All-Star Anyone Having Music Issues Thus Far?

[Hungry]

I've actually heard nothing but great things about him as well, which is why I'm sad he's full. Even the one's where he took too long to do music or couldn't get to it in time, he refunded their money. His music is really good too.

His music is amazing, no doubt. We received our music when promised. Unfortunatley, we never could get any of the changes we needed last year, although we paid for the unlimited changes package. IF he responded to emails, he would say he would get to it, but then we still never heard from him. The changes were small, mostly sound effects needing to be moved, but it never happened and the communcation from him was really bad.

Trust me, it makes me sad to not use him because we loved his mixes, but for the amount of money we paid, we didn't get what was promised. And being from a very small gym, like Kingston mentioned earlier, clearly we weren't important enough and losing us as a customer will not hurt him.

 

[JusTellingItHowItIs]

Wow. That's amazing to me. I know alot of small gyms (one's I've never heard of until this year, including the one's on this thread) that use him and say he treats them very well, no issues. The biggest complain I hear from time to time is he can be a few days, even a week or so late. But he communicates well. It sounds like a communication problem.

I don't think your experience is typical with his company though. Have you at least tried contacting his company as of late with your concerns? I coach a wreck team in my area, and whenever the parents have problems, I encourage them to tell me head on versus gossip amongst eachother. Allstars, I'm sure it's different. But I know I'd rather try and fix the problem afterwards and be much more classier about it, versus have the animosity towards them. It simply doesn't solve anything. Sorry, just trying to be sally-fix-it here lol

I definitely understand though. Being a small gym, it would be hard to reach out to pricey and up scale music producers/choreographers/guest coaches, etc without the fear of getting the short end of the stick. I've heard horror stories. Some choreographers not even getting on the plane to come and the team is sitting there waiting on them, music being paid for in full and not getting anything at all, much less edits, and getting dances/mixes that were given to other teams... Kinda selfish if you ask me...

 

[angelface107]

His music is amazing, no doubt. We received our music when promised. Unfortunatley, we never could get any of the changes we needed last year, although we paid for the unlimited changes package. IF he responded to emails, he would say he would get to it, but then we still never heard from him. The changes were small, mostly sound effects needing to be moved, but it never happened and the communcation from him was really bad.

Trust me, it makes me sad to not use him because we loved his mixes, but for the amount of money we paid, we didn't get what was promised. And being from a very small gym, like Kingston mentioned earlier, clearly we weren't important enough and losing us as a customer will not hurt him.

AMEN!! I have your same story I know it won't make you feel any better but it helps me to know it wasn't just us!!!

 

[angelface107]

AMEN!! I have your same story I know it won't make you feel any better but it helps me to know it wasn't just us!!!

This year we are using Eddie and are extremely happy

 

[Level5Mom]

I coach a wreck team in my area, and whenever the parents have problems, I encourage them to tell me head on versus gossip amongst eachother. ...

Pun intended? Haha....

 

[Emily Jane]

Pun intended? Haha....

I was wondering about that...

 

[Hungry]

I don't think your experience is typical with his company though. Have you at least tried contacting his company as of late with your concerns? I coach a wreck team in my area, and whenever the parents have problems, I encourage them to tell me head on versus gossip amongst eachother. Allstars, I'm sure it's different. But I know I'd rather try and fix the problem afterwards and be much more classier about it, versus have the animosity towards them. It simply doesn't solve anything. Sorry, just trying to be sally-fix-it here lol

There is no phone number listed for him, so the only way we could attempt to contact him was via email. Here's the breakdown:

I emailed original request for sound effect changes beginning of the month. No response.
I emailed again 3 1/2 weeks later. No response.
One of the gym owners emailed him about my changes as well as changes for her team's music 5 weeks later. No response.
She emailed again 5 days later. No response.
Other gym owner emailed 10days later, he responded!! Said he'd get the changes done that weekend.
4 weeks later, we still had nothing.
Emailed. No response.
5 days later, emailed again, no response.

At that point, we gave up. It was the end of the season.

I would hope that you could agree that we tried several times to contact him with no response. Not even, I'm sorry...I'm just too busy. What else could we have done?

This is not gossip, this is truth. And this thread was about music issues, and everyone raving about JR. I believe I have a right to express unhappiness with a vendor, although I guarantee it won't make a difference to anyone else's opinion.

 

[topxofxmyxgame]

Hungary I'm so glad that you were able to share your experience even though it turned out not to be in your favor. I started this thread to see if anyone else had any success or horror stories in regard to music producers this season especially since there have been several threads in the past regarding this issue. Unfortunately there seems to be a need for producers of quality and good business practices. I can not speak to JR as I have never worked with him and I will stay I love his work however I can totally relate to your frustration. Communication and fairness seems to be lacking in this particular of our industry yet these producers are still making a ton of money whether they treat clients fairly or not. I just don't quite understand it.

 

[magical mom]

We have always had problems with popular music producers. They always seem to not live by their word and never make their date. The music is great just not in the time they promise.

 

[hopskipandjump]

I love all of our music from Mike at Cheermixalot.

 

[Underestimated]

the people from GoFightWin Music are great as well ... Matt Goldberg

 

[acxjags]

Hungry-you are entitled to your frustration.....I am not posting this as a battle against your post but maybe I can shed some light on this. No one is perfect----and I agree and understand everyone's frustrations with some DJ's. JR is one of my best friends---He may have had a couple (very few) mess ups (who doesn't).....but if you compare how few mess ups he has had with as many mixes he does and compare them to other DJs.....His ratio is outstanding probably the best in the industry. NO ONE will ever have a 100% satisfaction ratio, but I bet JR is pretty close. Not to mention if he has a problem----I can promise you the mix you get is worth the wait.

As far as other DJ's----I am not dogging anyone but just because someone is good at music doesn't make them good at business or organization. This is the case with most DJ's. Great at their service; bad at customer service. You have to understand what a DJ goes thru. Favors, last minute emergency mixes for loyal clients, etc. They have to turn their facebook, email, and phone off sometimes just to be able to mix because it rings all day, texts all day, emails all day, etc. It distracts them from mixing. Not to mention some clients have no barriers---they call early in the morning, late at night and don't respect private time. They assume the mix comes with a 24/7 technical support package. Choreographers charge 3-5 times what DJs charge and they are one and done. No tech support after the sale....why is this a double standard for a DJ. If you change your routine make it fit your current music. Or call the choreographer to do it and see how that goes. Heck--I mix music (over 150 mixes a year) and I have JR do one of my mixes each year. I have NEVER asked him for an edit nor did I change the music myself. I have had to make adjustments to the routines----but I made them stay with in the guidelines of the music he did. So don't tell me it can't be done.

Let me explain from a Music Mixers stand point. I and I'm sure most other DJ's, get over 100 emails or texts, or facebook messages A DAY. It is easy to lose or over look a few, some get lost in the shuffle. Doing your mix is a scheduled time frame. If you go with a Bigger Name DJ you know he has many clients. You can bank on after your mix is done it will be hard to get an edit done. As a mixer, I cant justify doing an edit for someone over a team who doesn't have music yet. Just like choreography---if you change your routine the choreographer doesnt fly back in that week to make the changes for you. Edits are a pain in the butt for DJ's. Its not their fault you changed your routine. Just like booking your mix (subject to availability) you need to get back at the end of the line again for your edits. Your edit doesnt push everyone else who booked their music mix a month in advance back. Problem with Great DJ's is their schedule fills up for the year in June. It leaves no time.

With all that being said.....I recommend you ask your DJ to have one specific day a week for edits. Every week they have one day where they do all edits for the week. That way you know your edit can be on that one day in the upcoming week. This will create a opportunity to make edits easier for you as the client. I hope this helps you guys get better service from your DJ's and meet your teams deadlines. Also a few praises and a call or email after the season is over to say hello or thank you goes a long way too. Again---this isnt meant to cause drama-----just to help everyone understand why some DJ's do what they do.

Randy
www.8countmusic.com
www.acxcheer.com
www.ucfcheer.com

 

[Cheerfan1234]

The reason why other industries (ones that would fall under the umbrella of the "corporate world") get taken seriously is because, for the most part, people know the definition of professionalism. "A couple of screw-ups here and there" from a teacher, account executive, supervisor, secretary, etc. etc. would not be acceptable and these people would be fired.

In all-star cheerleading, unfortunately, we often hold in very high regard music producers and choreographers who are unprofessional, selfish, self-serving, and plain rude. Anywhere else these same people would be considered a joke.

 

[JusTellingItHowItIs]

The reason why other industries (ones that would fall under the umbrella of the "corporate world") get taken seriously is because, for the most part, people know the definition of professionalism. "A couple of screw-ups here and there" from a teacher, account executive, supervisor, secretary, etc. etc. would not be acceptable and these people would be fired.

In all-star cheerleading, unfortunately, we often hold in very high regard music producers and choreographers who are unprofessional, selfish, self-serving, and plain rude. Anywhere else these same people would be considered a joke.

I definitely feel that choreographers/music producers etc should be professional to the utmost degree. When you say you're going to do something, it definitely should be done to it's fullest potential. But this is the first that I've heard anything bad about JR's business practice. I don't know the situation or the facts nor have we ever worked with him, so it's not something I can defend his company on.

But I can't necessarily agree with this statement you've made. I've known plenty of jobs that have had a "couple" of screw ups here n there... A teacher forgetting her lessons for the day, account executive's, supervisors, secretaries all and all being late, misplacing paper work, miscalculating numbers, etc... I can't count the number of times I've seen one of our coaches "mess up" while doing their job, whether it's teaching skills, working on putting together their routine, collecting money from parents/kids, etc... For the most part, these people still have their jobs and operate their profession. So to say they'd be considered a joke anywhere else is a bit embellished and not accurate. It also seems that you're implying that cheerleading isn't a "corporate business", as well as a sport? Do you understand that this industry is a multi-billion dollar industry? For example take the number of teams at Cheersport, multiply it by a minimum of 15-20 kids a team... Then multiply that number by the minimal fee to register and enter the competition. I think I've made my point... Granted, this is the biggest cheer competition in the nation, however this is just one of MANY... There are so many more competitions, most of which we don't even know about. But also music, choreography, camps, other competitions, apparel, uniforms, pictures, videography, etc... I'm pretty sure any profession under the standards of cheerleading fall under the "corporate world".

But to comment on your issues of the "cooperate world" you suggested and how it applies, I can tell you that my family owns one of the biggest businesses for distributing goods and services across the world. Many of the heads that run the business are trusted due to their longevity with the company. I can tell you that they have definitely had their fair share of "screw-ups". However considering the overall relationship and reputation they hold with our bosses, these issues have been overlooked and business goes on as usual. So as a cooperate umbrella, I can tell you that there is something called "extenuating circumstances" that apply for employees that do their job more extensively in the long run versus a few "screw-ups" here and there in the short. These mishaps do not warrant termination as that would not be smart on our end. As business owners, it's up to us to figure out the solutions to fix what our employees do wrong so they don't happen continuously. Therefore when they mess up, we mess up. But that doesn't mean we are unprofessional, selfish, self-serving, and plain rude. It simply means we've discovered problems that need to be fixed and addressed.

This particular producer doesn't seem to be the first I've heard issues about on here. Not only that, but some of the music producers mentioned on this page, we've heard other gyms and counterparts have had problems with as well. That being said, this is obviously a profession that needs work on building it's practice to the standards of utmost professionalism. Only thing that makes it hard for me to decide is that for them it's not a standard job; but more so a creative part of their industry that they command. I can say I hear alot more creative work and quality with the "popular" high-end music people versus the middle to low. So it's a bit of a double standard. Seems they all have their "screw-ups". But if you must hire one, then why not hire the best for what you can afford since they all have the same problems...

If changes to your music product is one of the few major concerns, then I agree with acxjags. I think music producers should exercise "scheduling" changes versus doing them on the whim. That seems to be the only "grey area" service outside of the initial product being done that I feel needs fixing. But bottom line, if you have a problem with these producers, then the answer seems quite simple to me... Don't use them anymore. We as the customer have the power to appoint who the best producer in the industry is... Some of the problems you all state that you're having can be solved by other means as well (contacting the Better Business Bureau, a lawyer, etc). Granted it's the most extreme means necessary to solve your problem, however it's better than the slanderous alternative. If these producers truly are getting "rich" as you put it "topxofxmyxgame", then do something about your experience and be professional yourself by going through the proper authorities and legalities. I know these issues are something that we wouldn't allow to be an on going problem.

 

[Cheerfan1234]

I definitely feel that choreographers/music producers etc should be professional to the utmost degree. When you say you're going to do something, it definitely should be done to it's fullest potential. But this is the first that I've heard anything bad about JR's business practice. I don't know the situation or the facts nor have we ever worked with him, so it's not something I can defend his company on.

But I can't necessarily agree with this statement you've made. I've known plenty of jobs that have had a "couple" of screw ups here n there... A teacher forgetting her lessons for the day, account executive's, supervisors, secretaries all and all being late, misplacing paper work, miscalculating numbers, etc... I can't count the number of times I've seen one of our coaches "mess up" while doing their job, whether it's teaching skills, working on putting together their routine, collecting money from parents/kids, etc... For the most part, these people still have their jobs and operate their profession. So to say they'd be considered a joke anywhere else is a bit embellished and not accurate. It also seems that you're implying that cheerleading isn't a "corporate business", as well as a sport? Do you understand that this industry is a multi-billion dollar industry? For example take the number of teams at Cheersport, multiply it by a minimum of 15-20 kids a team... Then multiply that number by the minimal fee to register and enter the competition. I think I've made my point... Granted, this is the biggest cheer competition in the nation, however this is just one of MANY... There are so many more competitions, most of which we don't even know about. But also music, choreography, camps, other competitions, apparel, uniforms, pictures, videography, etc... I'm pretty sure any profession under the standards of cheerleading fall under the "corporate world".

But to comment on your issues of the "cooperate world" you suggested and how it applies, I can tell you that my family owns one of the biggest businesses for distributing goods and services across the world. Many of the heads that run the business are trusted due to their longevity with the company. I can tell you that they have definitely had their fair share of "screw-ups". However considering the overall relationship and reputation they hold with our bosses, these issues have been overlooked and business goes on as usual. So as a cooperate umbrella, I can tell you that there is something called "extenuating circumstances" that apply for employees that do their job more extensively in the long run versus a few "screw-ups" here and there in the short. These mishaps do not warrant termination as that would not be smart on our end. As business owners, it's up to us to figure out the solutions to fix what our employees do wrong so they don't happen continuously. Therefore when they mess up, we mess up. But that doesn't mean we are unprofessional, selfish, self-serving, and plain rude. It simply means we've discovered problems that need to be fixed and addressed.

This particular producer doesn't seem to be the first I've heard issues about on here. Not only that, but some of the music producers mentioned on this page, we've heard other gyms and counterparts have had problems with as well. That being said, this is obviously a profession that needs work on building it's practice to the standards of utmost professionalism. Only thing that makes it hard for me to decide is that for them it's not a standard job; but more so a creative part of their industry that they command. I can say I hear alot more creative work and quality with the "popular" high-end music people versus the middle to low. So it's a bit of a double standard. Seems they all have their "screw-ups". But if you must hire one, then why not hire the best for what you can afford since they all have the same problems...

If changes to your music product is one of the few major concerns, then I agree with acxjags. I think music producers should exercise "scheduling" changes versus doing them on the whim. That seems to be the only "grey area" service outside of the initial product being done that I feel needs fixing. But bottom line, if you have a problem with these producers, then the answer seems quite simple to me... Don't use them anymore. We as the customer have the power to appoint who the best producer in the industry is... Some of the problems you all state that you're having can be solved by other means as well (contacting the Better Business Bureau, a lawyer, etc). Granted it's the most extreme means necessary to solve your problem, however it's better than the slanderous alternative. If these producers truly are getting "rich" as you put it "topxofxmyxgame", then do something about your experience and be professional yourself by going through the proper authorities and legalities. I know these issues are something that we wouldn't allow to be an on going problem.

I was referring to dancers and music producers. Most of them are self employed and do not work 9-5 jobs in office building, aka, corporate America.

Second, I'm not sure where I ever implied that cheerleading isn't a sport. It is my passion, and I am very well aware of how big of an industry it is. That is why I agree that our industry needs work on building its practices to the standards of utmost professionalism.

To speak to that point, most corporate professionals would not be allowed to NOT show up and NOT provide already paid for services on a consistent basis and still have a job, and we have all heard the horror stories of choreographers and music producers who do this to their loyal clients regularly. The problem is that our hands are tied. We love the end product. It's very easy to say "stop hiring them," but the fact remains that very few people can duplicate your favorite sound or style of dance. Nobody wants a knock off. What frustrates me the most is that these people take advantage of their clients for this very reason. As stressful as this is for caches, it's truly the KIDS who suffer the most. Getting music and dance choreography is just one of our duties, but it is one of the highlights of the season for the cheerleaders. Messing with that is just cruel, and selfish, and unprofessional. We all have extenuating circumstances in our lives and we still all show up to work.