what do you charge for uplighting?

[soundmaster mobile disco]

Just curious as to what you charge for uplighting?

do you price it up as units of 4,8,12.16 ect

I normally charge a minimum of £80 for 8 units.then £140 for 12 units.if taken out with me as the dj.but for hire my minimum is £100 for 8 units

[Shakermaker Promotions]

I don't price per unit or number of units. I price per job but saying that, I also have a standard charge for Uplighting.

[Leicester Ben]

We charge £11.00 + VAT for par cans and £15.00 + VAT for 1m Battons as well as the cost of the labour and diesel.

This method seems to work well for us, this way the client only pays for what they require.

[Danno13]

£6 for standard 5mm LED Par 56, £15 for tri-LED Par 64. Setup £80 if it's only a 1 person/van scale job + mileage if it's over 30 miles away. All subject to minimum job charge of £200.

[DiscoPromotions]

We don't charge them anything as it is the van... Don't see the point in trying to charge extra for something that only takes extra five minutes...

[Corabar Steve]

Why bother charging for anything?

[Corabar Entertainment]

...for something that only takes extra five minutes...WOW! You must tell me your secret!

...not to mention to outlay on the lights as well!

[Corabar Steve]

We don't charge them anything as it is the van...
Is that where you store it then?

[WWDJ]

I have 6 units and at present I don't charge any extra, it is part of my setup, If I decide to get more units next year it will be a separate service and I will price accordingly.

[Corabar Steve]

I have 6 units and at present I don't charge any extra, it is part of my setup, If I decide to get more units next year it will be a separate service and I will price accordingly.

So you give your clients uplighting whether they want it or not?

[JAMdisco]

I'm looking into uplighting and once quoted a couple an additional £120 for the service, I even took a light along to show them how it works and to get an idea of how it would look. They booked it as an add-on to the disco but then found out a few weeks later that the groom had been made redundant so their budget had changed so they opted out.

Not sure if I just overcharged and they had an afterthought but in my opinion it would take up a lot of time and due to the venue timescale restrictions I would have had to set it all up in the morning so I felt that £120 wasn't unreasonable.

I certainly couldn't set it all up in 5 minutes :eek: :confused:
Just laying all the cables and gaffering them down would take more than that.
Obviously, health and safety are an issue so it has to be done right...

So simple answer (although I haven't provided this service yet) is £120 - that's for 6-8 LED par56's by the way.

[yourdj]

Is this all on control then as no one has mentioned that?

Wired - £120 for 6
Static - £85 for 6

[WWDJ]

So you give your clients uplighting whether they want it or not?

In a word, yes. It is part of my standard setup ... For now

At the moment I only have 6 units so limited capability to offer proper uplighting. I take the units and they get up to 6 depending upon time and practicality. I have only had the units since July and limited gigs since then so this is a bit of an experiment in my local wmc checking practicalities and setup etc.

I'm pricing myself out of there next year having been undercut anyhow already and unless they are close friends I'm not doing gigs there anymore as it can be like trying to raise the dead sometimes as they are a lethargic crowd.

I think the reality for the early part of 2012 is that customers will get 2 or 4 units included as part of the light show but my prices are already higher to reflect this.

[Shakermaker Promotions]

Not sure if I am on the same wavelength as some of you that are supplying Uplighting.
I'd like to elaborate on my earlier comments.
I have it as a seperate service where I charge the following for it:
Static Uplighting - £150.00
DMX'd Uplighting (although not worded like that) - £225.00

What I mainly do though is provide a quotation for the Disco Entertainment and then try to sell the Uplighting on as an extra at a discounted price to boost the overall price for my work.
I also say that Uplighting is dependent on a venue visit to see if it is viable to provide it. I don't want people upset if it doesn't look great in a particular venue so I won't do it for the sake of it and just take their money as I think that's wrong.
Most of the time this option works for me and it has helped me go out for very good money on a number of occasions. I do get a lot of enquiries for it but I have never provided Uplighting on it's own without providing the Disco Entertainment.

[Corabar Steve]

I can't understand why anyone would want to include it in their standard show or throw it in for free (still waiting on an answer as to why it's already in the van).

Are you people not running a business???

It's akin to doing unpaid overtime!

[WWDJ]

I can't understand why anyone would want to include it in their standard show or throw it in for free (still waiting on an answer as to why it's already in the van).

Are you people not running a business???

It's akin to doing unpaid overtime!

Probably because I don't see 6 uplighters as 'uplighting' because it wouldn't fill a room. What if I sold uplighting and needed 8 or 12 or even 20 units? I'd have to hire or source units. It just makes the job more complicated and at the moment it's a bit of a struggle managing the day job, family, disco balance.

But ... 12 months down the line, if I can make ££s by just selling uplighting or as an addon, when I have more units things might be different.

EDIT: I suppose it is unpaid overtime, but I suppose the upside is I am exceeding the customers expectations, like a gobo projection perhaps :D Sometime the extra work goes unappreciated though, which is another reason why i'm out of the WMC, because as long as the beer doesnt run out and there is a noise coming out of the boom boom disco in the corner they don't give a monkeys. I'm better than that but it might take a bit of time to get to where I need to be.

[Vectis]

12 months down the line, if I can make ££s by just selling uplighting or as an addon, when I have more units things might be different.

Unlikely, as by then everyone will be giving it away :(

[WWDJ]

Unlikely, as by then everyone will be giving it away :(

Then I'l stick with 6 units then :D

I know what you are saying, things will get harder before they get easier in this country. Not a great time to be adding 50% to my prices.

[Corabar Steve]

Probably because I don't see 6 uplighters as 'uplighting' because it wouldn't fill a room.
Maybe not, but it would highlight a wall or various architectural features. It's still uplighting & it's still an add on.


But ... 12 months down the line, if I can make ££s by just selling uplighting or as an addon, when I have more units things might be different. I agree with Vectis. If people insist on giving it away, soon we won't be able to sell it as an add on. Folks will just expect it as the norm.


EDIT: I suppose it is unpaid overtime, but I suppose the upside is I am exceeding the customers expectations, like a gobo projection perhaps :D Which is also an add on. (Or at least it will be once we'e got enough photos to promote it properly)

[WWDJ]

Maybe not, but it would highlight a wall or various architectural features. It's still uplighting & it's still an add on.

I agree with Vectis. If people insist on giving it away, soon we won't be able to sell it as an add on. Folks will just expect it as the norm.

Which is also an add on. (Or at least it will be once we'e got enough photos to promote it properly)

OK OK I get the message. :D

Joking aside, this is all really good stuff. I could probably charge per unit as an add-on but I would need to know the venue of course to see what is viable.

[DeckstarDeluxe]

In his defence Steve I often uplight the wall behind me with 2-4 units (depending on what looks best) as part of my standard setup.

[Corabar Steve]

In his defence Steve I often uplight the wall behind me with 2-4 units (depending on what looks best) as part of my standard setup.
But that's not uplighting a room & it certainly isn't an add on.

We often use a megabar or hallucination to wash the wall behind the set up, purely for aesthetic reasons. It's not uplighting & it's not a chargeable extra.

[Corabar Steve]

Joking aside, this is all really good stuff. I could probably charge per unit as an add-on but I would need to know the venue of course to see what is viable.
Indeed you could (you just need a few more units)

[yourdj]

I can't understand why anyone would want to include it in their standard show or throw it in for free

I do sometimes on static as it only takes a minute to plug them in.

especially if is is a crap venue.

I will do just that on Friday as the client just wanted a bog std DJ booking for 21st.

[Corabar Steve]

Another one who likes doing unpaid overtime. You don't want to come & work for us do you? I'm sure we could get you to do more than we actually pay you for

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

I have to agree with Steve. I was charging £250+VAT for 10 cans a few years ago.

Now people are 'chucking it in' for free, as usual it is pushing the prices right down. Typical of our industry and people who have no idea how to run a business or make some of that thing called profit.

[yourdj]

I have to agree with Steve. I was charging £250+VAT for 10 cans a few years ago.

Now people are 'chucking it in' for free, as usual it is pushing the prices right down.

A few years ago is a few years ago but everyone has LED up-lighting now so its not a novelty now.
Supply and Demand. Thats a business term :D

It only take two mins max for 6 lights not on DMX. if they want it on control then thats another matter.
If you look at the time taken to set it up vs the cost per unit (£30-40) then some peoples charges are a bit steep (mine included).

However:

Certain rooms take less time than others so a person with a residency like mine there are plugs all over the walls and it only takes 10 mins so may charge less - as opposed to another venue that only has 1 and takes forever so I would charge more and create a cost that is a relative average of all my main venues.

Also:

Who says uplighting needs to be an optional extra and not part of the lights show?

If this is the case then who is to say then that you should also charge for pa and the normal disco
lighting as technically they are paying you for your expertise as a DJ and not the kit :confused:

[Corabar Entertainment]

...and only take two mins for 6 lights not on DMX.Wow.... earlier we had someone saying they could do it in 5 minutes, now Toby reckons he can do it in 2!

I'd like to see THAT video!

:lol:

[DeckstarDeluxe]

When people do uplighting so quickly how on earth do you manage to tidy the cables down correctly? Do you just chuck the cans anywhere without any thought of where it would be best positioned?

[yourdj]

Wow.... earlier we had someone saying they could do it in 5 minutes, now Toby reckons he can do it in 2!

I'd like to see THAT video!

:lol:

OK

I will do a benny hill one in this venue (without DMX) and i bet I can do 6 in LESS than two mins (if not 1) . :p
In a normal gig I would not rush about so it would probably be 4-5.

Its not exactly difficult plugging a few lights into a wall is it?

UPLIGHTING IN CAREYS MANOR - BROCKENHURST - YouTube



When people do uplighting so quickly how on earth do you manage to tidy the cables down correctly? Do you just chuck the cans anywhere without any thought of where it would be best positioned?

Good point. some venues have plug sockets all around in ideal positions like the video above, which really helps.
I do a grade one venue with one plug which takes forever. :)

I just put the power cable under the light as it has a great little recess (flat par) and good bottom supports.
DMX'd lighting is taped down properly.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Its not exactly difficult plugging a few lights into a wall is it?



Nope and it's not exactly difficult setting a P.A. up and pressing a few buttons to DJ is it?

Sheesh....

[funkymook]

When people do uplighting so quickly how on earth do you manage to tidy the cables down correctly? Do you just chuck the cans anywhere without any thought of where it would be best positioned?

I think this approach relies on each light being stand alone, fixed colour, next to a plug socket. Walk around and plug 'em in wherever you can! S2L later? pop around and change the settings manually.

Easy peasy at some venues - impossible at others (and marquees).

[DeckstarDeluxe]

Actually Toby I will say I like that video, but........ thats all linked up with a dmx controller and scenes that have taken some time to program in the first place so blows the whole 2 minute thing outta of the water.

[Shakermaker Promotions]

I'm with Darren and Steve on this.
Surely if you are running a business you don't start adding things in for free when they could be charged for?
Ok, a couple of Uplighters or a Megabar or whatever behind you is passable if you want it to make your presentation look better but adding it for free is just silly in my opinion.

Some of you on here, mentioning no names give it the large one about keeping the image of us all up to scratch and professional, good practice etc and then do stuff like this. It's silly.