Is the time right?

[Candybeatdiscos]

I retired from DJ'ing when i took up a hotel with my mum, unfortuantly things didn't really work out (family working for family etc) and i came out the business (after i had sold all my DJ gear) and am currently working for a company (similar to brighthouse but not them lol) I am currently earning a decent wage have the company car etc however it is long hours and very very stressful and pressured....

So...I am wondering wether or not i should start DJ'ing again, and if I do, i am wondering if the recession is over the worst and is it worthwhile doing, now tbh i have been a bit ignorant to the effect of the recession as the business i am in currently grows during recessions rather than suffers, the company is one of the fastest growing top 50 companies in the UK.

Now I have to stress that I am skint...lol so starting from scratch and have no financial backing, I also cant see me getting a loan from the bank etc as I previously had credit problems in the early 00's and went bankrupt, which thankfully is now finished but still hangs about like a bad smell :)

what would you guys suggest on A/ wether or not to do it & B/ how to finance myself.

[Dynamic Entertainment]

Im guessing (hoping) that you still kept all your music and didnt sell it all off with your equipment. if you do still have it, then why not start up again.

Equipment wise, you dont have to dive straight into top level equipment, or loads of it. Four basic effects, t-bar, class-d sound system etc and work your way back up.

The only issue would be the additional pressure and stress...and only you can answer the question as to whether you can cope with that.

[deltic]

you ain't going to come back overnight

but with the right structured approach it could be possible

[Paul The Party Dj]

I am returning under similar circumstances but it was my wife who suggested I should start again because she we wanted me to do something I enjoyed - bless her! I called an old DJ mate and went out a couple of times with him to see how things had changed and if I could still hack it - no problem.

It's now about 15 months since I decided to return and my diary is still patchy. Ultimately I intend to be full-time which is something, at the age of 52, I never thought I'd be able to do. I've still got a long way to go but, with the extra knowledge I've gained here and a lot of hard work, I'm sure it is possible and when the economy finally starts to recover the future is bright.

Equipment wise, so much has changed in the last 5 years and you can make a fresh start. Also there is lots of second hand gear available here and on ebay. There's probably someone on here within 30 miles of you who has enough spare gear in his garage to start you off on a "£100 now and the rest later" deal! You should be able to pick up a small p.a. and a few lights today cheaper than ever before - even if it's just so that you can do parties for friends and family who ask "do you still do discos?" As Dynamic said above, hopefully you still have your music - if you don't again ebay is a good place to look.

Judging by your number of posts on this forum you know what's what, so I'd just say, if you want to do it you can, if you enjoy it - do it.

[StarZSoundS]

I retired from DJ'ing when i took up a hotel with my mum, unfortuantly things didn't really work out (family working for family etc) and i came out the business (after i had sold all my DJ gear) and am currently working for a company (similar to brighthouse but not them lol) I am currently earning a decent wage have the company car etc however it is long hours and very very stressful and pressured....

So...I am wondering wether or not i should start DJ'ing again, and if I do, i am wondering if the recession is over the worst and is it worthwhile doing, now tbh i have been a bit ignorant to the effect of the recession as the business i am in currently grows during recessions rather than suffers, the company is one of the fastest growing top 50 companies in the UK.

Now I have to stress that I am skint...lol so starting from scratch and have no financial backing, I also cant see me getting a loan from the bank etc as I previously had credit problems in the early 00's and went bankrupt, which thankfully is now finished but still hangs about like a bad smell :)

what would you guys suggest on A/ wether or not to do it & B/ how to finance myself.

Lot to digest....You need to keep your day-job for this to work...it buys you time:) :) :)

Have a look at the Large Disco set up for Sale thread in this area.That looks like a good starting point for you.:) :)

Look at the positives....you have a car that you can get yourself around in...there are some on here that are managing without that (or have medical problems that mean they are not able to drive).;) ;)

There are a lot of new pressures in the job...but there is still life in the old dog yet.If you are considering it as a way to dump your job Mr Brightside I would forget it....no matter how :Censored:the job is!!:eek: :eek:

[womble]

I previously had credit problems in the early 00's and went bankrupt, which thankfully is now finished but still hangs about like a bad smell

A bankruptcy is deleted from your credit file 6 years after the date of the bankruptcy order. You should be odour free...

[Shakermaker Promotions]

I have noticed that a few people are getting back into the whole DJ thing. I think the recession has tempted them back. I commented yesterday on another thread that I had recently got more DJ's on my side and a couple of them have come back into the world of DJing for extra funds. It's the way it is at the moment.

[Charlie Brown]

I have noticed that a few people are getting back into the whole DJ thing. I think the recession has tempted them back. I commented yesterday on another thread that I had recently got more DJ's on my side and a couple of them have come back into the world of DJing for extra funds. It's the way it is at the moment.

:agree:

Good point.

Jobs simular to this, (where you don't have to be "qualifed" or scrutonised by a boss) are becoming very popular. The chat's I have with Taxi drivers....:whistle:

If funds will allow, I wouldn't advise buying shabby gear for the sake of it. It's the worst mistake I ever made. Buy decent stuff that will serve it's purpose. You'll only end up replacing it 6 months down the line.

You're not "any bloke wanting to be a DJ" - you've clearly got the skill and knowledge (having worked in this line of work before) - so you've got a good chance of doing well. :beer1:

It's a wise move and I wish you the very best of luck.

Give it a go. You'll regret it if you don't. :)

[CRAZY K]

I retired from DJ'ing when i took up a hotel with my mum, unfortuantly things didn't really work out (family working for family etc) and i came out the business (after i had sold all my DJ gear) and am currently working for a company (similar to brighthouse but not them lol) I am currently earning a decent wage have the company car etc however it is long hours and very very stressful and pressured....

So...I am wondering wether or not i should start DJ'ing again, and if I do, i am wondering if the recession is over the worst and is it worthwhile doing, now tbh i have been a bit ignorant to the effect of the recession as the business i am in currently grows during recessions rather than suffers, the company is one of the fastest growing top 50 companies in the UK.

Now I have to stress that I am skint...lol so starting from scratch and have no financial backing, I also cant see me getting a loan from the bank etc as I previously had credit problems in the early 00's and went bankrupt, which thankfully is now finished but still hangs about like a bad smell :)

what would you guys suggest on A/ wether or not to do it & B/ how to finance myself.

Unless you have a unique angle or are very good at selling yourself by your Website, email or phone Im not sure its a good time as there appears to be an awful lot of Discos out there offering services.

Finance, no idea maybe try and build your kit up slowly, hiring at first until you can afford to buy stuff.

[Candybeatdiscos]

hmmm, Yes i still have all my music, I am currently DJ'ing on internet radio (www.1radio.org) and am the most listened to DJ for the past year that I have been there :D

I was made bankrupt Oct 2005, so another year to go...

Regarding equiptment etc, i dont want to just go and get a cheap set up, because there are about 30 £150 disco's round this are and i need tos et myself apart, i used to charge £100-£150 until i found MDD & met shaun, then changed my pricing to £350 minimum and found life was better and more enjoyable gigs, I dont want to go back to £100-150.....

But ultimatly i need to get out of the day job, friday i work til 6pm, not leaving long to set up etc

so many decisions ......

[StarZSoundS]

hmmm, Yes i still have all my music, I am currently DJ'ing on internet radio (www.1radio.org) and am the most listened to DJ for the past year that I have been there :D

I was made bankrupt Oct 2005, so another year to go...

Regarding equiptment etc, i dont want to just go and get a cheap set up, because there are about 30 £150 disco's round this are and i need tos et myself apart, i used to charge £100-£150 until i found MDD & met shaun, then changed my pricing to £350 minimum and found life was better and more enjoyable gigs, I dont want to go back to £100-150.....

But ultimatly i need to get out of the day job, friday i work til 6pm, not leaving long to set up etc

so many decisions ......


Unless Shaun or another DJ in the area is going to give you a leg-up by lending you gear and giving you a few dates the prospects are not good Garry.Hope you prove me wrong:eek: :eek:

There are MOSTLY only one or at a stretch two nights a week that are worth anything like £350 a night nowadays.;) ;)

[NKR]

Unless Shaun or another DJ in the area is going to give you a leg-up by lending you gear and giving you a few dates the prospects are not good Garry.Hope you prove me wrong:eek: :eek:

There are MOSTLY only one or at a stretch two nights a week that are worth anything like £350 a night nowadays.;) ;)

I'm back to taking £150 agency work to fill rubbish months like June I'm afraid and we have been established again 3 and half years (13 years experience) and I have a big smart sounding rig which to replace like for like with new gear would be about £7,000 to £8,000 when you include all the flight cases and the like.
Good luck with the £350 gigs, but we are still only picking up DJ and singer jobs at £400 and its the level people are expecting. when we quote our own DJ only jobs its £200.
The rate per job is moving up slowly and I would hope next year we are pushing our own jobs forward a bit. However, 2011 only currently has three jobs in it. Guess what 3 x £150 agency jobs so far.
Admitedly our marketing is virtually none existent at present, but with limited budget for kit I am not sure you are going to have a lot in the pot for marketing purposes.
When we came back into the game it took an age to get jobs and we were using agency work, but that was slow at first as we had no reputation. We still do about 25% of work as agency work. Some is £150 jobs, some are excellent paying DJ vocal jobs - swings and roundabouts, but after 3 and half years we are still building it.

[StarZSoundS]

I'm back to taking £150 agency work to fill rubbish months like June I'm afraid and we have been established again 3 and half years (13 years experience) and I have a big smart sounding rig which to replace like for like with new gear would be about £7,000 to £8,000 when you include all the flight cases and the like.
Good luck with the £350 gigs, but we are still only picking up DJ and singer jobs at £400 and its the level people are expecting. when we quote our own DJ only jobs its £200.
The rate per job is moving up slowly and I would hope next year we are pushing our own jobs forward a bit. However, 2011 only currently has three jobs in it. Guess what 3 x £150 agency jobs so far.
Admitedly our marketing is virtually none existent at present, but with limited budget for kit I am not sure you are going to have a lot in the pot for marketing purposes.
When we came back into the game it took an age to get jobs and we were using agency work, but that was slow at first as we had no reputation. We still do about 25% of work as agency work. Some is £150 jobs, some are excellent paying DJ vocal jobs - swings and roundabouts, but after 3 and half years we are still building it.


:agree: with all of that Neil!!

Well off topic.... but maybe not.

My adopted Son(15) comes to stay with me every Wednesday night.He is a slightly above average Student.He's convinced he's going to be a short-haul Airline Pilot by the time he's 21......Carrying people to Malaga,Alicante...etc

Whilst I will give him as much support as I can...there is a tiny part of me that wonders wether this is likely. Is it best to tell him now???:eek: :eek:

[rob1963]

I'm back to taking £150 agency work to fill rubbish months

I've always done a handful of agency gigs each year for this kind of money, as I find it helpful to fill in some of the Saturdays when I don't have my own bookings...rather than not working & not earning a penny.

The way I look at it is that most of my expenses are fixed anyway (advertising, PLI, ProDub, music, van tax, van insurance, MOT, servicing, breakdown cover, equipment etc).

Therefore, by taking on a few of these gigs, the only real increase to my expenses is a few pounds for the diesel, and at the end of the day it all helps to bring my retirement a little closer.

[NKR]

I've always done a handful of agency gigs each year for this kind of money, as I find it helpful to fill in some of the Saturdays when I don't have my own bookings...rather than not working & not earning a penny.

The way I look at it is that most of my expenses are fixed anyway (advertising, PLI, ProDub, music, van tax, van insurance, MOT, servicing, breakdown cover, equipment etc).

Therefore, by taking on a few of these gigs, the only real increase to my expenses is a few pounds for the diesel, and at the end of the day it all helps to bring my retirement a little closer.

Don't disagree Rob, which is why I still do them. Good bit is if I get a better paying job in the agent usually shifts someone else onto it.