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Thread: Extremes of Disco quality and market.

  1. #11

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    Let's not kid ourselves that £500+ for an evening disco is high end.

    It's mid market.

    All the time we keep putting this ceiling above us, we'll never move fees on as an industry.

    £500 should be a basic price for a competent disco. Sadly, the industry is in such a state that competent discos are going out for the paltry sum of £200.

    However, there are many events taking place who wouldn't even consider such a 'budget' option as a £500+ disco.

    High end events want named DJs and big sound and light systems.

    So those charging £500-£1000 for an evening are the mid range option.

    Anything under £400 is budget, and the sub £200 brigade is sad. Not necessarily the fault of the operators themselves - it's an industry issue that has accumulated over a few decades.

    Anyone who is earning less than the twinkly dancefloor or the photobooth has undercharged.

  2. #12
    yourdj's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Imagine View Post
    The big money is in the all-day services.
    Certainly a way to make more money, but (speaking from someone that has learnt his stripes as an all day DJ) I am unconvinced by that now you know as a lot of the MC's and even all day DJ only are putting in a considerable amount of preparation and then doing 10-12 hours on the day. One of the major DJ/MC's quotes about 50 hours in total for an average wedding when all the stories, quizzes and such like are all premed up, but I would say about 30 on average. I know they are struggling to make £2000 a day for that, so I guess that an average DJ & MC goes out at just over £1000.

    Although I feel I am not myself when on stage and very good at what I do, I personally find the all days very stressful (but also very fun) as so much is riding on you pulling it off. Its a lot of responsibility and if you take off all the other parts of the day (ceremony, evening, extras, set up etc), then my guess is the £3000 MC's are only charging £300-500 for that bit, which is not enough given the above reasons (I have lost sleep pondering over upcoming weddings and sometimes been very removed from my family). Suddenly sitting in the dark watching a toastmaster do it (albeit very badly) makes things a lot easier.

    I did a 4 hour event last night and provided a DJ set, phootbooth & 43 inch screen with a pre-made slideshow. The slideshow took about 45 mins and the music/prep took about 30 mins. I went above and beyond the call of duty on this and have already had a very nice thank you email from the client so they are more than happy and I would think would perhaps had paid more money, but I am happy with my prices.

    Having a family, a new business has made me try and maximise the evenings as i am completely knackered having to get up at 6am and can't do them on a regular basis now (although it depends on what else I have that weekend), so I have encouraged more upsells on uplighting, fog, dance floors etc. etc.

    I charged £1,143 for last night, but as you say a good proportion is in the Photo Booth, which you don't do. Thats £66 an hour (all day at 30 hrs) vs £190 an hour (6 hours).

    Quote Originally Posted by rth_discos View Post
    Let's not kid ourselves that £500+ for an evening disco is high end.

    It's mid market.
    Agreed totally (especially down the south) - most the HDA are £500-600 minimum now and we are nothing amazing (I charge £590 just DJ if your interested)! I rarely go under that unless its a private function with no meeting required (especially house parties as they are easy).

    As mentioned the triangle goes narrower the higher you go, i think if I offered a more bespoke service (i.e. ditch the multi op just little old me) then i am confident that (without any extras) I could easily charge £8-900 for the evening. Perhaps more. Add in a number of extras as standard then maybe even one package that runs at £1,500-2000 for the evening. If you combined that with limited availability (i.e. one wedding per weekend, first come first serve) then you could potentially have a waiting list or people checking your availability before they book the venue (had that twice this year, amazing feeling). Double chat cost for all day and it starts too look like a much better deal. Man £3-4000 would be nice 2-3 weddings a month!!! Agreed it would be a lot more work per wedding, but not where near as much as 10 weddings at £700 average!!

    As it happens as Gary has said, I am more than happy with the amount of work I have and the price i am charging. I had a very dramatic loss of work Jan-Apr, which shows I am attracting the summer, premium payers, which leaves me a few months each year to focus on my photography business. The only thing I want to do next Jan is add uplighting as standard and up the cost by £100 as all my DJ's have it now. Might add some all inclusive options, like a Photo Booth and 2 extras etc.).

    Quote Originally Posted by Imagine View Post
    To quote a cosmetics company - I charge what I charge "because I'm worth it!"
    Quote Originally Posted by Excalibur View Post
    This one has come out of the responses to my " dj's cancelling " thread. Comments on there have led me to question where I operate in the market. I've always considered myself firmly centre ground, but I'm now wondering if like that ground is being shot from under my feet?

    We have many on here who seem to be operating in the top end of the market, with fees regularly over £500. I think there's little doubt that they're providing value for money, well done them. Even with a following wind, I can't achieve the levels of detail they offer in certain areas. At best, I'd claim to be well up in the middle section of the market.

    However, I make no secret of the fact that I'm prepared to get down and dirty in the lower echelons of the market, to fill my diary. Even then, I feel to misquote Ms Safka ( Google it, if you don't know, young 'uns. Then listen to some of her stuff ), " they're only putting a nickel in, but getting a dollar song". Obviously, the great unwashed see more DJs in the bottom end of the market, and perhaps our low status in their eyes is because of what they see often.

    So, the question. Yes, there is a question, the doddering old fool isn't simply rambling pointlessly. The lower end of the market is awash with DJs, and by definition, the top end is a far smaller market share. Is the middle ground disappearing? Are clients either paying top dollar for top end DJs, or going cheap and ( hopefully ) cheerful? Is my market of mid price work dwindling? Discuss.
    To actually answer the question (I ran out of editing time), I actually think (and it was proficised by Mark Walsh some years back) that there is the start of a drift in the markets and the DJ's charging less and providing an equally crap service to boot will be left to that market and the other guys will slowly go the other way? This is not in the money they charge but in the level and types of services they are offering although the two run in tandem. Will the DJ morph into a separate type of industry who knows? Thats my thoughts on it.

    I remember not that long ago in my local area that £500 was almost unheard of, but as a lot more of us locally have been networking then the average price has started to rise too. Let say the average bride or whatever, looks at 5-6 key sites and perhaps a couple of venue recommended suppliers and keeps seeing £500, then that will be the benchmark. In comes a different DJ (lets call him Peter) that provides exactly the same DJ service (on the night), but perhaps with some quirky extras, face to face meeting, detailed planning and to put it bluntly, he is a nice normal person that they would want to invite to their wedding. He could then easily charge more. How much more, who knows. Depends on what your comfortable with as your bookings will very quickly start dropping off. If you loose 50% bookings then you need to charge 50% more and match that with a 50% increase in service somehow??

    Having looked at a number of builders recently, thats my opinion based on that. Forgetting what they do and how they do it, most important was that

    - they are nice normal people that I feel comfortable with in my home.
    - modern builders that don't work in inches, can use a computer and be punctual (I have had it with old schoolers).
    - and give me detailed invoicing (especially with materials) & reasonable time frames.
    - just be organised and get back to me in good time and not bull-s me after a month!!!
    them - "i have been snowed under" me - "well if your that busy to reply to an email then employ a secretary".

    Thats worth paying extra for.

    Not found anyone I like (as they have all been equally useless) so am doing the work myself this week coming.
    Last edited by Excalibur; 03-06-2018 at 12:24 PM. Reason: Don't worry Toby, I'll tidy up for you.
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  3. #13
    Dinosaur Excalibur's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by yourdj View Post

    Not found anyone I like (as they have all been equally useless) so am doing the work myself this week coming.
    Bloody Hell, Toby, you should have said you were looking, I'd have nipped down and priced it for you. Could soon have knocked you off a nice itemised quote, in SI units and Euros. Please do bear in mind though, that if there aren't tea and hob nobs on the hour, every hour, we down tools.

    Don't you know DIY is soooo, last year? It's GSI, now.

    To reply to Gavin:

    Saves too much bloodshed.
    Excalibur. Older than the average DJ.

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  4. #14
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    Basic economics says that if you have a full diary then you can/should charge more. If your diary is empty then either you are too expensive or just crap at any price. Of course better marketing may also help you to fill your diary but .....
    Banana Power Travelling Discotheque - legendary entertainment since 1966
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  5. #15
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    I think the question is what is the middle ground? From the sounds of it we all have different ideas meaning that it's not gone anywhere!

    To me £250-400 is middle ground.

    Dorset DJ - Dorset based DJ service
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  6. #16
    Resident Antagonist Benny Smyth's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rth_discos View Post
    High end events want named DJs and big sound and light systems.

    So those charging £500-£1000 for an evening are the mid range option.
    I'd argue what you are describing there is a different service to the mobile disco. How many named DJs have you seen DJing at your family's wedding? What you're describing there is live event work and whilst there is common ground between that and the mobile disco, there's also common ground between the mobile disco and nightclubs, or the mobile disco and theatres - yeah, there's aspects that are the same, but it's a different ball game. And those that have the big sound system with the huge lightshow and a named DJ on the books aren't just doing the evening entertainment. It would be an audio and visual event with screens, LED boards, and so many other things. There'll be rehearsals and potential coaching. Probably has photography and videography thrown in too. This is not something you'd get for up to five hours on a Saturday night with a midnight finish.

    What is the middle ground? Ask 10 different people, you'll get 10 different answers. Ask NeedADisco and you get:



    Now while it is great for the Smyth Ego to learn that I am apparently above a Premium DJ, this is the info out there that potential clients see. Is it a dwindling market? No. The middle ground is safe and, if anything, that will be the area of the industry that will always thrive.

    What's the middle ground? knows.

  7. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by Benny Smyth View Post
    I'd argue what you are describing there is a different service to the mobile disco. How many named DJs have you seen DJing at your family's wedding? What you're describing there is live event work
    A wedding is a wedding. Some will have a very different type of 'mobile disco'. A DJ at a wedding is a DJ.

    High net work individuals will have a very different wedding to those on middle income.

    I suggest that most of the so called 'premium DJs' are performing at middle income weddings.

    Certainly the majority of my work (in excess of £500+ for an evening wedding disco) is middle income. Typical client is 2 x earners, likely on £40k each.

    A good income, but by no means exceptional.

    Of course everyone is going to have their own idea of what the 'middle ground' is, but in reality, that's determined by the actual marketplace.

    I'd suggest that very few of us here have seen a genuine high end wedding. I've seen one £70k wedding, but in the eyes of the client, it was a 'low key' affair that he wasn't spending a huge amount on (ceremony was at 4pm, so far from being a full day affair!). I only got that work due to who I knew (as will often be the case in those circles). That wedding alone puts it in perspective!

  8. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by Benny Smyth View Post
    What is the middle ground? Ask 10 different people, you'll get 10 different answers. Ask NeedADisco and you get:

    Personally, I wouldn't trust those so called "averages"....it's one of the reasons I'm no longer with that particular web site. The "average" figures were going down and down and despite what the owner says, the more people that win gigs below the client budget (as happens a LOT), the lower the average is going to fall no matter what fancy fudge-factor is used to supposedly counteract the low ballers.

    But then, I'm not your average DJ

    Unfortunately, these figures as you say are displayed to the general public - bit of a killer for this industry in my opinion.

  9. #19
    Jim - Scotland's Party DJ's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rth_discos View Post
    A wedding is a wedding. Some will have a very different type of 'mobile disco'. A DJ at a wedding is a DJ.

    High net work individuals will have a very different wedding to those on middle income.

    I suggest that most of the so called 'premium DJs' are performing at middle income weddings.

    Certainly the majority of my work (in excess of £500+ for an evening wedding disco) is middle income. Typical client is 2 x earners, likely on £40k each.

    A good income, but by no means exceptional.

    Of course everyone is going to have their own idea of what the 'middle ground' is, but in reality, that's determined by the actual marketplace.

    I'd suggest that very few of us here have seen a genuine high end wedding. I've seen one £70k wedding, but in the eyes of the client, it was a 'low key' affair that he wasn't spending a huge amount on (ceremony was at 4pm, so far from being a full day affair!). I only got that work due to who I knew (as will often be the case in those circles). That wedding alone puts it in perspective!
    You're arguing semantics against what the OP refers to.

    Are me and my colleagues charging £10k+ and playing at celeb weddings? (the dude from Harry and Megan's wedding springs to mind), no but as a cost against the average wedding spend £500+ for an evening mobile disco in the UK is high end pricing if you imagine a bell curve of weddings on any given year / weekend.

    Going back to Harry and Mehan's DJ, the fact that dude is synonymous with celeb gigs suggests there are few and far between operating in his sphere...

    Having similar experiences to yours at times, I'd also argue that a £70k+ wedding is very much a high end affair even if the client doesn't regard it at such - someone who can spend more on flowers than a bunch of nurses' salaries is a high end client by proxy imo.

  10. #20

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    Quote Originally Posted by rth_discos View Post
    Let's not kid ourselves that £500+ for an evening disco is high end.

    It's mid market.
    Mid market? Wow - that's not a bad playing field to be in!
    Nathan.

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