Prices Vs Amount Of Gear

[groovy-nights]

Does the prices you quote reflet how big the disco is you set up.What if you had quoted from a lower package and find the room your in is massive.And the gear you have does not fill it.
was reding somewere that one guy would not take his mackies to a cheaper disco does this mean he has to buy a cheaper sound system.Which mean to do the cheaper disco you have to buy more gear which is not as good as the normal gear used.Would it not be better to just down size ? I have two lighting rigs (til one got nicked).One i use for kids partys and small funtions rooms. But add it to the rest of the lights to make the big lightshow.Only have one sound system as cannot see te point in buying two.

[Have a disco]

I believe that yes is the answer but others will beg to difer upon this, hence I have 6 diferent pricing bands to work from. It all depends what the minimum price you will work for I dont like doing childrens disco's unless they are school organised hence my minimum price reflects this for my smallest show. But some people just love doing them as they are easy to do..

I can start from the basic set up and work my way up dependant on the venue and I do check with the customer where they are holding it, as I have had someone requesting a smaller show in a great sports hall and had to warn them it would look absolutely daft. Its down to customer preference in the end I just offer them choice

[spin mobile disco]

I have two peavey speakers I use for most gigs matched to an amp, if I do a gig for 200 + people I add another pair of speakers and another amp to give better spread. As for lighting I base lighting on the size of venue (or how much money and people) All my lighting is imposable to carry way to much of the stuff so I pick and choose what I want and just make sure I have at least 5 up for a cheap and 10 for an expensive (not including any pars).
I thinkk you will find a lot of people have very different pricing structures on here but more people = more money = more equipmnet is a general 'rule of thumb'

Hope this helps

[CRAZY K]

I thinkk you will find a lot of people have very different pricing structures on here but more people = more money = more equipmnet is a general 'rule of thumb'
Think you may have to exclude Weddings from that rule though---:sad:

regards

CRAZY K

[Dragonfly]

people need to realise contrary to a website i browsed recently you get what you pay for even with discos. i started a package thing but as you say crazy what if you turn up and the customer have ordered a small rig and the venue is huge ....... half of me says tough you get what you pay for if you want to pay less money then you get less disco....... but how good does this make you look in the long run think about repeat bookings? some will argue its not about the lighting . but surely to an extent it is???

also other side of the coin what if someone orders a large rig , gold , platinum whatever you wish to call them and you get to the venue and are in the equivelent of your front room there is a venue like this in derby licensed for 250 guests .........if they are all pigmys and 57 of them stand on the bar the smallest rig i did struggled to squeeze in.

but another venue licensed for 150 people is like your local sports hall ...... huuuuuuuge.

its a difficult one and one im really undecided on the whole package more money more disco thing the least i ever take out is 7 effects plus uvs.

and on the cheaper gigs = cheaper equipment quote personally i just prefer to not do cheap gigs???

after all thats when you get threatened , hit, beer poured into your amp etc

my rule of thumb is charge more money = get more brain cells

[leighinstoke]

I just pack everything and if I think I need more, I put it in.

Simple - saves messing about with "bigger/smaller" quotes.

[jamesh]

Yeah i don't do packages - unless it's another dj looking to hire stuff and then i'll give them a package price for what they want/need...

Basically for normal discos what ever the charge agree'd between me and the client you then get me + as much equipment as needed for the size of the venue... The bigger the venue the more kit... I do however do research into the venue before quoting so that the quote reflects the amount of work involved.

The only exception to my general rule of "the bigger the venue the more kit" is when a client has asked for a minimal set-up... In which case i quote acordingly.

[Danno13]

Yep.. quote for what your time and skills are worth..not how many flashy lights you bring. Also, i'm suprised you can get away with a 200 people gig with just two speakers. Its only going to reflect badly on you if you don't take enough sound to fill the room - no matter what you've charged.

Although being honest - personally I have quoted less when i know its a venue that doesn't need much kit... just for the sake of an easy night! Can't say i've done it the other way round though.. if the room demmands a full sound system then thats what they get.

The only exception is if you have to hire in extra kit.. then this should be added on top of your normal fee.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Its only going to reflect badly on you if you don't take enough sound to fill the room - no matter what you've charged.



You don't need enough sound to fill the room, just the dance floor I would have thought.

[DMX Will]

You don't need enough sound to fill the room, just the dance floor I would have thought.

I would have to agree :)

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Yep.. quote for what your time and skills are worth..not how many flashy lights you bring

Agreed. :)

[spin mobile disco]

200 people with 2 good quality speakers matched very closley to the amp gives very good sound I had a wedding must have had 220 250 guests with this setup and didnt even get near 3/4 power. But saying that it depends on the people and occasion, most weddings have lots of people but if you turn it up they just ask you to turn it down. Also worth mentioning adding 2 extra speakers only increases sound power or SPL by about 3db


link here for more info
http://www.yorkville.com/default.asp?p1=23&p2=17&p_id=26

Not been asked to turn it up at a disco yet so must be doing something right.
I have second pair of speakers if needed but to be honest never had to use them for more power yet, just keep them incase of problems.

[Danno13]

Sorry, yeah dancefloor is what i meant.. but even still a small dancefloor in a large room will take more than a big one in a small room, due to the sound being lost to non-dancing areas of the room.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

When I used passive cabs, I always used 4, even if it was a small venue, as I think the overall sound is much better.

[spin mobile disco]

Each to their own I suppose on this subject, I suppose it comes down to what equipment you use, the clientel , venue and of course personal taste / choice. Never needed 4 myself but I do always go to venue first to check out requirments. I played Towcester racecourse about 2-3 months ago and with the dancfloor like 20 metres aways from me and 200+ guests I would have taken 2 more cabs but at the time I viewed room I didnt know they wanted me so far away from DF.

[Ricesnaps]

Yep.. quote for what your time and skills are worth..not how many flashy lights you bring. Also, i'm suprised you can get away with a 200 people gig with just two speakers. Its only going to reflect badly on you if you don't take enough sound to fill the room - no matter what you've charged.

The only exception is if you have to hire in extra kit.. then this should be added on top of your normal fee.
Absolutely - hit the nail on the head. Said it a lot lately, but the only way to get better money and better gigs is to sell YOU and not your gear!

[Creature]

difficult this one and a dilema im facing at the moment...

as ive recently added to my rig (can now split into 2 seperate rigs if required too) and still owe some £2.000

So far i give the choice wether they want normal rig or full rig. altho I take the full rig with me - just in case the venue is large and gonna make my normal rig look small.

I think its a try it and see thing

[soundscapes]

A lot of the gear vs pricing dilema is down to the fact that your average joe public doesnt or cant differentiate between expensive lighting and cheap lighting. they are more interested in your abilities as a dj than your equipment. As for pricing, I always charge based on the size of the room rather than number of guests and dont charge differently for weddings. I really dont understand why some people charge more.

[Have a disco]

Weddings do take more planning and they have to be spot on musically. You have to fit in around there day, not them around yours for setting up etc etc and most of the time you work longer hours at a wedding disco than say an 18th birthday or an aniversary. So the price of a wedding disco will reflect these extra efforts and they should be more expensive than a std booking

[Ricesnaps]

A lot of the gear vs pricing dilema is down to the fact that your average joe public doesnt or cant differentiate between expensive lighting and cheap lighting. they are more interested in your abilities as a dj than your equipment. As for pricing, I always charge based on the size of the room rather than number of guests and dont charge differently for weddings. I really dont understand why some people charge more.
Spot on. A year ago I used to ask friends and clients which of my lights they liked best - after a pause, because actually most of them had never thought about iit, nearly all of them said "That big bright one in the middle", which at the time happened to be a cheap plastic double derby that cost me £50.

I was out on Sunday with the wife doing a chocolate fountain for an 18th birthday party. No disco, but the "room" had gear they let bookers use. Twin CD, Soundlab amp and a pair of speakers on the floor - no brand. The music was on CD provided by the birthday girl and the sound was so muffled and bassy that I couldn't hear the lyrics at times - however the who room were singing along an d I kept hearing "wow - I love this one". Makes you think doesn't it!

As for weddings, why charge more. Couldn't agree more - why? Well for me I always go along to the venue and set up in the morning and come back after the wedding breakfast. So an extra £20 for me doing that seems quite reasonable doesn't it? So what are those of you who add say £100 on top of your normal price for a wedding doing to justify that?

[soundscapes]

Weddings do take more planning and they have to be spot on musically. You have to fit in around there day, not them around yours for setting up etc etc and most of the time you work longer hours at a wedding disco than say an 18th birthday or an aniversary. So the price of a wedding disco will reflect these extra efforts and they should be more expensive than a std booking


So your music isnt spot on at any other party then ? personally I put the same effort into all my functions regardless of type. Setup can usually be done whilst they are resetting the room after the wedding breakfast for the evening reception and i find the hours worked are usually the same as for any other party, the bar still closes at the same time !

[DMX Will]

So your music isnt spot on at any other party then ? personally I put the same effort into all my functions regardless of type. Setup can usually be done whilst they are resetting the room after the wedding breakfast for the evening reception and i find the hours worked are usually the same as for any other party, the bar still closes at the same time !

I agree, I think what Badger meant was it's a bit more important to make sure it's just right, as after all, it's someone's wedding.

Correct me if I'm wrong Badger.

[soundscapes]

but making sure the night is perfect is something you should be doing for every occasion. you shouldnt charge extra for listening to your customers, its just rude.
not having a go at anybody i just dont understand why people charge more for something they should be doing anyway

[spin mobile disco]

I think what he;s trying to say is that a wedding takes a lot more preperation by bride goom, us ,caterers ,weddign planners , best man , brides maids etc. Your average Birthday party doesnt have half the work going into it comapered to a wedding. Same with anniversarries and most other events.
Your avereage party is not a formal affair on the part of everyone attending, but a wedding is almost always (apart from chav) formal. So more work is involved liasing with all parties.
As for equipment I have had people paying for my gold package for a 100 person event in a small room because they want more lights ,better impact etc. While this may seem odd this still allows the client to choose what they want.

Speaking in my own case as I dont have much experience with other peoples rig vs price etc, my prices for packages are really only a rough guide I do tailor it to venue etc to a certain degree. I just garuntee a basic level of gear for a price and what I decide to add is my own dicretion. A lot of people say they always take a lot of lights and dont charge more, I have to say I do because bulbs need replacing, lights need replacing as they wear out and the more you use the more it costs you in the long run.
I know a lot of the bigger rig people on here take a lot of lighting all the time and I'm sure it looks fantastic, and I hope they charge enough for it. But end of the day this is my only job and I have to make a living I already charge less than others in my area by quite a lot.

And I agree that the skills of the DJ are in a lot of respects more important than the gear and we all know the public couldnt tell the difference between a vasto and scanning head, or even a skytek from a peavey speaker but no matter how good you are if you turn up with a hifi and 40watt flashing bulbs you aint going to get a reebooking.

And yes I know my spelling stinks lol way out of practice.

[CRAZY K]

[QUOTE=Ricesnaps]
the sound was so muffled and bassy that I couldn't hear the lyrics at times - however the who room were singing along an d I kept hearing "wow - I love this one". Makes you think doesn't it!

I think that might be expected at an 18th --probably all drinking like mad???

Would you really want to do that Disco?

For "quality" work that you want to get into like Weddings, 30th, 40th, 50th parties etc I somehow think the entertainment would need to be a whole lot
more professional and high quality---just like you :teeth:

I believe Dragonfly and others have indicated its not business they are looking for i.e. 18th and 21sts because of the potential aggro.

Errr so why have I just quoted to do one with Barn Dancing--I must be stupid :omg:

Oh I know---quoted a high fee because of the possible aggro :teeth:

CRAZY K

[Danno13]

It does take extra effort for weddings. Like some have already said, i often setup in the morning - or i'll at least have been to the venue before the day itself to check out the space I have avaliable. Also, i often meet couples before the big day.. which of course is more expense.

Theres another side to it as well though - people are more willing to pay a decent rate for a wedding because we are probably one of the cheapest providers. Its not a case of charging more for a wedding, its that i charge less than i probably should for other functions because people aren't prepared to pay the same rate. At least, thats my experience anyway.


For "quality" work that you want to get into like Weddings, 30th, 40th, 50th parties etc I somehow think the entertainment would need to be a whole lot
more professional and high quality---just like you

Sorry I can't agree with that! Mabye its because i'm a bit younger than some one here, but the vast majority of 18ths and 21sts i've done have been great, and their certainley not a market i want to cut out. And I've had an 18th in a village hall in a poor area that have paid more than some weddings i've done!

If your not interested in 18ths and 21sts then send them my way and they'll get the same high quality show as any other customer would.

[Have a disco]

So your music isnt spot on at any other party then ? personally I put the same effort into all my functions regardless of type. Setup can usually be done whilst they are resetting the room after the wedding breakfast for the evening reception and i find the hours worked are usually the same as for any other party, the bar still closes at the same time !

Not quite what I meant you have to be even more specific at a wedding with your music you may be asked to supply radio mics for speeches have to play background music the list is endless and I will never leave my gear in an open room for insurance purposes as most wedding functions all take place in one room for the breakfast to the luncheon/dinner through to the speeches to the evening reception admitedly some take place at different venues so this can allow for differences. I always try to make my music spot on to the Bride & Grooms wishes as its no one elses but there big day. I have had to turn away guests requesting certain tunes in the past as the B & G requested they not be playing certain genres etc etc. In general prices for weddings should reflect the extra effort we put in to make the end of day reception great and memorable as its the main part that everyone remembers

[Dragonfly]

HIYA AND GOOD EVENING

I dont mind 18ths 21sts at all really provided they are willing to pay me for what i do and the service i provide ..... which for most not all but most of these types of event dont seem to want to??? im having one or two cotton on now tho that have seen me before and are now having joint parties with their mates.

got bout 3 or 4 of these booked.

[Danno13]

I find that its usually a parent booking anyway, so its no harder to sell yourself at your rate than if it were for a 30th, 40th etc.

[Dragonfly]

see ive had a lot of youngsters arranging stuff themselves ..... that have to ask mum first.

even stuff like proms etc had loads last year wher the schools had said you organise it you can have one. fair play most of them work hard to make it work for them.

[Ricesnaps]

[QUOTE=Ricesnaps]
the sound was so muffled and bassy that I couldn't hear the lyrics at times - however the who room were singing along an d I kept hearing "wow - I love this one". Makes you think doesn't it!

I think that might be expected at an 18th --probably all drinking like mad???

Would you really want to do that Disco?

For "quality" work that you want to get into like Weddings, 30th, 40th, 50th parties etc I somehow think the entertainment would need to be a whole lot
more professional and high quality---just like you :teeth:

I believe Dragonfly and others have indicated its not business they are looking for i.e. 18th and 21sts because of the potential aggro.

Errr so why have I just quoted to do one with Barn Dancing--I must be stupid :omg:

Oh I know---quoted a high fee because of the possible aggro :teeth:

CRAZY K

No alcohol at that one - just a couple of bottles of lambrusco at the end, so that's not what it's about!

As for 18th and 21st, I would personally be happy if ALL my work was that age range, I LOVE them. Give me a chance to be Pete Tong all over again!

As for the comments made by Badger, it's really not about charging more just in case they need a mic or music all day, it's about charging extra FOR those things. A standard, non early set up wedding disco from me will cost exactly the same as a normal evening disco anywhere else (assuming it's in our standard travel area). The way to make money is to add value. So my clients can have music throughout there meal, but it will cost more. On top of that they can have music AND radio mics for speaches, but they will pay more still. Our top package for next year is currently going out for £385 and I think that's cheap. But I would equally be happy to take a booking for just an evening disco, set up after the speaches and charge £220!

As I said, it's about adding value!

[soundscapes]

[QUOTE=CRAZY K ROADSHOW]

No alcohol at that one - just a couple of bottles of lambrusco at the end, so that's not what it's about!

As for 18th and 21st, I would personally be happy if ALL my work was that age range, I LOVE them. Give me a chance to be Pete Tong all over again!

As for the comments made by Badger, it's really not about charging more just in case they need a mic or music all day, it's about charging extra FOR those things. A standard, non early set up wedding disco from me will cost exactly the same as a normal evening disco anywhere else (assuming it's in our standard travel area). The way to make money is to add value. So my clients can have music throughout there meal, but it will cost more. On top of that they can have music AND radio mics for speaches, but they will pay more still. Our top package for next year is currently going out for £385 and I think that's cheap. But I would equally be happy to take a booking for just an evening disco, set up after the speaches and charge £220!

As I said, it's about adding value!

Agreed, but a lot of people charge more for a normal evening reception purely on the basis that you have to meet with your clients to discuss their requirments first ???? this is something i try to do with every client regardless of party type.

[Danno13]

Well i've never thought to offer for other occassions as no where near as much planning goes into say a 30th, than does for a wedding. Out of interest do you get many people want to meet you for other functions??

[soundscapes]

Supprisingly yes, My missus stole the idea from an american website and it works really well for us. We always make sure we have a proper discussion about the booking, it prevents customers coming to us after the event saying that they wanted x or y and didnt get it. get a lot more repeat business since we started doing this

[CRAZY K]

As for 18th and 21st, I would personally be happy if ALL my work was that age range, I LOVE them. Give me a chance to be Pete Tong all over again!


Well there you go--Hang on Rice--im sure you would rather cover Weddings and get paid a lot more than 18TH AND 21STS where the money is likely
to be less--if you are going to turn out on a Saturday---wouldnt it make it more worthwhile to earn more even if you have to work longer---:teeth:

Being cost effective etc.

Anyway from what you say they will all be I Pod Parties soon :sad:

Sorry to Dragonfly---thought I read somewhere else you werent too keen---ah but that would be the money :)

[Dragonfly]

no apology needed crazy i have stated that i believe 18ths 21sts are potentially more bother in my experience, and yes i know my area and can be selective, there are a few places with weak management that dont sort bother appropriately so if im going to put myself in the colloseum so to speak im going to get paid for it.

[soundscapes]

and the problem with only doing weddings is that most of your work is during the may-sept wedding season

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

and the problem with only doing weddings is that most of your work is during the may-sept wedding season

Most of the work yes, but to be honest I've found that people are getting married anytime during the year now.

I've had weddings in every month so far and have still got a few to go in the next couple of months too.

[Dragonfly]

id agree with that although there are alot more in the months stated i have some in oct and a couple in dec . nov still quiet sadly.