Free events are expensive!!

Sometimes, this message is needed...

When we started 13 years ago, I just wanted experience. I wanted to learn as much as I could and use what I practiced at home, in a public setting. I took any gig I could get. I gave discounts. I gave free services. I wanted people to see the talent. I'm thankful for the opportunities given to me, however, we have worked extremely hard. Our business is no longer new. We're no longer inexperienced. Our equipment is no longer basic. Cadence Music And Entertainment is not a hobby. This is our job. This is how we buy food for our kids. This is how we buy back-to-school clothes and pay for gymnastics, band camp, and basketball registrations. The money we earn is just like the income from YOUR job. We need it to pay our bills. If I knocked on your day today and asked you to buy a pizza with the works for my family in exchange for a post on Facebook explaining how nice of a person you are, you'd most likely say, "no". If I asked to use your 10% employee discount (discount varies) at your job, you'd probably say you can't. You wouldn't work a week at your job and expect to NOT get paid. Why should it be different for us? Your "free" event is only 4 hours so it should be easy for us, right? The simple answer is, "no". What you see as a 4-hour event is far from it. Hours of preparation at home before the event are required. Don't forget about drive time. Did I mention the two to three hours of setup/tear down? A full day will need to be dedicated to your event even if it only lasts 2 hours. That also means no other events can be booked that day. A typical wedding will last 6-8 hours, but that's 15+ hours for us just on that 1 day. What can happen for us on that day instead of booking a "free" event? *We could book an event that covers rent for a month PLUS maybe make a car payment, possibly fill our refrigerator with food, or save money for a bigger home that our family of 7 needs, .... maybe we could buy shoes for tiny, but growing feet. If you're unaware, we have 5 children that range from a senior in college to a 3rd grader. Raising our family isn't free. Think of your job. Do you drive a company vehicle? Does that company provide insurance? What other expenses does the company have each day of operation? Every event we do has expenses that need to be paid for. If we do a "free" event, guess who has to pay out of their own pocket? "Free" events to you = Business expenses + missed paying gigs for us. As a family of 7, we can't afford your event. There are part-time DJ's that advertise "a package for every budget" so it's possible you can still find someone to accommodate you. A post on Facebook could be a great start to finding the right match for you. Even though we might not be able to accommodate your event, we still can be available to answer questions for you. -Scott