What's your minimum (hours)?

[Shaun]

Just as it says on the tin :D


What's your minimum hours that you start your rates from?.

My starting prices are based on up to 4 hours entertainment. I'm gathering this is the norm?

[Jiggles]

2hrs £20 3hrs £30 so on and so forth

[abyssdjhire]

dont you reckon thats a bit cheap cddiscos?

[Candybeatdiscos]

hmmm well i guess i would work for as little as an hour if required...if daytime then £40/50 if its for adults (depends on what kinda set up they require and how far from base)

If its a sat night then standard charge would still be £180 regardless if they want me for 1 or 2 hours etc, (again same as above depends)

[Candybeatdiscos]

dont you reckon thats a bit cheap cddiscos?

yeah but mind, he is a non-profit making DJ.

[Paul James Promotions]

I believe because he has a grant to buy equipment, he isn't allowed to make profit, only charge for expenses. Feel free to correct me?

[abyssdjhire]

right i see... why?

[Corabar Entertainment]

Sorry Liam... why what? Why has he got a grant or why is he not allowed to make a profit or......????

[abyssdjhire]

it was why cant he make a profit... but that got answered as i posted it. i still dont really get it though... what use is the grant to buy gear if he cant make a profit? surely that would be like a grant to buy food, but not being able to eat it?

[Paul James Promotions]

Probrably 'why did you decide to do it'.

[Corabar Entertainment]

it was why cant he make a profit... but that got answered as i posted it. i still dont really get it though... what use is the grant to buy gear if he cant make a profit? surely that would be like a grant to buy food, but not being able to eat it?(Callum - feel free to correct me here) I believe it is part of a community project type thing, in that they provide grants to the 'youth' of the area for things and in return, they provide a benefit to the community for a period... ie provide parties for the kids in the community.

[abyssdjhire]

right i see.. kind of... so basically (in a way) they give a grant to a young person, so that they can do stuff for the other young people, to keep the area a bit more interesting for the young people, and maybe a bit more trouble free?

still dont see why they dont allow them to make money though

[Corabar Entertainment]

right i see.. kind of... so basically (in a way) they give a grant to a young person, so that they can do stuff for the other young people, to keep the area a bit more interesting for the young people, and maybe a bit more trouble free?Yep
still dont see why they dont allow them to make money thoughSo that the young people can afford to enjoy the services on offer..... it actually took us ages to persuade Callum that "not for profit" didn't mean "free" and that he should be charging something so that he could cover his basic costs (lamps, music, his Mum's petrol, etc)

[Shaun]

Equipment repairs/replacement/upgrades should also be consdired in the pricing when operating a "non profit" business.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Back to the original post....

I charge per evening with a maximum of 5 hours and then an hourly rate after 12 minight.

I also charge for an early set up.

[Corabar Entertainment]

We are almost the opposite: charge purely on hours playing time (no set minimum as such) and offer an early set up as part of the service

[abyssdjhire]

wont get out of bed for less than £200 locally... local being around the corner. thats up to 5 hours and increases with distance. if something makes it awkward like early setups etc, then it costs more :)

[Corabar Entertainment]

I charge per evening with a maximum of 5 hours and then an hourly rate after 12 minight....and if the gig is more than 5 hours but still finishing before midnight? Is it a different rate?

...and does anybody else take notice of HSE guidlines on working hours? ie that you must have breaks if working for more than 6 hours? If a gig is longer than 6 hours, we send 2 DJs and charge accordingly.
wont get out of bed for less than £200 locally... local being around the corner. thats up to 5 hours and increases with distance. if something makes it awkward like early setups etc, then it costs more :)How much time do you spend in bed then Liam? :teeth: :teeth: :teeth:

[abyssdjhire]

How much time do you spend in bed then Liam? :teeth: :teeth: :teeth:

enough :P because we're very picky too lol

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

...and if the gig is more than 5 hours but still finishing before midnight? Is it a different rate?



Yes.

If the gig starts before 7pm, then I make a surcharge.

It doesn't make any difference what time it finishes, as long as it finishes before 12.

[Corabar Entertainment]

Sorry, didn't make myself clear enough..... 6pm - Midnight, or 7pm -1am.... different??????????????

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Sorry, didn't make myself clear enough..... 6pm - Midnight, or 7pm -1am.... different??????????????

Oh yes. :)

[Corabar Entertainment]

I'm starting to think that we are too soft on customers!!! :omg: :teeth: :teeth: :teeth:

[abyssdjhire]

I'm starting to think that we are too soft on customers!!! :omg: :teeth: :teeth: :teeth:

yes ;)

[Corabar Entertainment]

Hmmm..... maybe time to look at a few 'tweaks' :) :)

Anyway...... :sleep: ...night all!

[CRAZY K]

No minimum hours--just minimum fee based on four hours :teeth:

That sorts out the punters who understand that if you call in a bloke from Dynorod he charges umpteen pounds because hes brought thousands of pounds worth of equipment in an expensive vehicle together with his expertise to sort out your problem and whether its one , two, three or four hours doesnt make a lot of difference BUT apparently its different for us Entertainers somehow :sad:

Im amazed at the amount of people who still say--ooooh its only for an hour or two :sad:

Angela, you couldnt afford to send a DJ to Reading for TWO HOURS and NOT charge a full evening rate surely?

My business is different and I do get a lot of requests for short hours--not that its any cheaper :teeth:

CRAZY K

[Shaun]

No minimum hours--just minimum fee based on four hours :teeth:



Yup, that's what I meant :)

Whether the gig is 1 hours long or 4 hours long the fee is the same.

[Corabar Entertainment]

Angela, you couldnt afford to send a DJ to Reading for TWO HOURS and NOT charge a full evening rate surely?When I say no minimum as such, I mean that I judge the situation. As most of you know, we operate rather differently to most of you, employing our own DJs on a PAYE basis. This means that the shorter the job, the less is costs us, so we can add x hours playing time to our 'base' charge.

Obviously, it would not make economic sense to take a 2 hour job in Berkshire on a busy Saturday in June; however, a 2 hour job fairly locally on a different night of the week, or on a 'dead' Satuday night in November would be charged as such (hence my saying no minimum number of hours as such)

[Corabar Steve]

Back to the original post....

I charge per evening with a maximum of 5 hours and then an hourly rate after 12 minight.

I also charge for an early set up

If the gig starts before 7pm, then I make a surcharge.

It doesn't make any difference what time it finishes, as long as it finishes before 12.
So you make an unsocial hours surcharge?

By it's very nature the job is all unsocial hours, IMHO charging more after midnight is just ripping off the client.

It costs you no more to do the job after midnight why should it cost your client more?

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

By it's very nature the job is all unsocial hours, IMHO charging more after midnight is just ripping off the client.



I'm not actually sure I like that turn of phrase Steve.

Just because I run my business in a different way from you, it doesn't mean I am ripping them off.

If you had any other job, you work a set amount of hours and then get overtime for any hours outside of this.

I spend a lot more time on each job than just going out doing the gig. In fact the gig is just the tip of the iceburg.

Most gigs we do are up to 12 midnight, so therefore if they require us for longer then we charge them extra.

I'm sure if you did a 4-12 gig it would cost more than an 8-12 gig.

[Corabar Steve]

I'm sure if you did a 4-12 gig it would cost more than an 8-12 gig.
Yes, coz it would need 2 DJs for a start.

But an 8 - 12 gig would cost the same as a 9 - 1

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Yes, coz it would need 2 DJs for a start.

But an 8 - 12 gig would cost the same as a 9 - 1

I still don't like the phrase "ripping your customers off"

[Corabar Steve]

Just my opinion. No need to take it to heart old bean :teeth:

[Corabar Steve]

Just a phrase after all.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Just my opinion. No need to take it to heart old bean :teeth:

I take great pride in my business and don't like people suggesting that I 'rip people off'.

Older bean.

[Corabar Steve]

I take great pride in my business and don't like people suggesting that I 'rip people off'.

Older bean.Perhaps I could have phrased it better, but I just fail to see why one 4 hour job should cost more than another, when the same ammount of work is involved.

I didn't mean to cause offence.

[Corabar Steve]

& watch it with the older bean malarkey! Didn't your parents teach you to respect your elders! :teeth:

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Perhaps I could have phrased it better, but I just fail to see why one 4 hour job should cost more than another, when the same ammount of work is involved.

I didn't mean to cause offence.

No problem.

And yes, you could have phrased it better.

[CRAZY K]

Just a few points--

Maybe we price the "value" of our time in different ways.

Hours worked maybe one factor but its not everything---skill and ability is another, being physically unable to do certain things due to a late night is another that I use.

After 12pm hurts my head the next day--- the later the finish the worse I feel next day---this applies im sure to everyone not just me.

So if you are asked to cover a wedding for 6 hours and one job starts at 9pm finishes 3am and the other starts at 6pm and finishes 12pm im with Daz--you have to charge more for not just unsociable hours but extremely unsociable hours.

I once did an all night party from Midnight to 6am--I certainly didint charge the same rate as 6pm to Midnight.

There are other factors--the more tired you are the longer it takes to pack up the gear--more risk of car accidents from being tired --it just goes on.

The public can have a quote and decide :teeth:

CRAZY K

[Corabar Steve]

And yes, you could have phrased it better. :embarasse

[Have a disco]

most nights I do work disco wise are 7.30 - 11.30 as most caretakers want hirers out by 12am so I price myself accordingly for 4 hour sets anything either side of that are classed as unsociable hours more so after 12am than before

Early set up and sitting with the gear for a wedding for instance is quoted extra when priced. One has to be paid to sit there unless the room is locked at all times between set up and starting time

DJ wise Im afraid I would only go out for a minimum of £40 - 50 per hour dependant on how far I should travel

[Fresh]

don't forget after 12pm finsh and then pack up it's harder to get a kebab, you may need to add additional petrol money for this very fact

[ian8limelight]

Personally, we don't tend to charge any more after midnight but by the hour.

The minimum price is for, and based upon, 4 hours. Additional charges apply for distance and early set-up.

[Candybeatdiscos]

sod it why charge anyway - why don't we just give everyone a disco for free?

[Candybeatdiscos]

that was a joke btw