FAQs

How long have you been in business?

Our disc jockey company was started 35 years ago by local musician Terry McKone. During the time Partytime was starting, Terry also performed in many area bands as a bassist, including The Moonliters, Reflections, The Jeff Tanner Band, and Almost Hip. Spending most weekends performing live or DJ’ing for over 35 years gained Terry an immense amount of experience.  In 2014, Terrys son Jesse joined the business, bringing his passion for music to the business, and allowing Partytime to grow in size almost overnight.  Today, many area banquet room Managers rank us as one of the top disc jockey services in Perth and Huron Counties, thanks to our meeting their demand for experienced disc jockeys that can read an audience and keep a dance floor full.

Are you the DJ we will get?

Partytime Music Services is the company that manages all bookings and promotions. DJ’s Terry McKone and Jesse McKone are the primary DJ’s that make up Partytime Music Services.  However for potential bookings where neither Terry or Jesse are available, we maintain a base of associate DJ’s who are well known in the area, reputable, and proven to us that they can step in to provide our clients with their DJ skills and musical knowledge to your wedding receptions, as well as other parties, school functions, and proms.  No matter who is onsite representing Partytime, you are guaranteed the finest of our DJ’s available, all while being provided with the personal service and online planning portal that Partytime is famous for.

How diverse is your music library?

Our music library is very extensive. Accessability to music has changed since our inception, and while we can access virtually ANY music through the various streaming services we utilize, a licenced database of music that is ON SITE and free from the risks on requiring a solid and steady internet connection, is paramount.  Our DJ’s carry this full database of music that ranges all genres, all time periods, and full of proven hits that will fill your dancefloor.

Do you take song requests?

Absolutely !!  It is what we are best known for. We encourage your guests to make song requests, and actually put request notes and pencils out at each event if you authorize us to do so.

To ensure a packed dancefloor there are a few basic policies around requests that we follow:

1. It must be appropriate for the event and fit the wishes of the client
2. The song must be danceable
3. It must fit the flow of the event

We offer a very unique option to our clients for requests as well. Through a link on this website your guests can log in using a group name and password you provide, and enter up to 5 songs they would like us to play.

As a client, when we set you up with your very own portal to access your party planning tools, you will also have exclusive access to a full song search database and request form through the “Client Log In” area we will reserve exclusively for you.

There are times when the DJ taking requests from the audience is not desired by our clients. If this is the case with you, please just let us know in advance, and we will be happy to oblige.

How much input can I have in song selection?

As a general rule, as much input as you would like. The planner we provide on-line through the Client Log In area allows you significant control over the music. That being said, it’s your special event so we will play the music that you want to hear, but we also caution about “over programming” your reception. It is hard to believe, but the average wedding reception has only between 60 to 80 songs played. Sometimes, a bride and groom will give us pages of songs they want played, and many times the songs are not suitable for a mixture of people, even though they are their favorite songs. You are hiring us as professional entertainers to make decisions on the right music for any one moment, and we know how to “read the crowd” and play the right songs at the right time, so it is important not to “handcuff” us too much.

I can book a DJ I saw on social media for $300, will you match that??

In this day of streaming music available to everyone, it is no surprize that the DJ business has seen the greatest challenges to its survival ever, threatened by an onslaught of “new” DJ’s who bring their phones or iPads to your wedding, hooked up to a pair of rental speakers, and claim to be able to “do your wedding” at a fraction of the price of a professional DJ.

While this is a hit and miss proposition at best, we ask our potential clients who are going through the process of hiring their DJ to consider the following questions, which we strongly encourage you ask ANYONE who claims to be worthy of your money, and most importantly, ensuring YOUR wedding reception is perfect :

1) Is your $300 DJ’s music licenced?  (You should be aware that playing from a streaming service to an audience is ILLEGAL.)  SOCAN inspectors who travel to music venues CAN and WILL shut down your event if they discover this.  A professional DJ pays the fees to have licenced music at your wedding.

2) Does the $300 DJ have all his/her music on site in the form of a hardrive or removable database?  The internet CAN and DOES go down, and if it is lost during your wedding day celebration and your DJ is streaming from Spotify, Youtube, or Apple Music, your party is also over.  While streaming a song or two is the perfect way for a professional DJ to insert new hits that are quickly aking their way to the top of the charts, that DJ NEVER plans to exclusively play from a streaming service.

3) Does the $300 DJ know how to use the sound system, including setting the EQ for the room, eliminate the squealing of the microphone, and arrange the speakers for optimum sound distribution?  Many “new” DJ’s simply rent the cheapest PA system they can get from the local music store.  These people have not invested the thousands of dollars of their money into their own sound systems that they understand, have experience using, and know how to fix if they have issues.  A professional DJ DOES do this.

4) Does the $300 DJ have back-up equipment onsite?  More often than not, a rented PA system has been exposed to the worst treatment possible, and the fragile electronics are easily pushed to the point of breakdown, at your wedding reception.  A professional DJ ALWAYS has a backup plan to keep your party alive if a piece of equipment goes down.

5) Does your $300 DJ have the experience and music knowledge to keep your dancefloor full, and how to transition when and if it dies?  And most importantly, does your DJ know that HIS/HER taste in music MUST BE SET ASIDE and the tastes of all of your guests must be considered?  This is the number 1 complaint we hear from people who hired the $300 DJ …. they had no idea how to get the crowd dancing, and their reception was ruined.

Partytime Music Services is a professional DJ service, and we have worked hard to earn our reputation.  We invest in music, great quality equipment, and interactive online systems that make our clients lives as easy as possible to work with us.  Please consider this when comparing our fair prices to those of other DJ companies that don’t charge average industry prices.

How interactive are you?

This completely depends on the event and your preferences. We can be very interactive or more conservative, depending on your preference. Of course, the DJ’s job is to motivate the crowd and make sure that everyone is having a good time, but there are times when we have all seen a DJ on the microphone so much, that it detracts from the dancing. Some DJ companies believe in playing games and using props throughout the dance, frequently stopping the music. We don’t believe in that, as we feel the music and the dancing is the most important part of our service to you. If you prefer this type of disc jockey, in all honesty, we are probably not a good fit for you.

We may need an MC for our event, is this something that you can help with?

Absolutely! We would be more than happy to act as your MC. We do encourage you to consider having a relative or long-time friend as your MC, as they will often share personal stories and memories. We are also happy to speak with your MC directly if you would like us to assist him/her with the planning of your event.

When should I book you?

Booking your DJ service after you have your date and hall for your event is most common. However, we suggest booking as early as possible. Because of our well-respected reputation we are very busy during the typical wedding season and during the Christmas season. It is not uncommon for weddings to be booked with us 1 and 2 years prior to the wedding date. Please use the Availability Checker on our HOME page for an immediate date check right now. You can proceed with asking for more information, get a price quote, and proceed with the booking right from that part of our website.

How does your booking procedure work?

Upon booking with us, we DO NOT require a deposit. We know that things happen, and sometimes you have no choice to cancel a planned event. We are pleased to offer our unique policy of no deposit bookings, so that if cancelled in a reasonable time-frame, we haven’t charged you a fee with no services rendered. Please be advised if we get close to a booked date and you cancel then, there will be a reasonable fee payable due to that being unfair to us to allow for rebooking of the date. (SEE YOUR CONTRACT AT BOOKING FOR TERMS)

You can have us send you our contract, or preferably, you will do all the sign up on-line using the links on this website. You simply print out the Contract, that’s it !! We will send you back an email confirming that we have received the Contract on our end, and that it is a good booking. In return for our “no deposit” policy, we appreciate full payment at least 7 days prior to the event. The easiest and most preferred way to make your payment is to send us an eTransfer to our email partytimedj@ezlink.ca.  As an alternative, you can also log into your portal and access our secure PayPal site, where you can use a major credit card securely on the site, or by using your own PayPal account.  You may also send a post dated check to us along with the signed contract.

Do I have to book you through this website?

Absolutely not!! We understand that many people are uncomfortable booking such a critical service without talking to a real person. In such cases we welcome your call at our office at 519-348-4257, or via our cell phones …Terry at 905-933-8039 or Jesse at 519-272-5766 …. and we would be happy to do everything on phone and send you the appropriate paperwork in the mail.

Can I get a discount if I book my stag and doe and wedding reception with you?

Yes, if communicating with us by phone or email, please mention that you are interested in booking both events with us and a discount will be applied.

If you book on-line, please check dates for each separately, and if we are available, proceed with booking separately on-line for each. On the price quote request for the Stag and Doe, you will be able to check the option to get the discount if a wedding package was booked for the same couple.

Do you have references?

Absolutely! We can provide you with references you can contact. In fact, you can view many unsolicited comments from some of our wonderful previous clients who have graciously offered to provide feedback for you directly from our “Testimonials” section of this site.

Will I be able to contact you after I have booked with you to go over any questions, last minute details, etc.?

Absolutely! If you call us we will most likely be in our office and can talk with you at that time. However, if we are out, please leave a message and we will get back to you promptly. We promptly respond to all email messages. We can also arrange appointments for in-person consultations. We provide unlimited support leading up to your special event. We encourage you to contact us as often as you need to.

What do your DJs need?

We require a 6-foot or 8-foot table for us to set up our equipment close to a power outlet (with 2 functioning plugs). Most clients have these tables skirted to hide all the wiring, resulting in a clean and professional look.

Whenever possible, the DJ table should be in close proximity, or directly adjacent to the dance floor.  Locating the DJ table far from the dancefloor means there will be seated guests between the DJ speakers and the dancefloor, resulting in loud and uncomfortable sound levels for these guests once the dance starts.

This is the same with lighting. If lighting is requested, please be advised that we require direct access to the dance-floor from the DJ table, otherwise there will not be enough room for safely setting up the lighting rig and the lights will hit guests sitting at the tables in front of the DJ table. Therefore, in cases where lighting is requested, but the room setup will not permit it during our setup, we will not set up the lighting, and there is no refund of any portion of the pricing.

What is SOCAN and how does it effect you?

SOCAN or Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada, is an organization that licenses music played in public locations. For example, if you own a club and are playing music in your club you should have a SOCAN license. Sometimes, Mobile DJs are asked to pay the fees when they DJ at a wedding in a hall of some sort but that fee is usually (or should be) covered by the hall itself. Partytime Music’s policy is that the SOCAN fee’s are not included in our pricing if we are asked to pay them.

Who or what is the AVLA?

The AVLA stands for Audio Visual Licensing Agency and is the governing body that controls a large percentage of the music available to license in Canada. All music used by Partytime Music Services is authorized for public use.