Rob Kalmar
Just got this in my inbox from one of my kijjiji ads:
'Hello,
My name is Brittany Lepp and my niece Avaia DiMarco has cerebral Palsy. She is almost 2 years old and is still completely dependent on 24 hour care. She has been given the opportunity to receive bone marrow stem cell treatments which could drastically improve her quality of life. We have organized a benefit (stag&doe) on August 28th. We are hoping to find a DJ willing to donate time and services in exchange for your company’s name on our shirts, a link on our site and advertising at our event.
Please visit our website for more information.
We look forward to hearing from you. '
My company does do a lot of charity work, but NEVER without some CASH being paid as I have to pay someone.
How do you guys respond to this type of thing which I'm sure you all must get every once in a while.
'Hello,
My name is Brittany Lepp and my niece Avaia DiMarco has cerebral Palsy. She is almost 2 years old and is still completely dependent on 24 hour care. She has been given the opportunity to receive bone marrow stem cell treatments which could drastically improve her quality of life. We have organized a benefit (stag&doe) on August 28th. We are hoping to find a DJ willing to donate time and services in exchange for your company’s name on our shirts, a link on our site and advertising at our event.
Please visit our website for more information.
We look forward to hearing from you. '
My company does do a lot of charity work, but NEVER without some CASH being paid as I have to pay someone.
How do you guys respond to this type of thing which I'm sure you all must get every once in a while.
Posted Mon 12 Jul 10 @ 1:32 am
DJ Marcel_1
Only freebie I do is for REGISTERED charities. That way they can give me a tax receipt in lieu of cash.
Everyone else pays, it might be a reduced rate, but they pay
Everyone else pays, it might be a reduced rate, but they pay
Posted Mon 12 Jul 10 @ 4:01 am
dizzyrocks2001
I agree with the last post.
Here's a little story for you... I DJ'd a Christmas party for the company my friend worked at. The next spring they were having a fundraiser for someone in the company who was ill so I donated my services for free partially because of the goodness in my heart, and partially as a favor for since they had hired me to do their Christmas party the previous year. The gig itself wasn't hard as it was mostly just background music and a mic for speeches. The load-in was a pain in the butt though because it was at a hotel with a labyrinth of hallways and 3 different elevators. Anyways, I did the gig and left them business cards and told them to call me once they had chosen a date for their next Christmas party.
A couple of months went by (I think it was July) and I called them to see if they had chosen a date for their Christmas party yet and the head of the social committee informed me that they had already hired someone else because they hadn't heard from me. They were supposed to call me once they had set a date, I was following up! Apparently the person who headed up the social committee was new and even though she knew I had done the charity event she went and hired the DJ who did the Christmas party for the company she used to work for. I called up the friend who still worked for the company and apparently the head of the social committee was already not very well liked and then word got around that she had hired another DJ behind everyone's back everyone was pissed at her.
By this time I knew there was no chance of me getting the Xmas party gig so I sent the head of the social committee a stern email letting her know that I was not impressed with the fact that part of the reason I had provided my services free of charge for the for the charity event was that I was the DJ of choice for their next Xmas party, only to be passed by for another DJ.
Needles to say I was pissed off and since then I will only do a charity event if I am paid a nominal fee (part of which I will donate back towards the cause) or I get a tax receipt for the full services rendered.
One other quick story, I DJ'd a fundraiser for breast cancer and there were many quasi-celelbrities modelling in a fashion show. I agreed to do the gig for free in exchange for my company logo to appear on their signage, print material and projected on the big screen at the event (along with the other sponsors). I had asked for a nominal fee for my time (because I had to pass up a paying gig that night) but the organizer more or less told me that the celebrities had donated their time free of charge and that it wouldn't "be appropriate" if I asked for money. Well maybe the celebrities can afford to donate their time for free because they are wealthy, I on the other hand need to make a living so donating my services for free was a little more of a sacrafice for me than a rich celebrity's.
Anyways, I show up to the gig and my logo was nowhere to be seen. The MC acknowledged my company in his closing remarks but got the company name wrong. I should also mention there was a "candle lighting" ceremony at the end of the fashion show where all of the sponsors and celebrities walked down the aisle with the name of a person they had known who had passed away from cancer. My mother had passed away from cancer but I was never asked to participate, which was really insulting to me. Was my mother any less important than the relations of the celebrities? And it's not like it was just the celebrities on stage for this segment, it was all the suppliers and vendors. I would have asked to participate but this segment wasn't in their itinerary and they literally told me 5 minutes before, so that entire time I was scrambling to find an appropriate song to play (I chose "I Will Remember You" by Sarah McLachlan). I should add that as far as corporate events go it was totally disorganized and I worked my ass off to accommodate their ever-changing itinerary as well as them throwing changes at me every 5 minutes. To add to my frustration, when I read up about the event in the media in the following days there was no mention of me or my company. Is it wrong for me to feel like I was used and treated like crap even though the event was for a good cause? Because that's how I felt. Needles to say I am hesitant to do charity events.
Here's a little story for you... I DJ'd a Christmas party for the company my friend worked at. The next spring they were having a fundraiser for someone in the company who was ill so I donated my services for free partially because of the goodness in my heart, and partially as a favor for since they had hired me to do their Christmas party the previous year. The gig itself wasn't hard as it was mostly just background music and a mic for speeches. The load-in was a pain in the butt though because it was at a hotel with a labyrinth of hallways and 3 different elevators. Anyways, I did the gig and left them business cards and told them to call me once they had chosen a date for their next Christmas party.
A couple of months went by (I think it was July) and I called them to see if they had chosen a date for their Christmas party yet and the head of the social committee informed me that they had already hired someone else because they hadn't heard from me. They were supposed to call me once they had set a date, I was following up! Apparently the person who headed up the social committee was new and even though she knew I had done the charity event she went and hired the DJ who did the Christmas party for the company she used to work for. I called up the friend who still worked for the company and apparently the head of the social committee was already not very well liked and then word got around that she had hired another DJ behind everyone's back everyone was pissed at her.
By this time I knew there was no chance of me getting the Xmas party gig so I sent the head of the social committee a stern email letting her know that I was not impressed with the fact that part of the reason I had provided my services free of charge for the for the charity event was that I was the DJ of choice for their next Xmas party, only to be passed by for another DJ.
Needles to say I was pissed off and since then I will only do a charity event if I am paid a nominal fee (part of which I will donate back towards the cause) or I get a tax receipt for the full services rendered.
One other quick story, I DJ'd a fundraiser for breast cancer and there were many quasi-celelbrities modelling in a fashion show. I agreed to do the gig for free in exchange for my company logo to appear on their signage, print material and projected on the big screen at the event (along with the other sponsors). I had asked for a nominal fee for my time (because I had to pass up a paying gig that night) but the organizer more or less told me that the celebrities had donated their time free of charge and that it wouldn't "be appropriate" if I asked for money. Well maybe the celebrities can afford to donate their time for free because they are wealthy, I on the other hand need to make a living so donating my services for free was a little more of a sacrafice for me than a rich celebrity's.
Anyways, I show up to the gig and my logo was nowhere to be seen. The MC acknowledged my company in his closing remarks but got the company name wrong. I should also mention there was a "candle lighting" ceremony at the end of the fashion show where all of the sponsors and celebrities walked down the aisle with the name of a person they had known who had passed away from cancer. My mother had passed away from cancer but I was never asked to participate, which was really insulting to me. Was my mother any less important than the relations of the celebrities? And it's not like it was just the celebrities on stage for this segment, it was all the suppliers and vendors. I would have asked to participate but this segment wasn't in their itinerary and they literally told me 5 minutes before, so that entire time I was scrambling to find an appropriate song to play (I chose "I Will Remember You" by Sarah McLachlan). I should add that as far as corporate events go it was totally disorganized and I worked my ass off to accommodate their ever-changing itinerary as well as them throwing changes at me every 5 minutes. To add to my frustration, when I read up about the event in the media in the following days there was no mention of me or my company. Is it wrong for me to feel like I was used and treated like crap even though the event was for a good cause? Because that's how I felt. Needles to say I am hesitant to do charity events.
Posted Mon 12 Jul 10 @ 7:05 am
Pionara
In my opinion, it's great that people throw these charity nights. However, at the end of the day you are running a business. Bills need to be paid as do you (or your guys) for the time.
Ask yourselves this...would the event organiser go into their work for 5, 6, 7 or 8 hours in a day (never mind the unsociable hours at night!!!) and work for nothing? Even if it was for a good cause? Probably not.
As Carol Laula once said....It's a dirty business, the music business. It might be the best in the world, but there's always someone who wants it for nothing.
The only free gigs I do are those for close friends and family. And even they're not very often. If i get repeat business i try and bring the price down a bit. If it's a charity gig i quote my usual price and let them talk me down to a rate i'm willing to accept. Business is business.
At the end of the day you still need to humph gear all around with you, then graft for a few hours and then humph it back out again. Whether or not the work is difficult or not isn't the point...the point is that it's work.
Would they do theirs and not get paid?
Probably not.
On another note...celebrity appearances are all nice and professional, but not all celebrities donate or waive their fee.
Oh yeah...and really big charity events are usually sold with tickets. Are the tickets free? Probably not.
Not to sound harsh or anything of course!
(",)
P
Ask yourselves this...would the event organiser go into their work for 5, 6, 7 or 8 hours in a day (never mind the unsociable hours at night!!!) and work for nothing? Even if it was for a good cause? Probably not.
As Carol Laula once said....It's a dirty business, the music business. It might be the best in the world, but there's always someone who wants it for nothing.
The only free gigs I do are those for close friends and family. And even they're not very often. If i get repeat business i try and bring the price down a bit. If it's a charity gig i quote my usual price and let them talk me down to a rate i'm willing to accept. Business is business.
At the end of the day you still need to humph gear all around with you, then graft for a few hours and then humph it back out again. Whether or not the work is difficult or not isn't the point...the point is that it's work.
Would they do theirs and not get paid?
Probably not.
On another note...celebrity appearances are all nice and professional, but not all celebrities donate or waive their fee.
Oh yeah...and really big charity events are usually sold with tickets. Are the tickets free? Probably not.
Not to sound harsh or anything of course!
(",)
P
Posted Mon 12 Jul 10 @ 9:38 am
Charlie Wilson
Not this one again,
Right, lets get this one straight once and for all. Do not DJ for free - SIMPLE
Right, lets get this one straight once and for all. Do not DJ for free - SIMPLE
Posted Mon 12 Jul 10 @ 10:11 am
hippydog
djrobinhamilton wrote :
My company does do a lot of charity work, but NEVER without some CASH being paid as I have to pay someone.
How do you guys respond to this type of thing which I'm sure you all must get every once in a while.
My company does do a lot of charity work, but NEVER without some CASH being paid as I have to pay someone.
How do you guys respond to this type of thing which I'm sure you all must get every once in a while.
Tell them your already booked..
Or tell them you will match the same average percentage discount of the other Vendors
IE: if the Venue, caterer, t-shirt maker, liquor store, newspaper, etc etc, are all offering a 50% discount, then you will match it.
I do one truly charity event per year, and thats the 'Terry Fox Run' .. I dont really care what "I" get out of it.. because if I wasnt DJing I would volunteer in some other way.
You know what bugs me though.... :-(
is when DJ's will undercut other DJ's by up to 50% off just too book a gig, using the excuse "I'm not very busy, I need to discount to book the gig", but then if you ask that same DJ to help with a charity event they say no!
I'm a big believer in Karma...
What goes around... comes around.
Posted Mon 12 Jul 10 @ 1:12 pm
Charlie Wilson
Sorry, forgot to say NO DISCOUNTS either!
Posted Mon 12 Jul 10 @ 1:30 pm
hippydog
Charlie Wilson wrote :
Right, lets get this one straight once and for all. Do not DJ for free - SIMPLE
Right, lets get this one straight once and for all. Do not DJ for free - SIMPLE
And why's that?
for a DJ just starting out, and attempting to build WOM (Word of Mouth), its a valid marketing scheme.
Posted Mon 12 Jul 10 @ 3:41 pm
kjdj99
You must charge something. One thing to remember about WOM is the price you charge travels WOM too.
I've been a registered Boy Scout for 41 years and I still charge or trade at least something like a free $350 summercamp week for one of my boys.
But thats me.
I've been a registered Boy Scout for 41 years and I still charge or trade at least something like a free $350 summercamp week for one of my boys.
But thats me.
Posted Mon 12 Jul 10 @ 8:55 pm
djsynystr
n o pay no play. the venue is getting paid, secutiy is getting paid, bartenders, parking assistants etc. why would the ONLY person bringing all the sound and lights not get paid. now with that being said. if all i have to do is come, plug in my laptop and play for an hour or so then freebie it can be. once i have to setup equipment thats now a JOB and needs some payment of some sort.
Posted Tue 13 Jul 10 @ 10:02 am
AsTheDJ
it me up www.Asthedj.com
Posted Tue 13 Jul 10 @ 10:46 am
hippydog
kjdj99 wrote :
You must charge something.
How much do you "charge" for your yellow pages ad?, Website? Business cards?
nothing of course.. it always "costs" us money
it has nothing to do with "must charge" or not..
Its about ROI (return on investment)
for some people a yellow pages ad has terrible ROI .. $1800 per year and nothing but price checkers?.. yuck..
but maybe a webpage at the same price but nets you 15 shows? excellent ROI !!
There are many ways to market and advertise your business..
For a DJ just starting out (who probably wouldnt book that date anyways), a charity even can by a valid, relatively inexpensive way to advertise/market their company..
how much you charge/discount depends on YOUR initial value and the worth of that date..
IE: for me...a sat in July would never get a discount... but for a charity I like, with 300 people attending, on a Friday in march AND they will put my company name in the local paper??? sure! why not??
Posted Tue 13 Jul 10 @ 12:22 pm
hippydog
DJ Marcel_1 wrote :
Only freebie I do is for REGISTERED charities. That way they can give me a tax receipt in lieu of cash.
on side note ;-)
that doesnt work... sorry
Yes! you can claim the "tax reciept" against your taxes...
BUT! at the same time you are also required to claim the donated services as income..
making the whole thing a 'wash' with no taxable benefit or gain.. (and if you don't.... and get audited.. it could be construed as tax fraud)
I know.. it sounds stupid but its true...
for example.. a DJ can "donate" a box set of CD's (this is a valid donation, and CAN be claimed against your taxes, as the "price" of the CD's have an external value that can be checked)
but can not donate their "services" and use that against their taxes payable..
I have been told (but havent tried it myself) that one way around this "issue" is RENTAL of equipment.... hint hint..
Posted Tue 13 Jul 10 @ 12:37 pm
Charlie Wilson
Non of us are starting out are we? How long have you been DJing again Rob?
Posted Tue 13 Jul 10 @ 3:59 pm
the SOUND INSURGENT
I guess no 1 DJ's for the love of music anymore??
Posted Tue 13 Jul 10 @ 4:55 pm
steelwill
beatbreaker1 wrote :
I guess no 1 DJ's for the love of music anymore??
i do, but i do it at home.
unless you have something to do with the charity, you treat it like any other job.
when you are typecast as a '' good charity dj '' everybody will be calling for your services.
Posted Tue 13 Jul 10 @ 5:37 pm
Charlie Wilson
Love of music alone will just bankrupt you.
I did a few charity gigs and ended up on a sucker list, took 6 years to shake em off.
I did a few charity gigs and ended up on a sucker list, took 6 years to shake em off.
Posted Tue 13 Jul 10 @ 5:48 pm
dgruetter
I agree with charging.
Reduced, maybe.
Free never!
And never do a job for promise of another. I've been down that road before.
Reduced, maybe.
Free never!
And never do a job for promise of another. I've been down that road before.
Posted Tue 13 Jul 10 @ 8:20 pm
DJ Marcel_1
hippydog wrote :
that doesnt work... sorry
Actually it does.
Because you are incorporated it does not work. For a single proprietorship like me it does..........
I'll elaborate more if you want, give me a call or a pm
Posted Wed 14 Jul 10 @ 12:08 am
Rob Kalmar
Well gang, it's to each his/her own with this kind of situation it seems & rightly so. Today is the 3 month anniversary of my step son getting killed & he was ADHD Bi-Boplar. today I found out a good friend is going to start a long battle with non-operable lung & lymphoma cancer.
At the same time I have started dating the most amazing & beautiful woman I have ever met at my buddies stag & doe I DJ'd a while back & business is going gangbusters. Soooo......
I would say to this woman that it costs me a lot of money to run this business, pay my employees, procure & upkeep of my equipment & your 2yr old with Cerebral Palsy probably won't make it anyway. Or I make some deal with her & because I have in the past loaded trailers that went for famine relief because I have a heart & while I have no time for organized religion believe that humans should help out one another when in need.
I see a lot of give & take when it comes to these situations and personally I play each one by ear & by gut feeling. My company does not make deals as witnessed by the wedding I am DJ-ing next week. Only 50 people & I am charging the same as I would for 500 so I am not in anyway a pushover.
By the same token I for one am not into 'Freebies' & believe that anything & everything has a price tag. My father taught me that 'NOTHING IS FOR FREE' even when it says it is. I personally don;t expect anything for free, nor do I want to do anything for free. I appreciate 'FREE' advertising, but do I really NEED it is also the question.
I've had a long day gang, hope I make sense.
Cheers!
P.S. My little buddy reminds you to not ever take life too seriously! Or Dj-ing!
At the same time I have started dating the most amazing & beautiful woman I have ever met at my buddies stag & doe I DJ'd a while back & business is going gangbusters. Soooo......
I would say to this woman that it costs me a lot of money to run this business, pay my employees, procure & upkeep of my equipment & your 2yr old with Cerebral Palsy probably won't make it anyway. Or I make some deal with her & because I have in the past loaded trailers that went for famine relief because I have a heart & while I have no time for organized religion believe that humans should help out one another when in need.
I see a lot of give & take when it comes to these situations and personally I play each one by ear & by gut feeling. My company does not make deals as witnessed by the wedding I am DJ-ing next week. Only 50 people & I am charging the same as I would for 500 so I am not in anyway a pushover.
By the same token I for one am not into 'Freebies' & believe that anything & everything has a price tag. My father taught me that 'NOTHING IS FOR FREE' even when it says it is. I personally don;t expect anything for free, nor do I want to do anything for free. I appreciate 'FREE' advertising, but do I really NEED it is also the question.
I've had a long day gang, hope I make sense.
Cheers!
P.S. My little buddy reminds you to not ever take life too seriously! Or Dj-ing!
Posted Wed 14 Jul 10 @ 12:29 am
