Consider this: If you were in a position to hire an employee for your company, would you base your hiring decision solely on the candidates' salary requirement? It's not likely. Instead, wouldn’t you filter the candidates using criteria you might find on their resumes and then interview the top few qualified people? Note that the most experienced, prepared and effective candidates will likely require the highest salary while the rookies may undercut the lowest price just to get their foot in the door.

A: A typical disc jockey plays music and usually also makes announcements - that's it. Average service is available at an average price, usually starting at a minimum of $400 and going up past $700. Greater expertise, higher quality and a more entertaining experience come at a higher price. The Rhythm System offers services at both the middle and the expert levels for simple and elaborate events from $450 to $2,000+ with Saturday wedding day experiences being priced most often at $1695 thru $2795 (Friday, Sunday and other days are discounted significantly).

How important is music to your event? If your plans put music into a background role with few, if any, announcements and a low desire to have guests be entertained, then you can afford to spend less on a disc jockey. On the other hand, if the event is going to be a memorable lifetime occasion that won’t be repeated, selecting the right entertainer is critical. If planning a wedding reception, bar/bat mitzvah or other life occasion, your entertainment may have a large responsibility and impact on the success of the event. For a class reunion, picnic, summer or birthday party, school dance or other semi-repeatable event, a less experienced disc jockey may be all that you need. Will the entertainment make or break your event?

In our society, there is a wide range of styles of DJs available. Some are good at playing music at bars, others follow a script at a radio station and there are also DJs who are good at entertaining an audience at your type of event.

A: Since 1989, The Rhythm System has been focused on doing one thing really well: providing fun entertainment for our clients using a variety of musical genres, appropriate for the crowd and event. Interacting with the audience and keeping the energy level elevated, makes it fun for us too.  I provide services to only one client per day and have focused efforts on weddings, corporate banquets and school and formal dances.  I do not offer services for reunions, picnics or events where music is to be in the background with other entertainment (or no entertainment) is the focus.
 

I will typically travel up to one hour from Harrisburg, PA.  For events farther away, the answer depends a bit on how far from my home office we are talking about and certain details about the event including the services desired.  The farthest I have travelled so far to do an event was about 3 hours.  Considering I usually get about 10 miles per gallon hauling my gear and it may add a few more hours to my day, or even require an overnight stay, the event not only needs to be the right combination of packages/enhancements but I may have to include a travel expense surcharge to cover the extra expenses... I suspect that you would agree that this is only fair. 

Typical cities/areas that I will travel to DJ without a surcharge or other considerations include: Harrisburg, Carlisle, York, Hershey, Camp Hill, Lancaster, Lebanon, Gettysburg, Hallam, Wrightsville, Columbia, Marietta, Mt Joy, Palmyra, Grantville, Shippensburg

Now that I have been in this business over 20 years (since 1989) and provided services to over 600 clients, I have decided to focus my efforts on the events that I enjoy the most and leave the other events to other DJs.  My interests are involvement with elaborate, fancy, sophisticated, upscale, fun, exciting and memorable wedding entertainment as well as an occasional adult party or corporate celebration where dancing is the main entertainment.

I provide a personalized service to clients having a private function.  I won't invite you to hang out at my client's events in the same way that I wouldn't feel comfortable having you stand in my home to watch over me for an hour of my personal time.  I have a number of videos on my website and many more clips of events that I can show you, as desired, to reflect the type of services that I offer and which is appropriate for your consideration. 

Years ago, before I offered videos, I had to allow people to visit me at venues to see if my performance was what they were looking for.  I had no other evidence to provide.  People stopped in, perhaps during dinner and watched guests eat for a few minutes and decided that they really wanted an interactive DJ instead.... Of course the timing was wrong for them to see that at the appropriate time, I was quite interactive with the audience.  Each event is different and what works at one event may not work at another.  If the client I was working for asked for the Electric Slide to be played but you don't like that song, that would also probably not do well to impress you, should you be visiting during that dance.  You get to select such details so that you get a personalized experience that's just right for you.

It doesn't really matter.  What really matters is that you receive the experience that you want.  If that includes particular songs, we cover that during our planning process and even if those songs aren't yet included within my library, I will make sure to acquire them before your event.  Part of my personalized services includes the opportunity to identify particular songs (within reason) to be played. 

I have performed for a few clients who decided to provide an exclusive play list from which I can select music to play.  I even had one client that provided a list in the order it was to be played.  If you know what you want to that level and do not want to benefit of my extensive experience of satisfying an audience, please allow me to refer you to another company.  I don't know what songs I will want to hear a day or week from now and find that the experience from your guests' perspective is greatly diminished when they aren't able to make requests for what they may be in the mood for, at the time.  When I perform for an audience, I don't play requests in order.  In fact, I don't usually get to play all requests either.  To not be able to play any requests or to be so limited that I have to constantly consult a list of approved (or prohibited) music, creates a situation that almost always limits the success of the event.

You can rent those items from The Rhythm System Pro DJ Entertainment.  I also offer mixers, wireless mics and wired microphones, lighting equipment including moving and effect lights, fog machines, pin spots, par cans, intelligent lighting, black lights, rope light, strobe lights, laser effects, crank stands, video projectors, video screen, video camera, uplighting, flood lighting, spot lighting (not follow spots), flame and water effect projectors, media projectors, slide show projectors, DJ consoles, CD players, whole DJ systems, PA systems, public address systems, monitor speakers, stage monitors, bass cabinets, bass bins, sub-woofers, fashion show lighting, runway lights and a bubble machine.