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To: Stock Puppy who wrote (56276)	8/24/2006 10:03:40 AM
From: William F. Wager, Jr.	Respond to of 213184

Disc Jockeys Left Spinning By Couples Who Program IPods for Wedding Music By RAYMUND FLANDEZ The Wall St Journal August 24, 2006; Page B1 Rich Wells is a disc jockey who has provided music for more than 600 weddings in Cincinnati since 1992. It has been a good business, earning him an average of $650 for five hours of work. But Mr. Wells sees a competitor on the horizon: iPods and other digital music players. Instead of hiring DJs like Mr. Wells, some couples are choosing the tunes themselves. They are programming music into iPods for their receptions and plugging the device into sound systems so guests can dance to such wedding stalwarts as the "Chicken Dance" and the "Macarena." Some agencies that book DJs and audio rental companies sense a business opportunity: They are renting iPods programmed with wedding music and sound equipment. The 51-year-old Mr. Wells, though, isn't pleased. "Honestly, I felt a little threatened" by the use of wedding iPods, he says, adding that he thinks the trend "will run its course." But many DJs fear this newfangled music system isn't a fad. Ken Wilson, a 47-year-old DJ in San Diego, says his colleagues have called iPods the "downfall of the DJ industry." Audio rental companies say they are seeing an increase in customers renting amplifiers and sound systems, which can cost $150 on average for the evening. By contrast, the cost of a professional DJ varies by location. In Cincinnati, DJs typically charge $125 an hour; in Austin, Texas, it is as much as $800 for six hours. In Manhattan, the price can skyrocket to $4,000 for five hours of work. John Ragusa, owner of John Ragusa Music, a New York-based company that books bands and DJs, estimates he may have lost about 3% of his wedding business last year to iPod users, but he still was hired for 80 events. Cont'd...