Beyond the DJ Booth

By Joe Bunn and Brian BMusic

Beyond the DJ Booth episodes

November 04 Real Talk On DJ Gear And Growth
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A battery-powered speaker with no hard mute button sounds like a small complaint until you are standing at a ceremony and need silence right now. We start with updates from the new studio in Raleigh, then get honest about the gear and systems that actually make a DJ company run better, including why “AI” only matters when it is tied to real booking outcomes and a sales process built for private events.

From there, we go deep on the EV Everse 8 in the real world: what we like, what we hate, and why details like sunlight readability, inputs, app control, and battery life can make or break a mobile DJ setup. We also talk about vendor frustrations when parts arrive missing or damaged, and we get candid about the mental drain of monitoring social media comments when people accuse you of overcharging without understanding costs, labor, and margins.

The biggest story is hurricane weekend chaos in Florida: flights rerouting, venues shutting down, mandatory evacuations, planners rescheduling without checking availability, and clients demanding refunds. We walk through how a “buttoned up” DJ contract, clear expenses, and a willingness to handle each event as its own case can protect your business and your reputation. We also dig into event insurance, why it matters, and the tricky question of how refunds can impact a claim.

We wrap with a simple gear win for corporate events and weddings: multi-port USB-C charging hubs that clean up your power situation, plus our answer to a listener question on what to focus on after you are booking consistently. The short list: level up customer experience, delegate yourself out of the day-to-day, and revisit pricing before you chase more shows. Subscribe, share this with a DJ friend, and leave a review with your biggest “next level” move so far.
Support the show
RESOURCES & LINKS
Presenting Sponsor: LeadExcess AI https://leadexcessai.com/
Beyond The DJ Booth: https://www.beyondthdjbooth.com/
Book Joe Bunn: https://bunndjcompany.com/
Book Brian B: https://djbrianbofficial.com/
Joe's Amazon Gear: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djjoebunn
Brian's Amazon Gear: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djbrianbofficial
DJ Event Planner: https://www.djeventplanner.com/signup.php
Brian B's Coaching: https://www.thdjscreativeedge.com
46 min
October 28 The Strangest Request A DJ Can Get
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We’re recording apart for the first time ever on a public episode, and it turns into a real look at what private event DJs deal with when wedding season overlaps with heavy travel and a full studio rebuild. We also share what has been working on the business side, from fast lead response to the behind-the-scenes momentum in our Patreon community, where we keep music and ideas organized for working DJs.

Then we float a big, messy, exciting thought: taking Beyond The DJ Booth on the road. Not a huge conference, but a live podcast night in the cities where listeners actually are, recorded in a wedding venue with a studio audience. We talk through what could make it worth your time, from a simple ticketed show to an optional behind-the-scenes experience for DJs who want to learn how the sausage gets made, and we ask you to tell us if the idea has legs.

We hit pop culture too, including Taylor Swift new album reactions and a bigger debate about music discovery: why TikTok and Instagram break songs while radio often plays it safe and arrives late. From there we get practical, with gig stories that include a tricky fundraiser vibe shift, a corporate event saved by last-minute problem solving, and why long-term corporate clients can become reliable annual bookings. We also share fresh music finds for doors open and dinner, plus a gear corner with a vibe coded app which is a paid request and setlist tool that could change how DJs think about public event money.

Wrap it up with our question of the day: should you drop “bangers” during cocktail hour and then hit remixes later, or are you just burning the room out? Subscribe for more wedding DJ and corporate DJ talk, share this with a DJ friend, and leave a review if the show helps you level up.
Support the show
RESOURCES & LINKS
Presenting Sponsor: LeadExcess AI https://leadexcessai.com/
Beyond The DJ Booth: https://www.beyondthdjbooth.com/
Book Joe Bunn: https://bunndjcompany.com/
Book Brian B: https://djbrianbofficial.com/
Joe's Amazon Gear: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djjoebunn
Brian's Amazon Gear: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djbrianbofficial
DJ Event Planner: https://www.djeventplanner.com/signup.php
Brian B's Coaching: https://www.thdjscreativeedge.com
43 min
October 21 Are You Playing It Safe Or Playing To Win?
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Are you making moves that actually push your business forward, or just making the moves that feel safe?
This week, Brian and Joe get into what it looks like to bet on yourself, from investing in a new studio and upgrading the way you operate to knowing when technology can give you back time instead of just adding another tool to the pile. They also dig into Lead Excess AI, the new presenting sponsor of Beyond The DJ Booth, and how faster follow-up and better lead conversion could change the way multi-op DJ companies handle inquiries.
From there, the conversation jumps into DJ Collective updates, using your existing events to create more reviews and future business, and a fascinating music-industry question: Is Netflix leaving a massive opportunity on the table by not taking music more seriously?
Then the listener question brings the whole idea home. How do you coach a technically strong DJ who always plays it safe? Brian and Joe talk about expanding musical range, learning to trust the room, using actual request data as “game tape,” and why becoming a better DJ sometimes means being willing to take the chance that a song might not work.
Because whether it’s your business or your dance floor, growth usually requires getting a little uncomfortable.
Subscribe, share this with a DJ friend, and leave a review with the biggest risk you’ve taken behind the decks.
Support the show
RESOURCES & LINKS
Presenting Sponsor: LeadExcess AI https://leadexcessai.com/
Beyond The DJ Booth: https://www.beyondthdjbooth.com/
Book Joe Bunn: https://bunndjcompany.com/
Book Brian B: https://djbrianbofficial.com/
Joe's Amazon Gear: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djjoebunn
Brian's Amazon Gear: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djbrianbofficial
DJ Event Planner: https://www.djeventplanner.com/signup.php
Brian B's Coaching: https://www.thdjscreativeedge.com
29 min
October 14 Wedding DJ Survival Skills
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A number one dance record might be AI-generated, credited to a mysterious persona, and still perfectly playable in a real DJ set. That sounds like a joke, but it’s quickly becoming the new normal, and we’re unpacking what it means for working DJs who build trust for a living.

We jump from that AI music rabbit hole into something every wedding DJ recognizes instantly: the craft of making a pivot when plans change. We react to a vendor reel that nails wedding storytelling by showing the “how we got here” instead of a highlight reel of perfect shots, and we talk about why this kind of content marketing converts better than endless clips of blending behind the decks. If you’re trying to book more weddings, your ability to communicate calm problem-solving is a competitive advantage.

Then we get painfully honest with story time: two mistakes in a row at a wedding, one on the mic and one on the music load, followed by an on-the-spot recovery that keeps the dance floor alive. From there, we go crate-digging with purpose, using 2016 wedding hits as a shortcut to crowd psychology, and sharing how the right DJ edits let you play the same song differently for doors open, dinner, and peak hour.

We close with a practical “question of the day” for mobile DJs: when a planner asks you to release tables for a buffet, do you keep the peace or hold the line? We break down when it helps the timeline, when it hurts the vibe, and how to do it with more hospitality and less mic fatigue.

If you got value from this, subscribe, share it with a DJ friend, and leave a review so more wedding DJs can find the show.
Support the show
RESOURCES & LINKS
Presenting Sponsor: LeadExcess AI https://leadexcessai.com/
Beyond The DJ Booth: https://www.beyondthdjbooth.com/
Book Joe Bunn: https://bunndjcompany.com/
Book Brian B: https://djbrianbofficial.com/
Joe's Amazon Gear: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djjoebunn
Brian's Amazon Gear: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djbrianbofficial
DJ Event Planner: https://www.djeventplanner.com/signup.php
Brian B's Coaching: https://www.thdjscreativeedge.com
32 min
October 07 Reply Faster, Book More Shows
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Your phone buzzes at 10:30pm with a fresh wedding inquiry and you feel the pressure: respond now, or watch them book someone else. We talk through the part most DJs struggle with, not the first auto-reply, but the back-and-forth that follows. When couples start asking about uplighting, pricing, and availability, speed becomes the difference between “sounds good” and a signed contract. We share how an AI follow-up assistant can keep conversations moving overnight, how it learns your company details, and how you can wake up to warmed-up leads instead of missed opportunities.

Then we shift into community and craft: a DJ Collective announcement with a big closing-night opener, plus a pop culture minute on Olivia Rodrigo’s women-led festival and what stood out about the guest experience. From there, we get real about the work, including a corporate run that proves the money is out there, and a public “Throwback Thursday” that falls flat despite solid programming. The story turns into practical lessons on event pricing, room selection, and how to protect your value when the vibe is not vibing.

We also share a simple upgrade couples actually want: a QR code photo hub that collects guest pics in one place, even if you skip the TVs. Finally, we answer a sticky business question: what if a venue wants you on their preferred vendor list but not your team? We break down how we’d respond, what questions to ask, and how to use it as a training moment.

If you got value from this, subscribe, share it with a DJ friend, and leave a review so more working DJs can find the show.
Support the show
RESOURCES & LINKS
Presenting Sponsor: LeadExcess AI https://leadexcessai.com/
Beyond The DJ Booth: https://www.beyondthdjbooth.com/
Book Joe Bunn: https://bunndjcompany.com/
Book Brian B: https://djbrianbofficial.com/
Joe's Amazon Gear: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djjoebunn
Brian's Amazon Gear: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djbrianbofficial
DJ Event Planner: https://www.djeventplanner.com/signup.php
Brian B's Coaching: https://www.thdjscreativeedge.com
32 min
September 30 Are You Too Busy Or Just Unorganized?
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A flood wedding with green water, a photographer saying four hours of dancing is “too much,” and a pair of Jordans that literally self-destruct 45 seconds into a basketball run. That’s the kind of day you only survive if your DJ business runs on systems, not stress, so we start with a major show update: Beyond The DJ Booth is now presented by LeadExcess, and Joe explains why he’s been using it for over a year. The key distinction matters for working DJs and multi-op owners: it’s not a lead generator, it’s a lead converter built around fast follow-up and consistent conversations that push inquiries toward one goal, a meeting.

From there we hit a pop culture minute, then get into a real event-industry pain point: why DJs keep getting left out of photo galleries even when the booth set-up looks incredible. We vent, but we also offer a practical move that’s helped us get better DJ content and stronger vendor relationships without making it awkward. If you’re trying to grow your wedding DJ marketing, your Instagram, or your website portfolio, this part will feel very real.

We also talk planner outreach with a Taco Tuesday style luncheon and gifting ideas that are actually useful, then shift into gig talk with a five-hour Studio 54 disco themed party and the crate finds and edits that kept the crowd engaged. We wrap with a gear corner backpack review and a bigger conversation about hobbies, time management, and staying healthy for the long game.

Subscribe for more DJ business strategy, share this with a DJ friend who needs better systems, and leave a review so more working DJs can find the show.
Support the show
RESOURCES & LINKS
Presenting Sponsor: LeadExcess AI https://leadexcessai.com/
Beyond The DJ Booth: https://www.beyondthdjbooth.com/
Book Joe Bunn: https://bunndjcompany.com/
Book Brian B: https://djbrianbofficial.com/
Joe's Amazon Gear: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djjoebunn
Brian's Amazon Gear: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djbrianbofficial
DJ Event Planner: https://www.djeventplanner.com/signup.php
Brian B's Coaching: https://www.thdjscreativeedge.com
47 min
September 23 Why Leaving The Wedding Industry Can Be Harder Than Entering It
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Getting into the wedding industry is hard. But after years of building a business, relationships, and a reputation inside it, getting out might be even harder.
In this episode, we get into why people stay in the wedding industry long after they’ve started thinking about leaving. Is it the money? The relationships? The identity you’ve built? Or is it simply that walking away from something you spent years creating is a lot harder than starting over sounded in your head?
We also cover a lot of ground before we get there. We share a big DJ Collective update with RCF coming on as a sponsor, then look at some over-the-top weddings making headlines, from a festival-like cave wedding in Lebanon to Alesso’s Lake Como celebration. We talk lighting as the headline, immersive design, band-to-DJ transitions, and the kinds of “icon moments” couples are increasingly trying to recreate.
Then we get practical. Joe recaps a three-hour corporate Zoom DJ stream for a global company and what it takes to program music for a workday, handle rapid-fire requests, and keep people engaged through a screen. We also unpack a challenging corporate event where layout, bar placement, and a massive auditorium created problems that could have been solved much earlier.
Plus, we talk AI for DJs, including how we’re using ChatGPT and Claude for everything from travel decisions and script writing to organizing Serato libraries and eliminating some of the boring work.
And we wrap with a listener question about dealing with young planners who gatekeep access to the bride and groom, which leads right back to a bigger question: after you’ve spent years becoming established in this industry, how do you know when it’s actually time to leave?
Support the show
RESOURCES & LINKS
Presenting Sponsor: LeadExcess AI https://leadexcessai.com/
Beyond The DJ Booth: https://www.beyondthdjbooth.com/
Book Joe Bunn: https://bunndjcompany.com/
Book Brian B: https://djbrianbofficial.com/
Joe's Amazon Gear: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djjoebunn
Brian's Amazon Gear: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djbrianbofficial
DJ Event Planner: https://www.djeventplanner.com/signup.php
Brian B's Coaching: https://www.thdjscreativeedge.com
41 min
September 16 Doors Open Music That Hits
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Doors open is the most underrated part of a wedding reception, because it’s one of the first places where guests judge your taste, your confidence, and the vibe of the night. We get super specific about how we build doors open music that feels modern without being annoying, cheesy, or overplayed: the BPM pocket we like, when to use originals vs bootlegs, why we strip aggressive rap sections, and how to choose tracks you’ll never need again once the dance floor starts.

We also go off on customer service and support, starting with a brutal “had to go to the bank” story that turns into a reminder for every DJ business owner: remove friction for your clients. Then we talk about small businesses closing and the uncomfortable truth about DJ conferences and DJ education. If you want community, networking, and events like DJ Collective to stick around, people have to show up, not just comment “so sad” after the fact. We even add nuance on when a poorly run event should probably fade out so the ones doing it right can thrive.

On the tactical side, we run through doors open track ideas across eras, share remixers and artists we watch in the DJ pools, and hit the gear corner with Bunn Gear updates including Quad Pods 3.0, a new basic aluminum DJ booth, and the Cruiser ceremony cart. We close with a great listener question: what do you do when a client sends a playlist with exact timestamps for every song, and how do you protect the party without dismissing their effort?

Subscribe for weekly DJ business and performance talk, share this with a DJ who needs better walk-in music, and leave a review so more working DJs can find the show.
Support the show
RESOURCES & LINKS
Presenting Sponsor: LeadExcess AI https://leadexcessai.com/
Beyond The DJ Booth: https://www.beyondthdjbooth.com/
Book Joe Bunn: https://bunndjcompany.com/
Book Brian B: https://djbrianbofficial.com/
Joe's Amazon Gear: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djjoebunn
Brian's Amazon Gear: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djbrianbofficial
DJ Event Planner: https://www.djeventplanner.com/signup.php
Brian B's Coaching: https://www.thdjscreativeedge.com
46 min
September 09 Wedding DJ Storytime
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Cold sparks that can literally scorch carpet, a bride who wants the party to go explicit on command, and a viral custom dance edit that suddenly turns into 20 strangers asking for the file. That’s the kind of real-world wedding DJ life we’re unpacking, with the wins, the awkward parts, and the decisions that affect your reputation and revenue.

We start with updates from our world: Patreon shoutouts, DJ Collective reminders, Recharge Circles deadlines, and why we’re excited to hear more tactical lighting solutions for working DJs who aren’t trying to spend a fortune. From there, we detour through pop culture because it connects back to our craft: when performance looks lazy or “off,” the internet notices fast, and wedding guests do too. Authentic energy and clean presentation matter more than the gear list.

Then we go deep on weddings. Joe breaks down an “explicit wedding” that was actually fun because expectations were clear and the room shifted at the right time. Brian shares a TikTok-influenced wedding full of specific decade music requests, an AI-generated welcome song, a photo dash, and the return of the garter removal moment. The biggest lesson comes from cold sparks indoors: testing issues, fire risk, refund friction, and why subcontracting special effects can protect your headspace and your liability. We also share practical DJ tools like EsStart for guest photos, requests, and a smarter review capture flow that can drive more public reviews.

If you care about wedding DJ playlists, event pacing, DJ business strategy, and protecting your creative edge, you’ll get plenty to steal here. Subscribe, share this with a DJ friend, and leave a review with the biggest “never again” request you’ve had to handle.
Support the show
RESOURCES & LINKS
Presenting Sponsor: LeadExcess AI https://leadexcessai.com/
Beyond The DJ Booth: https://www.beyondthdjbooth.com/
Book Joe Bunn: https://bunndjcompany.com/
Book Brian B: https://djbrianbofficial.com/
Joe's Amazon Gear: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djjoebunn
Brian's Amazon Gear: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djbrianbofficial
DJ Event Planner: https://www.djeventplanner.com/signup.php
Brian B's Coaching: https://www.thdjscreativeedge.com
46 min
September 02 Stop Playing For The Internet
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Formalities are fading and the party is taking over. We’re seeing it in our inboxes, in the way couples ask questions, and in what actually works on dance floors right now. Gen Z wedding clients want fast answers, clear pricing, and proof you can really mix. If your set still leans on full-song playback and your sales process moves slow, you’re about to feel it. We talk candidly about what’s changing, what isn’t, and how to stay booked without becoming a hype-chasing DJ.

We also catch up on the road. Joe shares highlights from Japan and Australia, from Tokyo temples and next-level food experiences to Sydney’s harbor and a DJ conference that reinforces a core truth: stop playing for the internet and start playing for the people in front of you. That leads into practical workflow talk on crate organization, trimming the bloat from your library, and building systems that protect your time instead of stealing it. Nobody gets into DJing because they love organizing folders, so we outline how to keep your prep efficient and your life bigger than your admin.

From there, we dig into music strategy. We scan Billboard, Spotify USA, and the TikTok trending list to separate “chart famous” from “crowd useful.” You’ll hear what edits we’re actually playing, why one minute versions can save a moment, and how to build doors-open sets that sound current without being obnoxious. We also hit gear corner with travel recovery tools and routines for long flights, plus an Australia update on Bunn Gear distribution and manufacturing partnerships.

If you got value from this one, subscribe, share it with a DJ friend, and leave a quick review so more working DJs can find the show. What’s the biggest shift you’re seeing with wedding clients right now?
Support the show
RESOURCES & LINKS
Presenting Sponsor: LeadExcess AI https://leadexcessai.com/
Beyond The DJ Booth: https://www.beyondthdjbooth.com/
Book Joe Bunn: https://bunndjcompany.com/
Book Brian B: https://djbrianbofficial.com/
Joe's Amazon Gear: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djjoebunn
Brian's Amazon Gear: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djbrianbofficial
DJ Event Planner: https://www.djeventplanner.com/signup.php
Brian B's Coaching: https://www.thdjscreativeedge.com
52 min