DJAA’s Glenn Mackay Inducted Into The WED Guild

  • Meeting Your DJ

    6 May 2020
    DJAA
    3381
    0

    Planning a wedding can be a daunting task. A lot more goes into it than most couples ever consider. It is easy to feel like it’s all becoming a bit too much after a certain point, especially when it comes to choosing your wedding DJ.

    So why would it be a good thing to meet your DJ?

    Well, for peace of mind, it isn’t as simple as just typing “wedding DJ” into a search engine and quickly browsing a bunch of websites and looking through their photo galleries. If they have testimonials on their website, this may be a good start, but it will never replace meeting them face to face.

    A professional DJ will offer the opportunity to sit down with them before you buy. These conversations (or a consultation) can make all the difference when it comes to your wedding day, so make sure you take advantage of them.

    Ask all the questions you can think of and make sure the DJ can deliver what you have in mind. It is also vital that you have the opportunity to see whether you all ‘click’ as they can be with you for so much of your wedding day and represent such a large part of your wedding success. Use the consultation to make sure you’ll be hiring someone you can be at ease with and who will be a positive addition to your day, after all, building up that level of rapport can only be a good thing.

    Also, many modern wedding DJs will likely have a few options regarding the services they supply that may not always be transparent from simply reading the text on their websites.

    Finally, your DJ has likely been to far more weddings than you have and will be a resource to you. They will advise you on elements that are enhanced with entertainment that you may have never considered.

    As most married couples will likely tell you, finding a DJ who can provide what you are looking for; someone you will get on with; and will fit within your vision of your wedding day is no small feat. That said, putting in the time and effort to meet them before you make any decisions are vital and the key to making your wedding day as enjoyable for you both as possible.

    The DJ Alliance Australasia along with our international not-for-profit partner Associations, the Canadian Professional Disc Jockey Association (Canada) and the National Association of Disc Jockeys (UK) are publishing a series of articles designed to help the general public better utilise the industry our collective Associations represent. We hope these articles are helpful and function to assist everyone achieve greater event success with mobile DJ & MC entertainment.

    DJs & MCs wishing to publish DJAA “DJ MC Hiring Tips” blog content to their own website is permissible provided the content remains unchanged and when credit is given to a guest author that credit remains intact at the end of the blog post as originally written. Those republishing blog content must also have the following line inserted at the start of the post:

    This was originally published by the DJAA (embed link to original article here) and has been republished here with permission.

    Continue Reading
  • Your Wedding + a Pandemic. Now what?

    7 Apr 2020
    DJAA
    3130
    0

    This probably goes without saying, but the past few weeks have been a bit of a blur for all of us.

    For those of you planning a once in a lifetime event, this has been a blur of unique proportions, mixed with plenty of emotion and challenging decision making. Everyone in the special events world understands the discomfort you are going through, trying to figure out what is going to happen with your 2020 event.

    Event professionals across the world have hastily been coming together, through video and phone, for conversations to figure out the best path forward. While much of the conversation has centred around how to provide for their families and their employees over the coming months, there is also the other side. We have been speaking at length about the hard work, effort, money and emotions you have invested in your special events, and the uncertainty that you must be feeling. Likewise, the attachment that many of your wedding suppliers feel towards your wedding can leave them feeling emotionally and physically drained too, even without performing at the wedding.

    In the case of a wedding, years, and sometimes a lifetime of dreaming have gone into planning this special occasion. Through the following words, we would like to share some perspectives on postponement that have come from many in the special events world: decorators, wedding planners, florists, DJs, venues, and more.

    Deciding on a new date for your special celebration carries many benefits with it and we would like to share some of those here. This big step will allow you to preserve all that you have invested into your big day, and it also ensures that the professionals you are counting on will be around for you too.

    Research + Relationships

    Putting together an event like a wedding requires a lot of research to find the perfect dream team of wedding pros. By now, you have already done that work and discovered an amazing group of people and companies that are the right fit for you. Finding a new wedding date with your current team saves you from having to do that work all over again. Chances are that great relationships have begun between you and the individuals you’ve decided to work with too. Giving those relationships even longer to develop will ensure you have the most dedicated team of people on your side when your big day arrives. You also preserve the individual planning sessions that have taken place with your wedding planner, DJ/MC, decorator or florist. All of your plans can still take place, even if not in the short term. Don’t discard the work you and your dream team have already completed.

    Pricing + Payments

    Many of the wedding professionals we have talked with will honour the pricing you booked them at for a future date. Precise terms will vary from company to company, but overall, staying with the company you have booked saves you from potential price increases when the world returns to normal. We can’t be sure of anything just yet, but the fees you have currently agreed to will likely be more favourable than those in coming years. Most booking or reservation fees are also non-refundable, but most companies are willing to transfer those payments to a postponed event date. In most cases, a cancelled event will result in the loss of any payments made. Postponement of your event will ensure that any payments made will translate into services for you when your party takes place.

    Non-Saturdays

    An unexpected bonus to finding a new date is that many event professionals are offering incentives for non-Saturday events. Due to the number of weddings being postponed right now, Saturdays in 2021 (for example) are going to be in very short supply. Therefore, many companies are offering valuable incentives if people are willing to move their event to a Friday or Sunday or even a regular weekday. In the case of a wedding, no one will remember your wedding just because it happened on a Saturday, they’ll remember it for all of the happiness and joy it brought them, watching you and your partner tie the knot.

    Supporting Each Other

    These added incentives are being made available by many wedding professionals because they want to still be around when you need them. A mass cancellation of events right now assures that many of the companies you depend on might not make it through this crisis. Help them remain in service to you by moving your event to a future date and maybe, the incentive to go to a non-Saturday will bring you something wonderful you didn’t expect!

    Regardless of all that is happening in the world right now, there is no need to re-write your dream wedding. All of the details—your choice of flowers, that incredible photographer, the music for your dance party, the exquisite dinner you have planned—can still go on. If you are worried that COVID-19 might impact the date of your celebration or special event, reach out to the event professionals you have hired and work on a new date as soon as possible.

    We are all very excited to see your dreams come to life through the amazing event you have planned. We need to put those dreams on pause for a few months of course, but we want to be here when you are ready to make those dreams come true. We’re going to need a big party at the end of all of this anyways, right? Let’s make that party yours!

    The DJ Alliance Australasia along with our international not-for-profit partner Associations, the Canadian Professional Disc Jockey Association (Canada) and the National Association of Disc Jockeys (UK) are publishing a series of articles designed to help the general public better utilise the industry our collective Associations represent. We hope these articles are helpful and function to assist everyone achieve greater event success with mobile DJ & MC entertainment.

    DJs & MCs wishing to publish DJAA “DJ MC Hiring Tips” blog content to their own website is permissible provided the content remains unchanged and when credit is given to a guest author that credit remains intact at the end of the blog post as originally written. Those republishing blog content must also have the following line inserted at the start of the post:

    This was originally published by the DJAA (embed link to original article here) and has been republished here with permission.

    Continue Reading
  • Staging For Entertainment

    15 Mar 2020
    DJAA
    2694
    0

    Your wedding day is coming up and everything is in place. You’ve spent countless hours, not to mention dollars, to choose meaningful things that are beautiful, sentimental, fun and unique. But what you might be thinking now is, “What if they don’t see it?” or “What if no-one feels it?” Or how about, “Will I remember it and will it be something worth having the photographer capture?”

    Special events, particularly weddings, sometimes seem like a huge gamble with a big pile of money on a roulette wheel. “Here we go! I hope it all comes together!”

    There are many things you can do to assure that the space you have put so much time into will have the best chance of having an impact on your guests and get the most out of your photography. One of those things is staging!

    Staging is an old concept used for years by the theatre community to help frame the story being told. Think about it…you are sharing a story with your friends and family. A story filled with those things that are important to you using the beautiful things you have chosen to share with all of them.

    Staging has several layers to it and we could go very deep around how to use it to enhance every part of your wedding. Let’s just give you a basic concept you can use when standing in your venue making decisions about how it’s going to look.

    The two most common types of staging you’ll likely be using are Proscenium Staging and Theatre In the Round Staging.

    Proscenium Staging is defined as being when the audience looks at the staged area and it is framed all around the action with no-one seated behind it. Proscenium Staging is like your head table against a wall or window with all of your guests in front Similarly, when you say your vows to each other and everyone sits and watches from one side , this is also Proscenium Staging.

    Theatre in the Round Staging is used when the action is in the centre of the room and the guests are seated around the action. The easiest example from a wedding is likely your first dance. This is an ideal example of Theatre in the Round Staging.

    Consider where you, the stars of the show (the reason they came to watch) and the action that’s being presented will be. Where will your guests be? Imagine being that guest and now take into consideration what they will see around and behind you. Will what they see frame you beautifully? Will it have balance and symmetry? Can everyone see you from every seat and what will the worst seat in the house see? Are there structures within sight lines and do you care? What’s on the walls or windows behind you? Is there a door or an exit sign or a fire extinguisher in the framed area?

    Taking these things into consideration not only draws your guests more deeply into the moments you want them to experience, but it will also ensure that the photographer and videographer will have great angles to work with, making sure that your investment with them will be somewhat protected.

    This simple way of thinking about staging can help you envision what your guests will experience from the ceremony to the cocktail reception to the dinner and into the dance. Where you are, where the bar should be, where the dance floor should go — all of these decisions can have an enormous impact on the success of every moment. The visual and performance artists you have decided to engage for the day should understand this concept in much more depth. Hiring people with a working knowledge of this concept will assure that all of the most important moments you plan for will be felt by everyone just as you imagined.

    This article was kindly contributed by Guest Blogger, Bill Hermann of Bill Hermann Entertainment. The DJ Alliance Australasia along with our international not-for-profit partner Associations, the Canadian Professional Disc Jockey Association (Canada) and the National Association of Disc Jockeys (UK) are publishing a series of articles designed to help the general public better utilise the industry our collective Associations represent. We hope these articles are helpful and function to assist everyone achieve greater event success with mobile DJ & MC entertainment.

    DJs & MCs wishing to publish DJAA “DJ MC Hiring Tips” blog content to their own website is permissible provided the content remains unchanged and when credit is given to a guest author that credit remains intact at the end of the blog post as originally written. Those republishing blog content must also have the following line inserted at the start of the post:

    This was originally published by the DJAA (embed link to original article here) and has been republished here with permission.

    Continue Reading
  • A Band Or A DJ?

    3 Mar 2020
    DJAA
    2889
    0

    You’ve reached the party planning stage where it is time to decide on entertainment. Do you go with a live band or a DJ?

    That is a big question with many pros and cons on either side. Both have their benefits, both can have their drawbacks.

    As lovers of music, DJs are often big fans and supporters of live music, but when trying to entertain a wide variety of age groups and demographics, is a band the right choice for your party?

    Some bands are fantastic for playing many genres of music, however their song knowledge will vary from band to band. How do they handle requests? Do they know the latest songs that came out online this past Tuesday? If the lead singer is sick, do they have another singer to fill in? Bands can also take up a considerable amount of space, especially in a smaller venue.

    There are definitely some cool things a band can provide because they are live. The right band can provide great interaction and very high energy with a crowd. Because the music isn’t prerecorded, they can also do fun things like change the words around and change names in the songs to personalise details for the wedding couple or company they are performing for. Some bands also have the ability to seamlessly play groups of hit songs together in non-stop medleys.

    When it comes to a DJ, they are generally quite versatile with many music genres and seldom take up a lot of space. DJs can be very interactive with the crowd and can play almost any request because a DJ usually carries over 10,000 popular songs (and sometimes upwards of 50,000+!) that could be played at the drop of a hat! If your DJ comes down sick, they generally have a solid backup plan in place where another DJ in their company can come to the rescue or they belong to an association where a network of other DJs can fill in last minute. If the music isn’t working right for the dance floor, a DJ can change the genre in a heartbeat. In addition to spinning your tunes, DJs can also be your MC for the evening, helping to keep the flow of your event running smooth.

    Some DJs have event been fortunate enough to play with bands at weddings and corporate events. The key to making that succeed is for the DJ to play close attention to the band during their sets and if someone requested a song the band didn’t know, there is the first song for the DJ start their next set with!

    It is up to you to decide how versatile your entertainment needs to be for your specific event. The energy of a live 8 or 10 piece band can be tough for a DJ to compete with, but the music selection and mixing ability of a DJ might more than make up for that.

    Ask yourself which of these two options will appeal to your guests in the best way possible. This will help to ensure your guests are happily remembering the celebration long after your event.

    Happy planning!

    The DJ Alliance Australasia along with our international not-for-profit partner Associations, the Canadian Professional Disc Jockey Association (Canada) and the National Association of Disc Jockeys (UK) are publishing a series of articles designed to help the general public better utilise the industry our collective Associations represent. We hope these articles are helpful and function to assist everyone achieve greater event success with mobile DJ & MC entertainment.

    DJs & MCs wishing to publish DJAA “DJ MC Hiring Tips” blog content to their own website is permissible provided the content remains unchanged and when credit is given to a guest author that credit remains intact at the end of the blog post as originally written. Those republishing blog content must also have the following line inserted at the start of the post:

    This was originally published by the DJAA (embed link to original article here) and has been republished here with permission.

    Continue Reading
  • What It Means To Read A Crowd?

    16 Feb 2020
    DJAA
    2505
    0

    As some couples think about the entertainment for their wedding, they may consider using their own music on an iPod or iPhone. After all, we’ve all had friends over at the house and entertained them with an iTunes or Spotify playlist that we created, so how much harder could it be to rock a wedding?

    The answer: Much harder.

    There’s a huge difference between a few friends singing along at a dinner party or barbecue and trying to get multiple generations up on the dance floor to celebrate a wedding. That’s where a professional DJ comes in. He or she has the experience to curate a playlist (most often with the couple’s input) and then program the night to maximise the dancing time. An experienced DJ will have the music knowledge to know which songs match well with other songs and they’ll know when to change the direction of the music to satisfy as many of the guests as possible. This is where “reading the crowd” comes in.

    A DJ never goes into an event with songs laid out in the order that they’ll be played in. There are just too many factors involved to be that rigid. Rather, they have a general idea of what songs they’ll play throughout the night but they are always observing the crowd and responding to what they see. An experienced DJ can tell when a crowd is tiring, when they want to hear a different genre and when they’re about to erupt. They look for clues from the people on the dance floor as well as the people who are sitting. And they pivot and change course throughout the party based on the feedback (both spoken and unspoken) they receive. These are things that a pre-set playlist can’t do, and it’s the difference between technology and an actual human being controlling the music.

    What are some of the clues a crowd gives off? Starting from the beginning of the event, it can be things like singing along to background music during pre-dinner drinks or bopping in their seats during dinner. If and when the guests move rooms, how do they walk? Are they sauntering in with their heads down looking at their phones or are they sashaying in to the music? When they’re dancing, are they barely moving or are they amped up? Has the energy on the dance floor plateaued or is it still rising? If the guests are sitting down, are they singing along or are they oblivious to the music?

    These (and many other things) are signs that an experienced DJ is looking for and reacting to. Maybe it means it’s time to slow things down and give the crowd a break. Maybe it means it’s time to change genres and try a different style of music. Maybe it means the crowd is ready for some hardcore bangers to take the party to an eleven. But whatever it means, a great DJ is there to respond and keep things flowing throughout the party.

    This article was kindly contributed by Guest Blogger, Mike Walter of Elite Entertainment. The DJ Alliance Australasia along with our international not-for-profit partner Associations, the Canadian Professional Disc Jockey Association (Canada) and the National Association of Disc Jockeys (UK) are publishing a series of articles designed to help the general public better utilise the industry our collective Associations represent. We hope these articles are helpful and function to assist everyone achieve greater event success with mobile DJ & MC entertainment.

    DJs & MCs wishing to publish DJAA “DJ MC Hiring Tips” blog content to their own website is permissible provided the content remains unchanged and when credit is given to a guest author that credit remains intact at the end of the blog post as originally written. Those republishing blog content must also have the following line inserted at the start of the post:

    This was originally published by the DJAA (embed link to original article here) and has been republished here with permission.

    Continue Reading
  • Save Yourself The Insurance Headache!

    1 Feb 2020
    DJAA
    3198
    0

    Is your DJ or MC insured?

    All of your suppliers, including the DJ and/or MC should at the very least, hold public liability insurance. A significant number of wedding reception establishments will require that any contractor/vendor who enters their premises provide evidence of current public liability insurance. If it cannot be provided, that particular supplier will most likely be refused access due to the potential risk it represents to the venue. If your venue has this requirement and you have hired a DJ that does not have public liability insurance, you are left with one of the two following options;

    1) Source another DJ who has current liability insurance, or
    2) Personally, arrange public liability insurance coverage for your selected DJ.

    Unfortunately, both of these options are far from ideal.

    In the first option, you probably selected a particular DJ because there was a connection; they can deliver exactly what you are after and/or are within your budget. Because the DJ does not have insurance, you are now placed into a situation where you have to repeat the search process to source a suitable replacement DJ – one that has current public liability insurance.

    Depending on when the venue informs you of this requirement (often the week of the event) there may not be sufficient time to secure an acceptable replacement; you may be left with little or no choice and is unneeded and unnecessary stress in the final days leading up to your wedding or event. Some venues may even insist on the supplier providing Risk Assessment Plans/Risk Management Plans and certification that all electrical equipment is Portable Appliance Tested (tested as safe to use by licensed tester in accordance with requirements specified in AS/NZS 3760) in addition to Insurance Certificate of Currency.

    Personally, arranging public liability insurance coverage in order to avoid the situation outlined in the previous point will mean you will be at the mercy of the insurance companies and as a once off customer, requiring insurance for one night only, do you think the insurance company is going to give you a great deal? Probably not. You will likely be charged a hefty premium and the closer to the event, the larger this premium might become.

    How do you avoid this situation?

    Determine if your venue requires that any contractor/vendor who enters their premises needs current public liability insurance. Make this determination PRIOR to booking any service providers (including your DJ) that will be required to be on the premises before, on or after the day of your celebration.

    Prior to booking your entertainment (or another supplier), ensure that they have appropriate insurance. You might pay a little more for a supplier that does, but this is an indication that the supplier is a professional and takes their role seriously – no true professional would be without liability insurance, it is just not worth the risk.

    Further, you may find that the more expensive supplier could ultimately be a less costly option than if you engaged a lower priced supplier and had to personally cover them for public liability insurance yourself.

    It isn’t a glamorous topic, but save yourself the insurance headache wherever possible and hire properly insured event professionals.

    Note: Public Liability Insurance is the minimum requirement you should be checking for as it protects the client, the venue and the supplier. However, many professional DJs also hold other insurances such as Professional Indemnity, Personal Accident or Equipment Insurance. These are good indicators of someone who treats their profession and the events they’re hired for, most seriously.

    The DJ Alliance Australasia along with our international not-for-profit partner Associations, the Canadian Professional Disc Jockey Association (Canada) and the National Association of Disc Jockeys (UK) are publishing a series of articles designed to help the general public better utilise the industry our collective Associations represent. We hope these articles are helpful and function to assist everyone achieve greater event success with mobile DJ & MC entertainment.

    DJs & MCs wishing to publish DJAA “DJ MC Hiring Tips” blog content to their own website is permissible provided the content remains unchanged and when credit is given to a guest author that credit remains intact at the end of the blog post as originally written. Those republishing blog content must also have the following line inserted at the start of the post:

    This was originally published by the DJAA (embed link to original article here) and has been republished here with permission.

    Continue Reading
  • The Spotify Party

    19 Jan 2020
    DJAA
    2666
    0

    Forget Spotify: Why you need a wedding DJ.

    Let’s face it: planning a wedding can be costly. And to keep budgets down, it’s understandable that for many of us, something’s got to give – whether that’s the date, the dress or the entertainment. Before you cross wedding DJ off your priority list and create a free playlist instead, let’s explore why it can be so important to have a wedding DJ.

    Your DJ can ‘feel’ the room

    While putting together your own playlist might be filled with floor-filling favourites, by working with a wedding DJ, they can sense what’s appropriate to play and what the crowd actually wants to hear in the moment, minute by minute throughout the entire party.

    Working with wedding couples months before their big day, a DJ develops an understanding for how important music is to them – what they like and what they really don’t like. This helps a DJ tailor the music to their day without it being prescriptive.

    Ready-made playlists can work, but unless they’re carefully thought out from an entertainment perspective, they can lack flow and feel a little stop/start for guests wanting to party. For example: one minute you’re all dancing to an indie classic you loved from a festival and next, the energy screeches to a halt when a romantic, slow tune comes on, leaving just a few couples on the dance floor. DJs love reading the room, working with the vibe and playing what’s going to keep people partying!

    They have expertise

    When you hire a wedding DJ, you’re not just paying for them to “turn up and play a few tunes,” but for their years of experience within the entertainment industry. Over the years, DJs often work with hundreds of wedding couples to help create their dream days with meaningful music and special moments.

    Like a great movie soundtrack, music at a wedding creates emotion. Music sets the scene. It can rock the party, creating energy and a crazy full dance floor that you just HAVE to be part of or, it can tug at the heartstrings as the newlyweds are lost in each other’s eyes during that perfect first dance or as a bride and her dad take to the floor for that dance with the first man she ever loved.

    Many times, a DJ will help from music choices to planning the timing of the event. DJs help their wedding couples, giving them the advice they need and helping them design a day as unique as they are. You can be forgiven for thinking that a wedding DJ focuses solely on the music.

    DJs are also frequently called upon to be the master of ceremonies, taking the pressure off their wedding couples by looking after timing and pacing of the day. They communicate with the other wedding suppliers (such as the photographer, videographer and reception venue coordinator) to make sure they are prepared for the next event moment – be that the speeches, cutting the cake and the all-important first dance.

    After all of the time spent planning your big day, you deserve to be right there, living and loving every moment, without worrying about what comes next. A Spotify playlist can’t do that, but your wedding DJ will.

    This article was contributed by Alan Marshall of Alan Marshall Celebrations. Alan is a current member and former Chairman of the National Association of Disc Jockeys.

    The DJ Alliance Australasia along with our international not-for-profit partner Associations, the Canadian Professional Disc Jockey Association (Canada) and the National Association of Disc Jockeys (UK) are publishing a series of articles designed to help the general public better utilise the industry our collective Associations represent. We hope these articles are helpful and function to assist everyone achieve greater event success with mobile DJ & MC entertainment.

    DJs & MCs wishing to publish DJAA “DJ MC Hiring Tips” blog content to their own website is permissible provided the content remains unchanged and when credit is given to a guest author that credit remains intact at the end of the blog post as originally written. Those republishing blog content must also have the following line inserted at the start of the post:

    This was originally published by the DJAA (embed link to original article here) and has been republished here with permission.

    Continue Reading
  • Agreements Are Essential

    7 Jan 2020
    DJ Alliance
    2270
    0

    Have you ever heard of a bride or groom having their DJ cancel on them? And sometimes with only weeks to go before the big day?

    As you can probably imagine, the stress this causes ahead of the largest party someone has (probably) ever planned in their life is terrible. This happens more often than it should and for a variety of reasons. The primary reason though, is one you can protect yourself from:

    Have a signed agreement or contract with the DJ company you hire.

    In most cases where a DJ has reportedly cancelled on an event, it happens where there was never a signed agreement, thus making it very easy for a DJ to back out of their commitment. Often times it was a family friend or a friend-of-a-friend who said “Sure, I can DJ your party!” only to have them back out when the pressure of the event began to draw near or another fun weekend opportunity presented itself. It isn’t always friends-of-friends though, in some cases, DJ companies don’t use agreements. That needs to change and you can do something about it.

    Anyone hiring a DJ should always request an agreement that both parties (you and the DJ company) agree to. By ensuring you work only with a DJ that uses an agreement, you will be saving yourself from a lot of potential headache.

    A proper and fair agreement is designed to protect both parties. The agreement should protect the interests of the DJ AND your interests as the client. It should have balance to it and safeguards for both, the person hiring the DJ, and the DJ themselves.

    At a minimum, quality agreements should always include your full name and the DJ company name along with some sort of identification information for each (often through an address, phone number or email address). It should also include the precise date and location of the event. This ensures your DJ will show up on the appropriate date and at the proper location of your party.

    Detailed cancellation information should also be listed. For example, what happens if you have to cancel on the DJ or what happens if the DJ can, for some reason, no longer fulfill the agreement? The agreement should detail out appropriate protections for both you and the DJ around this topic. Many agreements also include the name of your DJ written on the agreement so that you can be sure you’re getting your preferred entertainer.

    Lastly, the agreement you sign with your DJ or MC should state the services to be provided and the total fee for those services. All payment terms should also be clearly stated so as to avoid any unpleasant surprises later.

    There are many other items that can and will be listed in a quality agreement, but simply having one is a start. A DJ and/or MC has the ability to impact a party in such a massive way, do not hire one without a written and signed agreement.

    You don’t want to be that person, weeks away from one of the most important events of your life, struggling to find an entertainment replacement, do you?

    Sign an agreement with your entertainer. This is a huge step toward ensuring you have the celebration of your dreams!

    The DJ Alliance Australasia along with our international not-for-profit partner Associations, the Canadian Professional Disc Jockey Association (Canada) and the National Association of Disc Jockeys (UK) are publishing a series of articles designed to help the general public utilise the industry our collective Associations represent. We hope these articles are helpful and function to assist everyone achieve greater event success with mobile DJ & MC entertainment. These articles are published every two weeks and will continue throughout 2020.

    DJs & MCs wishing to publish DJAA “DJ MC Hiring Tips” blog content to their own website is permissible provided the content remains unchanged and when credit is given to a guest author that credit remains intact at the end of the blog post as originally written. Those republishing blog content must also have the following line inserted at the start of the post:

    This was originally published by the DJAA (embed link to original article here) and has been republished here with permission.

    Continue Reading
  • OneMusic: What Do I Do? What Do I Need?

    22 Sep 2019
    DJAA
    3391
    0

    The aim of this post is to somewhat clarify the situation following the establishment of PPCA and APRA AMCOS joint venture, OneMusic and the impact on Disc Jockeys.

    First some basics, Copyright is a federal law governed by the Copyright Act (1968). The Act exists to ensure that people who make creative content (musical, literary or dramatic works, and sound recordings and films) are able to protect their content. When someone creates a piece of music (or a piece of text, a graphic, a photo, a film or anything else that is protected under copyright laws), a whole system of legal rights and obligations comes into play. These rights and obligations outline what someone can and can’t do with the material.

    There is generally more than one owner of copyright in any given musical track. The composer who wrote the music owns copyright in the musical works. The lyricist who wrote the lyrics owns copyright in the literary works. The artist who performed the music owns copyright in a sound recording of their live performance. Finally, the maker of the recording (typically a record company) owns copyright in the sound recording.

    The different types of rights in any given musical track are referred to as Mechanical & Performance Rights.

    In Australia there are a number of organisations which manages and licences the Mechanical and Performance rights;

    APRA (Australian Performing Rights Association Limited) administers the “performance rights” and is the collecting society which collects and distributes licence fees for the public performance and communication to the public of musical works (including their lyrics) on behalf of its members (composers, songwriters, music publishers) and other copyright owners, including overseas affiliated societies.

    AMCOS (Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society) only grants licences to reproduce the musical work, and the copyright in the recorded version of the musical work, i.e. the “mechanical rights”.

    Prior to 1997, APRA & AMCOS were two separate organisations. In 1997, they formed an alliance and became APRA AMCOS and now is a music rights organisation representing its members plus grants licenses to play, perform, copy, record or make available their members’ music, and then distribute the royalties back to those members.

    ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) grants licences for the reproduction of the sound recording (“mechanical rights”), where it is authorised to do so, and distributes the fees it collects among individual sound recording copyright holders (usually the record company/label).

    PPCA (Phonographic Performance Company of Australia) grants licences for the broadcast, communication or public playing of recorded music (such as CDs, records and digital downloads or streams) and music videos (“performance rights”).

    OneMusic is an APRA AMCOS and PPCA joint licensing initiative launched in 2019 and offers joint public performance licences so there is no longer any need for separate licence agreements and invoices from PPCA and APRA AMCOS (“performance rights”).

     

    Rights Owners

    Performance Right

    Mechanical Right

    Songwriters, Composers and their Publishers

    APRA

    AMCOS

    Recording Artists and their Record Labels

    PPCA

    ARIA

     

    What does the OneMusic initiative mean for Disc Jockeys?

    With the introduction of OneMusic, the onus to have a public performance licence to play recorded music in public has been shifted to venues (clubs, pubs, restaurants, community halls, councils, cruise ships, function, convention & conference centres, places of interest, activity & amusement, cinemas, schools, live adult entertainment and much more). The only time a DJ would require a separate public performance licence is if they are also the promoter of an event.

    1. If a DJ uses music on original, legally purchased CD’s or Vinyl i.e. no digital music, they do not require any other licence to comply with the Copyright Act.
    2. If a DJ uses digital music whether purchased in digital format or by “ripping” from legally acquired CD’s or Vinyl, then a reproduction licence is required. This was also the case prior to the introduction of the OneMusic initiative and nothing has changed here.

    In short, OneMusic simplifies public performance requirements only (“performance rights”).

     But doesn’t every DJ use some form of digital music?

    Unless all your music is in the format mentioned in 1. above, then to be completely legal, you require a licence to cover the mechanical rights in your music. As mentioned above AMCOS administers the copyright of the musical work and ARIA administers the copyright of the musical recording – a licence covering the mechanical rights is available from  AMCOS and information and rates for a Casual Blanket Licence can be obtained by contacting medialicensing@apra.com.au. For the mechanical rights administered by ARIA – Application Form Licence for Reproduction of Sound Recordings, can be found at https://aria.azureedge.net/documents/Reproduction-Licence-Application-Form-Updated-11.03.14.pdf.

    I hope that you now have a better understanding of the copyright requirements and clarifies what is required in regards to the music you use at your events.

    Post Script

    The DJAA has negotiated a Licence Agreement to cover both the “mechanical rights” of AMCOS and ARIA at a far more favourable rate and additional inclusions, however whilst the intent was to negotiate a licence which would be available for all DJs, APRA AMCOS have restricted the availability of this licence to DJAA Members only.

    The DJAA wishes all DJs who desire peace of mind in regards to complying with copyright requirements and protecting their business, the opportunity to also be able to obtain the negotiated licence. Accordingly, the Committee held a Special General Meeting in early 2019 and Members voted on amending the Constitution and removing the requirements that many had stated, were a barrier to becoming a member and created a General Level membership. There are no requirements for this level of membership other than abiding with the Code of Conduct, Code of Ethics and any Guidelines set.

    Not only have the requirements been removed from the General Level, but becoming a General Member could not be easier, just click on the following link “Join DJAA as a General Member“, select whether you wish to pay monthly or annually, complete the form to create your account and process payment – that’s it!! Simple. You are then officially a DJAA Member and as a member eligible for the special priced DJAA negotiated Licence ?

    This post was contributed by Serge Olivieri. Serge is an Accredited Member of the Alliance and currently serves on the DJAA Committee, is based in Sydney, New South Wales and runs DJ:Plus! Entertainment.

    Continue Reading
  • Help!! Someone Stole Content From My Website!

    22 Sep 2019
    DJAA
    640
    0

    The following is a guide to the steps I have taken to address the problem of DJs stealing my original material from my website and reproducing it or substantially reproducing it on their website over the last twenty or so years. This has involved both those based in Australia and from overseas (USA, UK, New Zealand, South Africa, etc.). In all but a few rare cases, I have been very successful. Those, which were not successful, have, not surprisingly, ultimately gone out of business and the web site eventually disappeared. As you can appreciate, if they resort to stealing other people’s material, one would be led to believe that they also do not adhere to ethical standards in their day to day business dealings and accordingly, do not last in business.

    I believe this is the most cost-effective approach to take and gives reasonably quick results without having to resort to legal action, which can be quite costly.

    This is the process that I use:

    1. A cease and desist email to the offending website owner;

    The website owners email address will generally be found on the website or you may need to do a WHOIS enquiry (which is detailed and linked below

    Note: The cease and desist notification needs to be flexible. My emails are usually targeted exclusively at plagiarists. This means that certain parts of this wording may not apply in other cases. Please edit to suit your needs.

    (a) A softer approach:

    Dear Sir/Madam

    It has come to my attention that you are republishing original content from <<YOUR WEBSITE LINK>> on your website, at <<INFRINGING LINK>> which contains <<TEXT, DESIGN, CODE,CONCEPTS, PHOTOGRAPGHS OR WHATEVER HAS BEEN STOLEN>> that is a direct replication of intellectual property owned by <<YOUR COMPANY / BUSINESS NAME>>.

    Your unauthorised use of original material from <<YOUR WEBSITE LINK>> is in violation of copyrights owned by <<YOUR COMPANY / BUSINESS NAME>>.

    Please remove the unauthorised <<COPY, PHOTOGRAPPHS OR WHATEVER HAS BEEN STOLEN>> from your website. Failure to do so will result in the instigation of alternative remedies.

    Sincerely,

    <<YOUR NAME>>

    OR

    (b)  a more hard-line approach:

    Dear Sir/Madam,

    You are using a work that I own the copyright of. The name of the work involved is “<<WORK NAME>>”. It appears on a site operated by you at <<INFRINGING LINK>>. I have reserved all rights to this work, which was first published on <<ORIGINAL LINK>> in <<YEAR OR DATE OF PUBLICATION>>.

    Your copying and or use of my work, which appear at the link above, is unauthorised. You neither asked for nor received permission to use the piece nor to make or distribute copies of them in the manner you have.  Furthermore, you have taken credit for my work and caused confusion as to whom the original author of the work is. Therefore, I believe you have willfully infringed my rights and could be liable for statutory damages. Further, such copyright infringement is a direct violation of International Copyright Law.

    I demand that you immediately cease the use and distribution of the work and all copies of it, that you remove any further works you may have stolen and that you desist from this or any other infringement of my rights in the future. Furthermore, I demand that you post an apology on the site clarifying who the real author is and that you inform others that might have been misled by your misuse of the works’ origins.

    If I have not received proof of compliance from you within 72 hours, I shall consider taking the full remedies available to rectify this situation including contacting my lawyer and/or your site’s administrators.

    Sincerely,

    <<YOUR NAME>>

    Personally, I have had much more success using the softer approach with 85-90% of those that I send them to removing the content. If after seven days they have not removed the content or responded, I forward the original email again with the following words added to the Subject : FINAL REQUEST and amending the last sentence to : Failure to do so, within seven days will result in the instigation of alternative remedies.

    My experience is that a significant number of those left will remove the content after the second email.

    This will leave those that think they are above the law or believe that you will not do anything. In these instances, you need to ascertain who is the host of the website by doing a ‘whois’ enquiry.

    2. Ascertaining the Web Host

    A ‘whois’ enquiry can be done at: http://whois.domaintools.com/  If this does not return anything just google for example; “whois UK” for UK domains, or “whois Australia” for Australian domains and so on. The relevant equivalent site should return the results you require.

    Example: This is what I did for an instance where a DJ in Canada had used my content on their website. I performed a “whois” enquiry for: perfectlittleweddings.ca on Domain Tools which gave the following result:

    Domain name:           perfectlittleweddings.ca
    Domain status:         registered
    Creation date:         2014/01/28
    Expiry date:           2016/01/28
    Updated date:          2015/01/18
    DNSSEC:                Unsigned

    Registrar:
    Name:              Go Daddy Domains Canada, Inc
    Number:            2316042

    Name servers:
    ns15.domaincontrol.com
    ns16.domaincontrol.com

    Note the Name Servers:

    Name servers:
    ns15.domaincontrol.com
    ns16.domaincontrol.com

    Next we need to determine the web host – Go to http://www.ipaddress.com

    Type in the name server details into the search box e.g. ns15.domaincontrol.com (from above)

    As you can see in this example, the host of domaincontrol.com is GoDaddy.com

    Go to the Web Host website, locate the Legal Section and somewhere in there you will find that the host supports the protection of intellectual property and that the terms of the hosting agreement forbid the breach of a trademark, service mark, or copyright. There should also be a process outlined to report any infringements by owners of the intellectual property to the host.

    Continuing with the above example, on the Go Daddy site, I located the Legal section which includes copies of all Agreements & Polices. As you can see (marked with arrow) they have a Trademark/Copyright Infringement Policy. This Policy details the process to follow for Go Daddy.

    Note:  A “whois” enquiry can, in some instances, also be useful to ascertain an email address for the owner of the website when there is no email address on the infringing site because it only has a form that needs to be completed for enquiries and can be used for the initial cease and desist email.  In some instances, the form may also be used to send the cease and desist notice should no email address be able to be determined. E.g.

    As can be seen in the above example the owners/registrants email address is secretary@djaa.com.au and if there was no email address on the website, this can be used for the initial cease and desist notice.

    In some cases you will find that the above process will not give you the information you require or the host will not have a Legal page or an Acceptable Use Policy. In this instance you will need to conduct a number of online searches to ascertain if there is a parent company whose policies apply to all the subsidiaries. It can get a little convoluted and is difficult to document, but can be done. A number of years ago I had someone whose name server was vpweb.com. If you typed this in, it did not return a site. Through a series of searches, I eventually worked out that it has something to do with Vista Print, went to the Vista Print site and ascertained that my email to the host had to go to: abuse@systemec.nl.

    3. Contacting The Web Host (Template)

    To Whom It May Concern,

    I am writing to you to avail myself of my rights under the Copyright Act and this is a Notice of Infringement. I wish to report an instance of what I feel in good faith is an instance of Copyright Infringement. The infringing material appears on the web site <<INFRINGING WEBSITE URL>>  <<(INFRINGING WEBSITE NAME)>> for which you are the designated agent/host.

        1. The material which I contend belongs to me, and appears illegally on the Service is the following:

    <<TITLES OF WORK>>

        1. The material appears at the website address/es:

    <<ADDRESS OF INFRINGING WORK>>

        1. The material appears on my Web site at these address/eses:

    <<ADDRESS OF ORIGINAL WORK>>

        1. My contact information is as follows:

    <<NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER AND EMAIL>>

        1. I have a good faith belief that the use of the material that appears on the service is not authorised by the copyright owner, its agent, or by operation of law.
        1. The information in this notice is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, I am either the copyright owner or I am authorised to act on behalf of the copyright owner.

    I declare that this notification is true and correct.

    It is requested that the unauthorised content be removed.  Your prompt attention to this matter is appreciated.

    Signed: <<YOUR NAME>>

    NOTE:

    Whilst not required, I have had great success by attaching copy of all correspondence with the infringing party and any proof that helps validate that I am the copyright holder. Details on how to help prove that the material/photograph, etc. was on your website prior to the infringing website is detailed a little further below (Item 5).

    If it is obvious that the material has been stolen and the email gets to the right person, this letter has resulted in the host pulling the website completely without warning to the owner. Some will advise their client (infringing website owner) first. Once the host contacts them, they know you are serious and generally will comply.

    Sometimes you have to be a little persistent with the host. This arises because the infringer is their client and if they upset the client, they may take their business elsewhere – this is where you need to quote them, if you have it, that the client is not in compliance with their own Acceptable Use Policy and they are hosting unauthorised copyrighted material.

    Occasionally, the host has a multitude of re-sellers who are virtual hosts and whilst it resides on their server, they maintain it is not their client and it can be quite frustrating as they will not divulge the re-sellers’ details, yet usually maintain that they have advised the re-seller of the problem. Doesn’t happen too often, but can be really annoying. Persistence is paramount in this situation.

    4. Delisted From Google

    The last step if all the above fails is to try getting them de-listed from Google, whilst I have not found it necessary to do this as yet, depending on how strongly I felt about the situation, I would;

    Email to Google would be very similar to that sent to the host making appropriate amendments to reflect that you are writing to Google and not the web host.

    5. Document, Document, Document

    Obviously, it is prudent to obtain copies of the infringing pages as soon as discovered, produce pdfs of it or download the entire site at a certain date (there is free software available that does this easily). Some think they are clever and initially remove the material, then sometime later reinstate all or part of the material. If you have copies of the previous events the Hosts will act much more readily. It also means that you need to every so often pay a visit to those sites which have removed your material to ensure that they have not reinstated any of it.

    There is a handy little tool called Internet Archive Wayback Machine ( https://archive.org/web/ ) which allows you to check any website and see what it contained at various points of time. Unfortunately, there is no regular schedule that it goes through your website and takes screenshots of it, but has proved invaluable to me in demonstrating that (i) I had the material in question on my site years before it appeared on the infringing website and (ii) proving that the material in question was not on the infringing website prior to a certain date.


    Whilst all the above may appear complicated, I have found that the initial emails takes care of the bulk of them. You then need to make a call as to how important it is to get a particular site that has your material on it removed. This will determine how far you take it.

    I do not believe legal action, other than possibly a letter from your legal representative to the host and owner as a scare tactic to make them think you are serious, is feasible as more often than not, they are located in different countries/jurisdictions and the any legal action would be largely cost prohibitive.

    I hope this helps but please do not hesitate to contact me if you wish to discuss your particular issue or to ask any questions.

    This post was contributed by Serge Olivieri. Serge is an Accredited Member of the Alliance and currently serves on the DJAA Committee, is based in Sydney, New South Wales and runs DJ:Plus! Entertainment.

    Continue Reading