That is way too cheap. Think of the distance, the time to set up and tear down and the equipment. For 3 hours I would charge at least $450. Have that contract drawn up so they dont make you play longer then the intended 3 unless there is an agreement clause of after 3 hours.

I would charge that for a local backyard event or something on campus but when it comes to catering hall events then the price goes ^^^

90% of the work at gigs is moving the crap, setting up, and tearing down, shoving it back in your ride, then back in the house when you get home. The Djing is the fun part. Thats a super cheap rate, i need atleast 400 to move my speakers out of the garage for anything with "wedding" attached to it. Other parties or events i will do for less, but mainly its the principle of it, they will drop 2k on flowers but only want to pay the dj 200 bucks, homie dont play that!

Have you done weddings before? There's alot of work involved besides the 3 hours and the setup, teardown already mentioned. There are meetings with the couple, phone or in person, and music request prep. If you haven't done a wedding you are slightly underpriced and if you have experience you are seriously underpriced.
Locally I usually go for $150/hr and include "standard lights" (so same price if lights are not wanted) and wireless mic(s) as needed. More depending on location etc.

wedding's are 1200 -- 500 up front, 7 after. u guys are giving your services away

unless of course this is the type of service u provide

Watchwww.youtube.com

That may be true... but you gotta take into consideration location, type of wedding, etc.

NOT ALL WEDDINGS ARE THE SAME.. and thus, not all require the same attention to detail, etc.

So, with that said, $200 is still way cheap...


The lowest I ever go for a wedding is $450, and that's if I know the people and it's only 3-4 hours. The most I've charged for a wedding is $2000... and believe me, If I knew I could charge $50K where I live, I would.

If it's a hall, I automatically charge more because usually, that requires more sound.

Ok thanks guys. That gives me a better idea because I use to charge $400 and up but people started going and getting dj's to do it for a cheaper price that are basically bringin the same set-up i'm bringin. See i live in a smaller town called the Quad Cities and we don't have a ton of dj's but we have enough dj's to go around, and we are good as dj's. The problem with that is if i charge 400 they will go and get another dj that will bring the same stuff and can rock a party just as good as me, and basically play the same music for 200. I have been missin out on alotta gigs because of this, so i would rather get 200 than 0 ya feel me!!

I know whatyou're saying. I lose gigs with people price shopping and have people ask me to give a discount. Some of them even start their first inquiry with something like "cosidering the economy, what would you charge for..." You gotta love when they ask for a better rate and then show up to meet with you in their BMW.
I've had people ask me to price match or discount and then book me when I said no because they decided I did offer more with my experience etc. compared to the cheaper guy.
Most of mine end up between $600 and $1000. I'd love to go higher too but I don't want to cut my business too much.

under cutters.. i understand fully. like many others, i've lost quite a few gigs myself because of it -- i may cut a couple hundred off if i knew u but other than that, i'm fairly firm on the price. Clubs i do for 3-400 but weddings, proms, pvt corporate gatherings -- those are my bread makers.

i do see ur point sixxx but i have to charge what i KNOW i'm worth, regardless of the situation. If u can't afford me, i understand and I'm sure there would be some other guy for cheaper.. that's just not me

i usually charge $100/hour djing and then add on an extra $200-$300 for sound, lights, dj gear etc. I also don't have a massive setup (2 k12s, 1 15" Yorkville sub) so the rule of thumb I usually go by is $50/speaker, $100 for turntables, $50 for lights, and $50 for the labour of setup/teardown and transport.

If they want music for longer than a certain amount (i usually say 6 hours) I bump up the fee to $150 for each additional hour they want.

Remember, they aren't just paying for your time DJing, they're paying for your gear, your gas and wear and tear on your vehicle, the time spent acquiring and organizing the music requested, and the manual labour of setting up and tearing down your gear.

The only time I really negotiate on that is if I'm hard up for gigs that month or they make it perfectly clear that they want to hear good music - i.e. no current top40 for the night (or if it's friends).

It's definitely harder to stay firm on this when DJing is your only source of income, but if you can build a reputation and create a list of referral-based clients, it helps a lot...

got a wedding sat for $1500 for 4hrs but a full 9hr shift. no way would i do $200 i guess a the dj's in his town are the same. time to move.

great article for mobile djs struggling with explaining why true professional (key word) mobile djs charge what they do:

djjudgemental.com

Another thing that I've started doing with clients is actually breaking down the cost of everything so that they actually understand the amount of work you're putting into the event.

If thats the case show them professionally why you are worth more than a lousy $200. Even if you dont get the first, second or third contract, you will leave an impression and that goes a long way. Cards, demos, feedback, personality, professionalism....make them want to hire you and think of you first and the price second. Good luck

i agree with mikep! hehe

standard depending on market should be around $400/hour with equipment...
no equipment and you just plug in... $250-300/hour

^^^This...

Exactly. That's how I feel.... but you still have to be competitive where YOU live. I don't mind losing gigs to other people. I stay fairly booked with the rates I charge, and believe me, I'M WAY PICKY when doing mobile gigs. I prefer the ones where I know I will be enjoying myself and at the same time, they're going to enjoy me, because after all, referrals are better than advertising and people not knowing exactly what they're going to get.

I also have had people try to low ball me and I just won't have it. I charge what I see fit, and if they don't like it, they're more than welcome to get the $100 DJ with the house speakers, etc. lol

I've had many customers who actually hired me for another gig AFTER having the bad experience of an undercutter, unexperienced DJ.

A lot of my mobile business is referrals and repeat customers. When they know what they're going to get, they don't hesitate paying what you're worth. However, if they don't know you and you're way higher than your competition, you may be automatically screwed.

Here's the perfect example of someone who "GOT" what they "PAID FOR". A few years ago, I got a call from some dude who wanted me to do a house party. This was a simple house party, nothing big. I quoted him $300 because it was going to be a super simple gig. He thought it was too much and even said, "I know this guy who can do it for $150". So, I told him to go ahead and hire him.

No joke, the day of the party I get the call from the same dude saying the DJ he hired AND PAID FOR DID NOT SHOW UP! So, he was trying to get me to go. He was actually willing to pay me more than I had initially asked. See? No he lost the $150 he paid the guy PLUS he was going to try and give me more to come at the last minute. I didn't do it. I LET THE GUY LEARNED HIS LESSON FOR THE SAKE OF ALL OTHER HARD WORKING DJ'S.

Everyone is undervaluing themselves.

I wouldn't say everyone... but most definitely MOST people. It sucks because they all think "I better have this much (very little) than nothing". Well, for me, nothing is many times better than very little.

Let me explain that last sentence...


Say I gave away my time, work, experience, etc. for $100 bucks. I'm missing out on spending time with my wife and kids..... I rather spend time with them than make very little money. I don't depend on DJing for income. I could see how this could be different for those who only have DJing as their income.

I hear what everybody is sayin, but to keep it real with you guys, if you lived in this same town I lived in you would NOT BE gettin that kind of money for parties and receptions. Not saying none of you are worth it, but people DO NOT pay that money for dj's in my area. Trust me I have had set prices for a looong time that is 400 and above, and got no gigs for a loooong time. Alot of u guys probably live in bigger cities and areas, but the Quad Cities is not the hottest spot when it comes to clubs and partying. We are not a hick town or nothin, but at the same time we are not a big town either. We have about 400,000 people in my town.

400K in your town? Damn. I was charging $400 in a town of 100K people and still making it...

See, the problem is that is all of your guys fault. Those who undercut and ultimately those who settle for low rates.

But, I totally understand, right now you're pretty much fucked cause IT WILL ALWAYS BE EASIER TO GO DOWN IN PRICE, AND IT WILL ALWAYS BE TOUGH TO GO UP.

Huh I thought the Quad City DJs were famous.

^^^^Things ain't been the same since Space Jam.

i wuld charge $500 at least. and if you're bring speakers... eff that... $1,500.00.

need to start consulting with all the heavy hitter djs in your neighborhood and all come up w a new standard. ya'll are screwing up your local economy.

Does the price include bangin' the bridge?

Just askin...

*bride"?

Man, I need a new keyboard....

shoooot -it should!

lol

my minimum is 800 per wedding... when i started out it was 600 for the minimum. Add on ceremony, more then two "15inch eon's", extra lighting, and second person (mc), etc... then its more money of course.

I did two wedding this weekend with an ipod for cocktail and dinner hour and then mixed for the important songs and dancing... they were also friends and the drive was 20 miles each way. Their price was $800 firm.

I don't like weddings, and if someone wants to negotiate below 800 then i will pass.

Remember a Wedding is "supposed" to be a "Once in a lifetime" event, so no need for a discount.
Better yet, tell them you'll take 23% off the next time they get married, and hire you.

I used to do $600 for 3 hours and $150/hour after that. Most wedding would run from 900-1200. I ran video as a free upgrade for a full year.

I just raised my rates to $250/hour with a 3 hour minimum. Includes sound, lights, video, set-up. Why?

Every wedding I did this year was a smash success. I really feel like if I bring my whole set-up which is basically bringing the club experience to a private function, then I should clear $1000. The couple times it was just below that amount, I felt like I got cheated compared to the caterer, photographer, etc.

I have regular gigs that I have to cover if I am doing a wedding. I miss out on that bread so I need to make up for that. My clients tend to want me because I am the guy on the radio and the guy that is rocking the clubs they go to. They want a name brand DJ that can rock it, rather than a human jukebox. I engage the guests. I fulfill their requests. I meet with them ahead of time. I buy any music they want that I don't have. I use high quality sound system. I'm on time. I give the bride and groom confidence that they have someone working for them from the time they sign the contract until the event is over.

I also give them the unexpected gift of a recording of the entire event including their ceremony and toasts.

I get a lot of calls from the phonebook with people shopping for rates and often times I can hear in their voice that I my rates are higher than most around me. The clients that I work for don't shop, they come to me because they want MY services and they will pay what it is worth. I've had people add extra hours they didn't need just to pay me more.

I may loose some gigs but the ones I do keep make up for it. I end up really really enjoying my wedding gigs. I have as much fun (sometimes more) rocking it for grandma and the kids as I do playing for drunk college kids that don't know club etiquette.

^^ Professional DJ right there.

i feel the same way. nice touch on the "unexpected gift". think i'm gonna use that one, brother. the thing is out here, i charge $1500 just for dj, mc and tops and bottoms (no 500w stuff). anything less than that would be uncivilized. i, too have clients coming straight to me. i've built quite a name and don't bother with the people who think it's too much. i know my worth and the amount of hard work i've put in through the years. they get what they pay for, am i right?

good post dub cowboy!

Great idea dub!..... I've actually given a few of my clients copies of the actual mix i played that night (recorded on the fly via serato), just the dance portion of the night not including dollar dances, etc....
I enjoy doing weddings too; it's more challenging and involves more creativity too; well, a good wedding anyways. it easier to rock clubs than a weddings.... i charge between $750-1500, nothing less than $500.

Lmurray, keep in mind your drive/set up time, You're playing for 3 hrs but you'll be using up pretty much you're whole night....$200 is too low...

thanks.

keep this in mind.

The first private gig I did I charged $200 for friends.

Then I did a wedding for $400, didn't know the people.

Then I got an email about a wedding for one of the most expensive venues in the area. Before I hit send, I changed my quote from $400 to $500. At the last second I changed it again from $500 to $600, I said 'wtf' they can always talk me down.

I got a reply in minutes confirming the 600 price. It was that easy. I knew then that I was offering a valuable service. I try to raise my rates every year, but the last 3 I have kept them steady. I raised them recently because I offer a lot more than I ever could before.

This issue reminds me of the beef I have with some of the local venues. I rent out decks and mixers for large acts that come through. Venues have no problem paying up to $150 for me to 'drop off' turntables and pick them up the next day. Some of these places will then ask me to come DJ and they act like paying me even $150 is anal reaming. I finally told a couple of them off (the owners were friends of mine before they owned the venues) that they need to pull their heads out of their asses. They can pay $150 for renting my decks, but they want to complain about paying even the same amount for me to stand behind them and use my talent to keep customers in their bar spending money. GTFO with that.

The response I got from them was favorable, they ultimately respected what I had to say but they also realized they can't afford me. Which is fine, there are venues that can and do.

I'll admit my residency spots don't pay me what I would charge anybody else, but they also never make me wait for my $$$ and they always say thank you. Plus I don't have to do the same set-up/break down that I would anywhere else. (I can also walk there from my house). I can look back on any of the 8 years I have worked for them and the amount I make from their consistency is always more than the new club that may pay more but will close down a year or two later.

One day I want that Pauly D money for doing weddings.

$200/hour sounds about right

Yea I think thats what we need to do in my area is get together with all the dj's and up our price and accept nothing less, because i know for a fact im worth more than 200 fuckin dollars, and my other dj partners are too, but the problem is alot of these guys cant say no to sumthin like 200 because they have child support and shit!! See I have no kids so i'm gonna take yall advice and starting right now raising my fuckin price!!!! Thanks for the input!! I holla at yall later!!!

Thread = WIN!!!

Pricing has always been my downfall. In retrospect I believe that I have priced myself out of many gigs over the course of my 20+ year career. And it's not because I was too expensive. I think I was too inexpensive and people probably figured that you get what you pay for.

I just hate loosing gigs and I hate not working. Come to think of it, I do the same thing with all of my other side hustles. Computer repair, handyman jobs, everything. Last weekend I replaced the wood on my neighbor/coworker's deck and stairs for $30.00 on a Sunday. I'm one of those people that can't let go of the whole "I'd rather make some money than no money" mentality. I think I'm a workaholic. This thread has really enlightened me on how much I need to change my pricing. I'm tired of being the really nice guy that will do a great job for the low low. I need to step up my game for real.

+1
Working on a college campus makes it so much harder I know money is tight with college kids and don't want to miss out on jobs. I always hold my breath when I give my quote and hope they're cool with it. Still finding that price sweet spot where everyone can be happy but that's the good thing about being a DJ its the best job in the world and money is more like a bonus to being able to make someones party something they'll remember and get people dancing.

kids.. if u don't learn anything else from this thread.. LEARN FROM THIS.

*fixed

(note 2 self.. learn how to use preview)

+1

The general rule is that Entertainment is 10% of the entire wedding budget. I wish this were true all the time as I have done wedding where the couple spent 100k. I got nowhere near $10,000 to spin.

I give the groom a picture of me doing the bride before the wedding as an unexpected gift. :P

ROFLcopter!!!!

Sixxx is the only DJ that doesn't get a tip from the bride. He gives them one.

You guys are some of the coolest people on the planet.

I remember a time where it was some crazy ass secret and you had to call up people pretending that you were getting married giving a fake name, venue and date of wedding to find out what other people were charging.

the more we help each other the more we help ourselves.

pay it forward

When it comes to pricing....stay competitive...BUT don't sell yourself short...yeah it sucks and it might be hard to book sh**... but stay true and you'll only be rewarded in the end... why limit yourself to your immediate area? think of innovative ways that you can grow your mobile business...
that way you're not only commanding a certain amount to play..but you're being compensated fairly and for travel as well... plus it opens the door for you in other markets....
maybe i'm blind b/c here we have the tri-state area of which I can hit the tip of CT, NY & NJ within 90 minutes... and over here, they're treated as mini markets within the same market.
anyway.. i'm just saying.. i'm seeing some of the prices that you guys are charging and it hurts to see how much some of you undervalue yourselves....

I really want to believe this, as this would be the Ultimate coo...

Don't let us find out you lyin' on your Johnson...(NoCred)

Never that! I ain't NoCred.

.... and just cause this wasn't The Bathroom Bandito or I would've done her in the restroom like I did that girl at the Jammy Jam in Long Beach.

Hey I want all u guys to request me on facebook. Just search under my name Landon Murray. Its not a ton of landon murray's in the world so it should be easy to find me. When u type in my name the pic that comes up is one of me and my girl. So holla at me!!!!!!! Lets stay in touch!!

No^

tell all those guys in your area that take $200/gig for child support that $200/hr/gig will make child support easier

+1

hey skinnyguy. heard u spinning on the radio over on maui. good stuff.

thanks =)

For Wedding Receptions I get at least a minumum of $350-$400. There is a lot of work to do
when DJing receptions, announcements, wide varieties of music a lot of pre-planning, $200 is way too cheap

$400 is way too cheap too.

Indeed.

You guys are way too cheap. I charge $200/hr with a minimum of 4 hours. Lights are $200, party gifts are $200, Video Slide Show is $300 and if they want continuous pictures taken by a professional photographer and being displayed throughout the night, it's and additional $400 and they must have the Video Slide Show. These are all extra's, and no one has gotten them all at once, but I get them with no problem. Oh, and some places require insurance, I charge them $125 extra if they need me to provide them with my insurance certificate. I say about 75% of my business is weddings. Regular parties are cheaper, $100/hr with a minimum of 5 hours. They can add the lights for $150.

Like someone said above, they pay 2K for flowers and 15+K for the place but want to shortchange the DJ. Flowers don't make a wedding, the place doesn't make the wedding, the Entertainment and the food do. You can have a community center wedding and if your food is good and the DJ is great, that's what people will remember. For friends of mine I will drop the hourly to $150. If they are really good friends, I may even do it for free. And I always give 100% whether charging $1200 or nothing.

Don't shortchange yourselves guys, sell yourself. It's not easy and you will lose some gigs but there is a lot of pre-wedding work to be done.

Check out my FB page where you can see pics, www.facebook.com

The minimum I charge for weddings is $600. Here in Baltimore, the market is over saturated with DJ's so I know I miss out out gigs because DJ's will charge $100-$150 total just to say they did the wedding/event.

Don't short change yourself!!!

Roger that! I'm not the most expensive in the area, but I'm also not the cheapest. $600 is about right for weddings. I do offer additional lights, projectors, and effects.

A lot of new/young DJs short themselves because they are inexperienced. If you are just starting out and don't feel you can compete with higher priced DJs... fine, but instead of undercharging, do yourself a favor and go see what the higher paid guys do. Why are they charging over a grand for a wedding? What equipment do they have, lights, MC skills, etc. You'll be better off if you do some research first before you jump in over your head. Heck, even ask if you can tag along with another DJ. I've trained 3 guys so far.

You don't want the bride second guessing her decision to hire you based on how cheap you are. When I first started, I was asking $300 for a wedding. One bride came up to me and asked why I was so cheap "Do you suck?" she asked. Threw me for a loop, but I get what she was thinking. No, I didn't suck (I had done club work and mobile gigs for 2 years prior), but my wedding price was so low compared to the other DJs that I looked like a newbie with no talent. Like I was the DJ that was going to ruin her wedding.

The guys on this forum know the deal. A rookie asking for 30 million his first year will get thrown out, but a veteran working for peanuts is worse. Charge what you're worth and what the local area limits.

Why? How do you justify this to the client?

I was wondering the same question... I mean, isn't the insurance part of the DJ cost? Why charge extra for it? Incorporate it into your base price.

On the other hand, certain venues require an extra insurance policy for a single event which can run up to $200 or more just for the night. If this is not already covered under DJ insurance, I can see passing that cost onto the customer for choosing that venue in the first place.

How would you not have this automatically for every event? It is not a matter of if an accident happens but when. In this sue happy society we live in today what happens if you had a major accident at one of the events that your client did not ask for insurance on? You will be named in the lawsuit no matter who is at fault.

I should have worded it better, I apologize. The above is what I meant. I have my regular insurance but some Venues do require extra and I can get that extra at $125 from a place in CA. I don't make anything off of it.

Good feedback! I just wanted to hear on this discussion from other DJ's. I usually charge a flat rate and for a wedding, in my area the going rate starts at a minimum of $500 and up.

So, did you ever get those facebook hookups.... 4 years later?

There should be a prevailing wage rate for DJ's just like other services listed by gov't.
ie: apprentice: $75/ hour
journeyman: $150/ hour
professional: $500/ hour

No matter what market, we usually charge the same amount for private events, corporate and sports entertainment.

Set your own standard and be okay when a potential client walks away.
others will come if you can play well.

we recently responded to a sports RFI where they were requesting DJ and MC services for
4 days at 8-12 hours of work each day. It was a pretty big event and charged them our sports block rate of 4 hours x 2 or 4 hours x 3 depending on the day.

The potential client came back with 3/5 of our original requested rate and we declined.

It would've been nice to be at the event with added exposure to media and sponsors as potential clients.... but we set our standard rates and stick to them as best as possible.

That being said, there should also be a licensing / diploma schema as well.

what you know about that?

Enough to know that you wouldn't be licensed to "Practice" a DAMN thing in Philly!!!!!


LMAO! Why didn't you ask me that under your ALIAS?

BwhahahahahahahAAAAAA!!!!

??????????

so now i have alias's on the forum?

Takes a seat. This is about to get interesting. lol

________________________________________
Bragging rights for life bitch! 😂😂😂😂😂😂
serato.com

nm

24.media.tumblr.com

you can get up nothing interesting will happen besides you seeing a senile JM, because now aperintly i have an ALIAS……


dude is showing early signs of dementia

lol

________________________________________
Bragging rights for life bitch! 😂😂😂😂😂😂
serato.com

nm

I usually do around $100/ hour I can live off of it, and if you're only working 3 hours $300 is a pretty sweet deal... remember to add travel expenses and before you give a price make sure you get all the gig specifics... if they want a light you don't have, make them pay for it! Sometimes lights are on sale so an extra $50-$100 won't kill them, and you got your light for free. Theres obviously other add ons so my best advice is get all the specifics and tell them you will write them up an estimate and email it over.
How much equipment do you have to bring?
What day of the week is it?
Could you potentially be giving up another gig for this one?
How far away is it?
Im sure by now you figured it out, haha

Usually $500 for 5 hours minimum Plus Lights.
for 3 hours $300 plus lights
hope help you ......

Yeah so a wedding reception is definitely $1000 no question about it... you could even be nice and tell them it's for up to five hours but that's your base rate.

That's exactly why. It's a cost. That's how a business runs you charge for the overhead and then extra to make profit.