Mobile Jocks

[Musicradio]

Other than me -- who else here does parties and weddings?
Just wondered.

 

[KPLEXCOMPLEX]

> Other than me -- who else here does parties and weddings?
> Just wondered.
>
I used to,a loooong time ago. Too much hassle,wear and tear on the equipment, clients who feel they own you when they hire you. It wasn't worth it.

 

[kemm92]

> Other than me -- who else here does parties and weddings?
> Just wondered.
>
I found that I could make the same money in one night doing a party that it took me a whole week to make in small market radio. But I haven't worked in radio since 1989. Maybe radio pays more now?

 

[chuckmckinley]

hi i'm chuck mckinley
currently afternoons on KKUS-FM 1041 in Tyler.
i've been doing mobiles for about 10 years. To me it cam be a real love/hate thing.
For instance. I had a pretty busy summer. Alot of out of town gigs. Since I
am in Tyler...Out of town like Longview, Pittsburg, Gilmer...etc. For About 3 month
period where i am out from say 11 in the morning(weekend shift at the station) and get home 1 or 2 the next morning. Of course there is the wear and tear, but
the extra cash is great. 100 bucks an hour(i am lower than the norm for my
experience plus gas, degree of difficulty..etc)....Plus i love the challenge
of living from song to song. And when the party works, when a song plays
Good example: from say slow set of sinatra/geo strait to fast stuff like
Electric slide/ACDC or disco...its great. KKUS is classic country so its a
great change of pace for me. Of course, when things don't work...you just
be a pro about it, play the music(because sometimes thats good enough)
collect the cash and go home....but now, in the holiday season, i have
a really light schedule and i miss.
really the only thing that drives me a litte off is when i have spent time editing music...you know F bombs and such and never get to use it.

anyway, this post is getting long..

chuck


> > Other than me -- who else here does parties and weddings?
> > Just wondered.
> >
> I used to,a loooong time ago. Too much hassle,wear and tear
> on the equipment, clients who feel they own you when they
> hire you. It wasn't worth it.
>

 

[Musicradio]

In my city, the money is very good.
I have my own equipment -- it has all paid for
itself many times over.

 

[kemm92]

> really the only thing that drives me a litte off is when i
> have spent time editing music...you know F bombs and such
> and never get to use it.

Since you work in a station, don't you have access to radio edits?

I use the TM Century Prime Cuts, and they take most of the really dirty stuff out for me.

I used to do a lot of gigs in the Longview and Tyler area. I guess you're getting that business now!

 

[chuckmckinley]

> > really the only thing that drives me a litte off is when
> i
> > have spent time editing music...you know F bombs and such
> > and never get to use it.
>
> Since you work in a station, don't you have access to radio
> edits?
>
> I use the TM Century Prime Cuts, and they take most of the
> really dirty stuff out for me.
>
> I used to do a lot of gigs in the Longview and Tyler area.
> I guess you're getting that business now!
>
Actually I prefer to edit my own music...Sometimes even the radio edits leave a bit to the imagination. As far as number of gigs. This has been a soft year, we
had to give up our phone book add a couple of years ago and it impacted hard.
I fact I tell anyone doing this, as soon as you can aford it, GET A YELLOW PAGE
ADD. 8o percent of your biz is there. Ours just got back in book, so we are hoping for business to rebound in 06...Trust me, I'm not impacting you at all.
really. Anyway, hope it goes better for you as well

chuck
your area ll that much....

 

[Musicradio]

Is Dave Goldman still doing "Music On Wheels"???
I worked with him many years ago on the air
in Tyler.

 

[rageradio]

> Other than me -- who else here does parties and weddings?
> Just wondered.
>
Me.

 

[chuckmckinley]

> Is Dave Goldman still doing "Music On Wheels"???
> I worked with him many years ago on the air
> in Tyler.
>
Yeah..he is kinda like the Obe Wan of mobile jocks. When I was setting up in 1995 he gave me great advice about lights. that is, if the music sucks, who needs lights. he also does news for out access one group in tyler.

chuck

 

[Musicradio]

If you see Dave, tell him hello for me.
He know me from the old Y-99 days doing afternoons for him.

 

[BiggerVoiceGuy]

> I found that I could make the same money in one night doing
> a party that it took me a whole week to make in small market
> radio. But I haven't worked in radio since 1989. Maybe
> radio pays more now?
>
Actually it pays less these days...

I got my start in radio doing mobile DJ stuff for a station in my hometown when I was 16. They had bought out a mobile DJ company about a year before and had never done anything with it.

After two years, the mobile DJ service was earning about $20,000 per year. Then the station sold and automated. The new owners didn't want to be in the mobile DJ business, and I was out of a job so I went across the street and at the same time started my own mobile business.

For the next 5 years I made a little more each year doing the mobile DJ stuff than my yearly salary at the station.

Eventually I left my hometown and moved to Austin for a radio gig. I hooked up with a booking agency and they kept me busy - but I had to turn down a lot of potential mobile work because of the full-time job at the station.

I ended up taking a few radio gigs in other towns over the next few years and recently moved back to Austin to work with the mobile DJ agency full-time.

The money is good. I usually do at least 3 gigs per week - a few weeks back I had 5 in a row. Obviously you can't hold down a regular radio gig (or most any other job) with that kind of schedule, so the downside is boredom on the off days.

I may eventually end up full-time back in radio and part-time as a mobile. The pay isn't so great, but it's a lot less boring.