The Mood of Cocktail Hour

Mention cocktail hour to a bride to be, and it almost certainly brings to mind an area full of guests, sampling carefully chosen hors d'oeuvres, sipping on libations of their choice, and commenting on what a lovely couple the newlyweds make. While all of these things are occurring, there is a background track which not only fills in the voids of conversation amongst the guests, but also gives a glimpse of what the rest of the evening holds in store for them.

What type of music is played during the cocktail hour is really a personal choice of the newlywed. This is a great opportunity for them to honor a parent or grandparent with a selection of tracks of a genre or artist that they love, but may not be the most conducive for dancing due to the median age of the guest in attendance. The songs could be peppered in with other selections by the bride and groom.

Having provided the entertainment at more than 275 weddings, I know from experience that guests enjoy an upbeat cocktail hour. Newlyweds should remember that their guests will most likely be sitting for the next hour to an hour and a half during dinner which is traditionally accompanied by softer music to allow for conversing.

If your planning a wedding reception in the Philadelphia metropolitan area contact Music To Your Ears Mobile Entertainers and we will help you set the mood of your cocktail hour.

Musical Library Upgrades

Music To Your Ears Mobile Entertainers is in the process of upgrading our musical library. Although we have consistantly been able to play the majority of the songs requested by our clients and their guest, an expansion of our library will further assist in this area. The ugrades include expanding the selections offered and now storing and playing them in a different way.



Our organization has recently began the process of phasing out cds as our platform for playback and will be moving to computer based. We will still incorporate cds as a back-up once the transition is completed. Our customers will probably not even notice the change with the exception of the computer's presence in the entertainers work area.



Through the purchase of specialized professional grade software and hardware our entertainers will implement these changes. We will still have the ability play cds, which will be invaluable if our clients choose to provide special selections for playback.

Website Upgrades

Music To Your Ears Mobile Entertainers are making some interesting upgrades to their website. The changes will greatly impact how clients seek information and book our services. All of the changes are not being implemented at the same time, but rather phased in one at a time over the next several months.





One of the most exciting changes has already been put into place. There is now a hyperlinked calendar on the home page of the site that allows clients to check our availability on their chosen date. If we do have availability for the date, the client is then directed to a page where they will give basic event information that will assist us in devising a basic price quote for the event.





Another big change that has been implemented includes the ability for clients to search a musical database for songs by title or artist as they make selections for their upcoming events. We will eventually be giving the client the option of letting their guest log on to a special account and request musical selections for playback during the event.





If you are seeking top notch entertainment for your next event please call 610-394-9590 or visit our web page at http://www.MusicToYourEarsME.com/



Please be sure to look for our next blog which announces some additonal great changes to other areas of the company.

Why Price Should Not Be A Determining Factor For Your Entertainment

In this post I want to express why price should not be a determining factor in your selection of your entertainment for your event. Regardless of whether your planning your wedding reception, a corporate gala, or the birthday or anniversary party of a friend or relative. As you already know, goods and services can be obtained in a variety of quality levels from a wide selection of vendors. When it comes to the big event that you are planning, I urge you not to scrimp on the entertainment.

A wedding cake could be purchased at most local supermarkets nowdays, but the vast majority of brides chose not to. Invitations could be purchased in bulk at a dollar store, printed on a home computer and mailed, but most people choose not to. Hor D'oeuvres are widely available at big-box discount stores, but this is seldom a choice for most wedding receptions. Entertainment however is often wrongly given a very low priority in budgets for receptions, galas and parties.

Your guest will experience the effects of the entertainment throughout your entire event:

• background music during cocktails and dinner.
• the use of the PA system during speeches, toasts, and presentations.
• music to dance to until the end of the night.

The following statistics* are some of the results from a poll taken by Bride and Groom Magazine:

• 72% of all brides say they would have spent more time choosing their reception entertainment.
• Almost 100% say they would have spent more of their budget on the entertainment.
• When asked, 81% of guests say the thing they remember most about a wedding is the entertainment.

Anyone planning an event should also consider the following things when taking into account why one vendors pricing may differ from another's:

• Is this organization able to offer a more competative price due to reduced overhead associated with the organization's size?
• What quality of equipment is this entertainer going to use for my event?
• Will the company have back-up equipment readily available if needed?
• How many events similar to mine has the company performed at?
• How much experience does the entertainer(s) have that will be performing at my event?

There is a reason that your floorplan alots a vast amount of space for your dancefloor - your entertainment is an integral component of your event!!

*Statistics are the result of a poll conducted by Bride and Groom Magazine. The results listed here were obtained from stlbrideandgroom.com

What's In A Price?

What's In A Price? You receive a price quote from an entertainer for your upcoming event. For the sake of this example, we will call it a wedding. Your reception is five hours long, and is scheduled from 6PM until 11PM. The quote of "$X" may seem to reflect just the five hours of the reception, but in reality there are several other things that are or are not factored into the quote depending on the entertainer's business situation and policies.

1. Time and labor charges for set up and break down of equipment - The amount of time may increase or decrease according to the amount of equipment that the entertainer has to deal with and whether they have anyone helping them.


2. Arrival time at the venue prior to the start of your wedding - Professional entertainers will arrive anywhere from one to two hours (this may increase depending on the amount of equipment) prior to the start time of your event to ensure that they are able to set-up the equipment, perform a sound check, and speak with your other vendors.


3. Travel time to and from the event venue.


4. Consultation time spent speaking with you over the weeks leading up to your wedding.


5. Preparation time spent selecting, arranging and reviewing the music for your wedding.


6. Cost associated with the purchase or rental of any music or equipment needed for your wedding that was not previously owned by the entertainment company - The cost for rented equipment is usually incorporated into the quote for your single event. The cost for purchased items is usually factored in over the quotes of several events with each event paying a small portion.


7. The cost of all overhead expenses including; office space, equipment and its' upkeep, education, training, insurance, advertising, etc are also all fractionally factored into each quote.

The five hour reception very quickly equates to 10 to 12 hrs of time alone spent on your event. This doesn't include the items from numbers 6 and 7 above that may be factored in. Suddenly the price quote of "$X" is brought into its true light of what's in a price.

Please be sure to check out our next post entitled "Why Price Should Not Be a Determining Factor". As always please post your thoughts on this subject and make sure to visit us on the web at http://musictoyourearsme.com/ .

Introductory Blog

Hello. My name is Anthony, and I am the owner of Music To Your Ears Mobile Entertainers. I run the company along with my wife Christine. We are located in suburban Philadelphia, and normally service Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties in Pennsylvania, Camden county in New Jersey, and New Castle county in Delaware. We have provided, and can arrange for service to areas outside these counties.

The love of music was instilled in both of us at a very early age, growing up in households where a wide variety of music was constantly played. To this day music can normally be heard playing somewhere in our home during most hours of the day.

Over the last five years, the vast majority of the events our company has provided entertainment for have been as a contractor for one of the leading DJ companies in the Philadelphia area; Schaffer Sound Production. During this time I have provided emcee and DJ services for more than 225 weddings, 250 private parties or corporate events, and countless bar and restaurant appearances throughout the Philadelphia metropolitan area entertaining tens of thousands in the process. These events have included everything from a backyard barbecue to a lavish country club wedding reception for 375 guests.

While this first blog is simply a general intro to our company, future blogs will be posted on a weekly basis. Those blogs will delve deeper into topics that we believe anyone planning a wedding or major event will find both useful and thought provoking. We invite you to subscribe and look forward to sharing our thoughts as well as reading yours.

Also if your planning an event in the Philadelphia area, please visit our website at http://www.musictoyourearsme.com/