how much do they do in sales. 15% is pretty good, for a person that is a non promoter just dj.

I'd be finding out what they average on a normal night, to get your baseline- then if you think you can build the night from there, you'll know what to expect.

I don't think that's such a bad deal if you think you can get people in the venue. Just make sure there isn't any sort of cap on your commission. I used to play a venue that had a 10% cap but only up to $200.....and many nights we did well over $2k yet I only received $200.

I prefer guaranteed money.

Im not sure how they do in sales. But the place is never really packed and the owner said he is struggling to just break even at the end of the month. He told me straight up his situation and didn't put a cap on the pay. Whatever the bar makes I get 15%. I prefer guaranteed money too I was just wondering if anybody else was doing pretty good with this type of payment for their services.

if the place has potential, then id go for it. 15% of the bar is pretty damn good if you ask me.

i did this once with a small bar in town that was havin trouble, the pay was shitty at first, but the owner allowed me to do whatever i wanted in order to get business, next thing you know... the place was slammin and i was makin decent money.

somthin like this could be looked at as an investment, if you work it the right way.

if you accept the offer, try to get a contract, so when business starts boomin, he doesnt dump you and hire a mixtrack noob.

@DJRemixEnt it seems like the same exact scenario. The contract sounds like a good idea. I like the place and the owner is letting me do whatever the hell I want which is a big plus for me. I will take up the offer and try out a few nights and see how it goes.

Before spending too much time/energy on something like this, I'd try to get a read on how well (or not) the owner runs the business. Chatting with bar staff should give you some idea, and after your first few nights you have even more of an idea.

Also try to get some info on what's happened with previous DJ's in that place.

Is this for a week night or a weekend night? Hopefully you don't have to carry sound gear?

15% and no limit sounds like a very good arrangement...in all honesty/skepticism, it sounds almost too good. Unless maybe the size/capacity is small.

This.

If the guy actually thought that he'd end up paying you a serious amount of money, then he wouldn't be offering that deal, unless he's a very dumb businessman, in which case, do you really want to work for him anyway?

No smart venue owner would offer to give away 15% of their takings (NOT profit) on a long-term basis to someone just playing music.

He's either stupid, or taking you for a ride.

There's venues in my town and which I play at which make 80,000 on a Saturday. I WISH i could get 15% Do you think the owner would be stupid enough to pay the resident 12k for one nights work?

15% is generous beyond belief if you're at a big venue. If its a small bar, then I would prefer an hourly rate.

Make sure you discuss a limit - I've had spots offer me a percentage with no talk if a limit and then they arbitrarily imposed one on busy nights in the past...

from what im reading.... it doesnt seem to be a mega club... prolly just a bar or a smaller local club.





thats why i say get a contract... you still gotta remember at the end of the day they are bar/club owners/managers... and 99% of those mofos will pull a fast one if given the chance.

15% sounds pretty awesome if you are capable of packing the place. Not really what I'd like to do, but for people that are capable of building a night and a following it sounds good.

I once did a percentage of the door. We used to kill it. 50% of the door plus $ just for showing up.

At one of my usual spots (a medium sized sports bar/grill) I have a bonus structure in place, in addition to my regular guaranteed rate. (it works out to only 10% but still pretty good on busy nights.)
For example if the bar makes $5000 in a night I would get a $200 bonus in addition to my reg. $300 guarantee. Although, if the bar makes only $2000 I would still get my $300 minimum charge. The owner is very transparent about letting me see the numbers on their touch screen system, and it makes for a good insentive to do a little extra promotion...

Tons of bars do, I have one that offers that now, but I just use the place to hold last minute one-offs, it's not the kind of place I could put people in every week.

It's because they're trying to get "DJ-promoters" now instead of a DJ and a promoter.

If I have to promote as well as DJ I want my base pay, and either door or percent of the bar. If not, I'm sure another venue will do business with me.



Anyway to the OP, I never get into the % of bar deals because I don't trust them. Even though I know some raging alcoholics that will put enough into the bar that I would actually make more from the % than I would from my flat-rate (like the bar i just mentioned), I've just heard too many sob stories from bar owners over the years that I just prefer not to go that route.

That being said, if he seems like a straight up guy (he was already honest about his business sinking) do what some of the others here have suggested and do a little research, who knows you might make a go of it.

It sounds like it's just a little bar so you probably won't make more than a few hundred bucks if you get it popping, but at least you'll have a little leverage over the spot, and build your "brand" at the same time.

Note the part where I said 'someone just playing music'.

Someone wants to be a promoter, go right ahead, get a cut. But as you say, a DJ/promoter is not the same as just being a DJ.

i've done this with a bar for a struggling off night (wednesday). it's no risk for the bar owner, cuz 15% of nothing is nothing, but if you bring in people he's making money that he wasn't making before and it's because of you. everybody wants to play at the "hot" spots, but a dead spot...there's no competition for those. and if you can turn it into a packed bar situation, it's a crowd YOU built, so you'll have leverage. a percentage is a great way to pitch your services to those places, and have them be comfortable paying someone when they aren't really ringing high numbers.
Some things i learned though... as others have said, get a contract. it will ensure that he won't just ditch your 15% ass once the numbers look good. Also, instead of just a percentage, work out a minimum plus percentage if the bar breaks a certain amount on the ring. 15% is great when the numbers are good, but if the bar is struggling, a bad night can leave you with $40 for lugging your shit out and playing all night. not a good look. Even if it's only $100 minimum plus 15% of sales over $666 (rough number, but the math is right lol). at least you won't be stuck playing for gas money on a shit night.
Also work out a decent bar tab. No, not so you can get shit faced or play for free drinks. But you'll need it if you want to build the night. Offer to buy the first round for some locals if they come out to support... buy a round of shots for pretty girls that start the dance floor. grab a round for some heavy drinkers that are increasing the ring (and so your pay at the end of the night). That's the kind of shit that helps people have a good night and keeps them coming back (and hopefully telling their friends how awesome your night is). it shouldn't come out of your pocket though. if the owner doesn't understand the importance of buy backs, i would question the spot and his understanding of the bar business.....

Well it wouldn't make sense for the guy who's "just playing music" to do it either if there's nobody there to drink and therefore get him paid at the end of the night.

So it's redundant to say that in the first place.

It's incentive based pay, not "how good you can mix two records" pay.

Try to get a term in the contract, cover yourself from them letting you go after you build it up.

I DJ'd at a bar for percentage on Weds and Thurs. A lot of nights I went home with $20, some nights $500+. I did the NYE and came home with $2000+. I worked out a deal to make 10% of the bars take during the times I played. Key is to see the sales on their POS at the end of the night, so that you know exactly. Don't take their word for it. I quit after getting a residency that paid a set rate. Although I still, from time to time, will promote a night at that bar.

You really gotta be on top of your game promoting. If its slow, count on a month or two to build it up. The key is consistency over time. See if you can work with the owner on drink specials and maybe a contest or two. Bikini contest during the summer time tend to bring a crowd. If the owner is willing to fork over prize money.

Just a thought on the contract,not too sure how you would word it but whilst making sure he can't ditch you I would also make sure you have some kind of get out clause,cause you don't want to tie yourself down for 6 mths making 15% of $200.
How would he word it so as to not fuck himself up?

I'd probably just put a clause about both the venue and the dj having to give a certain amount of notice before getting out. I highly doubt any struggling bar is going to want to commit to a long-term contract.

I will be playing there tomorrow. Im gonna test the waters out. As of right now it's just a verbal agreement between the owner and myself. I did a lil self promoting these last couple of days to see if I can get some people in there. You all gave me alot of solid advice! If it shows signs of potential growth I will work out some type of contract. I will try to take some pics of the club so you can see what I'm working with.

^ that's what's up... good luck to ya brotha

Yeah, good luck man. Hopefully you make some decent money.