As a very busy wedding DJ myself I feel that the professional DJ's amongst us have moved on from the cheesy 70's stereotype disc jockey and can now use the new technology to great effect. In the last 5 years I have fully embraced mp3 music and can now more cost effectively keep up to date with the latest songs. Also you ask the bride and groom what they would want you to play so you can still play their type of music, from indie to full on rock music, if they want it. Also I now use more video visuals to create an atmosphere from using 2 projection screens. Finally with all things you get what you pay for. If you expect a good night when you have paid your DJ £50 to £100 for a full nights work and bearing in mind if he actually turns up at all you are in for a bad night. On the other hand, invest in a good professional DJ who will play what you want to, will have a good digital sound system and will entertain you and your guests, creating a lasting memory for years to come.

David, Burntwood, England

Carol.
I've read you're article and have to say it does anger me.
Unfortunately they're a few "dodgy" Djs in the industry which let it down, but tell me what type of industry doesn't have a few un-savoury characters?
For the rest of us - professional wedding Djs, it's quite annoying that people like yourself don't get to see the work that goes into planning the events.
Myself and other pro Dj's spend thousands on high quality equipment and music, licences, appliance testing and other elements to enusre a professional service. Not to mention the time spend planning and travelling to the event.
Also with Ipods, you have to hire a PA system anyway so why not a dj, for a few pounds more?
Sure you could have an Ipod wedding, why not have granny doing the catering, uncle Bob taking the photos on his 1970's polariod, and a cake from Tesco.
My point being - every industry has it's professionals DJing is no different. Professional DJ's are hired for their talent & ability.

Stephen Kelly, Coleraine, Northern Ireland

After reading your article I would like to make two points, firstly, an ipod would need some serious amplification, in order for the music to be heard above the usual party din, so the couple would have to hire a P/A system, as this costs around the same as a mobile disco any cost saving ideas they might have had are wasted.

secondly an ipod can't introduce the 1st dance, the cutting of the cake or the opening of the buffet. (normally around 9pm)

Brian smith, Sunderland, uk

Not called Gaz either, this type of stereotypical claptrap really winds me up. So thanks carol for perpetuating the myth. So fine play from your ipod, put up with the gaps between songs and the lack of atmosphere, just thought a publication like the Times could have reported this better without having to bad mouth the dj industry in order to do it.

Think some research could have been in order into how wedding dj's have progressed instead of your perception of what they are like.

Paul Arnett, Bradford, UK

Quote "It saw off the vinyl record and the video cassette. Now digital technology is squaring up to kill off another great cultural institution – the wedding DJ." Q. 'Digital kills the wedding DJ... you’ll be sorry' A. Probably

Marc, Reading,

So when do we see the Ipod with a personality?? The Ipod that encourages people to get up and have a good time? The Ipod that is able to play any given song from 30,000 + in the spare of the moment? The Ipod that can do my job??

I dont think so....Do you?

S Boys, Carshalton, Surrey

Hi Carol

An interesting article. Yes, the mobile disco industry does undoubtedly have a bad reputation, for unreliable DJs who don't turn up, and those who play their own music all night, with total disregard to what you, the customer want to listen to.

Furthermore, most people can tell you a horror story about the DJ at a party they attended, or indeed a DJ who'd let them or their friends down.

Unfortunately there are some couples who still look for the cheapest disco, having spent a fortune on the dress, cake, honeymoon.... This false economy is what keeps DJ Dave Doubledecks out there brandishing the Birdie Song every Saturday night!

Finding a disco is a minefield. Enquire with ten wedding disco providers from Google or Yellow Pages and you will get ten different quotes, for the same function, same date, hours and venue. From the Birdie Song brigade at £100 to those who'll try to charge you a fortune just because it's a wedding, which is equally shameful.

Tony Mitchell, Director, A1 Discos Ltd,

Modern Wedding DJs are becoming more and more customer focused and they understand that they are in a service industry. Consultation before the event is essential so that music tastes can be shared and the party structured according to the B&G's tastes.

The DJs experience, communication skills and interactive presentation will ensure a successful and memorable party for all guests.Enthusiasm, fun and excitement cannot be generated by an ipod!

Members of our association are constantly striving to improve their performances. They meet regularly and share their experiences and actively seek out new ways of entertaining their clients. We are, as an industry, looking forward and embracing new technology in order to help us achieve the highest level of satisfaction for our clients.
It is indeed a shame that many B&G's do not check out the credentials of their DJs before booking them to perform. Many unfortunately get what they deserve.

Derek Pengelly, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire

I recently attended a wedding where the DJ had cancelled at short notice. Not being able to book anyone else, the groom and his mates had put together a compilation of music to be played via ipod/laptop/whatever.
There were no lights..no atmosphere and guess what, no-one was dancing!
A DJ is a must for the very reasons everyone else has stated, to read the crowd and keep them all happy.
I am glad you more or less came to this conclusion yourself at the end of your article, however it seems it was too little too late as most readers have missed your point!!! My mum gave me the cutting with a ha ha ha attitude as my husband is a DJ!!
BY the way, the weddding I attended was in Germany and DJ hubby wasn't there as he was booked up that weekend.

m brown, Lincoln, Lincolnshire

Dear Carol,
Thank you for your illuminating article. It is such a shame that you have based it on, what appears to be, limited research. If this is your experience at "friends" weddings I would have to suggest, that like a lot of other couples they did not budget for a professional DJ, but settled for a £250 cheapy from "down the road". I would even go as for to say that an apology would be in order to all my professional colleagues that spend hour talking to bride's to ensure that the evening goes smoothly and seamlessly to their requirements.

Mike Moore, Farnham, UK

Carol

i hate to think what weddings you have been to recently if this is the kind of music your friends are providing!

i run a busy London based company which provides high class DJs for all types of events. Our DJs are well presented in black suits, highly skilled at crafting the music to suit not only the clients' requirements, but the instant desires of the guests on the floor, and couldn't be further from the image of mobile DJs you are painting in your article.

i suggest a little more researtch across the market before you embark on your next article so you are a bit more up tp date with industry standards rather than your personal ideas (or maybe desires?) of what a wedding DJ should be like.

Hugo Fuller, London,

Hi Carol.

It is my great pleasure in informing you that you do not need to be concerned about the 'great cultural institution – the wedding DJ'.

Across the country their are many, professional DJ's that still know the art of being a DJ and have evolved into a professional service provider that is capable of listening to their clients, looking at the audience and playing the correct mix of music for them.

It might be better to look at the DJs as a professional body of entertainers, rather than the very out of date stereo type of the 80's DJ.

I would also incourage you to venture out of you front door sometime and pop into HMV or such like and look at the Vinal records that are making a come back.

Its not all bad you see

John Kidd, Chairman , South East Discotheque Association

I provide profesional wedding evening entertainment. I invest much time with my wedding clients before the night to ensure that their night is a memorable end to an unforgetable day.

As far as I'm concerned, the evening entertainment is an integral part of this important day as much as the flowers arriving at the church, the hire cars turning up, and the catering arrangements ready. Like all of these, the evening entertainment must appear seamless allowing the bride, groom, their freinds and family to relax, unwind and celebrate the day's happy occassion. All in all, the evening should be a time that the bride and grooms friends and family will talk about and remember.

I always tell my clients that I'm more than a guy that just plays records - I'm there to provide their whole evening entertainment package, responsible for them and their guests leaving the evening with huge smiles on their faces.

And no, I dont wear jeans - I wear a waist coat suit and bow tie. Stay happy!

Lee Green, Somerton,

Sure, an ipod cannot fade, and you can't change the playlist on the fly.

Alternatively, if you connect a laptop with your itunes library, you can change your playlist on the fly, and itunes can also fade songs in and out.

Ed, London,

You certainly got a reaction, which must have been your ploy ?
If all you want is someone to play your playlist, then you do not need a dj !
However, most couples give the dj a small list of around 20 tracks that they would like to be played and its up to the dj to keep the floor full based on crowd reaction. Most dj's work on crowd reaction,with or without lists. If the music's not right, then the crowd's not happy, and that makes for a disaster wedding . If the dj plays what the floor want, that makes for a good wedding.

Ian, Brighton,

Hi Carol,
Firstly can I say how sorry I am for you that your circle of friends and relatives have made you suffer this type of DJ so often that you have no idea of how many DJ’s work nowadays.

Aside form the obvious stereotypical “Comedy DJ” references backed up by the images supplied by Peter Kay, and that some of these dinosaurs do exist! Your article does raise a growing trend (although my personal knowledge would suggest it is far from “more than two thirds of weddings, boy they must have bad DJ’s at that hotel!).

Most professional DJ's add much more to a wedding than "just putting music on with flashing lights".

Many, myself included tend to run the evening for the Bride and Groom, not something easily achieved with an mp3 player.

Paul Forsyth, Headcorn,

Carol - your article is highly offensive to professional mobile dj's who I can assure you do not have "tinny sound systems" and "flashing lights"!! I think somewhere you have been extremely misinformed about the services that a professional mobile dj offers.

They certainly don't turn up for a gig in jeans!

Tracey, Shoreham-by-Sea, England

I have been a mobile dj for over 40 years and I can tell you that very few couples seem able to pick a successful playlist containing the right music to be played at the right time and at the right volume but if you pay peanuts you get monkeys and an ipod maybe a cheapo improvement on an unprofessional disco.

Theo Loyla, Birchington, Kent

You obviously havent been to a good wedding in a VERY long time.. !

a-n-other DJ , Kent,

I am one of those wedding DJs and am glad to say I have never played any of the songs mentioned above (well maybe Tight Fit but not for a long time). I'm not even called Gaz and I don't wear jeans to a gig.

Connecting your own choice of playlist via an i-pod to speakers is fair enough but it won't give you the opportunity to fade songs one into the next and most importantly, the lack of a DJ removes the opportunity for your guests to have their spur of the moment requests played. Also, if your playlist is already set, it makes it more difficult to be flexible on the night and play more of what is working well and less of what isn't. So, I think although we may be something of an engangered species, we are far from being extinct yet.

Jamie, Dartford, Kent

Please tell me you wrote this as a joke.

Brian, Horsham,