Or memorize the songs and lyrics...just sayin'

Gary ... I don't know where you are referring to when you say 'around here', but I am pretty sure that if you took a weekend tour of popular catering halls and hotel ballrooms where there are weddings and major functions going on, you will see more DJs than bands.
I've said this SO many times before: The problem is that the culture has changed and the vast majority of young people (from teenagers to 40 somethings) want to hear the song played EXACTLY like the original recording. That can only be accomplished by a fairly large band - 8 to 10 pieces or more, including vocalists, OR by hiring a DJ ... it's unfortunate for good musicians, but such is the case ...

DITTO....DITTO ......& BIG DITTO !!

PS.......as I always said, the more they DJ and blast the audiences the more $$$ I make....

Tony and Donny, in the Baltimore metro area, DJs get some of the weddings, but in the larger halls, Martin's West, Martin's Eastwind, which are the two largest complexes, each having several huge halls, where high end weddings take place, most of those weddings are bands, some to 12 or more pieces. The halls have a DJ list, but they also have a band list as well. Now, the less expensive weddings, those with less than 150 guests and lower budgets, DJs tend to dominate those. I have a friend that is among the top DJs in this area, he gets about $1,000 for a 4 hour wedding reception and does one wedding a week.

I know several KJs, most of which were in bands in the past, they work three nights a week doing American Legions, VFWs and animal clubs. They make an average of about $250 a night for three to four hours. They also do some private parties and pick up about $500 for a four hour party.

Now, the farther south you go along the east coast, the lower the pay scale, at least from my experience. And that is for all entertainers, bands, DJs and KJs. Yeah, I know you Yankees know DJs that get $20,000 for doing a wedding, but that just don't happen down heah south of the Mason/Dixon Line.

My wife went to a wedding in California, one that had three bands - NO DJs. It was pretty extravagant, and the band at the reception was 14 pieces with 3 singers - WOW! I wouldn't even want to take a guess at the cost of that wedding and reception. Carol said she thought it was about $50,000. They had a 10 piece group inside the church, a six piece group playing outside after the wedding ended for the folks that were waiting for the bride and groom outside while photos were being taken in the church. Really neat stuff, and I'll try to find some of Carol's photos to post.

Tony, when I played in Baltimore high end hotels, the hotel ballrooms had at least one wedding a weekend, but in nearly every instance, there was a band - NOT A DJ! The cost of renting these ballrooms was insane, and most of the weddings held there were quite extravagant. Many of them were weddings of daughters and sons of folks that were very wealthy politicians. As you well know, politicians do not hire DJs for their musical entertainment - they hire bands, at least that's the case in Maryland, DC and Northern Virginia.

The same tends to be true for the larger private parties put on for audiences ranging 45 to 65 years of age, and the ballrooms are where most of these take place. I've performed for several at Martin's West and Martin's Eastwind, Columbus Gardens, and a half-dozen hotels in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Most of the time, these jobs came through agents, which back then I had four of them. They booked me about one private party a month, which was all I really had time for. Most of these events required nothing more than background music while the attendees rubbed elbows with corporate giants and politicians. It was boring, but it was easy money and I got lots of repeat business from them. Again, no DJs here either.

I guess things must be a lot different up north in Yankee land.

All the best,

Gary