaving a review on the Apple Podcast App.

Getting a little deep in the weeds on this one. Once you move from hobby/amateur creative to professional, can you measure quality? Unless it's a specific metric, I think it becomes more of a stylistic question, then one of quality. In this episode, we dissect this further. DJs: Interested in Heavy Hits Music Pool? Go to heavyhits.com For my podcast listeners only, enter promo code: BRIANB - it gets you a 30 day trial for $5. Try it now. Have a topic you want covered? Drop me a DM at @thetraveldjblend. Has this podcast helped you? Share your thoughts by leaving a review on the Apple Podcast App.