How Much should i charge?

[Archon]

so i jsut started DJing, im confident with my mixing skills, so i asked someone and got put on a DJ list so that when people on this company's website are looking for dj's, i get an email and i can contact them about the gig. the price is up to me. so for one night, say 4 or hours of mixing, if i have my own equipment (not including speakers, they have a house system), and i mix my style of music, i was thinking like $100-$150. is that a fair price? what would you guys charge?

[NickyNines]

For four hours 200-250 would sound better if you are new to the game and no one knows you. Time is money. When you start getting a following it should just go up from there. I have buddys who get paid up to 2000 to play cheesy mashup in bars/clubs easy.

[fat8ack]

I just did my first gig and got paid 75USD puls a bar tab (about another 40USD). Was my first gig and used my sound system (2x Mackie Thump 12's and 1x 1000watt Mackie 18"sub), so that ammount of money was ok with me. From wahat I understand that is not bad for a first timer in my area.

Cool thing is they want me every weekend now.....and being that I did a good job the first time I some some room to negotiate.

[djkvg]

its all however comfortable u feel getting paid. if you're happy with 100 - 150 so be it. But remember... don't make your DJ services a commodity, where its all based off how "cheap" you are. you want them to pay a little more because you're a quality DJ. So it all depends how u want to market yourself.

[Archon]

the way i see it, my services arent that complicated, contrary to popular belief..... (puts on flame resistant jacket) being a DJ is like playing guitar, anyone can learn how to do it. so i dont feel like mi worth more than 150

[Hamza21]

the way i see it, my services arent that complicated, contrary to popular belief..... (puts on flame resistant jacket) being a DJ is like playing guitar, anyone can learn how to do it. so i dont feel like mi worth more than 150

Why are even a DJ? You sound like some pathetic hack. This is exactly what DJ P (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFFfkT6-qMQ)was talking about then newbies don't know DJ culture. If you don't look up to more experienced deejays and work to one day become at their level skills wise than why are you a DJ? This culture is not for hacks! Step up or step off.

[DjDisArm]

^ srsly

[Sam Whitman]

If you think you're services are worth $150...stay in your bedroom. I charge $1500 a gig for what you are charging $150 like I said pay your dues and then get out there. What are you using a mixtrack?

[Andrew B]

the way i see it, my services arent that complicated, contrary to popular belief..... (puts on flame resistant jacket) being a DJ is like playing guitar, anyone can learn how to do it. so i dont feel like mi worth more than 150

In that case, I suppose $0 is a good offer. Maximum.

[bernardgregory]

Why are even a DJ? You sound like some pathetic hack. This is exactly what DJ P (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFFfkT6-qMQ)was talking about then newbies don't know DJ culture. If you don't look up to more experienced deejays and work to one day become at their level skills wise than why are you a DJ? This culture is not for hacks! Step up or step off.

bingo bango

[DjDisArm]

1$ bob

[Gjhowe1]

:banghead: Oh boy, here we go.



Every area is different, some places pay more others less but you should never sell yourself short. If DJ's start underselling themselves then venues assume ALL DJ's are cheep. I only DJ on the side to make extra cash while in college but i still match prices with other DJ's in the area, there are guys who do this for a living and your hurting them if you sell short, as venues refuse to book them as their "to expensive compared to you" which is BS.

yea anyone can learn to DJ but that does not mean its not a valuable skill, and just like any skill the better you get at it the more you can charge for that skill. There is a lot more work then just moving a crossfader and pressing play when you DJ. You need to research which tracks are popular at the venue/area, you need to set up, you need to be able to read the crowd and pick an appropriate song that keeps people interested and adjust this if necessary. Not to mention you have to purchase the music and licences to use it.

You should charge more especially if your bringing your own equipment, at least charge them what it would cost to rent that equipment and then some for your skills. Check out other DJ's and base you rates around that, your equipment and your experience. Dont set a low price to undersell them, but make it a fair price so that everyone benefits.

[Lost Connection]

well, I get paid like 50€/party to do my school's parties. BUT, I do those mostly as a favour for friends who throw the parties with a small budget and it is always fun to DJ for friends. But if I'd have to bring all my shit to do a gig, I wouldn't do with 50€... Definitely not. If you can call yourself a DJ, not a jukebox then charge as a DJ, not as a jukebox.

Depends on the area, yes, but still 150$ is not what a _DJ_ will charge for a gig...

[The Blackest]

this is something that is all over my news feed

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/Deinfamous/7b024b3f.jpg

Don't know if you guys want to go by this or not, but definitely the OP should be getting about $0.

[Alex Murphy]

No experience whatsoever? I'd give you my 0.02: stay in the bedroom until your friends ask you to do some birthday party. And no it ain't like playing guitar. You clearly aren't ready to sell your services, and you clearly aren't worth it at the present moment. Come back in a couple of years. Post a mix that stands up for starters, see what you can do.

At the moment you're someone who started a thread to praise the dre beats headphones. That fact alone speaks volumes about your lack of technical knowledge. Then


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLIdQk3IqVE

You would clear the dancefloor with that sort of stuff. 1:55 onwards spinning the phaser while the crossfader is clearly on the other side :lol:

Then 4:50, dead air while the leds are still going. Look closer and you'll see: the leds are monitoring something completely different all throughout. Oh dear, you seriously don't intend to charge people for that? Peter Hook syndrome alert.



(puts on flame resistant jacket)

You should. Practice is definitely a must in your case as you seem to have forgotten that part.

[Subprime]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLIdQk3IqVE


Hmmmmmmmmmmmm................

[Alex Murphy]

That was my initial reaction...


http://i2.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/000/324/1225906043098.jpg

[Austin GoGreen]

I just did my first gig and got paid 75USD puls a bar tab (about another 40USD). Was my first gig and used my sound system (2x Mackie Thump 12's and 1x 1000watt Mackie 18"sub), so that ammount of money was ok with me. From wahat I understand that is not bad for a first timer in my area.

Cool thing is they want me every weekend now.....and being that I did a good job the first time I some some room to negotiate.

Are you being serious dude? I really hope you're trying to be funny... If you're honestly bringing in your own PA and playing all night and ONLY getting 75 + bar tab you are the reason why this game is so f'd up right now! Its no wonder they want you back man, you're working for peanuts and beer.

OP, $150 isn't bad but you should be getting at least $200 with house PA or $250 if you're gonna bring your own tops + at least $20 bar tab.

[jazzyj]

Like someone said, different prices for different people. But then I don't know much about the bar/club scene - except, one of the local places here wanted me to play on a thursday night (off night) for 4 hours for $50. I didn't have to use any of my equipment. I thought it was cheap, but we never went through with it, so I dunno? Small club so who knows.

At any rate, I would think you could most certainly swing $150+ esp if you bring your own gear. I'm a mobile DJ, and we only go down to $250 for like corporate events during the slow months. Everything else is $350+ for 4hours, and that's in Kentucky.

[DJ Sunshine]

No experience whatsoever? I'd give you my 0.02: stay in the bedroom until your friends ask you to do some birthday party. And no it ain't like playing guitar. You clearly aren't ready to sell your services, and you clearly aren't worth it at the present moment. Come back in a couple of years. Post a mix that stands up for starters, see what you can do.

At the moment you're someone who started a thread to praise the dre beats headphones. That fact alone speaks volumes about your lack of technical knowledge. Then


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLIdQk3IqVE

You would clear the dancefloor with that sort of stuff. 1:55 onwards spinning the phaser while the crossfader is clearly on the other side :lol:

Then 4:50, dead air while the leds are still going. Look closer and you'll see: the leds are monitoring something completely different all throughout. Oh dear, you seriously don't intend to charge people for that? Peter Hook syndrome alert.




You should. Practice is definitely a must in your case as you seem to have forgotten that part.

I'm afraid I'd have to agree, bro. Unless you're playing a rave or something, that shit is going to be death for a club's business.

As for the LEDs: I checked the vid info, it says that the audio is from his third take and the video is from his second. Why you did this is beyond me, but whatever. The mix needs some work bro, I'd do some house parties first. I'm not trying to be a dick about it, I just don't want you to get bitched out by a club full of drunk angry people and then by the club owner and head DJ and go home devastated and never touch a deck again and you develop a drinking problem which causes you to lose your job and your girlfriend and she kicks you out of her apartment and you wind up blowing some guy for cocaine in the alley next to the club where it all went down.

(Little humor there, hoping it would make you laugh a bit in this giant flame-fest)

What everyone is trying to say here (albeit not in the nicest way) is that you probably don't wanna hit a club just yet. Do some house parties, expand your musical horizons, and tighten up your mixes. Strive to be a cut above the rest. I was where you were a while ago. I had my bright shiny new Numark CDJs and a Behringer VMX100 and I thought I was the baddest motherf**ker in the house. I was about to start emailing clubs to play, but my gf stopped me and told me to keep practicing, as she didn't think I was quite ready. To this day I thank her, because after listening to my early mixes, I realize just how truly horrendous I was. This is where the house party plays an important role. If money is what you're after, let the host know you'd like $50 or something for the night. This is more for a tangible reward than payment for a service, but the true reward is the knowledge and experience you'll gain from playing in a live situation. And let me tell you, there's nothing more hairy than a house party where people have the ability to interact with the DJ.

Next, take that video off youtube for chrissake. If a club owner wants to do some research on you and they find that, you'll be turned away instantly. Videos like this can bite you in the ass later. Post only your best work that you feel represents you.

This brings me to my final and closing point: Don't let assholes like us stop you from doing what you love.

[Cryder]

First of all, let me commend you for having the guts to put a vid of yourself DJing up for a bunch of strangers. That said, I hope that from the responses you've gotten from it you've learned two things:

1. Your skills are not where they need to be to play in front of people.

2. Your musical tastes(or at least what was on display) will likely not work for the types of bar gigs you're interested in.

The solution for the first problem is simple, PRACTICE.

For the second problem, you're going to have to find some middle ground between what you think sounds good and are interested in playing and what people will enjoy listening to. You also have to be realistic about whether or not a dance party is gonna erupt when you get on the decks where there was not one previously. Having a very frank discussion with whoever ends up booking you to play wherever often helps, they tends to know their establishment better than you do(though not always!)

So I guess what I'm saying is practice, expand your musical horizons, and do some house parties for free where you learn to read a crowd and interact with them.

[cmilanaik]

don't hate on him so much. I can see where he is coming from about it being equivalent to picking up a guitar and learning how to play. Although I wouldn't say anybody can learn to play an instrument. I believe that you either have musical talent or you don't. It's like sports...some people are really good and don't have to practice much while others can practice all they want and they still won't be anywhere near the other's skill level. If you have the ear for music than you are set. This is just my two cents.

[DJ Elroy]

Why are even a DJ? You sound like some pathetic hack. This is exactly what DJ P (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFFfkT6-qMQ)was talking about then newbies don't know DJ culture. If you don't look up to more experienced deejays and work to one day become at their level skills wise than why are you a DJ? This culture is not for hacks! Step up or step off.

Actually this is a culture OF hacks today.

I think the "art" of DJing is lost on most of the new guys (unfortunately), but everything has been dumbed down so much that people don't really need to have any exceptional skills to land a gig. They just need to play the right music.

Sure, if it's a dance club you're going to need to know how to beatmatch and blend a bit, but that's pretty much already done for you nowadays. But if you're just doing a mobile gig for a company (and bringing your own gear) then I have a feeling they're not looking for anything mindblowing.

But comparing guitar players to DJs? One is an actual musician. The other is a DJ. Sure, I guess anybody can learn either one, but it does take time, practice, knowing what came before you, and experience to get good.

[Archon]

whooooa, just checked this after a few weeks. damn people get pretty butt-hurt here, huh? funny. anyways, i've actually progressed a lot since that vid, and ill post a new one tonight probably. but yeah, thanks for the advice guys. and dont worry, i wont let assholes keep me from doing it. most of the haters on here are just elitist assholes. i do not support beats, i simply said the guetta beats were not terrible. but thats no big deal, i know so much about headphones, i have a degree in headphoneology from the university of 4chan.org/g/, so i dont really gas what you say about my headphone tastes, in the end its all about what YOU think sounds good. anywaaaays, thanks for the responses, ill stay and practice a bit more. thanks for the help/hate/flamethrowing.
-archon

[jazzyj]

it's just part of djf initiation. think of it as hazing :p

[Spife]

dang yo, I play for 4 hours once a month at a club 2 hours away and only make $125 >:

[Finnish_Fox]

don't hate on him so much. I can see where he is coming from about it being equivalent to picking up a guitar and learning how to play. Although I wouldn't say anybody can learn to play an instrument. I believe that you either have musical talent or you don't. It's like sports...some people are really good and don't have to practice much while others can practice all they want and they still won't be anywhere near the other's skill level. If you have the ear for music than you are set. This is just my two cents.

But who goes out and plays in front of a crowd and expects to be paid when they know 4 notes - all of them power chords?

[Finnish_Fox]

whooooa, just checked this after a few weeks. damn people get pretty butt-hurt here, huh? funny. anyways, i've actually progressed a lot since that vid, and ill post a new one tonight probably. but yeah, thanks for the advice guys. and dont worry, i wont let assholes keep me from doing it. most of the haters on here are just elitist assholes. i do not support beats, i simply said the guetta beats were not terrible. but thats no big deal, i know so much about headphones, i have a degree in headphoneology from the university of 4chan.org/g/, so i dont really gas what you say about my headphone tastes, in the end its all about what YOU think sounds good. anywaaaays, thanks for the responses, ill stay and practice a bit more. thanks for the help/hate/flamethrowing.
-archon

You sorta asked for it. Not even close to where you need to be to play out and worrying about what you are going to charge people to listen to noise. Spend even more time practicing and a shitload more time buying tracks.

[Archon]

But who goes out and plays in front of a crowd and expects to be paid when they know 4 notes - all of them power chords?
most rock artists today.

[Finnish_Fox]

most rock artists today.

I bet most of them know more than 4 chords, even if they don't use them.

But hey, if you don't want to put the horse before the cart, just go out and make a bad name for yourself. No sweat off my sack.

[jazzyj]

I bet most of them know more than 4 chords, even if they don't use them.

But hey, if you don't want to put the horse before the cart, just go out and make a bad name for yourself. No sweat off my big sac.

fixed.

[Finnish_Fox]

fixed.

:lol:

[DJ ATX]

For mobile gigs where I have to bring sound and lighting. I figure out my charge as follows.

$200 for my time, offset my various record pool memberships, and my experience
+ $100 for my equipment
+ $100-200 for uhaul rental and mileage to get my equipment to and from the gig.
+ $75 for a roadie to help me load/unload and set up
+ $0-200 up charge depending on if think this gig is going to be a pain in the ass or not.


For club and bar gigs:
$200 for my time, offset my various record pool memberships, and my experience
+ $100 if I am to bring my own CDJs and Mixer
+ $100 if I am to provide speakers too

(if I am to bring lighting as well, for some of the smaller bars, see my mobile charge)

BTW I live in DALLAS too, like the OP. Going rate for most open format club DJs here is anywhere from $200 to $750. EDM DJs since they get booked for only 1hr to 2hr sets are anywhere from a bar tab and/or guestlist to $50. Its sad, cause a lot of these young pups do it for free and bringing the DJ pay down.

[djtray]

hey all... I am in a little bind on what to charge.. I have worked where I am at again before but my boss asked me what I thought I should be paid... I don't want to over charge him but yet I don't want to be paid to low of a wage.. What are some thoughts

[Alex Murphy]

Can't think of anything if you don't provide a little more detail :shrug: