Venue charging for 'outside' DJ

[deanoakley]

Just looking to see if anyone has experienced anything like this before.

I've had an enquiry from someone I know for a local venue for a Friday in October, 7-12.

Gave my price and they've just come back to me to say that the venue is charging them £50 for bringing in an outside DJ rather than using their 'in-house' DJ.

They want £200 for the venue plus £300 for their DJ.

Whereas for the venue, plus me and the £50 charge works out cheaper (obviously I'd say as the £300 charge is ridiculous).

They've asked me if this is normal and I have to say it's the first time I've heard of it. Anyone else had this?

I've told my friend to call their bluff and say that unless they take the £50 charge off, they'll go elsewhere.

[Benny Smyth]

(obviously I'd say as the £300 charge is ridiculous).

I completely agree. You'd never see me charge as little as £300 for an evening’s entertainment.

Back on topic, I've seen it happen before. Quite a lot, in fact. It's also not your problem, nor your place to suggest that they call the venue's bluff. You're a DJ, not their wedding planner.

[Shakermaker Promotions]

I've never heard of that but hey, the venues probably do it anyway without saying anything.
The strangeness about this is that this venue have actually advised the additional £50.00.
Obviously I could be wrong but a number of venues I have worked at do the whole "make money off the DJ for actually doing nothing" thing.
In other words, charge the customer (for example) £350.00 and pay the DJ £250.00.

One thing I always say to my customers is that they don't have to have the resident DJ if they don't want to. A venue won't want to miss out on a booking simply because the customer wants to bring in their own DJ. As long as they are covered with PLI and PAT then they should be fine but then again, some venues may come up with all kinds of hurdles just to keep hold of their measly £50.00 / £100.00 or whatever.

[deanoakley]

I completely agree. You'd never see me charge as little as £300 for an evening’s entertainment.

Back on topic, I've seen it happen before. Quite a lot, in fact. It's also not your problem, nor your place to suggest that they call the venue's bluff. You're a DJ, not their wedding planner.

Yes I know, but it's a friend of a friend and it's only for a 30th birthday party - hence my shock at the high price and the £50 charge. Cheeky so and so's.

[Benny Smyth]

Yes I know, but it's a friend of a friend and it's only for a 30th birthday party - hence my shock at the high price and the £50 charge. Cheeky so and so's.

Why would £300 be a high price for a birthday over a different event?

some venues may come up with all kinds of hurdles just to keep hold of their measly £50.00 / £100.00 or whatever.

I know a venue who charges £495 for use of their resident, £325 of that goes to an agent...and you can assume the remainder of that sequence yourself.

[deanoakley]

Why would £300 be a high price for a birthday over a different event?

Personally, I see that as a high price - more so as a wedding price. I do try and command a higher price myself but as I'm starting out I tend to fall in around the £200-£250 bracket.

[Benny Smyth]

Personally, I see that as a high price - more so as a wedding price. I do try and command a higher price myself but as I'm starting out I tend to fall in around the £200-£250 bracket.

You may consider it a high price, but it looks like the DJ charging £300 doesn't.

I'm not turning this into a pricing thread and it matters not who charges what. Overheads + costs + profit you're happy with = what you charge and I would assume that both you and the other guy/gal is doing that.

What I would say that unless you know what the other operator's business model is with his/her costs and overheads, may I suggest that you're not in the best position to decide what is a ridiculous price.

Worry not what the other guy/gal is doing. After all, Bentley aren't fretting over the amount of Corsa's sold this year.

[musicology]

Some venues do try to levy a charge for not using their entertainment. I've come across this too and I also told them to threaten the venue with taking their business away and, sure enough, the venue dropped the charge. I also recommend my customers contact Trading Standards if a venue tries to charge them for a service they are NOT providing. This practice is totally out of order and the venues know it. They just need to be pulled up sharp and they WILL drop the charge. In your particular case, it will be that the venue take £50 and pay their regular bloke £250. They're just trying to recoup what they would have got under normal circumstances but that's their tough luck because they have no "arrangement" with you.

[ppentertainments]

I know of quite a few venues who do this, or insist on using the resident DJ only. Although annoying (and likely illegal) there isn't realistically much you can do - who REALISTICALLY will give up their dream wedding venue for the sake of choosing their own DJ - venues know this so have us over a barrel

Why would £300 be a high price for a birthday over a different event?



I know a venue who charges £495 for use of their resident, £325 of that goes to an agent...and you can assume the remainder of that sequence yourself.

A very nice venue close to me charges £450, who pay an agent/multi op £275, who pays another DJ £150, who pays a kid with a laptop £80 to turn up and play a set playlist.

[DJ Jules]

The only time I've come across this locally was actually at my own wedding (when I was the customer). I wanted to bring in my own DJ and the venue insisted that I purchase single event insurance to cover any damage he might cause to the venue and liability for any issues he caused with the guests and/or their reputation! At the time (this was back in 2002) they suggested that I bought this from them (about £75 from memory).

I just bought single event insurance from a reputable provider for about £45 and faxed the policy to them and we went ahead as planned. The DJ at the time had never heard of anything like it and I haven't heard of it since. The hotel has changed hands and management a number of times since (and I've worked there via an agency a few times too) and I know they're not doing it any more, but I'm sure if they tried this now, they'd be pulled up sharpish due to the number of rules/regs around sale of insurance - and the fact that they probably weren't really selling an insurance policy (unless what the mafia used to "sell" under duress could be considered "insurance").

This subject has been covered a number of times over the years and I don't believe adding charges for bringing in external services is considered illegal. Venues can set whatever pricing structure they like for their services or impose whatever rules they want, whether it makes sense or not. Ultimately, it's their house, their rules. It's a bit anti-competitive, but I'm sure the venue would argue that the charge is to cover the additional administration required to liaise with an unknown party or something similar. As long as the charge was reasonable and representative of the work involved it'd be considered to be OK by the likes of trading standards.

Your friend can either negotiate the fee he pays and try and either eliminate or reduce the additional charge, or pay it (since he's saving money overall anyway).

Julian