How to Use These Questions
A wedding DJ list only goes so far. At a gala, a school dance or a company party the DJ often also runs the microphone for speeches, plays under an awards segment, follows a venue's volume limit and works around caterers and AV crews. Check your venue's rules first with our questions to ask an event venue, then use the questions below on every DJ call and compare the answers side by side.
| Event | Ask most about | Common watch-out |
|---|---|---|
| Gala or fundraiser | Microphone for speeches, background music under the auction, dress code | Music running over the program or the paddle raise |
| School dance or prom | Clean edits, request screening, school rules and end time | Explicit tracks, students crowding the booth |
| Company party | Mixed-age playlists, MC skills, clean versions | Volume too high for conversation early in the night |
| Festival or outdoor event | Weatherproofing, generator power, noise curfew | Rain, wind and the permit's sound limit |
| Community or church event | Family-friendly playlists, short sets between activities | Long setup for a short slot |
Experience and Availability Questions
- Are you available on our date, and will you be the DJ who plays, or someone from your company?
- How many events like ours have you played in the past year?
- Have you played at our venue before?
- Can you share a recent mix or video from an event like ours?
- Can we speak with a recent client who hosted a similar event?
- Do you work full time as a DJ, or alongside another job?
- Who covers the event if you are ill or can't attend?
- Do you belong to any professional association, and does it matter for our event?
Music and Crowd Questions
- How do you read a room with mixed ages and tastes?
- Do you play clean or radio edits only if we ask, and how do you check them?
- How do you handle guest requests, and can we set a do-not-play list?
- Can we give you a must-play list, and how many songs can it include?
- Do you plan the set in advance or build it live?
- What do you play during dinner, the reception and the program breaks?
- How do you handle a request that doesn't fit the crowd or our rules?
- Can you play a theme hour or genre block if we ask?
MC and Program Questions
- Will you act as MC, and can we hear an example of how you introduce speakers?
- Do you provide wireless microphones for speeches, and how many?
- Can you play walk-up music for awards and fade it under the speaker?
- Will you follow our run of show and take cues from our stage manager?
- How do you handle announcements such as last call, raffle draws or the last song?
- Can you coordinate with the venue AV team or a separate sound company?
- Can you plug in a laptop for slides or video, or is that the AV team's job?
Equipment and Backup Questions
- What sound system will you bring for our guest count and room size?
- Do you bring lighting, and is it included or extra?
- Do you have backup gear on site, such as a spare mixer, laptop or microphone?
- What happens if a speaker or the mixer fails mid-event?
- Do you bring your own table, skirt and facade for the DJ booth?
- Do you need a separate speaker setup for a cocktail area or second room?
- Can you provide uplighting, a fog or haze machine, and are those allowed at our venue?
- How do you keep cables taped down and out of walkways?
Power, Space and Setup Questions
Power and space are where DJ bookings go wrong on the night. Add the DJ's load to the rest of the event with the event power calculator, size the riser if they play on stage with the stage size calculator, and confirm the floor with the dance floor size calculator.
- How much power do you need, in amps or watts, and how many outlets?
- Do you need a dedicated circuit, and how far can you be from the outlet?
- How much floor space does your booth take, including space behind it?
- Do you need a riser or stage, and at what height?
- Where should the booth sit relative to the dance floor and the exits?
- How long do you need for setup and sound check, and for teardown?
- Do you need load-in access through a loading dock or service elevator?
- For outdoor events, do you need a tent, a generator or weather cover?
Rules, Insurance and Safety Questions
- Can you work within our venue's volume limit, and how do you measure it?
- Are you comfortable ending at a hard curfew, even mid-song?
- Do you carry general liability insurance, and can you send a certificate naming our venue and organization?
- Will you follow the school's or venue's visitor and background check policy if one applies?
- Who is responsible for music licensing at our event, you or the venue?
- How do you handle a guest who is disruptive at the booth?
Pricing and Contract Questions
- What does your quote include in hours, gear, lighting and MC work?
- What is your overtime rate, and do you charge in full hours or shorter blocks?
- Are travel, parking or setup fees extra?
- What deposit do you need, and when is the balance due?
- What is your cancellation policy, and what happens if you cancel on us?
- Do you need a meal and a place to rest during long events?
- Can we have a planning call one to two weeks before the event?
DJ Contract and Rider Checklist
Many DJs send a technical rider with their contract. Use this table to check that the contract and rider cover the items venues and organizers most often argue about later. Compare the terms against our event contract template and ask for a certificate as described in our vendor certificate of insurance guide.
| Item | What to write down | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Times | Arrival, setup complete, sound check, start, end, teardown done | Venues bill for access hours and set curfews |
| Power | Amps or watts, outlet count, dedicated circuit, distance | Shared circuits with catering trip breakers |
| Space | Booth footprint, riser size and height, distance from floor | The floor plan has to fit it before guests arrive |
| Setup time | Minutes needed for load-in, setup and teardown | Sets the loading dock slot and room access |
| Insurance | Liability coverage and a certificate naming the venue and you | Many venues refuse vendors without one |
| Volume and curfew | Maximum level, how it is measured, hard stop time | Permit, school and neighbor rules |
| Backup gear | Spare mixer, laptop, microphone and cables on site | A single failure shouldn't end the dance |
| Substitute | Named backup DJ if the booked DJ can't attend | Protects your date |
| Music rules | Clean edits, do-not-play list, request policy | Avoids an awkward moment at school and work events |
| Money | Fee, deposit, balance date, overtime rate, cancellation scale | Prevents surprise charges on the night |