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Topic: Looking to step up to the plate as a wedding DJ... Need advice! - Page: 1

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Hey Peeps,

I am looking into becoming a full time mobile DJ, mainly looking at weddings with residencies at wedding venues. What I want to know is, based on the equipment I plan to use, what would be a good price to charge for my services (obviously my ability and skill is a large contributing factor, so I ask that you assume I could provide a decent memorable wedding night :-P ).

My main reason for doing this is to try and provide as much as I can to my little 3 month old boy, he is what is driving me to want to do this, making me determined to succeed.

The equipment is as follows:
1 x High performance laptop.
1 x Prolight 120cm DJ stand.
1 x Numark NS6/Denon DN-MC6000/Numark 4Trak (With 2 Kontrol F1's) for control
1 x Behringer X1622USB Xenyx Mixer – mainly for mic's and outputs to subs (freeing up all 4 decks on Numark mixers).
2 x QSC K12 Active speakers
2 x QSC K-Sub Active Subwoofers
2 x ADJ LED Scan Plus
1 x ADJ Majestic Moonflower LED (possibly picking up another for added floor coverage)
2 x ADJ Hyper Gem LED (gives roughly 180 degree coverage for walls)
1 or 2 x Laser (I'm currently looking into the 3 KAM iLink lasers after seeing them in a showroom)
1 x Equinox folding DJ screen in front of the stand lit up with par cans (mainly to tidy things up and hide wires)
2 x 21" Monitors on brackets attached to the poles between the speakers and subs.

I am considering a star cloth as a backdrop but I get the feeling the amount of lights I have here are more than enough... But thoughts are welcome!

I don't know what size venue this would be suitable for (i'd imagine pretty pic). I also have equipment suitable for smaller venues that don't need so much punch. But what I'm really stuck on is how much to charge for this set up as the high end package.

Cheers,

Si
 
Posted Mon 24 Sep 12 @ 4:16 am
There is no "set amount" to charge.

You've listed all your kit, but the amount that DJs charge isn't (or should be) about the kit.

They're hiring a DJ (i.e. you) not the equipment - that's just the tools you need for the job.

The amount that your customers are prepared to pay will also vary. People have different levels of income and different budgets.
 
Valid point about the fact that the client is ultimately employing the DJ and not the equipment, but I do believe to some extent, the look and sound of the set up plays a part.

When I started out I had people being picked over me because they had more lights, or better sound etc. Then as my collection of equipment grew I started to see things turn around.

I went to a few wedding events over the weekend to speak to other DJ's and they charge based on hours and equipment, so if someone wanted the basic package they'd charge x, but if they wanted the better system with screens and more lights it'd be y. And that was across the board. Which is my reason for asking the question, on here; to get a larger sample of data to help me plan everything.

The kit does have (in my opinion), a lot to do with it. The DJ is the main thing, but two in front of a client: one has a decent set up with quality speakers and really tidy nice look, the other has a couple of studio monitors and masses of wires on show, the latter wouldn't get a look in. I know they're two extremes but it's just for illustrative purposes.

Customers do have their limitations as much as a DJ has their price, I'm just trying to figure out what I want mine to be.

Added afterwards:
To try and avoid a back a fourth debate between reasons for and against hiring the services of a DJ, I'd like to change my initial question to this: how much roughly (either through experience or general knowledge) do the prices range for hiring a DJ for a wedding in the South East of England. It doesn't matter about the level of the DJ as I'm looking for the lowest to the highest amounts, the larger the sample of data, the better poised I'd be to calculate something suitable to my level of expertise.
 
Well this is a business. As with any business, you have to figure out what is your ROI (return on investment). You need a marketing plan to meet your goals. Ask these questions:

1) How much can you charge and be competitive in your area?
2) Based on that, will it offset your time and money invested in your equipment?
3) Based on all these factors, how long before you make your money back on your equipment? Does this time frame meet your expectations?


Then find a marketing plan that will meet your goals.


Although I am not a wedding DJ, I approach it like this. I wanted to recoup equipment within a years time. Which meant that I would need to charge a minimum of $250 a night if my goal of 2 gigs a month was met. The first year was a loss for me. I was averaging 1 gig a month. I got lucky the second year and got a weekly residency at a club making $300 a week. So every year thereafter, any gig I took on, I profited. My cost of doing business was just record and video pools at about $80 a month. Phone at $16 a month. A website at $7 a month. So having a gig a month for $250 and its a profit for my business. Now that I don't have my residency, I actually only do guest spots 1-3 times a month. I don't leave the house unless its $250+. My gear is paid for at this point, and don't do this as my only source of income, so I can afford to pass on gigs I don't feel is worth the bother. DJ's in my area, those open format anyways are in the $150-400 a night range. So my rate is pretty average. In the EDM scene though, it is bad, DJs taking on gigs for free for half hour sets. Promoters book like 6-10 DJs a night.
 
Thank you for your views on it, it's helpful to see what the low-high range of costs are.

The reason I'm trying to find out the prices in this particular part of the country, is so I can come up with a competitive price for what I am able to provide, so I guess really I'm trying to gather information to answer question 1.

As for question two and three, all of my equipment is paid for as I funded it from my day job, although I wouldn't mind getting a few more bits and pieces just so I have a solid backup. Basically, this started out as a hobby simply down to a love for music. I'd been performing in places as favours to friends, and at family/friends weddings etc, I then moved onto bars and clubs while holding down a full time job. Now, because of various aspects, I'm looking to move into it as a sole full time profession (using a gradual transition, I'm not planning on jumping straight into it), hence why I'm trying to find out as much information as possible, I want to make sure I'm value for money while not dropping too low, as I never want to fall into the "Free-Jay" category (outside of family/friend circles anyway), which is affecting professional DJ's globally, which is why I have professional licenses on multiple software products, as well as high end professional equipment.

Once again, thanks for your response!
 
Well yes of course the way the equipment looks to the client comes into it - but as long as what you have is tidy and does the job, the customer doesn't actually care about how much it cost, or if it was bought new.

From their POV as long as you have what's required to provide the service, that's it. All they want is someone to play music.

It's only the DJ that considers equipment to be linked to price. If you ask DJs then in many cases that's the answer you'll get - "I provide X equipment so I charge Z".

If you ask customers (especially brides i.e. female) they won't have any interest in how many watts you're running or whether your subs are 15" or 18" - brides are more concerned about how lovely the room will look on the day, how sparkly the table decorations are, how cute the bridesmaids look and so on.

So if you can convince a bride that you're going to make her first dance unforgettable, and that it will be a night she'll remember forever, those are the sort of things she'll buy into.

Uplighting is very popular because it can transform the look of a room, and make a drab square box look like a fairytale castle.

Think bride, not bloke!

The top wedding DJs (the ones I know in the UK anyway) tend to go for very subtle non intrusive setups, so it doesn't clash with all the girly stuff going on in the room. No big bulky black speaker boxes, no ugly metal DJ stands and tripods etc.
 
I appreciate your comments and do take them on board. I'm not asking for advice on equipment however, I have plenty of ideas how to tie in the equipment set up with the colours for the wedding and themes etc (whether it be throws or other things to make everything look as elegant as possible). I'm also not asking how much clients expect to pay or what their expectations of equipment are, I wont need to go into detail because I feel what I do with the equipment I have and the skills I've picked up should do the talking (in a metaphorical sense).

I'm asking how much roughly DJ's charge in a certain area for the service so I can collect a large range, thus helping me to plan my business.

In all fairness to some comments, I know people who would consider a few of them quite subjective, albeit true to the majority, I know a few people myself who would disagree, but I appreciate all opinions.

As for the uplighting it's definitely something I need more of, as a subtle effect to add to some of the other things I use for presentation.

With all due respect I must say I will be working with the planner/s of the wedding whether it be the couple, bride or whoever to give them exactly what they want on their day. I understand the customers do not need to know technical specifications, brand rankings or any of those details, but it is no reason for me to not be meticulous or to be complacent with the equipment I use. I already have the vision of what I want my setup to be, the variable will be matching each client's expectations/needs which is the whole point in having meetings throughout the planning process.

Going back to what this post is all about (I admit my original post could have been less misleading), I want to gather a range of prices that DJ's charge around the SE (Home Counties) of England. Yes, the client wont care too much about the cost if they're given a perfect wedding day, but as I said, DJ's have their price, I'm trying to figure out mine; I want to be competitive in both service and value, the latter being what I'm now trying to piece together.
 
The problem is, it's like asking "how much are clothes?" or "what does food cost?".

You could get 100 DJs answering and giving you 100 different amounts.

Look at it from another angle. What are you prepared to work for? What's the minimum you'd want for playing locally?

What would you like to be getting?

A lot of wedding DJs don't have a fixed price, because weddings are personal. Each one is different. The hours are different, the access is different, the needs are different (background music during the day, just an evening disco, mics for speeches or not, and so on).
 
100 DJ's giving me 100 different answers is the whole idea... I've basically said that several times.

I know what I would like to work for (as much as possible, who wouldn't); essentially what I'm prepared to work for. But I don't know how realistic these values will be in the industry. I want to see where abouts in the grand scheme of things I'd fit in, whether it be low middle or high. It will enable me to adjust the rates if need be to become more competitive or maybe even to prevent selling myself short.

Of the multiple wedding events I went to over the weekend, each and every DJ I spoke to had a base price for weddings, additional aspects meant additional prices (i.e. videos or additional lights etc). My only problem is that for me, 5 prices are not enough to base my rates on, which is why I would find 100 different answers more helpful.

I understand that a lot of wedding DJ's don't have a fixed price, but everyone I've chatted to so far has a base price. I should have stated that initially.
 
Oh boy....

OK so what were the base prices? How did they compare to what you're prepared to work for?

You're asking what a lot of customers ask when they phone a DJ........"How much is it?".

"Well what are your requirements? When is your event? What type of event is it? Where is it (near or far away)? How many hours is it for? How large is the venue? How many people are going to be there?" and so on and so forth.
 
I've been DJing since 1983. in all my years i can say people don't give a 2cents about the DJ equipment we use. what they care about is the music & as long as we can keep there guest & them happy. ohhh yeah i used to charge per event !!! but then people take advantage of you having you Dj all dang day at like an 8hour event or so. so now i & most DJ's in my town we charge by the hour. this way u let them pick the length of tyme knowing they will have to pay that much. as for me $80-100 per hour is what i charge with an 2hour min
 
If it was of more importance to me I'd be inclined to ask what the seemingly condescending "oh boy" was in relation to. But moving swiftly on…

I'm not simply asking "how much for a gig". It's more of a scenario based rate so if someone were to reply "x hours for £y for a z set up"... That would be more than sufficient for me to work with. In fact it doesn't even need to be scenario based it could just simply be an hourly rate.

I thought it would be easier to ask on here than to trawl through websites looking at different prices for wedding DJ's or to ask for quotations under general enquiry but I can see that it looks to be a potentially better option now.

So I'd like to thank everyone for their responses, I'm now going to use an alternative method of research and let this topic drop through the forum.
 
si1988uk wrote :
I'm not simply asking "how much for a gig".

In your first post, you said "what would be a good price to charge for my services?".

I answered that in my first post. The "oh boy" was because you don't appear to be accepting the answer(s) and we're going round in circles.

:-)

During this thread, I've asked you some questions. You've not answered them.

Here's another:

You mentioned that you've already done some DJ work. How much did you get for that?

Presumably the fee was agreed up front and you were happy to work for that.

Only you can decide the amount you'd accept - per hour or per gig.
 
I have a successful UK based business, my business offers different packages based on the equipment requirements of the customer.

One system does not suit all, it never has and never will.

Equipment is very important, if you want to be able to cater for all events and venues. Your price based on the equipment you use should be "providing your a good DJ" if not, you'll have to blag it until you learn lol, should be £250 minimum peak season (April - Sep) and of course December.
 
Charlie has a point here.


I will do some corporate mobile gigs every so often when I don't have a club/bar gig already booked. I will charge based on what equipment I need to bring. $300 for just my gear and a pair of 15" tops. If I have to bring subs, it goes up from there. Full set up of tops, subs and lights and I charge different for that as well. I also factor in renting a uHaul van in that rate.
 
djtyme209 wrote :
I've been DJing since 1983. in all my years i can say people don't give a 2cents about the DJ equipment we use. what they care about is the music & as long as we can keep there guest & them happy.


+1

This is one of the best statement right here! I mean in all honesty, The only comment I get now "wow, a DJ who still uses turntables!" Yet, the only ones who cares about your equipment are the clowns who is hovering over you, who felt they should be the DJ of the event and there is always one at every event!
 
Charlie Wilson wrote :
Equipment is very important


xcakid wrote :
I will charge based on what equipment I need to bring


As I said earlier, that's only the way DJs look at it. Customers want a DJ (a person) not a pile of equipment.

If you need to hire a plumber, you'd hire him because he knows how to plumb, right? Not because he's got 10 wrenches and the other plumber only has 6.

He would bring the tools needed to do the job and he'd charge you for the labour (and parts if required). He wouldn't charge you extra because he had to use a bigger wrench than last time.

It should be your experience and your ability as a DJ that should count, not the brand of your speakers or how many lights you use.

You should be selling yourself, not your kit. We're a service, not a commodity.
 
I guess what everyone is saying, price it like this.

$$_____ base price for your experience and service

plus

$$_____ for the tools needed to accomplish the job and the labor associated to set up and tear down

equals

$$_____ what you should charge your customer.
 
When I first started out, I had 1 system and it was only the basics. I had a flat rate per night from 8-12, if they wanted me for an extra hour then the price was an additional £30.

Now I have different packages - Disco, karaoke, music video, large systems etc, Plus addons, I also charge additionally for extra hours outside of the default hours included with the packages.

This is quite basic stuff, industry wise.
 
one word of advice.. only play original songs do not play the remixs. call around to see what others are charging. In some places prices are low and others arm and leg and first born. I also would down load the printable music list and allow them to go through it , then you have the ability to say the song was selected by bride and groom..
 
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