Party DJ | Benton IL – Spectrum Sound

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Private Party DJ · Evansville, Indiana & the Tri-State

The playlist matters. The people matter more.

Birthdays, anniversaries, reunions, retirements, graduations and holiday parties across Southern Indiana, Western Kentucky, Southern Illinois and beyond. I am Terry Tunks, and I personally DJ every one of them.

1,200+events performed

4.9from 103 verified reviews

Zerono-shows, ever

I DJ private parties the way a good host throws one: the right 40 songs for the people in the room, a mic that stays out of the way, and sound that fits the space. Flat pricing, travel quoted as its own line, and a free 20 to 30 minute call to start.

Terry personally, every event. No subcontractors.
Three flat packages, four to six hours of performance.
Setup, sound check and teardown are not billed.
Your date is held 7 days, no payment, after we meet.

Other ways I can help

Parties I DJ

Every one of these is a different room with a different crowd. The gear is the same. The plan never is.

Birthday parties

A 40th in a backyard and a sweet sixteen in a rented hall want different nights. I plan each one around the guest of honor and the people who showed up for them, not a stock playlist.

Anniversaries

Two generations of music on one floor. The couple's songs, their kids' songs, and the ones everybody knows the words to, placed so the room never splits in half.

Class reunions

The songs from your years, played the way you remember them, with enough room for conversation early and a floor that fills once the stories run out.

Family reunions

Grandparents, teenagers and toddlers in the same park pavilion. Clean versions, announcements that actually carry outdoors, and a mic for the family history moment.

Retirement parties

A slideshow that runs on cue, a toast that is heard at the back of the room, and a set that fits the honoree rather than the DJ.

Graduation parties

High energy without going explicit. I keep it clean for the grandparents and current for the graduates, and I handle the request line so you can host.

Holiday parties

Company Christmas parties, New Year's Eve, Fourth of July on the lake. Right-sized sound for the room and an MC who keeps the awards and the games moving.

Backyard parties

Power, weather, neighbors and a patio that becomes a dance floor at ten o'clock. I have run hundreds of these and I bring the plan with the speakers.

People over playlist

The right 40 songs

A four-hour party has room for about 40 songs that matter. I would rather pick those 40 for your crowd than show off a library. The library is there. It is not the point.

I read the room, not a screen

Who is standing, who just sat down, which table is singing along. I watch the people and move the music to meet them. That is the whole job, and it cannot be automated.

The MC is not the star

When I pick up the mic it is to make your toast heard, cue the slideshow, or bring the birthday girl to the floor. Then I get out of the way. Your people are the show.

Sound you feel, not notice

Loud enough on the floor to move, quiet enough at the tables to talk. Right-sized for the room, set up where it works, with a backup system in the truck every time.

A playlist versus a DJ

A playlist on a speaker

Plays what you picked, in the order you picked it, at the volume you set, whether the room is full, empty, or waiting on the cake. Nobody notices the moment the energy drops, and nobody fixes it.

A DJ in the room

Starts with your list and then listens. Pulls the song that gets the cousins up, drops the volume for the toast without being asked, runs the mic for the surprise, and knows when the night wants one more.

Spotify is a great tool. I use it to learn what you love before I ever show up. It just cannot see your dance floor.

What I ask on the first call

The first call is free, 20 to 30 minutes, and it is mostly me listening. These are the questions, so you can think ahead.

What is the occasion, and who is it really for?
How many guests, and what ages?
Where is it, and have you been in the room?
Inside, outside, or both?
What time does it start, and when do you want people to leave?
Do you want announcements, games and a host on the mic, or music only?
Clean versions only, or does the crowd not mind?
Is there a slideshow, a toast, a surprise or a first dance?
What are the ten songs that have to happen?
What are the songs that must not happen?
Is there anything else going on that night: a food truck, fireworks, a band, a photo booth?

Testimonials & Reviews

Ron booked me for a party that had three generations on one floor and said afterward that he had never seen every age group engaged on a dance floor at the same time. That is the result I am after at every party.

Ron McKinney · Review

Private Party DJ Pricing

Three flat packages. The price is the price, and travel outside my home market is a flat zone fee shown on its own line, never blended in. My quote is my invoice.

Party Starter

$695

4 hours of performance

Full sound system and wireless mic
MC and announcements as you want them
Dance-floor lighting
Unlimited requests, clean edits on request

Most booked

Party

$950

5 hours of performance

Everything in Party Starter
Upgraded dance lighting
Slideshow playback on request
Early load-in for a tricky room

Full Production

$1,550

6 hours of performance

Everything in Party
Full light rig with fog
Second wireless mic
Priority scheduling

Every package includes a 250,000-plus song library with live request access, Shure wireless, arrival 60 to 90 minutes early, a full backup system and me on site. Setup, sound check and teardown are not billed. You pay for performance time only.

All-in price by travel zone

Zone	Travel	Party Starter	Party	Full Production
Zone 1 · home market	No travel fee	$695	$950	$1,550
Zone 2	+$100	$795	$1,050	$1,650
Zone 3	+$200	$895	$1,150	$1,750
Zone 4	+$300	$995	$1,250	$1,850
Zone 5	+$400	$1,095	$1,350	$1,950
Zone 6	+$500	$1,195	$1,450	$2,050

Zone 5 and Zone 6 dates may need lodging when an early load-in or a late finish makes the return drive unsafe: $200 per room per night, stated on the proposal before you sign. Find your city in the grid below for its zone.

Add-ons

$100 / hourExtra performance time

$300Self-serve photo booth with the DJ booking (prints from $500) via PicsPhotoBooth.com

$350Uplighting package

Monogram, cold sparks, video montage and the rest of the a la carte menu are on the pricing page.

How Booking Works

Call or text20 to 30 minutes, free. I listen first.
We talk it throughThe room, the crowd, the moments, the songs.
7-day holdAfter we meet I hold your date for 7 days, no payment.
50% retainerNon-refundable, locks the date the moment it clears.
Walk-through and timelineOn site or on video, then must-plays and the run of show.

Payment & Terms

A 50% retainer holds the date and is non-refundable. The balance is due on the first of the month before your event. If your date moves and the new date is open, the retainer moves with it. Card, check or bank transfer. Travel is a flat zone fee as its own line, and lodging, where it applies, is stated before you sign. Nothing is added after.

Private Party DJ by City

Every city below has its own page with the rooms I know there, the all-in price for that zone, and answers written for that town. Pick yours.

Zone 1 · Home market · no travel fee all-in $695 / $950 / $1,550

Zone 2 · +$100 travel all-in $795 / $1,050 / $1,650

Zone 3 · +$200 travel all-in $895 / $1,150 / $1,750

Zone 4 · +$300 travel all-in $995 / $1,250 / $1,850

Zone 6 · +$500 travel all-in $1,195 / $1,450 / $2,050

Not on the list? Call me. I assign a zone before I quote, and the fee is on the proposal before you sign.

Private Party DJ FAQ

Who shows up to DJ my party?

I do. Terry Tunks, every event, no subcontractors and no rotating staff. The person you talk to on the first call is the person setting up, reading the room and running the mic on the night. That has been true across 1,200-plus events with zero no-shows, ever.

What does a private party DJ cost?

Flat pricing: Party Starter is $695, Party is $950, and Full Production is $1,550 in my home market. Outside Zone 1 a flat travel fee is added as its own line, from $100 to $500 depending on the zone, and the full all-in table by zone is on this page. My quote is my invoice.

Is there a travel fee for my city?

Evansville, Newburgh, Henderson and the rest of Zone 1 have no travel fee. Every other city in the grid above carries a flat zone fee, never a range, shown as a separate line in your quote before you sign. Click your city for the exact all-in number.

How do I hold a date?

Call or text me and we talk through the party for 20 to 30 minutes, free. Once you meet with me I hold your date for 7 days, no payment. A 50% retainer, non-refundable, then locks it the moment it clears. The balance is due on the first of the month before your event.

Do you walk through the venue?

Yes, after the retainer clears. Nearby, that is me standing in the room with you. Farther out, it is a video walk-through with the venue contact and the floor plan open. For a backyard, a few photos and a quick call usually settle power, placement and weather.

How many hours are included?

Party Starter covers four hours of performance, Party covers five, and Full Production covers six. Setup, sound check and teardown are not billed, so none of that eats into your time. Extra performance time is $100 per hour on this line.

Can you keep it clean?

Yes. Tell me who is in the room, kids, grandparents, coworkers, and I play clean edits all night. I would rather know ahead of time than guess, and I keep a radio-edit library ready for exactly this.

Can we send a playlist?

Please do. Send me the must-plays and the do-not-plays, and I build the night around them. You still get a DJ reading the room between those songs, which is the part a phone on a speaker cannot do.

Do you MC, or just play music?

Whatever fits your party. Some hosts want announcements, games, a toast cued and a slideshow run on time. Others want great music and no voice on the mic. I match your style, and when I do speak it is short, clear and about your people, not about me.

Can you handle a party in a backyard or a park?

Yes, and I bring the plan with the speakers. We talk through power, where the sound points so the neighbors stay friendly, a rain plan, and where the floor forms once it gets dark. Pavilions, patios and lakeside decks are a large share of what I do every summer.

Can I add a photo booth or uplighting?

Yes. A self-serve photo booth from PicsPhotoBooth.com is $300 when it rides along with the DJ booking, printed strips start at $500, and an uplighting package is $350. Booked together, there is no second delivery charge.

What if you are sick or your truck breaks down?

I have never missed an event, and a backup system travels to every one. I keep a second vehicle and a short list of trusted operators I would call before I would ever let your date go uncovered. You would hear from me, not a stranger, and you would know the plan the same day.

Music becomes memory

Nobody remembers the speaker model. They remember their dad on the floor for a song he swore he did not dance to, the cousins screaming the chorus, the last song with everyone in a circle. My job is to make those moments happen on purpose. Then I pack up quietly and let you keep the night.

Ready to plan the party?

You will meet me before you book me, and I will not quote a room I have not walked. Nearby that is me standing in it with you; farther out it is a video walk-through with the floor plan open, before anything is signed.

Call (812) 431-8085 Text me your date Book online

Great events are engineered, not improvised. — Terry Tunks, Spectrum Sound

Last reviewed October 2026

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