Episodes

Most people don't want to poke the bear or deal with the elephant in the room. It's uncomfortable, possibly painful, and it's not the most fun thing to talk about. However, like a train coming down the tracks, it's not going to reverse course. It's coming (for some, it's already here) so best to have a game plan in place. What am I talking about? Inflation! Whether you want to believe it or not, it will impact your DJ bookings in some way. In this episode, I talk through the different DJ categories that will be hit the hardest and then I give some suggestions on how to come out on top when we get to the other side of it.

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 sets.

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 sets.

PREMIUM CONTENT PODCAST EPISODE: There's a saying that goes, "leaders are readers". I stand behind that 100%. In this particular episode, I give you my top 3 out of 10 books that need to be on your reading list if you're running a DJ business. SPOILER: While I know we have some incredible authors within our industry (shoutout to Mike Walter, Joe Bunn, Mitch Taylor, Alan Berg and Andrea Eppolito to mention a few), I pull from outside our industry on this list. I explain why on the episode. If you want all 10, check out my website by clicking "premium podcast content", there you will be able to download a PDF of my top 10 PLUS 5 honorable mentions.

I think the saying goes, "Father time is undefeated". That being said, in this day and age, we have all the tools and resources to DJ much longer than ever before. So how do you have longevity in the DJ game? In this episode, I share 6 tips which I believe give you the biggest chance for staying a DJ long-term.

I don't typically do DJ gear product reviews on this podcast but felt as a traveling DJ, this would be helpful for those that are doing travel gigs and wondering if these products would be viable. In this episode, I review the Pioneer DDJ-Rev 7, the Pioneer XDJ-XZ and the AIAIAI TMA-2 Studio Wireless Headphones. None of these things were on my wish list when they first came out but after playing with them, my tune has changed slightly.

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 sets.

We're in the midst of industry convention season. Do you have a strategy in not only deciding which ones to attend but also how to maximize your investment at them? What's a true win? In this episode, I side down with one of my really good friends and photographer extraordinaire, Phillip Van Nostrand. He's based out of NYC and has nailed ROI in attending industry shows. He shares got so many nuggets here that your next show attendance experience will be better for listening to this.

Ever dealt with a parent of the bride or groom who is almost sabotaging the wedding by being on a power trip? How do you balance your allegiance to the person signing the contract with the person(s) who could be paying for the wedding? In this episode, I give you my take on how I would handle something of this nature.

Often we think of leadership as only being needed for companies with a lot of employees and generally, you're thrust into the role as the company grows without any training whatsoever. That can lead to some costly mistakes if you aren't careful. In this episode, I sit down with Broc Barton owner of Elevate Entertainment. He realized early on that the best leaders tend to work on themselves first. Once that is in order, it flows down to the rest of the organization. He's doing some incredible things with his team in this leadership development endeavor that I think could transform our entire industry if we all got on board.

Upon looking at the title, you might think to yourself, "This guy sure is full of himself! A rider? For a private event DJ?" The answer is 'no' to the full of himself part but 'yes' to the need for a private event DJ. In this episode, I talk through why I feel it's important to have one and some of the things you should include. At the end, I share where you can download my personal DJ rider in full.

Have you heard of The DJ Collective? In this episode, I talk through what it is, why it started, how it launched and really the ethos behind the experience. There's a reason it has either sold out or oversold every year and it goes back to the foundation. It has never wavered...though it has evolved over the years. You will have a little more understanding of what makes this "experience" so different from other learning opportunities in the DJ and for that matter, event industry, at large as I cover DJC 1.0 - enjoy!

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.