A-1 Majestic Sound: 10 Questions with Jay Rock

DJs - Jay Rock

Business: A-1 Majestic Sound
Location: Jacksonville, Florida FL
Experience: 25 Years
Profile: A-1 Majestic Sound
Website: www.jacksonvilledjs.com

1. Introduction: What's your story?

Hello everyone! My name is Jay Rock and I'm the Owner and President of A-1 Majestic Sound (All Star Djs & Photo Booth). I've been a performer most of my adult life, from playing the saxophone in the army band to radio jobs to my current position as a mobile dj for weddings, parties and corporate affairs. My mobile dj career began back in 1992 when the radio station I was working at went to a satellite format which made my position expendable. I was calling around other stations when someone I talked to on the phone told me there was no position open at his station but he saw an ad for a mobile dj in the newspaper. That sounded intriguing and started what's become an incredibly successful career!

I was trained by that national company and worked for them as well as a few others in the Buffalo, N.Y. area before forming my own little company as well. Business was doing great but the urge to perform in a warmer climate with year round opportunities for weddings led me to Jacksonville, Florida. I worked almost every week for another company down here until I was able to get my own business rolling again in 2001. Since then my company has taken off greatly and has become one of the longest running and highly rated entertainment companies in all of North Florida!

I have a passion for djing weddings and take great pride when I see a smile on a bride & groom's face. Every event is tailored so it's just how they envision it, and when needed I'll even help them coordinate their special day from start to finish. We do all announcements in a top notch, professional manner and I even use a Party Motivator (or hype man) to help with line dances and make the dance floor even more fun! I'm also honored to work with several other of the area's top mobile djs as part of the A-1 Majestic Sound experience. it's wonderful to be able to do what you love and I truly believe it shows in my work. We want your special day to be the absolute BEST experience it can be and will work as hard as humanly possible to assure that happens!

2. What's your experience as a wedding DJ? How many weddings have you done?

I'm proud to say I've done over 700 weddings and 1,500 total events in my 29 year career and there's many more to come! That doesn't even include the several hundred more weddings our other djs in the company have done. If you're looking for experienced professionals you've come to the right place! There are no djs associated with A-1 Majestic Sound with less than 10 years experience so you can trust the job will be done with the highest quality and best equipment.

3. How far in advance do couples need to book your services?

Well, preferably 6 months to a year for a Saturday job because that's the most popular wedding day but since we have multiple djs we're often able to accommodate people on much shorter notice, especially on a Friday or a Sunday. I usually tell people it's never too early to get your entertainment taken care and encourage them to do so shortly after they book their venue, especially if they request me personally.

4. What's your rate? What does that include?

Our rates are easily the best around for any dj company of our caliber and I like to consider us as North Florida's #1 value for wedding dj entertainment! We have multiple packages depending on our client's needs, which might include an extra system for a ceremony, uplighting or a photo booth. Things may be changing soon but here's where we are right now for a top notch dj, excellent sound system, wireless microphone and basic dance floor lighting:

3 Hr. Wedding: $595

4 Hr. Wedding: $695

5 Hr. Wedding: $795

6 Hr. Wedding: $895

Additional time at the end of the event: $125/hr.

Extra Mini Sound System for a ceremony in a location where the main system can't be used: $125

Uplighting: (12 colored lights set up around the facility shining up against the wall for a beautiful effect) $150

Photo Booth Add On: (Includes unlimited 2 x 6 strips with a cool wedding template featuring the bride & groom's name, plenty of props and access to all the digital pictures for social sharing.) $400

Gobo Lighting: (a small light projecting a certain pattern or image on the wall) $150

Party Motivator: (with my own personal show) FREE!

The deposit to reserve your date is only $100 upfront and that's subtracted from the total. The balance isn't due until the day of the event but clients are welcome to take care of it earlier if they choose. We're very flexible with the payment method and accept cash, checks, and credit/debit card payments through PayPal, Venmo or Cash App.

5. Are you available to travel if needed?

Most of our business comes from the North Florida, South Georgia area so we're content with staying within a 75 mile radius around Jacksonville. Once in a while we'll travel a little further if the event suits us but that will include a travel fee, and or accommodations depending on the location of the event.

6. How would you describe your style?

We're very flexible and can go a variety of ways, depending on what the couple's prefer! We even ask the question on one of our wedding forms "What kind of dj personality would you prefer, Outgoing, Moderate or Fairly Quiet?" It's all part of tailoring our client's special day so it's just how they envision it. Weddings can fluctuate greatly and some simply have more of a laid back theme than others depending on the vision of the bride & groom. We want our style to mesh with that vision.

Most people however, choose our djs to be outgoing, energetic and fun! I personally feel I'm exceptional on the microphone (stemming from my early days in radio) and will perform all the announcements in a lively manner while pumping up the dance floor with voice inflections as well. As stated earlier, I also bring a Party Motivator along to interact with the crowd and bring even more energy to the event. We want everyone to have an AWESOME time and in the most typical wedding the dance floor will be packed with smiling faces. We also use dance floor lighting as part of our basic packages and the lights bouncing to the beat of the music adds an excellent effect to the dancing segment of receptions. Good times and memorable moments indeed!

7. What's your backup plan if there's an equipment malfunction? Do you bring backup equipment?

Yes, we're prepared for any situation and make sure everything is backed up in case of emergency. Luckily our equipment is all state of the art and the odds of anything major going wrong are minimal. If there was an issue though, we're prepared to rectify the problem smoothly and efficiently. The show must always go on!

8. What's your sick day policy?

I'm proud to say I've NEVER missed a gig in my entire 29 year career! I once pulled a muscle in my back that hurt so bad I could barely move and still found a way to set up the equipment and pull off the wedding with flying colors. Ten years ago I was so sick I had to be hospitalized for a week but waited until I pulled off two more awesome events first with hardly any voice left from screaming in pain!

People are depending on us to make their special day a wonderful experience and we'll have to have something catastrophic happen to change our plans. If by any chance it does happen there IS a plan though! Since we have multiple djs there's usually someone available within our company that can fill in. I've been in this business a long time and know a lot of people too. In case of emergency you WILL have an outstanding dj to make your special day an outstanding success...Guaranteed.

9. How do you motivate a shy crowd to dance? What do you do to motivate the crowd if nobody is dancing?

That's a good question and we all have multiple ways of doing that. Personally I'll encourage them on the microphone to come out to the dance floor and celebrate! "Don't be shy, let's have some fun tonight, come on down!" I'll explain in a fun way that the more people that dance the better a celebration it will be. As stated, my personal shows feature Roderick Smith, a Party Motivator that has been with me for 10 years. He'll be out there on the dance floor himself, breaking the ice and motioning for the people to come out and join him. Rarely ever does this not work to some extent.

Now, if the crowd is full of people that would rather talk to long lost relatives or have another drink at the bar, and we're having a tougher time than usual getting them out there I'll often break into a line dance and tell them Roderick will show them all the moves if they don't know already. I've seen many events where people will participate in the line dances even if they don't dance to much else throughout the event. Another trick is to slow the music down and play a slow dance or two. There's also crowds that may be a little older and/or reserved and prefer to dance that way. Often once they get "warmed up" with slow dancing they'll stay out there for more upbeat songs as well. Sometimes I'll even ask what specific songs they want to dance to because I can play just about anything. Almost every time we'll find a way to get even the toughest dance crowds on the floor having fun.

That's where experience and expertise come into play. We know how to read the crowd and use the tactics we've learned over time to make the dance floor the best and most memorable experience it can be, even for the most laid back groups of people.

10. What is your cancellation and/or refund policy?

Since we don't have many cancellations I've been able to keep our policies a little more lenient than many others. The $100 deposit is non refundable and any event cancelled less than thirty days before the event is liable for half of the remaining balance, as stated on our "Official Reservation Form." If an unfortunate event occurs and the client needs to move the date (like during last year's covid crisis) The deposit can be moved to that date without any penalty. They might have a different dj but will still be well taken care of.