Pricing up events especially NYE.

[Tone]

I haven't posted on here for a while since starting up this time last year but have been browsing for information that is already on here which saves me asking questions that may have already been asked and answered. However I can't find much on pricing up especially for NYE, I have new client who has booked me near Christmas for a Birthday party and is now asking about NYE. It would be my first time playing a NYE party therefore I'm unsure what to charge. I have been charging £150 - £200 for Birthdays etc and thought I would increase my prices once I'm having to turn bookings down. I'm starting to get more bookings which is great however, I haven't had a month yet where I've had a booking every week but feel like that is on the way due to the positive feedback and networking when playing out.

Any help is appreciated as always.

Cheers

[Jim - Scotland's Party DJ]

I double my party prices for NYE and will add more if it's in a city centre or has a rotten load in.

A lot of times that makes me a non starter for venues to book and I don't work but I can live with that, it's really not my favourite time to gig.

As for pricing and bookings - I can't comment as I've not seen a website and don't know what sort of level you're operating at but being out every weekend isn't always a good thing. The guy doing two gigs a month for £500 is coming away with the same amount of money as you are for 5-7 gigs... Work smart, not hard.

[Imagine]

I haven't posted on here for a while since starting up this time last year but have been browsing for information that is already on here which saves me asking questions that may have already been asked and answered. However I can't find much on pricing up especially for NYE, I have new client who has booked me near Christmas for a Birthday party and is now asking about NYE. It would be my first time playing a NYE party therefore I'm unsure what to charge. I have been charging £150 - £200 for Birthdays etc and thought I would increase my prices once I'm having to turn bookings down. I'm starting to get more bookings which is great however, I haven't had a month yet where I've had a booking every week but feel like that is on the way due to the positive feedback and networking when playing out.

Any help is appreciated as always.

Cheers

Aaaah - how I miss doing NYE , the drunks, the puddles of vomit, getting home at 4am stone cold sober whilst other idiots who think they're under the limit are driving home.....NOT!

My first suggestion would be to charge what you're worth.

I know, that's not much help is it. But take into consideration it's a night unlike any other and DJs are in possibly their greatest demand. As a general rule of thumb, most people I know will at least double their price for the night.

As for being out every weekend - a lot depends on how much you rely on the income. I used to want to do that and felt like I was doing something wrong if I was sat watching Saturday night TV with a beer. As much fun as this DJing lark is (and I wouldn't change it for the world...even the bad nights), it's still a job....and you need to take the occasional night off for sanity.

[Excalibur]

Aaaah - how I miss doing NYE , the drunks, the puddles of vomit, getting home at 4am stone cold sober whilst other idiots who think they're under the limit are driving home.....NOT!

Wayne, I'm convinced you're not really cut out for this game. You don't seem to have grasped the ground rules at all.

Many DJs value being with family NYE, well mine have flown the nest, and I need the money. This is a job, not a hobby, and I don't turn down lucrative work on a whim. Thus, I intend to jump in the van and head North where I was last year. Nice venue and staff, nice crowd, and bed and breakfast for the night.

Tony, perceived wisdom since the beginning of time has been double money. Not all venues depending on walk-in customers can afford this. Functions with advance ticket sales are likelier to be able to pay this. Just charge what the venue, function, and yourself dictate. For years I worked NYE at a pittance in a local social club. Easy gig, and a thank you for work throughout the year. Suited us both, but times change.

[Tone]

Thanks for the info and I do understand where you are coming from. I feel that I'm still a newbie and every gig I do is helping with confidence and experience and with time I suppose being able to price up properly will come. At the moment I don't mind working every weekend as I don't work during the week except for trying to get things off the ground. I also Dj and sound engineer at a nightclub after my gigs at the weekend too so yeah weekends are full on but its the only way I can make a living at the moment without having to work in a dreadful job. I would like it to slow down once I have enough money coming in however I've noticed sometimes I lose a booking if I go any higher than what I'm currently charging. I may get regular bookings from this venue that wants me to do the NYE and its on my doorstep so good things may possibly come out of it.

I suppose I need to ask how many people will be attending and if its a ticket event so I can maybe try and determine what I may be able to charge.

Thanks to all for the advice.

[ppentertainments]

NYE is the trickiest night of the year for me when it comes to pricing as it can come back and bite you on the if you get it wrong.

Most of my NYE bookings are at venues I am resident or recommended at. I literally add £100 on top of my normal fee and end up worse off than a normal nights work for these venues. BUT there are 52 weekends an year, plus midweeks which are far more beneficial to me than one night of the year.

This year I am not taking bookings other than the ones at my regular venues - mainly due to a shortage of DJs - but when I do it is normally a 50% increase I charge.

It is a good suggestion to find out what those you work with are charging - myself and my closest competitors actually all charge the same, or very similar, and works very well for us

[ukpartydj]

If it helps at all this is how my pricing changed over time (from memory).

1st year - £250 for NYE, I'd been going just a few months charging £75-200.

2nd year - £300 via an agent. Charging on average £170.

3rd year - £400 via an agent.

4th year - £500 via an agent. Starting to charge around £200-300

5th year - £550 via recommendation. Working for about £200-350 normal rates.

6th year - £600 local hotel contacted directly. Average booking £280-350

7th year - £850 but they're also booking a dancefloor, they actually got a got an absolute bargain, I should charged £1000 for what they're getting! Most dj only evening parties I do for £300-400

[Tone]

Thanks for all of the help guys, especially ukpartydj as that's very helpful.

I haven't really had much time to post on here since joining and starting up a year ago doing mobile however I'll try and post an update on here somewhere. Going off topic a little I'm doing very well using my skills from being an Urban/Dance Dj with the help of Traktor and the S4 which is an awesome piece of kit for the price point! When I was I was playing House in the Club last Saturday I had a female asking me for some Rihanna which I replied "Sorry I havnt got any house with her featuring in it "her reply was can't you remix some house with one of her tunes?". That kind of got me thinking, I might give that a go using the Traktor Remix Decks

[yourdj]

NYE & Christmas is usually approaching double the fee, depends on what they want and where it is really. I charge £795 to my hotels and about £900-1000 for private evening only weddings/big parties. All day wedding I would probably double the evening part and raise the day bit by 25-30%. I think I will be taking off Christmas and probably New Year as the kids start to get more with it. I don't often get Christmas bookings anyway. I do enjoy my NYE party at my local hotels French Restaurant though, so will depend on what we are doing?

[Jim - Scotland's Party DJ]

NYE & Christmas is usually approaching double the fee, depends on what they want and where it is really. I charge £795 to my hotels and about £900-1000 for private evening only weddings/big parties. All day wedding I would probably double the evening part and raise the day bit by 25-30%. I think I will be taking off Christmas and probably New Year as the kids start to get more with it. I don't often get Christmas bookings anyway. I do enjoy my NYE party at my local hotels French Restaurant though, so will depend on what we are doing?

I never do Christmas Eve or Christmas Day - I'm actually in Vegas for Christmas and NYE this year.

I never really try to pick up stuff in December but I've picked up a few all day weddings and covering a good paying Xmas night for a pal so things are looking good and I've thrown out a few feelers for the last weekend I have free in December because it gives me a good excuse not to go to my works night out and spending 2 weeks in Vegas ain't cheap