A very basic question for DJ's

[nigelwright7557]

What do you charge for a disco ?

I have 2 sets, one large and one small.

I charge £100 for the larger set and £75 for the smaller set.

Why ?
I do it for the fun of it and I am not out to make a fortune.

This price gets me lots of gigs but also allows me to pick and choose which gigs I take on.
Up 10 flights of stairs is out and so is old time music.

[DJ Frankie]

This depends on the type of function it is hard to quote a price out of the blue really.

I have just seen your website, are those chain of lights safe????? hope you have PLI & PAT.......:p

[nigelwright7557]

This depends on the type of function it is hard to quote a price out of the blue really.

I have just seen your website, are those chain of lights safe????? hope you have PLI & PAT.......:p

Thats not my disco !
Thats a disco I did as a past DJ for a charity do for another disco company.

As for PAT, I self tested as I am an electronics engineer.
I have all the relevant gear for PAT testing.

The only quote I have to consider is the distance.
I wouldnt take on any difficult gigs like up 10 flights of stairs.
I want to enjoy the disco not have it kill me lol

[Corabar Steve]

Thats not my disco !
Thats a disco I did as a past DJ for a charity do for another disco company.


Probably not a good idea having pictures of somebody else's rig on your site. It gives potential customers an unfair representation of what they will get.

[nigelwright7557]

Probably not a good idea having pictures of somebody else's rig on your site. It gives potential customers an unfair representation of what they will get.

It quite clearly states that the disco shown is the Untouchables Disco and that it was a "past DJ" disco I attended.

My disco is The Rocking DJ Disco.

I will probably add some pictrues of my disco when I get some new pictures of my latest gear.

[nigelwright7557]

I have now added a note above the pictures to make it absolutely clear that the disco shown is the Untouchables Disco and not my own disco.

Sadly the man who ran the Untouchables disco died a few years ago.
He took me on as a trainee DJ and showed me the ropes.
He turned a dull teenager into a DJ who had a very good time !

[Spirits High]

Posted this before the previous post so don't know how it ended up after it. Hence why it may look a bit strange


It quite clearly states that the disco shown is the Untouchables Disco and that it was a "past DJ" disco I attended.

My disco is The Rocking DJ Disco.

I will probably add some pictrues of my disco when I get some new pictures of my latest gear.


Not wanting to nick pick but it actually says:

"Here are some pictures taken at the Bill Coates memorial disco 4th January 2003.

Bill took me on as a DJ when I was 18 and showed me the ropes"

The only reference to the "past Djs" gig is right down the bottom on a newspaper cutting

If it was my site then I wouldn't use those pics at all as gives the impression that the rig seen in the pics is yours.

You know what punters can be like, just look at the pics and not read it, let alone scroll all the way down for the newspaper cutting.

Just my 2p's worth

[nigelwright7557]

Here is what the website says:

Note: Pictures below are of the Untouchables Disco and not The Rocking DJ Disco.


Here are some pictures taken at the Bill Coates memorial disco 4th January 2003.

Bill took me on as a DJ when I was 18 and showed me the ropes.

[flatliners]

i live half way between newcastle and carsile an i think you should put your prices up but all depends on how good you are what equipment do you use

[rob1963]

What do you charge for a disco?

I charge £250-£300.

What people charge will depend on a number of factors, including their area of the UK, experience and equipment.

[Danno13]

Anything from 175 - 600 depending on all the obvious factors.

[nigelwright7557]

i live half way between newcastle and carsile an i think you should put your prices up but all depends on how good you are what equipment do you use

Even if I charged £40 a night I would still come home in pocket.

The big amps and speakers were already mine from playing guitar.
The CD's were already mine from years of collecting.

My only real outlay has been for a few lights £250, dual cd player £60, mp4 player £15 and the occasional up to date CD.

I certainly dont go out every weekend, its just once in a while so I am hardly competing with the local discos. If I did it every weekend I would get bored with it.

There seems to be a glut of discos in and around Carlisle anyway.
There are far too many discos chasing too little work.

When I first started on a disco about 32 years ago there werent many clubs with their own gear so there was more work around.
Most of the clubs and pubs have their own gear now as its cheaper than hiring it in, in the long run.

I am a bit of an odd bod anyway as I play guitar at my discos too.

[TonyB]

What about tax and NI? Knock a third off for that. Although you say you already had the gear, some of it will need replacing and there are the cost of replacing bulbs and keeping up to date with current music and paying for tracks you haven't got that may be requested beforehand. There is also the cost of transport and increased vehicle insurance for business use. Also add on the cost of admin, stationary, postage etc for booking confirmations etc.

Even if you charge £100, at the end of it you will be working for virtually nothing. I know at the time it seems like you get £100 in your pocket but if you work out where it goes, you don't get much at all.

[DJ Frankie]

What about tax and NI? Knock a third off for that. Although you say you already had the gear, some of it will need replacing and there are the cost of replacing bulbs and keeping up to date with current music and paying for tracks you haven't got that may be requested beforehand. There is also the cost of transport and increased vehicle insurance for business use. Also add on the cost of admin, stationary, postage etc for booking confirmations etc.

Even if you charge £100, at the end of it you will be working for virtually nothing. I know at the time it seems like you get £100 in your pocket but if you work out where it goes, you don't get much at all.

I agree:thumbs_up:

Although I would imagine there are stil some DJ's out there running a mobile disco for a little bit of extra cash and not declaring it to Mr Tax Man.

[Dragonfly]

I agree:thumbs_up:

Although I would imagine there are stil some DJ's out there running a mobile disco for a little bit of extra cash and not declaring it to Mr Tax Man.

wash your mouth out mr. Frankie :D :D :D :D surely not in this morally upstanding world that we live in :D;)

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

I agree:thumbs_up:

Although I would imagine there are stil some DJ's out there running a mobile disco for a little bit of extra cash and not declaring it to Mr Tax Man.

I imagine there are a lot...;)

[nigelwright7557]

It would be pretty stupid not to tell the taxman.
If you are advertising then he knows you are around.

There are fines if you dont admit a company within three months of starting.

[BeerFunk]

Those not declaring tax are not gaining any, as they aren't claiming anything back either (dependant on how much they make, and re-invest, of course)

[nigelwright7557]

Those not declaring tax are not gaining any, as they aren't claiming anything back either (dependant on how much they make, and re-invest, of course)

I believe you can earn around £4,000 before paying tax or NI contributions anyway.

If you make a loss it can be offset against your full time job.

[Danno13]

Yup, its £5,225 for tax and a bit lower for N.I.

[Vectis]

Yup, its £5,225 for tax and a bit lower for N.I.

TOTAL. Not per job :o

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

TOTAL. Not per job :o

Shame! :p

[CRAZY K]

TOTAL. Not per job :o

Quite so--if your earning peanuts on a Disco then you will have a day job--so your bound to pay tax on all your Disco earnings after expenses and capital allowances.

CRAZY K

[super-hero]

I will be honest with you. Those pictures look like they may have been taken in the 70's or 80's. I would get rid of them altogether and upload some new ones. Show your system as it is now.

If you are only doing it for fun, then maybe you should do it for free... Or you could run it as a business and charge accordingley. £75 for a disco is just too cheap. Find out what all the local dj's are charging for a similar service and charge a similar price.

Don't undervalue yourself.

[BeerFunk]

If you are only doing it for fun, then maybe you should do it for free... Or you could run it as a business and charge accordingley.
Define 'free'? If you charge £0, you're actually technically paying them to let you do the disco for them! He's obviously charging enough to cover his expenses, and is happy with that, as he has said. Why are you encouraging him to price competitively, after all he has said? :confused:

I don't see anything wrong with what he's doing, it's not too dissimilar to my own situation, although I do need to charge a bit more than that :)

[super-hero]

My point is, he shouldn't undervalue himself.

If he feels his time and 32 years experience is only worth £75 then that's ok.

I supply disco's because I enjoy it first and for the money second, so I can see his point of view. But why would I charge less than the going rate?

[rob1963]

Those not declaring tax are not gaining any

And when the tax man finally catches up with them, they'll be stuffed, as they'll not only have to pay all the outstanding tax, but also a penalty charge and all the interest on the unpaid tax over the years...as happened to someone a friend of mine knew.

He had to sell his house to pay the bill, which totalled tens of thousands of pounds.

Is it really worth losing your house over?

[kilmeedyman]

I take it he doesn't spend out on Public Liability Insurance either? Putting his house and livelihoood at risk.

[Andy Westcott]

Why do you all suspect there is no PAT, PLI or tax?

If he's getting a couple of gigs a week at £75, his gross takings would be well over £7,000 PA. That pays nicely for any PAT, PLI, music and even after tax he gets to keep some of it! There may even be some left in the kitty for equipment repairs & upgrades.

My charges are pretty low too - typically £130 for a local, basic 'knees up'. I pay for PLI, my gear is PAT tested, I pay tax (bot I'm NI exempt due to day job & earnings) pay for music and even plan to run a van this year - it can be done, and still return a useful profit.

[theoloyla]

What do you charge for a disco ?

I have 2 sets, one large and one small.

I charge £100 for the larger set and £75 for the smaller set.

Why ?
I do it for the fun of it and I am not out to make a fortune.

This price gets me lots of gigs but also allows me to pick and choose which gigs I take on.
Up 10 flights of stairs is out and so is old time music.
If you are doing this as a hobby (which it appears) and you are not concerned with making a living or a profit why are you interested to know what others are charging. Whilst I would not wish to deny you your pleasure hobbyists like you who work for peanuts do the professional dj's a dis-service by deflating prices.

[BeerFunk]

If you are doing this as a hobby (which it appears) and you are not concerned with making a living or a profit why are you interested to know what others are charging. Whilst I would not wish to deny you your pleasure hobbyists like you who work for peanuts do the professional dj's a dis-service by deflating prices.
That may be true in some cases, Theo, but people get what you pay for. There are different price levels in the mobile disco market, and his charging £75 will only affect people charging in that price bracket (ie. <£120)

[rob1963]

Why do you all suspect there is no PAT, PLI or tax?

If he's getting a couple of gigs a week at £75, his gross takings would be well over £7,000 PA. That pays nicely for any PAT, PLI, music and even after tax he gets to keep some of it!

But he ISN'T getting a couple of gigs a week, as the following quote from him shows:


I certainly dont go out every weekend, its just once in a while so I am hardly competing with the local discos.

The reason why some of us might suspect there is no PAT, PLI or tax is because he only goes out "just once in a while" and only charges £75.

As well as equipment, music and travelling expenses, if he was also paying for PAT & PLI, I suspect he'd end up making a LOSS!

[JAMdisco]

Yep, the tax can certainly get out of hand if you don't keep them up to date - a few years ago I racked up over £2,000 as I forgot to hand in my tax return on time and picked up a £100 fine and interest runs til it's all paid off. Also I didn't make allowances for tax, just spent it all (very stupid)
It was a major hassle but had nobody to blame but myself.

I now declare all but the occasional cheapo (talking £40-£50 for friends) to the taxman and my filing is all in order and catalogued. I do my own books and have my returns in nice and early. I also put away 25% of all my earnings into a seperate savings account so can pay my tax AND have money left over to spend on repairs / new equipment.

I learnt the hard way - taught me a lesson - be organised and honest or loose out!!!

[Shaun]

I just can't see how anyone can make a profit charging only £75 - £100. By the time you take into account PLI, PAT, Music, Tax, National Insurance, Equipment Insurance, Equipment Upgrades, Vehicle costs (repairs, m.o.t. Insurance, fuel, vehicle purchases etc). Then there's the cost of advertising, web hosting and all the other associated costs with running a legitimate business. At £75 per gig I would be losing money left right and centre. I'd be interested to hear how it's possible to make a profit charging so little?, if I can figure that out then I can maximise my profit margins. Please let us all in on the secret. :)

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

That may be true in some cases, Theo, but people get what you pay for. There are different price levels in the mobile disco market, and his charging £75 will only affect people charging in that price bracket (ie. <£120)

I agree. What Nigel charges won't affect what I charge as we aren't in the same sort of market.

[Corabar Steve]

I agree. What Nigel charges won't affect what I charge as we aren't in the same sort of market.

Or near each other :sj:

[paull]

Hi,

Sending my tax return of tonight, just got my accounts back.

I charge £200 upwards but do a couple of charity gigs and some for friends.

Paul

www.spectrumdisco-dj.co.uk

[Andy Westcott]

Quote:
"pleasure hobbyists like you who work for peanuts do the professional dj's a dis-service by deflating prices."

Comments like this irritate me somewhat. If you want to charge more, offer more than I do, or approach a different market - don't whine about the fact that many of the working calss can't afford £300 for a basic disco. The village hall brigade will always dictate the price according to what they can afford to pay, which often isn't a lot.

Quote Rob:
"But he ISN'T getting a couple of gigs a week"
Didn't see that... OK - touche!
In that case he has to cut corners somewhere - agreed.

Quote EliteDJ:
"By the time you take into account PLI, PAT, Music, Tax, National Insurance, Equipment Insurance, Equipment Upgrades, Vehicle costs (repairs, m.o.t. Insurance, fuel, vehicle purchases etc). Then there's the cost of advertising, web hosting"

Let's look at this:

PAT - peanuts. Free if you are able to do it yourself
PLI - < £200 PA
Music - assuming he already has a workable collection, £180-ish for monthly ProDisc, but not necessary.
Equipment insurance - not necessary. Down to individual choice.
Equipment upgrades - he may have reliable gear and needs to spend nothing.
Vehicle costs - small additional insurance premium if using your car. Fuel minimal if local. Other expenses would still occur anyhow.
Advertising - I don't advertise.
Web hosting - I use my free allocation from my ISP, which I have anyhow.

It is possible, believe me!

[Shaun]

It is possible, believe me!

I'll take your word for that. However, at £75 per gig would you honestly say that it'd be worthwhile once you break all the costs down?

[Andy Westcott]

Depends on how many gigs a year he did - he may be working on the supermarket principle - small profit per item but high sales volume.

Personally I ask for a bit more than £75, but I can see where he's coming from;
He may, for example, be working within a fairly close community and know most of the audience, in which case it really can be a pleasure to do the disco, with profit coming second to fun. I doubt he's taking bookings for weddings 50 miles distant at that price, but we'll have to wait for him to comment on that. :)

[Silver]

Personally I ask for a bit more than £75, but I can see where he's coming from;
He may, for example, be working within a fairly close community and know most of the audience, in which case it really can be a pleasure to do the disco, with profit coming second to fun. I doubt he's taking bookings for weddings 50 miles distant at that price, but we'll have to wait for him to comment on that. :)

SPOT ON!!! I go out on average for £110 a night, from 20.30 till 00.00. I set the kit up, do the gig, have 2 or 3 beers, WALK home, about a mile and a half and get the the kit in the morning. I have a day job, have an Army pension and do this because I bloomin well enjoy it! The furthest gig from home I've done in 6 years was a wedding in Poole (I live in Wimborne, about 9 miles away from the gig - to me that was MUCH TOO FAR!) I've done the £250 weddings and I've got a couple this year to do but I don't enjoy the stress that goes with them. Give me a pub gig with the locals, if I get a prob with the kit nobody worries, all stress free.

I use a Sony Vaio laptop with licensed Ots, all backed up plus Traktor (payed for) and Mixmeister (payed for), Mackie 450's 11 months old, Impossibleds, Martin scanners, Sennheiser EW145G2 radio mic that cost over £400 2 months ago, a couple of uv tubes and some supa novas less than a month old. Oldest piece of kit is my back up Toshiba lap top now 2 years old. Oh yeah I've 4800 tunes on my hard drive with all the originals in my office.

So please stop trying to take the high ground because dj's charge half what you do. Hey if I want to go out at £50 and I do a good job with up to date kit - what is the problem? If I want I want to go out at £1000 a night what's the problem?

I do it for the kick, the buzz, the same inner happy feeling I get from spending 3 hours in a kitchen cooking a meal for friends and seeing them enjoying the meal and the night.

Just back off us cheapos please! http://planetsmilies.net/vicious-smiley-1814.gif

[Sapphire Disco]

Good old Shuie McPhee :coat:

Just thought, you can't change your avatar or this post won't make sence.

[BeerFunk]

I think some DJs feel threatened by the cheap pricing, but maybe the real issue is that their pricing isn't justified. Maybe they haven't long started out, and don't have the ability and experience yet, but still charge as much as they think they can get away with. The DJs that realise that there are different 'price' markets to operate within, are the DJs that know what they're doing ;)

[mike8863]

Here here, well said, we are all not that fortunate to be able to monopolise disco fee's as some do in certain area's. I'd like to see the £150 - £500 boys make a living up here in North Wales.......!!!. Mind you, I was in Amersham a couple of weeks ago, ordered a pint of bitter and a small house red wine, £6.75.........
I am charging similar, £75 upwards, and I'm struggling to get work. You just have to adapt and appreciate that certain area's are not as affluent as others.

Mike

[groovy-nights]

To dj full time like some of us do you need to charge more than £75 a night to make a living.Yes some of you do it because you enjoy it and do not charge loads but others like myself need to charge more as its are only source of income.

[kilmeedyman]

Quick analysis based on minimum expenditure and rough income as stated:

25 gigs @ £75 = £1875
25 gigs @ £100 = £2500

Total Income = £4375
--------------------------------

PLI (MU or NADJ) = £144
Tax on £4375-£180 (@22%) = £923
NI (£2.20 p/w) = £115 (could be more according to his other job)
Music (3 x now) = £40

Total Expenditure = £1262
--------------------------------

Total take home = £3113

Which is £60 per week in the pocket or £250 per month

As beer money goes, its not too bad.

[Shaun]

So please stop trying to take the high ground because dj's charge half what you do. Hey if I want to go out at £50 and I do a good job with up to date kit - what is the problem? If I want I want to go out at £1000 a night what's the problem?


Just back off us cheapos please!

Not sure who your post is directed at, but personally I have no problem with people charging whatever they want, I've never really cared about what the next person charges. My earlier question was posed as I just didn't think it was possible to make a profit charging so low a fee. According to this topic it's apparent that many people do - fair play to them. :)

[BeerFunk]

Tax on £4375-£180 (@22%) = £923
NI (£2.20 p/w) = £115 (could be more according to his other job)
Also bearing in mind that this amount of tax would be waived if it is the only form of income

[sleah]

..... not declaring it to Mr Tax Man.

Who? :cowboy:
:sofa:


This year, Mr Tax worked out what I owe him, then worked it into my PAYE (full time job) for next year, then sent me a statement saying he owed me 31p. Thinking of framing it!:D

[Silver]

Not sure who your post is directed at, but personally I have no problem with people charging whatever they want, I've never really cared about what the next person charges. My earlier question was posed as I just didn't think it was possible to make a profit charging so low a fee. According to this topic it's apparent that many people do - fair play to them. :)

Shaun, not directed at anyone in particular. http://planetsmilies.net/not-tagged-smiley-10168.gif As somebody who works in the pub market on fees between £110 - £140 posts seem to appear on a fairly regular basis insinuating that the majority of us in this bracket are tax dodging cowboys. We use sub standard unsafe equipment, downloaded tunes from pirate sites etc. etc. I've never missed a gig or let anybody down.

I don't have a website or need to advertise (I'm lucky I'm well known locally) my living overheads are extremely low, at a guess, 70% plus of what I take is reinvested in equipment but don't tell my better half! http://planetsmilies.net/not-tagged-smiley-10569.gif

I simply wanted to redress the balance a tad. http://planetsmilies.net/not-tagged-smiley-10119.gif

[kilmeedyman]

Also bearing in mind that this amount of tax would be waived if it is the only form of income

Yes, but unless you have a lottery win installed in you savings account, nobody anywhere could afford to live on that amount. I don't think anyone here is saying you could.

However, as I said, for beer money and the sheer buzz of doing it, it could be worse. That's at the rates originally quoted.

[Vectis]

Yes, but unless you have a lottery win installed in you savings account, nobody anywhere could afford to live on that amount.

For completeness, I'd like to mention that if you did have a lottery win installed in a savings account that you'd almost definitely be paying tax on the interest earned... :rolleyes:

[PropellerHeadCase]

Unless it was a bank in the Caymans :D

[rob1963]

Quick analysis based on minimum expenditure and rough income as stated:

25 gigs @ £75 = £1875
25 gigs @ £100 = £2500

Total Income = £4375
--------------------------------

PLI (MU or NADJ) = £144
Tax on £4375-£180 (@22%) = £923
NI (£2.20 p/w) = £115 (could be more according to his other job)
Music (3 x now) = £40

Total Expenditure = £1262
--------------------------------



What about all the other expenses?

The main one is probably equipment, which wasn't mentioned in your breakdown.

There are also travel costs & maybe advertising too.

[andyw]

To dj full time like some of us do you need to charge more than £75 a night to make a living.Yes some of you do it because you enjoy it and do not charge loads but others like myself need to charge more as its are only source of income.

to dj full time you do need to charge more,but you should also be giving a better service to justify the charges,that would mean you are aiming at a different market to £100 a night dj.

rob,there might not be any need for the other expenses,he might be happy with he's current set up(need to put6 some cash back in case of break down) might not be advertiseing a lot of dj's in this price bracket get all there work through word of mouth.then of course travel expenses,he might only be doing very local parties so the cost would be minimal.
andy

[rob1963]

rob,there might not be any need for the other expenses,he might be happy with he's current set up(need to put6 some cash back in case of break down) might not be advertiseing a lot of dj's in this price bracket get all there work through word of mouth.then of course travel expenses,he might only be doing very local parties so the cost would be minimal.
andy

That's all fair comment, Andy...but surely he had to buy his equipment in the first place?

[andyw]

The big amps and speakers were already mine from playing guitar.
The CD's were already mine from years of collecting.

My only real outlay has been for a few lights £250, dual cd player £60, mp4 player £15 and the occasional up to date CD.
hi rob as you can see from his coat he already had most of his gear.(don't say anything about back up though and i think that is needed) at the figures quoted (and let's be fair they are only us on the forum guessing and assuming a lot) he could invest £500 a year on new/backup gear.
i think the point a lot of us are making (and this might not be the best example) is that you can charge cheap rates and do the lower end of the market and still do things properly like pat testing/pli back up gear and be registered with inland revenue.we are not interferring with more expensive disco's,we are not keeping your prices down,we are in a different market.those iof you that charge more are not overcharging you should be providing a better service with better equipment.it's like shopping at tesco's or marks and spencer.
andy

[rob1963]

the point a lot of us are making (and this might not be the best example) is that you can charge cheap rates and do the lower end of the market and still do things properly like pat testing/pli back up gear and be registered with inland revenue. andy

That's very true.

However, I'd suggest that people who charge £75 a night and only work now & then (as they also have a daytime job) are the ones who are MORE likely not to do things properly.

In other words, they are more likely not to have PLI or PAT, not to have back up equipment, and not to pay tax.

I don't blame them though. After all, if you're only going out once in a while & only charging £75 a gig, you need to keep your costs to the bare minimum.

[andyw]

quote
However, I'd suggest that people who charge £75 a night and only work now & then (as they also have a daytime job) are the ones who are MORE likely not to do things properly.
"end quote"
agree with you to a point, but sometimes on forums(not just this one) everyone who isn't charging £250 a gig gets tarred with the same brush,we are in the same bracket as cowboys(those with no pli/pat and illegally download music and dont register there earnings) so we must be cowboys,but i know there are some very good dj's in this bracket offering a good reliable service and nto cutting corners on pli/pat or anything else

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

quote
However, I'd suggest that people who charge £75 a night and only work now & then (as they also have a daytime job) are the ones who are MORE likely not to do things properly.
"end quote"
agree with you to a point, but sometimes on forums(not just this one) everyone who isn't charging £250 a gig gets tarred with the same brush,we are in the same bracket as cowboys(those with no pli/pat and illegally download music and dont register there earnings) so we must be cowboys,but i know there are some very good dj's in this bracket offering a good reliable service and nto cutting corners on pli/pat or anything else

Andy

To use the quote system, please click the quote button on the persons post you wish to quote. Thanks.

[andyw]

Andy

To use the quote system, please click the quote button on the persons post you wish to quote. Thanks.

sorry

[rob1963]

agree with you to a point, but sometimes on forums(not just this one) everyone who isn't charging £250 a gig gets tarred with the same brush,we are in the same bracket as cowboys(those with no pli/pat and illegally download music and dont register there earnings) so we must be cowboys,but i know there are some very good dj's in this bracket offering a good reliable service and nto cutting corners on pli/pat or anything else

Andy,

I am not suggesting that at all, and completely agree that there are some very good DJs in that bracket (including loads who are better than me) that offer a good reliable service.

:)