Frequently Asked Questions
What is dueling pianos?
Dueling pianos is a fun, high-energy musical entertainment production comprised of two people behind baby grand pianos performing classic sing-along songs and booty-shakin' dance tunes. The musicians' repertoires usually cover songs from Frank Sinatra all the way up to Olivia Rodrigo. The show is driven by the audience's requests; so there is no playlist. We play what you want to hear. All you do is write down your favorite song on one of the request forms and hand it to the players. Dueling pianos thrives on audience participation and is a highly interactive show meant to get you clapping, singing, and dancing along to all of your favorite tunes.
How much does it usually cost?
Our basic dueling pianos package starts at $2,400 and varies depending upon the day of the week and the duration of the performance with options to add on drums and uplighting as well. We take pride in making sure that our entertainers are compensated well to guarantee that you get the best in the business. At the same time, we are happy to try to work within your budget and offer individualized quotes that may also be cheaper than our starting costs. To get a quote, simply fill out the information for our Contact Us page, and we'll get back to you promptly.
Are you insured?
Yes! Many hotels and event spaces require liability or event insurance for vendors. We are insured and will work with your contact to make sure that we have a policy in place for the day of the event.
Where are you located?
Lo-Fi Jukebox is based out of Chicago, IL and provides services up to 3 hours outside of the metropolitan area. We prefer to stay local as anything outside of 3 hours can usually be fulfilled by another great dueling pianos company that is closer and will help keep costs down for you.
How much space do you need?
We typically require a performance area of 8' x 10', and if drums are included, 10' x 12'.
What do we as the client need to provide?
Nothing! We bring all of our own equipment, including a PA system, stage lights, and two beautiful baby grand piano shells that we provide in our mobile setup. All that we need is access to a single outlet within a reasonable distance of 50' from the performance area.
We have an event in a few weeks, are you available?
In some cases, yes, but it depends upon player availability. Since our performers are freelancers and play all over the Chicago-land area, their schedules tend to be booked out 3 months in advance. If you have particular entertainers that you would like for your event, the earlier that you book with us will give us the best chance to lock in that date with them.
Why are there so many choices for dueling pianos?
Different companies offer varying quality of production value as well as player experience levels. Lo-Fi Jukebox has carefully curated its production assets to make sure the sound quality, as well as the visual element, are top-notch. This means that the gear is all very well taken care of, looks nice, and tries to minimize unsightly distractions such as cables to create a beautiful visual aspect. At the same time, we only hire entertainers that have been properly trained and have multiple years of experience in the gig to make sure that your event has the best musicians.
Why should we choose Lo-Fi Jukebox instead of another company?
Lo-Fi Jukebox is unique for several reasons. We pride ourselves on providing high production quality with some of the best entertainers in the Chicago area for a reasonable price. Unlike some companies, Lo-Fi Jukebox is a smaller operation with lower costs, which means we can offer better prices without sacrificing quality. Also, we're local! When contacting non-local companies, they tend to reach out to us to provide equipment and players while adding on agent booking fees. We don't have those additional fees, which makes it cheaper for you!
What makes dueling pianos great for fundraisers?
Since dueling pianos are interactive and request-driven, we solicit tips from the audience and encourage songs battles that are like fun bidding wars to help raise money, which we give entirely back to your cause!
Why should we pick dueling pianos for our wedding?
Dueling pianos are unique because our show is interactive and the audience can make requests. We offer the fun and energy of a wedding band but with a much larger repertoire list, and usually a lower price point, and our services are customizable to fit your budget. While D.J.s tend to be the cheapest option, some people prefer the atmosphere of having live music. We try to bridge the two by offering affordable live music that will still get people dancing.
I want to hire you! So, what's next?
Awesome! We look forward to working with you. The next step is actually pretty simple. If you haven't already, please check out our Services page to see what package and any add-ons best suits your needs. Then you can simply fill out your information on our Contact Us page or just shoot an e-mail to lofijukeboxdp@gmail.com or call 312-796-5325. We'll then send you a contract via e-mail to sign with finalized pricing (to include mileage if over 50 miles from Chicago as well as any possible hotel costs) and a list of services in addition to the location and start and end time. Information for the deposit, which is usually about 1/3 of the final cost, will be included in the contract as well.
What if we want you to never stop playing?
Sometimes "One more song!" turns into a few more songs. We get it. So long as the venue is ok with it first and secondly the players, you're more than welcome to extend the performance beyond the end time with additional pricing in the contract.