Promote yourself? or the Agency / Multi Ops?

[hammy]

Something that might be helpful which I noticed whilst nosing around your website - Facebook link on your site doesn't appear to work.

I realised that last night, I stopped doing facebook as too much of my past started haunting me. I have changed hosts now and until my host gets his finger out of his butt I cannot edit it.

[jk74]

Depends on the T&Cs.
But stopped working with agents.
What do they do but push down your price then double it and add on VAT to the client?
Lee

So you have worked for Big Al too Lee?

[ukpartydj]

Depends on the T&Cs.
But stopped working with agents.
What do they do but push down your price then double it and add on VAT to the client?
Lee

Off topic but -
A lot of the DJ's I use are great at being a DJ and providing a good nights entertainment.
But they cannot make professional documents or sell themselves over the phone / emails.
Some are just lazy and some have full time jobs and don't have a lot of time to sort out their marketing.

I have an excellent DJ for his price range who gives every event 110% but has terrible spelling and grammar and is better at highlighting his bad points than his good. Because of this he needs an agent and I cannot give him enough work, and I'm providing him work at a price he's happy with so I cannot see why he wouldn't be happy with me!

All depends who you get as well... when I started I was doing parties for £75 for 5 hours for an agent, a while ago I got one from him and he paid me £50 more than what we originally agreed "because it wasn't enough"... needless to say if he wants a favour I'll go out of my way to help.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

I told him that from now on he should promote UK Party DJ and not suggest give out his own business cards, which he really didn't like.
He seemed adamant that "that's business and all entertainers work that way".

That's total rubbish.

My guys all give out my cards and have their names on them. I have always worked that way and so does everyone else who I deal with. If I DJ for another company, I work on their behalf and give out their cards.

I do work for event companies with the photo both and always give out their cards and have non logo'd clothing and even take the logos off the photos.

If you are an agent and your DJ is giving out his cards, how do you get repeat business?

[WWDJ]

Off topic but -
A lot of the DJ's I use are great at being a DJ and providing a good nights entertainment.
But they cannot make professional documents or sell themselves over the phone / emails.
Some are just lazy and some have full time jobs and don't have a lot of time to sort out their marketing.

I have an excellent DJ for his price range who gives every event 110% but has terrible spelling and grammar and is better at highlighting his bad points than his good. Because of this he needs an agent.

I have found DJ's that struggle with the sales, marketing and closing the deal. Also DJ's that undersell themselves when they have specifically been asked for.

For me a good agent should not only get gigs, but improve the overall image of that DJ which will result in increased fee. A win/win

[jk74]

Speaking from both sides being an event organiser I book Acts & DJs I always ask my guys there fee then I put on something on top. I find you get happier performers and they pass the work back to me as they don't feel they are losing money working for me. I have also worked for agents that have ground me down to my lowest fee possible to find out that they have charged nearly 3 times what I asked for originally, In my opinion that's poor and I would go out my way to take bookings of those type of agents.

[Excalibur]

. If I DJ for another company, I work on their behalf and give out their cards.

Once upon a time, this was the norm. Nowadays, some ethics have gone by the board.
Never mind working for other people, I've "been" other people!!

[Jonathan Ford]

I don't work for agents, but for the past 6 months I've been running Charlie Brown's business alongside my own. At his gigs, I'm Jonathan from Charlie Brown's Entertainment. Though I have one DJ that works only for me, if I ever have to subcontract a gig, I expect the person covering it to represent my business and not his own.

[leelive]

So you have worked for Big Al too Lee?

Funny that. No. I nearly did 8 years ago.
He wanted me to sing at a hotel in Edinburgh. Told him I was a modern singer...
I went to see the venue... The manager kept on calling me by another name. After some confusion he showed be the booking for a 50s singer by another name. The venue were invoice double my fee...
What was shocking that he could send me a substitue for a party for pensioners.
Of course I cancelled and never dealt with him again.

May be it is agents like him that have made me so cynical of them.

Lee

[Shakermaker Promotions]

Since I went self employed I could probably count on one hand the number of times I have worked for or on behalf of someone else, be it an agency or multi op.
I don't do it that often but when I do, in my opinion I am working for THEM and I respect that. I still give it 100%.
I'm no mult op and I definitely am not an agent but I do quite often have a number of times throughout the year when I am double, treble booked. The DJ's I use work on my behalf under my business name but that doesn't stop them or anyone else I use or may have used, giving out their own cards if a card is requested. I guess it's all down to trust. You can't be a fly on the wall and watch what happens can you?

Sometimes it really isn't worth the hassle when you are a small operator like myself and not a multi op or agency. Getting extra bookings and doing the admin, co-ordination, meetings etc just for an extra few quid here and there is more hassle than it's worth sometimes.
My suggestion would be that if you are a solo operator, stick to it and improve the bookings you do. I have to say though that the DJ's I do use are all straight down the line and honest and very good. I don't have any doubts with them at all.

I'd rather let the multi ops and agencies do what they do and look after what I do to be honest.