Beyond the DJ Booth
Joe Bunn and Brian B
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Brian B and Joe Bunn tackle questions about the private event DJ industry. They share music, gear, gadgets, and stories from their events. The podcast covers the ins and outs of being a DJ for private events.
Episodes
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Is Your DJ Business Built To Run Without You? 29.07.2026 41mSend us a message What happens if you step away from your business for a week? A month? Forever? In this episode, we dig into one of the biggest questions every DJ business owner eventually faces: Is your business built to run without you? Inspired by the ideas in Built to Sell, we discuss creating systems instead of dependencies, using pricing strategically, building a team you can trust, and what it really takes to create a business that can survive (and even thrive) without the owner being... -
How Private Event DJs Stay Ready For Anything 22.07.2026 27mSend us a message You can do everything right and still get hit with the one problem nobody schedules for: getting sick right before a wedding. We talk through the real-world backup plans that protect your clients, your reputation, and your paycheck, whether you run a multi-op team or you’re a solo DJ who needs a reliable sub at the last minute. Along the way, we hit a quick pop culture minute on wedding trends we’re seeing more of, like interactive cake moments and late-night snacks with bo... -
EDM Wedding Bangers That Never Miss 15.07.2026 35mSend us a message Looking for EDM tracks that actually work at weddings? We share the edits we keep coming back to - from hooks-and-drops and chorus-first versions to mashups that bridge EDM with hip hop and rock so mixed crowds stay on the dance floor. We also react to a viral video from a bride who says she regrets spending $2,000 on a wedding DJ and built an app to help couples DIY their music. It sparks a bigger conversation about what clients are really paying for, why playlists aren't t... -
What Actually Works At Gigs 08.07.2026 37mSend us a message Every DJ has songs, transitions, and little tricks they keep coming back to because they simply work. In this episode, we're sharing what's consistently working for us right now at weddings, corporate events, and private parties: from current dance floor tracks to dinner music, walk-in playlists, and programming strategies that are getting real-world results. We kick things off, however, with a fun challenge that turns into a conversation about instincts, pattern recognition... -
When The Client’s Daughter Hijacks The Decks 01.07.2026 39mSend us a message A packed dance floor can disappear in one song, and sometimes the person asking for that song is the one signing the check. We open with a wild high end wedding story where the playlist is a tightrope: a huge do not play list, a “keep it upbeat” mandate, and a room full of guests who do not share the bride and her daughter’s festival taste. When a Sophie Tucker request clears the floor, we break down what we do next, how we narrate it, and how we rebuild momentum without get... -
Handling Bad Song Lists From Couples 24.06.2026 43mSend us a message A packed dance floor is not guaranteed just because a couple hands you a long playlist. We’re Brian B and Joe Bunn, and we’re starting the season by getting real about what happens when client expectations, modern music culture, and the actual room collide. First, we share a big update for private event DJs: the DJ Collective in Raleigh (Nov 16 through 18) and why we’re genuinely hype about keynote speaker Jess Ekstrom. She’s an author, founder, and high-level conference sp... -
Working with Live Musicians 17.06.2026 31mSend us a message Somebody sends us a mystery package and it turns into a real conversation about community, merch, and how much value listeners can create around your brand when you actually let them in. From there we shout out Patreon supporters around the world, plug The DJ Collective in Raleigh, and talk about why being in the room with other working DJs still matters if you want sharper ideas and better execution on your next season of gigs. Then we get practical. If you’ve got TV... -
Are Pay to Play Venues Worth It? 10.06.2026 40mSend us a message Paying a venue to get on their “preferred DJ” list sounds like a shortcut until you’re staring at the invoice wondering if it actually produced real work. We dig into a real pay to play example with clean numbers: a $2,500 annual buy in, seven leads so far, three bookings, and $7,200 in booked revenue. Then we get honest about how we judge DJ marketing ROI without getting lost in spreadsheets, when gross revenue is “good enough,” and when you absolutely have to subtract labo... -
How Private Event DJs Stay Sharp 03.06.2026 28mSend us a message You can usually tell when a couple filled out your DJ planning form with AI, even if they never mention it. The answers look perfect, but they don’t sound like them and that can wreck the very thing people pay a premium for: personalization. We dig into how we’re seeing ChatGPT style responses show up in wedding DJ questionnaires, what it means for music discovery and prep, and how to sanity check details without awkwardly accusing a client. One of the simplest moves is re c... -
Learn How to Say No 27.05.2026 32mSend us a message That tiny moment when a couple scans your QR code at a wedding show can decide whether you book the date or never hear from them again. We talk through what went wrong with sending people to a long website contact form, why friction destroys conversions, and how a simpler raffle style lead capture setup can help you collect names and phone numbers fast. If you have ever worked a bridal expo and watched leads slip away while someone fumbles with a form, this one will feel fam... -
From Conference Stages to Wedding Madness 20.05.2026 48mSend us a message The part nobody tells you about being a working DJ is how often you’re building in the dark. Social media gives you instant dopamine, but long-form work like podcasting, education, and community takes time to show results. We open with some real talk about staying consistent, what actually feels fulfilling, and why the listeners who support on Patreon make a bigger difference than they probably realize. We also drop a few updates for DJ Collective in Raleigh, including the u... -
Breaking Down Backup Plans 13.05.2026 48mSend us a message One dead play button can turn a wedding ceremony into a nightmare, and we both know that “it worked at soundcheck” is not a safety plan. We start with a few Beyond The DJ Booth updates, then get into DJ life the way it really is: imperfect, funny, stressful, and fixable if your systems are solid. We bring back a classic segment and test our brains with a drum-only game that proves how hard song recognition can be when you strip everything down to rhythm. From there we jump ... -
How to Reduce Wedding Prep Time 06.05.2026 29mSend us a message Wedding planning shouldn’t take an hour of copy-pasting, second-guessing, and chasing missing details. We’re sharing two big updates for mobile DJs: a cleaner way to shop our gear and a new tool designed to give you your time back. First, we explain the business shakeup for Bunn Gear that moves all their 3D printed DJ parts to Parts4DJs.com, while keeping BunnGear.com focused on higher-end booth products. Then we get into the real pain point behind new product development: ... -
Songs That Work Every Time 29.04.2026 30mSend us a message The fastest way to learn what’s real in the DJ business is to stack three very different gigs back to back and tell the truth about how they went. We do exactly that, starting with a corporate event where the timing is off, the band is loud, and the “after-party” slot feels like a setup. It’s the kind of night that tests your professionalism, your room-reading, and your ability to deliver without spiraling. Then the pendulum swings to a wedding that hits on every level: str... -
What To Do When Disaster Strikes 22.04.2026 34mSend us a message TikTok can delete two weeks of momentum with one vague notification, and that’s exactly where we start. One of us gets hit with a sudden account ban for “impersonation,” no real explanation, and basically no support loop, which turns into a bigger conversation about how DJs and creators should think about platforms, backups, and not building your entire business on rented land. From there, we slide into pure summer fuel: crate finds, yacht rock, and the specific songs that ... -
Are DJ Conferences Dead? 15.04.2026 36mSend us a message DJ conferences aren’t “dying” because DJs stopped caring. They’re struggling because expectations keep rising while budgets stay stuck in the past, and we’re done pretending that isn’t the real problem. We talk candidly about a recent DJ show survey, the nonstop complaint that it’s “the same people on stage,” and why booking marquee speakers is impossible unless ticket prices match the true cost of venues, production, and talent. If you want a premium experience, the math ha... -
Fun Fact: Networking Works 08.04.2026 43mSend us a message You can be an incredible DJ and still feel stuck if nobody knows you well enough to refer you. We get honest about networking for DJs, what actually moves the needle, and why “just posting more” is not a substitute for real relationships. We break down the industry groups that have consistently turned into bookings and vendor trust for us, including NACE, WIPA, and ILEA, plus the simple habits that make those memberships pay off: show up, volunteer, meet the new venue conta... -
Not Every Show is a Rager 01.04.2026 27mSend us a message Your next gig might be flawless or it might be a total stinker and either way you need a plan. We kick things off with a new “stinker button” idea (yes, a real button) and a no-filter rant about DJ trend overload, especially the endless wave of tech house edits that keep flooding record pools. The point is not to hate on a style, it is to protect your programming, your brand, and your dance floors from copy-paste shortcuts. Then we go full storytime with two private event D... -
How DJs Survive Bad Corporate Gigs 25.03.2026 32mSend us a message A packed dance floor can come from the weirdest place and sometimes it’s a “Take On Me” to “Crazy Frog” transition that has a club screaming like it’s 2005. Brian B and Joe Bunn kick off season seven by unpacking what that kind of moment really teaches working DJs: stop assuming you know the crowd, take smart risks, and pay attention to what actually moves people, not what “should” work. Then we get into the unglamorous side of being a mobile DJ and corporate event DJ: the ... -
DJs + Sax Players: Amazing…or Absolute Chaos? 18.03.2026 43mSend us a message Chances are you’ve played a Mike D edit without even realizing it. We open the episode by giving flowers to one of the most influential remixers in the DJ world. His unexpected passing hit the community hard, and we share some stories about meeting him, why his edits became staples in DJ crates everywhere, and what made his “clean but still club-ready” sound so unique. Then we jump into one of the fastest-growing trends in private events: live musicians performing with DJs -...
