Beyond the DJ Booth
Brian B and Joe Bunn tackle questions about the private event DJ industry, share music, gear/gadgets, and stories from their gigs.
Beyond the DJ Booth
Buffalo Sauce Head Sweats, DJ Quotes, and Insurance Thoughts
Ever wondered why your head starts sweating just from a splash of buffalo sauce? Join us on this entertaining episode of Beyond the DJ Booth Podcast, where Brian B and Joe Bunn Jr. take a humorous look at this peculiar phenomenon. We kick things off with a laugh-inducing game of "Who Said It?", as we try to decipher if DJ philosophies come from A-List DJs or just some random social media users. We sprinkle in some travel tips, including a favorite gadget of Brian's—the AirFly Bluetooth adapter, a game changer for wireless headphone enthusiasts on flights.
We also swap stories about our time at the Foundry Hotel in Phoenix, Arizona, praising its top-notch service and incredible food. Drawing inspiration from industry stalwarts like Eric Rhodes and DJ Malike, we explore the impact of social media and content creation on the DJ scene. Listener questions lead us to discuss the tricky waters of insurance requirements, particularly workers' compensation and for cold sparks. As we share our insights, we underline the importance of running this stuff by an insurance professional. Whether you're here for the laughs or the lessons, this episode is packed with both!
RESOURCES & LINKS
Our website. Please leave a review! - https://www.beyondthedjbooth.com/
To book Joe Bunn: https://bunndjcompany.com/
To book Brian B: https://djbrianbofficial.com/
Joe’s Gear Finds on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djjoebunn
Brian’s Gear Finds on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djbrianbofficial
DJ Event Planner free demo: https://www.djeventplanner.com/signup.php
Brian B's Coaching Options: Https://www.thdjscreativeedge.com
what's up everybody? Welcome back to Beyond the DJ Booth Podcast. I'm Brian B and this is Joe Bunn Jr. Welcome back. Did you miss us?
Speaker 2:We missed you. I mean, it's been seven days I missed you. That's a lie. We're the Batch Kings.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we've been shooting all day. We've been shooting all day Eating Chick-fil-A. Oh yeah, kings, yeah, and this we've been shooting all day. We've been shooting all day eating chick-fil-a.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, it's been a day, it's been a day we talked to janai. We did talk to a banker. Try to give him below me some money. We've had a busy day, busy day, busy day, bro, good ass.
Speaker 1:Chick-fil-a though that was good premium, as we say premium chick-fil-a experience anyway, talk about your head sweating uh oh yeah, yeah, you know that right.
Speaker 2:I did not know that you have hair yeah, but I mean you're saying, I mean ask, ask the people if it's a common thing. I mean, like, does this ever happen to you ball-headed people, or close to ball-headed people? Does anything vinegar based make your head sweat while you're eating? So like I had that buffalo sauce on the nuggets and then also ketchup has vinegar in it. It makes my head sweat, it's an odd?
Speaker 2:yeah, I don't know, but he has hair but you're saying it doesn't happen to you because you got your hair cut short.
Speaker 1:Now, man, no head sweats, nah, but do you eat vinegar? I like buffalo sauce, not really, but no sweating out of the head I'll take notice next time.
Speaker 2:Okay, asking the audience, just a texture swap anyway, what's up with you, dude?
Speaker 1:I thought we'd just kind of mix it up a little bit okay, what's happening today? So a little icebreaker today. Oh yeah, all right, so this is gonna be. Who said it? Oh jesus, do you think this is an a-list dj or just the random x, which would be like what was twitter?
Speaker 2:okay random x guy oh, okay like just some random person you think not random like x as in like, fill in the blanks like somebody on twitter.
Speaker 1:Somebody on twitter?
Speaker 2:but just a random not a celebrity right or an a-list dj said yeah, okay, so I got a couple different ones okay, so you ready? Yeah, I'm ready.
Speaker 1:So number one would be you don't drop the base, the base drops you. Is this a real dj, a lister, or is this random? Yeah, shout out. Dj. Underscore for life. Underscore 69 wow so it is fake.
Speaker 1:It is a fake, a lister okay, all right. Number two would be if you're standing in the booth, you're doing it wrong. I have to agree with this. A lister, a lister. You are correct, you know who. Uh, what a lister. It is any ideas? Yet a fat boy slim. You're doing it wrong, I have to agree with this A-lister.
Speaker 2:A-lister, you are correct. You know who, what A-lister it is, any ideas.
Speaker 1:Getta Fat boy slim back in the day. Interesting Number three I once dropped sandstorm four times in a row just to see what would happen. They loved it.
Speaker 2:I think it's an A-lister being an asshole Fake. Oh, oh okay.
Speaker 1:But anybody who has the guts to do this, much respect Right.
Speaker 2:It sounds like something like Dylan Francis would do. Yeah, totally.
Speaker 1:All right. Number four A DJ is not just playing music. A DJ is controlling the entire universe. For a moment in time, it's got to be A-List.
Speaker 2:It is an A-Lister. Hold on, it's not a Tiesto, is it? It's? Not Tiesto on, it's not a tso is it's not tso.
Speaker 1:Geta, it is geta. Wow. So what are you? You're two for two for three, I think. So, all right, I don't mix songs, I mix emotions. I still feel like it's an a-lister, is it? No? Oh, something.
Speaker 2:You see this on like a dj's inspirational instagram right, right, right, with like a sunset in the background or something like that. You don't want to shout out the guy that said it or did you?
Speaker 1:did a brian b no, it's not me, no, it's not okay. All right, number six if people aren't dancing, just turn it up louder. Works every time, jesus, gotta be a random it is random, okay, yeah, but sounds like good advice red line it out so good gear corner. Okay, you're going abroad soon. Okay, we've talked about this. Well, one of the worst things about being on a plane is you have to have, like, your headphones hooked into the entertainment console yeah frustrating.
Speaker 1:Yeah, come with this little bad boy. You keep your bluetooth locked in. You bluetooth it to this little eighth inch airpods works with the airpods. It's by airfly is the name of the company you just charge this little rig up usbc yeah yeah, you just plug it in and you connect through bluetooth and you can do this on any airplane. But right, you know, because the ones they give you, so they're so cheap.
Speaker 2:They're garbage they don't.
Speaker 1:Half the time they don't even work, you're pulling it apart no noise canceling this is the move damn cuz so this is on my amazon cart. What do you think it goes for?
Speaker 2:uh, I think this is 24.99 pretty close 29.99 okay so under 30 bucks.
Speaker 1:Yeah, worthwhile investment. I love it. Man, I'm getting one of these yeah, you gotta get and actually they make them too where you can have to connect oh, nice, nice.
Speaker 2:So if you're a partner, you don't have to give your pod Just say connect to it. Yeah, that's crazy, because when you're trying to watch a movie Right, I do believe on your iPad, you can connect two sets now. Yeah, from what I remember of AirPods, but when this is for the built-in screen, back of the seat, experience with the eighth inch jack and I haven't tested it to the limits to see when it will.
Speaker 1:It's worked for a four-hour flight, right. I have yet to have it die on right right, you haven't gone european with it.
Speaker 2:No, so I don't know how well, I'll put it to the limit.
Speaker 1:Yeah, see, if it goes, I think I've got a six hour uh to paris, but this goes in the bag at all times, every flight you just feel like your, your, your, your backpack may weigh 200 at this point, but you're prepared exactly, we, uh, are batching this as always. Yeah, so we were at the djc recharge. Yeah, we were in phoenix, which was a cool hotel, number one, I love the spot you did a great job, picking that out by the way everybody told me they're like this is such a djc like pick as far as hotel, they thought you did it, though.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they were trying to give you props.
Speaker 1:I know I could. I didn't take a credit. I didn't take it.
Speaker 2:I said they were like brian b picked this hotel. I was like, nope, I I actually did it this time it was, I was out in arizona in august.
Speaker 1:You steered me to a few yeah, I think I may have recommended this you did because you sent me the picture.
Speaker 2:Yeah yeah, At the check-in desk there's a giant picture of Burt. I think that's Burt.
Speaker 1:Reynolds yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:From like the 70s, with the stash and all the body hair Laying out Just like laying out with like a fur loincloth or something on.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:It's very odd, like welcoming I mean, I'm saying it's 12, 15 feet long.
Speaker 1:Oh, the layout of the space, though, was cool.
Speaker 2:Shout out Foundry Hotel Phoenix Arizona. They were so nice, if you ever go super good people, great room for meetings, great meeting space, great bar. Dude, I'm going to tell you this, the food at that hotel was better than any hotel food I've ever had. I would agree. I had breakfast there, I had lunch there the pizza was solid.
Speaker 1:I had dinner there. I had a burger the day I left.
Speaker 2:Coffee was solid. Coffee was solid. Little bitty pool. That was kind of cool. Yeah, I had a great time at the recharge.
Speaker 1:If that was the last one, it was a great way to go out I know you were presenting a lot, but like if there was any nuggets, you took what was like your one or two takeaways that you could say you, you came back going hey, I need to do this, or you know, man I mean I love to see somebody like eric rhodes talk, you know, or speak about just his journey with tiktok and instagram and how big that he's gotten on there and the prices that he can kind of command.
Speaker 2:Now that's very inspirational to anybody that watches, yeah, or to anybody that's putting stuff out on the internet. You're a few videos away from changing your career and or life. I think malik is so good man. He's just he's very raw up there, but he just he's not a volume king like I am, but he's almost like a cinematographer or a director. He's very scorsese type, you know, yeah, I for what he wants to create and even something that self-admittedly he'll say is was not cool. He can make it look cool, whether it's because he's in it and he knows how to dress and how cool he looks, or just the way it's shot. You know what I mean. He's just got really good people surrounding him capturing content. The last day, instead of coming back to Florida, he borrowed somebody's bun gear command center and went up on some rooftop and just started shooting a mix. I think he hired the videographer that was shooting our stuff from the day before.
Speaker 2:Oh he may have and then talk to somebody in Arizona. It's like hey, you got a command center.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Put it up on the roof at this hotel. I'm gonna go up there and shoot some content.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's cool.
Speaker 2:I mean the dude is he thinks bigger than just like the quick one off reels that I've kind right I'd go from. You know cutting up cars and fireworks and all this stuff to like, hey, man, hand me that little pocket osmo camera right there and I'll just start right and shit in my office, right? Neither is right, neither is wrong, right? I mean it's just he's in that chapter of life, right?
Speaker 1:now where he's making some bangers, totally anyway.
Speaker 2:What about you? What would it? What did you love?
Speaker 1:two things, I think one was I always forget the value of those small, intimate shows which it seems like it's kind of like that's the trend right now going in that I feel like it yeah. I probably connected with more people in that three day span than I usually do at the bigger ones, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1:Like it was so cool just to like put a name and a face to people that I've seen online on our mentoring stuff or whatever. And now we're like having a face-to-face conversation. I love that and you know, you just pick up those little nuggets in those hallway conversations. And I think the other thing that we got questioned on and we tried to give some value there but I felt like challenged was the AI side of things. So in my coaching group, which we have, I decided I'm making it an every month thing. We're all going to kind of go in on this and every month kind of present what are we using an AI? What are we looking at? I think it's the future.
Speaker 1:We got to start kind of moving towards that direction of, you know, leveraging these tools to make our life easier, make it better, be streamlined, business efficiency, whatever the case may be. And there's like things coming out every day Like we think music's coming out at such a clip every day. It's only a matter of time until ai kind of does the same thing. You're just going to be like there's so much out like I don't even know where to start. So I kind of want to be ahead of that trend and try to be moving it forward that way. So those are the two things I grabbed. But it was great, weather was great 80 degrees every day.
Speaker 2:I mean, yeah, I had a ball man, maybe it's not the last one.
Speaker 1:But it's the last one for a while, for a little while, for a little while.
Speaker 2:Yeah, djs, real talk. Are you tired of trying to figure out the DJ business alone, struggling with pricing, bookings or just how to stand out? That's exactly why I built the DJ's Vault. It's everything I've learned over 40 years in this industry Documents, sales presentations, pricing guides and marketing strategies that actually work. And, the best part, you can try it free for a week. Just go to wwwthedjsvaultcom. Slash free week and start leveling up your DJ business today.
Speaker 1:Let's hit the question. Okay, we got a two-parter today. Okay, all coming from YouTube. So thanks for watching everybody. Thanks for watching on YouTube. These kind of relate back to an episode which we talked about COIs and insurance, but I think these are going down different paths for each of these. So number one this is from Maddie D555. I'd really like to hear more about your insurance situations. I'm actually having a horrible situation with workers' comp right now. Is that something you guys carry? I'm being forced to carry it by the state of New York. Any advice would be so helpful. We just dealt with this also, I think, on our mentoring call recently.
Speaker 2:I remember someone was funny Like you said that I'm like did we not answer this? But I guess like it was a different audience. Yes, On the mentor call Anyway.
Speaker 1:Can you explain my answer? Yeah, new York and New Jersey are beasts, and California too, that's right, like those three areas work more common.
Speaker 2:Don't have around yeah.
Speaker 1:You got to basically get an expert involved, right, and you don't want to be paying penalties because, those things are hefty anchored in Florida.
Speaker 1:If you are an S-corp or I think there's one other category of business that gives you the ability to apply for an exemption for workers' comp and you, as the owner, don't have to carry it. Now, if I have employees, that's different and we don't have employees. We have 1099 folks, so I don't have to get it for those guys at all. Now, if they want to get it on their own, great. But as far as my business is concerned, I do not have to insure anybody who is not an employee and because I'm the only employee, I can be exempt from it as the owner of that type of business as an S-corp. What about North Carolina? Same thing, I'm doing.
Speaker 2:That's what I was told. My people are 1099s. I don't have workman's comp for them. I don't think I have it for myself I do. I looked this up the other day. I think it was actually on. I don't think it was the mentor call, Maybe it was at the DJC Maybe it was at the recharge. We were talking about the disability insurance and it's pennies on the dollar really for how much it costs and it's strictly for I walk out of here and slam my hand in the door by accident or something I can't work.
Speaker 2:It basically pays me for X number of months or whatever, as I'm getting hand surgery or rehabbing or whatever. I think that's important. I do have that, as always. Please just consult with local experts on this stuff. It is so easy to pick up the phone and dial up a local insurance agent. This is what they do for a living. They will literally give you tons of free advice because they make mailbox money on you buying a policy and keeping that policy.
Speaker 2:So they're happy to talk to you, help you and probably sell you a policy all in the same phone call. So please don't listen to two assholes that are sitting up here possibly doing something wrong for your particular area. We are doing what we think is right for our business in our area.
Speaker 1:Part two. I hope you have the answer to this, because I don't. Can you guys up stuff on cold sparks, licenses, insurance needs, etc. Thanks guys. And who wk h entertainment? Dash, we don't need the whole was the other one, the entertainment company taken. I guess you had to go with the hyphen you have cold sparks, you're getting cold sparks.
Speaker 2:I got them. They're in that closet right there so are you checking the licenses?
Speaker 1:did you do all that beforehand?
Speaker 2:Yes, I did everything you're supposed to do. The problem is, the state of North Carolina wants you to have what's called a proximate audience operator license.
Speaker 1:What's this cost? I don't know.
Speaker 2:You know why Didn't get that far? Because there's not even a fucking class scheduled, and every month I've got the lady at the North Carolina Insurance Association, or whoever is in charge of this. I email her. Hey, deanna, it's Joe Bunn again. Any classes scheduled for this operator's license?
Speaker 1:No, so then she goes.
Speaker 2:Maybe you can hit up some of the people on this list that have the license and they're authorized to teach the class. Did that? Got Randy to ping every fireworks operator in the state of North Carolina? Zero response, Wow. One guy said can't help you, I'm retiring. That was the only response. Wow, so they don't want to help us because they probably don't want us to do it, Right? So then I start talking to people and I'm not going to name names, don't panic on the podcast.
Speaker 2:If you're listening, if you're listening of people in North Carolina that are friends of ours, Right, that have been firing them off for six years no license, no troubles and or they're also saying that there is a gray area of what is considered a public firing and a private facility, which is normally what we are playing in Almost every place that I play. I can name all the venues. Whatever are privately owned, they're not public facilities. Now, the audience is technically public, but they're saying that this is private property. You're firing them on, so you don't need it.
Speaker 2:Now listen, they could be lying just to justify firing it off, but I was trying to really get down to it. To be fair and again, this is a North Carolina thing. I don't want to speak about where your WKH Entertainment is Like. Wherever you are, you need to get on the phone with somebody and find out if you need a pyro license Like just Google pyro license of Utah or whatever and get on the phone or start sending emails and figure out what you need before you purchase these, Because, to be honest, I have not taken them out, never fired them off, Don't know that I am. Now I'm like kind of second guessing it.
Speaker 1:But what happens if you book it, because I'm sure you're pre-selling this?
Speaker 2:I would probably sign up or refund it. Anybody want some cold sparks For sale? Four batteries, four cold sparks I don't know, man, I feel uncomfortable. I thought by the time that they arrived I would have solved this issue, gotten a license, and then my understanding is that people can be underneath your license, like I could go Saquon, go fire these off. He's under my license, got it? I'm not even sure that's the case. Like he may have to go to the class too.
Speaker 1:This might be worth running through your attorney too. Yeah, if you're going to offer this to make sure. What about florida? Do you know anything about? I don't, I mean, can I just?
Speaker 2:sell them to you and you ship them down I might need to, because in florida, they y'all can do whatever you pretty much.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean remember the pandemic. They were like we ain't closing oh no this is the sunshine state.
Speaker 2:Nobody gives a shit about florida I don't.
Speaker 1:If people are listening from florida, I won't say it, but like they're rogue down there.
Speaker 2:There's a lot of people who run them. They're rogue down there, there's a lot of people who run them.
Speaker 1:They're rogue, yeah, and they don't seem to be the type that would be getting licenses and insurances.
Speaker 2:Neither do you, though you seem a little shifty. Oh no, no, no, you seem a little shifty.
Speaker 1:Buy the book on this dude. I would have to be All right, they'd come after me, it would be my luck. If you find, just saw my cold sparks, there we go anyway. Shout out both lighting. They make the best cold sparks. By the way, they're not a sponsor of the podcast. Who is a sponsor? Did we talk about them? Yeah, no, who is the sponsor? Brian, do you know? And there's this crm. That's out there. It's been there forever. Go on our go-to uh-huh dj.
Speaker 1:Event planner, dj event planner head them up dj event plannercom me and you both use them.
Speaker 2:good people over there definitely check them out. If you're looking for something to keep track of all of your leads and your shows and even a little portal for your clients to log in and plan their music and timeline djeventplannercom you like how. I tied that in right there at the end of the episode.
Speaker 1:Well played. This is a good episode.
Speaker 2:Homie, I feel like you've done this before I feel like it's a well-oiled machine, right, we're going to keep them going for you guys. New episodes every Wednesday, y'all. Thank you for listening to Beyond the DJ Booth Podcast. I'm Joe Bunn, that's Brian B. We out Later.