A wedding reception without dancing is like a cake without icing. It just doesn’t cut it.
COVID-19 has blindsided the economy, and the music industry and disc jockey (DJ) business is no exception.
“As a DJ, I’ve never experienced anything like this in my career. As soon as May hit, my phone was just flooded with cancellations,” Jane Morgan said.
Morgan has provided music entertainment at hundreds of weddings for over three decades.
She became a marriage commissioner in 2010.
“I have met many wonderful, unique people, whether they are clients or my fellow wedding vendors. With their encouragement and support, I obtained my marriage commissioner’s license,” Morgan says as an introduction to people visiting her website.
Morgan’s St. John’s, N.L.-based company, Jane Morgan’s Marriage Commissioner & DJ Services, provides music for weddings, graduations, Christmas parties, vow renewals, sporting events and other special occasions.
The downturn in business due to COVID-19 has had a significant financial impact on the entire wedding and DJ industry, she said.
“Couples are still having their first dance after the (marriage) ceremony but it’s just the one song, so they’re not going to hire a DJ system for that.”
Morgan has bookings for next year, including couples and groups who postponed their plans from 2020 to 2021.
While restrictions that may be in place at that time remain unknown, Morgan is confident that, with time, things will turn around.
“I am optimistic that, when life gets back to normal, the music industry will strengthen again,” she said.
Important role
Davis Ward is the owner/operator of DWX Productions in Charlottetown, P.E.I., He has over 30 years’ experience in the music business as a musician and over a decade of experience as a DJ.
Ward specializes in music and lighting for a variety of social events, including wedding receptions, corporate events, school dances and private parties.
When asked if DJs are concerned they may be replaced with technology, such as using a laptop to play music at weddings and other social gatherings, Ward said that type of music doesn’t compare to hiring a professional DJ.
“You have to know how to read the room. I’m doing everything from high school dances to 50th wedding anniversaries and I also do the Red Rock Wrestling shows. I’m the guy that supplies the sound system and the lights and the haze and the wireless microphones. I just love it. It’s like one big family,” Ward said of the wrestling events.
While his services include a great light show, Ward said, most parties are all about the music and the dancing.
At wedding receptions, he said, it’s not the cake that guests remember - it’s the wicked party that went well into the evening.
“If there is a couple there in their mid-eighties, I’ll play some Don Messer for them. Or for Newfoundlanders, I’ll play some Harry Hibbs.”
In terms of weddings, he said, while couples bumped their dates from 2020 to 2021, he did lose one big booking – a large wedding where he’d been booked for 10 hours.
“It was going to be a big payday for me … but that fell through,” he said.
Ward is looking at the positives of not having numerous bookings throughout the summer.
His glass is half-full rather than half-empty.
“It just means that we get to spend more time with our granddaughter.”
Sports music hit
Nova Sounds Music Services has been providing a wide variety of music services across Northern Nova Scotia since 2001. Nova Sounds provides music for St. Francis Xavier University men’s hockey, football and basketball and women’s hockey, basketball and rugby.
Business owner Chris Morton has also provided music for the NHL’s Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens Alumni hockey teams.
“We have 14 teams we do music for throughout the season and do the Hockey Nova Scotia Day of Champions,” Morton said.
Morton’s son, Lucas Morton, also helps with the business.
COVID-19 has caused a great deal of uncertainly for DJs, Morton said, including businesses that provide hockey music.
Even when events are postponed or cancelled, he said, he still has expenses related to his business.
“We want to keep up with the music and we buy all our music from ERG out of Toronto, so we have that expense. Then, we have to maintain our licensing even though we have no income and that’s been challenging,” he said.
On the nuptial side of his DJ business, Morton had five weddings booked for 2020. Four have been rescheduled for 2021, he said.
Overall, Morton said, the business has been bleak this year and many people are still hesitant to plan for the future.
“I had one new inquiry for weddings for next year but it’s pretty dry.”
Like Morgan and Ward, Morton remains optimistic about the music industry moving forward.
Once restrictions are lifted and things start up again, he said, people will appreciate parties and dances. He hopes that will be the way forward for all DJ companies.
“I think you are going to see a lot more people wanting to get out and have that social interaction. So, I think the functions we will have in the future, you’re going to see a huge difference. People are going to be more excited.”
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POPULAR FIRST DANCE WEDDING SONGS
DJs interviewed for this story say these tunes are tops among their brides and grooms:
- “Amazed” - Lone Star
- “Thinking Out Loud” - Ed Sheeran
- “All of Me” - John Legend
- “A Thousand Years” - Christina Perri
- “Perfect” - Ed Sheeran
- “The Way You Look Tonight” - Frank Sinatra
- “Can’t Help Falling in Love With You” - Elvis Presley
- “Just the Way You Are” - Billy Joel
- “I Will Always Love You” - Whitney Houston
- “Unchained Melody” - The Righteous Brothers
- “Up Where We Belong” - Joe Cocker
- “Have I Told You Lately That I Love”¬¬ - Van Morrison
- “How Sweet it is to be Loved by You” - James Taylor
