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Dance Factory
25-05-2006, 11:24 AM
Chaps,

I had a phone call out of the blue last Friday to DJ at a rather nice bar in Dunfermline. Amazingly the bar is on its backside having no customers in at all I think we had 15 people in all night. Anyway I continued my set of funky house etc as requested and the staff really liked it and so did the few customers in there.

The bar has rang me today and said that they want to offer me the contract to work Fri,Sat there. The bar is on its arse because they have used the service of a local guy dave double decks at £80 a night and he has killed the venue. I am up for the challenge of getting it back on its feet and have discussed some marketing with the bar to raise awareness.

I am meeting with the manager tonight at 8pm to discuss contracts and rates etc.

This is where I require some advice if you dont mind. The gig is 8.30pm to 12.00 with the opportunity of some mid week stuff as well and all the gear is on site its a case of walk in with the CD's & Vinyl. As a result of this potential contract I shall have to get another DJ to work my rig on my current commitments so its not plain sailing but is it ever.

My Questions:

1. Should I do a contract with them if so any ideas of what style as the usual mobile one does not really suffice.

2. Any suggestions on price per night

3. Advise me of any potential pit falls

Thanks for any advice you can provide

CRAZY K
25-05-2006, 01:10 PM
Cant help on prices but heres some good advice.

Dont get sucked into the --you get paid once IN A WHILE--syndrome.

In the 70s I covered a local Night Club with other DJs.

Eventually the owners did a runner with everything including the breweries equipment--stripped the place out---that includes your kit as well!

Dont get left being owed a ton of money!

CRAZY K

Danno13
25-05-2006, 01:24 PM
Probably best to get a contract, mabye offer them a contract for the first 4 weeks to start with, as well as an introductory price per night.

Then once you've proved yourself and hopefully got the place busier again you can ask for more money and a longer contract.

Corabar Entertainment
25-05-2006, 01:34 PM
The way we usually deal with similar situations is to have an 'indefinite' contract, but determinable upon x weeks notice by either party.

You can just adapt your usual contract terms & conditions to fit this situation, as many of the terms will be the same.

As for price, can't help you there as we don't know your area, but I can say that pubs are often around half the price of a private event, and that a long-term residency normally attracts a 'block-booking' discount - although all of that is pretty obvious and so of no help whatsoever really! :)

And yes (as Crazy K mentioned) - make sure that you are paid at the end of each night - pubs to run pretty 'hand to mouth', so if they run up a debt, it is very difficult for them to catch up!

Wolfie
25-05-2006, 01:55 PM
The way we usually deal with similar situations is to have an 'indefinite' contract, but determinable upon x weeks notice by either party.

You can just adapt your usual contract terms & conditions to fit this situation, as many of the terms will be the same.

As for price, can't help you there as we don't know your area, but I can say that pubs are often around half the price of a private event, and that a long-term residency normally attracts a 'block-booking' discount - although all of that is pretty obvious and so of no help whatsoever really! :)

And yes (as Crazy K mentioned) - make sure that you are paid at the end of each night - pubs to run pretty 'hand to mouth', so if they run up a debt, it is very difficult for them to catch up!

What i always say is give the place 10 weeks, if after 10 weeks there is an improvement then they have been successfull, if not then you are wasting your time & their time. Try suggesting a minimum contract of 10 weeks. Reason is I've seen places take you on for a month, once a few people start filtering in it's a case of you are out of the door & then some idiot goes in again as he charges less... sure enough a few months later they get on the phone begging you to go back.

be wary as well, i've done gigs in places that a past DJ has killed off, i did one & the landlord was a bit of a rogue.. we'd have a quiet night & he'd try to pay me a lower fee, with the old "here's £40... i've not made a lot tonight so i can't afford to pay you"... if this happens stand your ground. You don't hire a builder & he gives you a price for the job only for him to be told "i've not got much money here's a tenner" once he's done the job. Sometimes you don't mind working for less to help someone out & i'm always willing to do this if there is a good chance that when the place gets busier your rates go up, but it's a bit of a **** when you expect a fee & then they try to rip you off.

Dance Factory
25-05-2006, 02:08 PM
Thanks for that wolfie I am trying to put a contract together as I am reading your replies. The bar in question is owned by a football Club Dunfermline FC they want me to invoice on 28 days basis, I am starting to feel a little uncomfortable with it all. I really dont want this to jeopardise my currrent work, however if it pays off it could work really well.

Wolfie
25-05-2006, 03:06 PM
Thanks for that wolfie I am trying to put a contract together as I am reading your replies. The bar in question is owned by a football Club Dunfermline FC they want me to invoice on 28 days basis, I am starting to feel a little uncomfortable with it all. I really dont want this to jeopardise my currrent work, however if it pays off it could work really well.

just a point & you may think i am stating the bleeding obvious,

clarify who is paying... be it the club, the bar, the committee etc etc

CRAZY K
25-05-2006, 03:19 PM
And if the Club go bust you lose big time--

I GO WITH ANGELA--GET PAID EVERY BOOKING

CRAZY K

joburgo
25-05-2006, 03:25 PM
And if the Club go bust you lose big time--

I GO WITH ANGELA--GET PAID EVERY BOOKING

CRAZY K
ditto

BeerFunk
25-05-2006, 04:05 PM
Can't see Dunfermline FC going bust somehow, they're still in the SPL!

Have a disco
25-05-2006, 04:16 PM
Ditto to most above
answers to questions as asked;(please note I have done this before as a club DJ)

1. If funky house is working then do it but keep it varied via DMC club charts. Ensure their is a request policy much like on mobile disco's. Also ensure you have a party set for each night ie 60/70's on fridays, 80/90's on saturday rotate according to popularity.

Have theme nights ready to present as a package. Viacars n tarts for instance try to instigate fun back in the place. Start getting in guest DJ's even b level ones to boost your night to be paid buy club not you

2. always a difficult one try for the £90 on fridays and £110 on saturdays but add a clause saying that if you attract more than a certain amount of people per night you get say 25p per person extra over this amount up to a certain limit ie club capacity this will benefit you upon attendance and show the club you are doing your job and that is your reward.

3. Ensure you are paid for everynight on the night. do not accept being paid 28 days in arrears unless you have a binding contract stating it, you will need a contract for every date you work there or a rolling contract if It turns out long term. Have a strict door policy dress to impress only no jeans or trainers. or you'll get the riff raff. ensure door men are on your side and communicate implicitely with you when your working as they are your eyes and ears as well


on another strand ensure they are willing to promote you whilst your there with A5 flyers, papers, adverts etc etc. If they're dead cert on getting it off its bum most places would be willing to invest to accrue new custom or are they prepared to start just by word of mouth from 15 customers??? New resident DJ & Guests being a starter flyer

Flex
25-05-2006, 04:31 PM
Yeah, Dundee used to be in the SPL too. Look what happened to them.

If they want you they should be able to pay you weekly. £80 is not bad for bar work especially if you are not using your own decks. I would try to ensure they agree to look at it again after your initial period. Personally I think £90 - £100 is nearer the mark. The trick is to try and keep close to the manager by having regular chats and getting his view on how things are going. A less scrupulous character might at the end of your initial period announce that it isn't working out and he then bins you for someone cheaper. If you don't feel that you have a close relationship with the manager I would be very wary about having your eggs in one basket.

CRAZY K
25-05-2006, 07:05 PM
Yes and the Titanic would never sink and Rolls Royce would never go bust and
Endowments never failed to repay a Mortgage

Sorry heard all this before! :sad:

CRAZY K

One Vision
09-04-2008, 12:06 AM
Chaps,

I had a phone call out of the blue last Friday to DJ at a rather nice bar in Dunfermline. Amazingly the bar is on its backside having no customers in at all I think we had 15 people in all night. Anyway I continued my set of funky house etc as requested and the staff really liked it and so did the few customers in there.

The bar has rang me today and said that they want to offer me the contract to work Fri,Sat there. The bar is on its arse because they have used the service of a local guy dave double decks at £80 a night and he has killed the venue. I am up for the challenge of getting it back on its feet and have discussed some marketing with the bar to raise awareness.

I am meeting with the manager tonight at 8pm to discuss contracts and rates etc.

This is where I require some advice if you dont mind. The gig is 8.30pm to 12.00 with the opportunity of some mid week stuff as well and all the gear is on site its a case of walk in with the CD's & Vinyl. As a result of this potential contract I shall have to get another DJ to work my rig on my current commitments so its not plain sailing but is it ever.

My Questions:

1. Should I do a contract with them if so any ideas of what style as the usual mobile one does not really suffice.

2. Any suggestions on price per night

3. Advise me of any potential pit falls

Thanks for any advice you can provide

This is an old thread but found very interesting, how did you get on with it?

Richard Veal
09-04-2008, 03:56 AM
Is £90 - £110 really the going rate?
I'm amazed it was £80 in 1993. Guess some things never change.

That aside I do have some advice up to you if you agree or not as it sounds like your club perhaps isn't as short of cash as the one i was at back then.

It was like i say 1993. I was asked to DJ at a club. I did the Friday and saturday similar situation only this 700 capasity nightclub had 3 people in on the Fri and 5 on the sat (2 of them were repeat from fri) I was asked if i could help them out. So to cut a long story short I reduced the fee to £35 a night barely covering costs for about 6-7 weeks. I then went upto £60 a night as they picked up. You wont believe me probably but by summer the place was packed every weekend. The deal written in then was i would be paid my full fee of £80 + £1 from every door fee taken as reward for building the venues reputation and popularity. It was directly this work and co-operation that landed me the job in Ibiza that I talked about in my Newbie Intro.

Its very late 4am ish as i write this so i am sorry if it make absolutely no sense.

The point is if they are struggling it may be worth giving them a helping hand + if you can worm in a deal like i did it shows confidence in your abilitys and pays pretty good dividends in the long run.

Thanks to karl for making it show on 1st page I didnt even look at the date now i feel a proper plum as the place probably ok now but i'll leave it up anyway.