I-pod
vs the Real Thing:
Submitted
by Steve Mix on January 28, 2006
Biased you say? Maybe. Regardless,
its clear to me that an event “DJed” by an I-pod
is only marginally cooler than one that was
“DJed” by a walkman in the 80's. Now you are
probably scratching your head and trying to
remember a time when you went to a cool event
that was “DJed” by a walkman. You probably can’t
think of any. Why? Well, as cool as walkmans
were, and as cool as I-pods are, they just aren’t
very good at moving sound equipment, making
announcements, reading a crowd, interacting
with guests and the whole entertainment thing
in general. |
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The reason I am even
writing about this is because I have noticed
a growing number of conversations about
this topic on popular wedding sites such
as The
Knot. It seems that some brides and
grooms want to save a few bucks by not
having DJs at their events. They also
want to convince themselves (and others)
that an I-pod is really as good as a real
live DJ to feel better about not having
real entertainment. The motivation is
understandable; those brides and grooms
want to save money and don’t want to admit
that is why they aren't having a DJ. However,
the cost and hassle of arranging one’s
own sound system powerful enough for weddings
in spaces larger than an entertainment
room, or outdoors is going to approach
the cost of a DJ. An I-pod would need
to be hooked-up to a professional sound
system. That equipment will cost several
hundred dollars to rent and the renters
will have to move the equipment themselves,
know how to set it up, operate it and
then return it when the event is over.
Hardly seems worth all that time, effort
and money, just for the guests to think
that the bride and groom went ecconomical
on the entertainment. |
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Oh, so they didn’t think the guests would
notice there was no band and no DJ? “Where
is that wonderful music coming from?” the
guests will ask. “From the I-pod? Wow, that
is much cooler than real entertainment,” they'll
say while trying to keep a straight face.
The funny thing is, the brides and grooms
that opt for an I-pod over live entertainment
probably think guests will reminisce weeks
later and say things like, “Wow, that I-pod
really knows how to rock a party!” Or, “That
I-pod was the best DJ I have ever seen!” Realistically,
they will say things like, “ Man, they were
really trying to keep their wedding on a low
budget.” Or, “I can’t believe they thought
we would all dance to the radio… where was
the DJ?”
In short, let me just say that I-pods are
great for personal use, but don’t work well
as the entertainment. Entertainers are still
needed to entertain at special events. Don’t
settle for that little imposter, demand the
real thing!
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