Software for wedding and event DJs: deposits, contracts, riders and timelines

A Saturday in June gets asked about three times in one week, and the date goes to whoever collects a deposit first. Then months pass between the contract and the dance floor: the planner wants your rider and certificate of insurance, the couple swaps the first-dance song twice, and the balance is due a week out, in theory. SoloWOS covers that stretch so a date doesn't slip away in a text thread.

From "are you free on the 14th?" to a paid event

1. The couple or planner fills out your inquiry form: date, venue, hours, guest count and type of event. If they pick wedding, a conditional question asks whether the ceremony needs sound; if they pick corporate, whether there are speeches that need a wireless mic.
2. If the date is open on your calendar, they book a 20-minute call on your booking page to talk through the night.
3. Send the proposal with a line for each piece: 5 hours of music, ceremony sound, dance-floor lighting, an extra hour at its price. In this example a 30% deposit holds the date and the quote is valid for 5 days, because someone else may ask for the same Saturday.
4. Once they accept, the contract goes out through E-Signatures: date, load-in and music times, the overtime rate, what happens to the deposit if they cancel, meals for you and your assistant, and your rider as the last pages (power within 25 feet, a 6-foot table, cover if it's outdoors).
5. Create the deposit invoice from the proposal. When it's paid, put the event on your connected Google or Outlook calendar so that day stops showing as open on your booking page.
6. Six weeks out, send your planning form (grand entrance, first dance, parent dances, do-not-play list) and share the rider and timeline with the venue coordinator through Document Tracking to see whether they opened it. The balance invoice is due 7 days before the event, with email reminders.

The week before a wedding

• Monday: the couple gets the reminder for the balance due Friday. They pay Tuesday by card from the link.
• Tuesday: the venue coordinator opened the rider last Thursday and spent time on the power page. You call to confirm load-in at 3:30.
• Wednesday: you read the planning form answers and build the entrance and first-dance cues from the song links they sent.
• Thursday: two couples ask about dates next May. One already booked a call; the other got your package guide by automatic email.
• Saturday: the event. A card at the booth has a QR code to a short link for this wedding only, and on Monday you see how many guests scanned it.

All 13 tools, one by one

How a DJ who lives on weddings, school dances and corporate events uses each tool.

• Link in Bio: your packages, event videos linked from YouTube or Instagram, your date-check form and booking page, all from the link in your bio.
• Short Links: a QR-coded short link on the booth card at each event (/s/smith-wedding). The clicks show which events bring in new inquiries.
• Forms: two forms: the first-contact form with date, venue and guest count, and the planning form six weeks out with songs, entrances and the timeline. No file uploads, so songs come in as text or Spotify links.
• Scheduling: the 20-minute intro call and, for big weddings, a 45-minute planning meeting. The event itself doesn't go here; it goes on your calendar.
• Proposals: the package with a 30% or 50% deposit and a short valid-until date. You see how often they opened it, and a couple who looked four times is worth a call.
• E-Signatures: the performance contract with the rider attached. The couple or the company's contact signs from a phone, then you sign last.
• Document Tracking: your rider, timeline and certificate of insurance as one PDF for the venue or planner, with a record of who opened it before load-in.
• Screen Recording: helps little. One case: a 3-minute video scrolling through the entrance order and the cue list, so the couple signs off without another meeting.
• Notes & Boards: a board per month with each event as a task: deposit, contract, planning form, rider sent, balance paid.
• Time Tracking: you'll rarely use it because overtime is on the proposal. It's there when a corporate client pays you by the hour.
• Invoicing: the deposit invoice and the balance invoice from the same proposal, paid by card through your Stripe account or by the Zelle or Venmo details you list.
• Expenses: gear rental, your assistant's pay, mileage, parking and tolls for each event, with receipts, so the month shows what you really kept.
• Automations: if a proposal still isn't accepted after 2 days, an email reminds the couple the date isn't held yet. When they accept, a task to send the contract appears on your board.

Taxes and contract points for US DJs

• Couples paying you personally don't send a 1099: under the IRS instructions, only payments made in the course of a trade or business are reportable. A venue, planner or company that pays you $2,000 or more for services in 2026 does report it on Form 1099-NEC (it was $600 through 2025).
• Card payments through Stripe or PayPal only produce a federal Form 1099-K above $20,000 and 200 transactions in a year, though some states set lower thresholds. The income is taxable either way.
• Some states charge sales tax on entertainment or DJ services and some don't. Check your state's revenue department before you quote a total.
• Whether a "nonrefundable" deposit holds up if a couple cancels depends on your contract wording and your state's law. Have a lawyer read your cancellation clause once.

This is general information, not legal advice. Rules vary by state; check yours with a lawyer or your licensing board.

SoloWOS or Check Cherry: which fits

Check Cherry and DJ Event Planner are built for event businesses, with planning tools made for DJs. SoloWOS is general client software for service businesses, so the question is whether you need DJ-specific planning or one account for the whole business at a fixed price.

Choose Check Cherry if:

• You want the balance split into an automatic payment schedule instead of two invoices.
• Couples should build their playlist from Spotify inside the planning step.

Choose DJ Event Planner if:

• You want a system designed around DJ events, with planning forms, timelines and payments in one client portal.

Choose SoloWOS if:

• You want inquiries, proposals, contracts, deposits, expenses and mileage in one account at a fixed monthly price.
• You also do corporate events or teach DJ lessons and need the same tools for that work.

Prices and features checked between October 17 and 23, 2026 on each company's site.

Start with these three

Proposals with your packages as templates and the deposit in the terms, E-Signatures for the contract with the rider attached, and Invoicing for the deposit and the balance. The date-check form and the booth QR code can come later.

Free tools that help

• QR code generator for the booth card (point it at a short link so you can change the destination).
• Profit margin calculator to see what a package leaves after gear rental and your assistant.
• Mileage deduction calculator for the drives to venues.
• Payment fee calculator to see what reaches you from a deposit paid by card.
• Free proposal template to adapt into your packages.

What SoloWOS won't do for a DJ

• It doesn't hold the date on its own: an accepted proposal doesn't block your booking page. Put the event on your connected calendar.
• No event-day availability calendar, multi-op DJ scheduling or equipment inventory.
• No payment plans on one invoice. Beyond the deposit and balance from the proposal, any extra payment is an invoice you create.
• Reminders go by email only, not text message.
• SoloWOS doesn't file taxes, issue 1099s or collect sales tax for you. Invoicing sends the invoice with a pay link (card through your Stripe account) and your other payment details; your accountant or tax software handles the rest.