You Have Questions … We Have Answers!

Most Frequently Asked Questions:

How much do you charge? There are many things that will affect our prices. The same exact package in Lafayette, LA will be cheaper than the same package 200 miles away. Is a ceremony involved? Will it be indoors or outdoors? Will any part of the event be upstairs? How many hours of playing time do you want and many other things all contribute to the final quote. This is why we prefer to speak with you in person or by phone. If you prefer, we have a convenient quote form here that makes this process easy.

Am I hiring a company or a person? You’re hiring a company (Digital Music Services®, L.L.C.), located in Lafayette, LA. This is our full-time job and we’ll be there when you need us day or night. Our goal is to provide outstanding personalized services to each of our clients.

How long has your company been in the DJ business? Digital Music Services® was established in 1996. DJ services were added in 2000. Mike (Owner) was on the Airwaves as a Disc Jockey for a number of local radio stations including: KNIR, KXKW, KTDY & KSMB.

How many (Weddings / Receptions / Parties / Etc.) has your company done? Over 1,000 wedding receptions, 350 wedding ceremonies and hundreds and hundreds of parties. We also have a list of all of the venues that we have been to listed on one of the tabs.

You don’t have our venue listed in your venue list. Is this a problem? Not at all. If we have any concerns about your selected location, we will either call or go to the location prior to your event date, at our own expense to check out the venue and go over the details. We don’t want any surprises on your event day either!

Can your company handle my Wedding Ceremony also? Yes. We can go over these details and pricing when we give you a price quote. We are often asked to quote prices for handling a Ceremony and Reception. There are certain things that are important for any DJ service (including us) to know, so we can give you an accurate quote. If you supply us with information that is inaccurate, incorrect or incomplete, you shouldn’t be surprised when the final price changes. To avoid this scenario… Please read the following information carefully and call us at 337-261-0707 with any questions you may have. The internet and email are a wonderful thing, but sometimes it takes longer and more effort than a simple phone call.

Do you charge more to handle my Ceremony? No, as long as the Ceremony is added to your scheduled 4 hour event and the Ceremony takes place in the same exact “area” as your Reception. Notice I said “area”, not some other place on the same property or venue. We would only be using (1) sound system and nothing else out of the ordinary would be required as if we were just doing the Reception.

Does the price change if I want my Ceremony in one area and my Reception in a different area, but still on the same property or at the same venue? Yes. This means we need to set up two sound systems. One to handle the Ceremony and the second system to handle the Reception, because once the Ceremony is over, there isn’t any time to tear down the first system and re-set up for the reception before your guests arrive. So you would need to include in your request for a quote.. Ceremony (Front Lawn) or where ever it is and Reception (Rear Lawn). These Front and Rear lawns were only examples, but it would let us know we’ll need two systems.

Can you handle my Ceremony if it’s at one location and my Reception is at another location? Yes… Just let us know the details so we can quote it correctly. As an example… Your Ceremony could be at Acadian Village Chapel and the Reception is at River Oaks. This would let me know that I not only need two sound systems, but also 2 people to handle this kind of event. As the guests leave the Ceremony area, that person stays behind and puts away the equipment. The second person is already at the Reception location waiting for your guests to arrive.

Is there anything else that can affect my quote for my Ceremony and Reception? Yes.. What about ceremony seating music as your guest are arriving? That could add half an hour to your event time. What about microphones for the bride & groom or live singers? lights? etc.. The best advice I can give you is to call us at 337-261-0707 and go over all the details. That way you’ll know what you want and need and then everyone giving you a quote will be on the same page and avoid unexpected charges later on.

Do you have a “primary” DJ? Yes. Although we have several DJ’s available, Mike (Owner) is our primary DJ.

Does the company book more than one event for the same day? Yes. Our quality services are in such demand that we have expanded to meet our clients expectations. This allows us to handle multiple events and clients on same day without sacrificing our commitment or quality.

Is it possible to request a certain DMS DJ? Yes, if you have selected our Gold or Platinum package and that DJ is available. Silver package DJ’s are selected by DMS. After looking over all the details of your event, we’ll decide which of our qualified DJs is the best match and make the assignments.

Can your DJ “Emcee” our event? Yes. We can handle all the normal announcements needed for your event.

Are there additional cost for this service? No. All of our packages offer standard Emcee services.

Does your DJs take “breaks”? No.

Do you charge extra for mileage & travel? Not if your event’s location is within a 30 mile radius of our office in Lafayette. Most of our competitors charge each time they cross a parish line. We will only charge an extra fee, if your event location is outside the 30 mile radius, and the amount is clearly stated separately in our quote as “travel expense”.

We want you to setup upstairs, is that an option? We used to setup just about anywhere our clients wanted us. After years of experience we have come to the conclusion that nothing works better than being on the same floor as the guests.  We’re ok with stages and such, but we no longer setup in lofts and other isolated places that makes it difficult to speak to our clients and/or guests.

How long are your price quotes valid? If you were given a quote that is older than 30 days and you haven’t requested a contract, you should confirm those prices again when you contact us. We may have been running a special discount at the time you requested a quote or perhaps due to market fluctuations, we may have had to adjust our prices. My best advice is once you get a quote from us, follow through within 30 days. (Bridal Show specials are not affected by this policy).

What type of equipment do you use? We use “Professional Grade Equipment” meant to be used day after day. Our equipment is also maintained by our own in-house technician. Some of the brand names in our inventory are EV, Behringer, Mackie, Gemini, Peavey, JBL, American Audio, DBX, Shure, Audio-Technica, Alesis, Odyssey, Marathon & SKB.

What method do you use to play music? Our primary music system is a laptop computer. We have backup devices as part of our regular equipment that would be already setup and tested before your event started.

Does your DJ take “Request”? Yes. We believe that requests are a great way to get a “sense” of what kind of music the crowd might like, and besides who wouldn’t like to hear their favorite song? Occasionally, someone will request a song that isn’t appropriate. When this happens, we try to offer an alternative selection.

Do you have a music inventory list I can look at? Yes, but only as a client. Clients are given access to a private “VIP Client Only” area of our website. This area has our forms, planners, helpful links and our searchable Music Library database. If you would like to see the VIP area before signing up, just call us to make an appointment. We have a computer setup in our office, so you can view the area before signing up.

Why can’t I see a list before I become a client? Our music library has over 60,000 songs. If we were able to fit 50 songs per page, it would be over 1,200 pages for you to look through. Currently, we’re adding over 150 songs per month to the collection (we subscribe to monthly CD releases, with all the new music). With these kinds of numbers, we would constantly be printing out the list. By the way, in case you never really thought about it, you couldn’t possibly play more than 60 songs in a 4 hour event. How’s that you wonder? Here’s the math… older songs are generally less than 3:00, newer songs are generally longer than 4:00 minutes. If we average this out and use 4 minutes as our average length, that’s 15 songs per hour X 4 hours = 60 songs.

Can we supply a list some of our favorite hit songs we want played? Yes. Once the list is received, we’ll look over it and let you know if we see any potential problems. We reserve the right to decline any request we feel would be inappropriate for the type of event involved. Please note: For weddings, we will not play “explicit versions” no matter who requested it.

If I don’t want certain songs or types of music played, is this a problem? Not at all. Our forms allow you to tell us what is “Allowed” and “Not Allowed” to be played at your event.

Would you agree to play “only” the songs on my supplied list? No. This is called a “playlist”. We would not agree to DJ an event with such a restrictive list. We love a “request list” and encourage all of our clients to request some of the their favorite artist or songs to be included.

If I want to use a certain song, but would need it altered / edited, can you do that? Yes. Studio editing to any of the four formal dances are included in our wedding packages. Non-wedding music or songs that are not formal dances can be edited at our prevailing studio editing rates.

I want to give away custom CD’s as gifts, can you make them for our event? This practice is illegal whether you sell the CD’s or you give them away. In either case, you must pay for the “mechanical” rights to “legally” make those copies. The legalities involved with obtaining these rights are beyond the scope of a DJ company.

I’m a perfectionist, can I approve each song that will be played? No. We work with each client to get what they like, dislike and songs that are not allowed. We’re entertainers, and spontaneity is a part of the fun at a event. Our advice is to carefully select your professionals (DJ, Photographer, Cake, Florist, etc) and then let us do what you hired us to do.

A friend has offered to DJ our reception/event as a gift, should we accept? Most of these people mean well, but what they are really trying to do is put themselves in the spotlight, instead of keeping it on the Bride and Groom or Honoree. Do you really think they will know what to say, what to play and do it all at the right time? Will they have all the latest radio edited hits? Will you still be friends if they mess up such an important day? Personally, I wouldn’t trust anything this important to anyone that wasn’t a real professional and I don’t think you should either! Tip: Tell them “Thanks, but we really want you to have fun with us on our special day”.

Can you also supply club style dance floor lighting? Yes. Let us know you want to add our “dance floor lighting package” to your quote. Our lights bounce to the beat of the music and change colors to create an inviting dance floor. Be sure to book these early… they go quick! Very popular for weddings and private parties.

How many people will be with the DJ for my event? For small events, usually the DJ and an assistant. For larger events we will send whatever the required number of people to get the job done. We would not allow anyone that isn’t affiliated with our company to be there. For example, some DJ services would allow a “potential” client to go on a job with them. We feel this is inappropriate. We want our concentration to be on your event.

Do you require a deposit to reserve my event date? Yes. We require a deposit with the return of a completed contract. Non-Profit agencies, corporations and clients that use our services often are sometimes excluded from this requirement.

When would the remaining balance be due for my event? Individual Client – Balances are due 30 days prior to the starting time and date of the event. Corporate Client – Balances are due 14 days prior to the starting time and date of the event. Client’s may also choose to pay it earlier in full or in installments (not less than $100.00 per payment), if that makes things more convenient.

Our company requires an invoice, can you supply one? Yes. Just let us know when you return your signed contract to us that you need one.

Our company requires an IRS W-9 form, can you supply one? Yes. Just let us know when you return your signed contract to us that you need one.

Once signed, can the contract be modified? Yes. Let’s say you needed to start and end 30 minutes later. Just send us an email to confirm the move, so we have it in writing. Generally, this would not be a problem or change our quote. If there are major changes, we could always re-quote the event and write up a new contract.

Can the quoted price change? Yes. Our pricing was based on the information you gave us. As long as your event doesn’t change, neither will our pricing. Minor changes won’t affect prices, but major changes will affect the final pricing. Any changes in pricing would have to be approved by you, at the time the changes are requested. Example: We were originally hired to handle your reception and now you would also like us to handle your ceremony.

If I reschedule my event, will I loose my deposit? If you’re changing your event to a new date, as a courtesy we would allow your deposit to be re-used on a one time basis as a goodwill gesture to your new date. Providing it is within 1 year of the original date and we are available on the new date. However, if your event date is moved a second time, you will lose the deposit and have to start over.

If I cancel my event, will my deposit be returned? No. Deposits are non-refundable, as stated in the contract.