How much do we all charge on average.

[Dj brummie]

Hi on average I charge £180 for a 4 hour disco. But that's sometimes hard to get in birmingham.
Always curious to see what other djs charge. Cheers.

[surround sounds]

Hi on average I charge £180 for a 4 hour disco. But that's sometimes hard to get in birmingham.
Always curious to see what other djs charge. Cheers.

Hard in Birmingham £180. I am from Birmingham and in the right places in the Birmingham you can 3 times that amount

[atlanticdisco]

Tough to answer as depends on equipment/show being used.

Typical 4 hour gig with three light effects and basic PA would be £170.00.

I'm sure there is cheaper and dearer out there.

[Dj brummie]

I would say I have a decent setup. Also I spend 1000 a year on advertising. I just think it's so difficult if you are not getting regular work as a resident or being put forward by hotels or venues. Advice would be great.

[surround sounds]

I would say I have a decent setup. Also I spend 1000 a year on advertising. I just think it's so difficult if you are not getting regular work as a resident or being put forward by hotels or venues. Advice would be great.

£1000 on advertising? Seems a lot. I hope your return is good on that. The only problem with being a resident is you have to be committed to that venue and I do not like being in that position and for that reason I do not do them. I only deal direct with the customer.

[funkymook]

What you charge should have a relation to your costs.

You’ve got a £1000pa advertising cost, divide that by the number of gigs you do a year. Do the same for your PAT, PLI, petrol, music, equipment etc. That tells you how much it costs you to DJ which then gives you a bottom-line fee you have to charge above to make any profit.

Then you decide how much profit makes it worth your while.

[musicology]

I would charge £160 for 4hrs locally without extras. I'm in Norfolk and always booked. Price increase possible next year.

[Imagine]

I would charge £160 for 4hrs locally without extras. I'm in Norfolk and always booked. Price increase possible next year.

Blimey Mark - I get that in Norfolk and Suffolk for a two hour kid's party. It's no wonder you're always booked. I bet if you even rounded up to £200 you'd still have a full diary :)

[yourdj]

What you charge should have a relation to your costs.

You’ve got a £1000pa advertising cost, divide that by the number of gigs you do a year. Do the same for your PAT, PLI, petrol, music, equipment etc. That tells you how much it costs you to DJ which then gives you a bottom-line fee you have to charge above to make any profit.

Then you decide how much profit makes it worth your while.

:agree:

It all comes shockingly important and business like when you become completely self employed. :)
I worked out that I was loosing more money than I earn at £200 ish many moons ago. ;)

I currently charge £500 - 4 hours, £600 - 5 hours.
Usually about £100 more with uplighting or similar, and 50% of clients choose them. .
All days depend on ceremony times but vary from £900 - £1300.

I do about 80 events (1.7 gigs a week on average this year), which is as busy as I would like to be thats for sure.
The best thing I ever did was increase my pricing from a circa £220 DJ to £400+ and invest in better marketing and training.

[SC Events]

I DJ in Birmingham and for a typical 5 hour Birthday Party, we charge £275+. Weddings are at least £100 more than that for the same duration.

I'm from Tamworth, but do quite a lot in Birmingham and I don't get put forward by an agent or have a residency anywhere in Brum.

[Imagine]

:agree:
I currently charge £500 - 4 hours, £600 - 5 hours.
Usually about £100 more with uplighting or similar, and 50% of clients choose them. .
All days depend on ceremony times but vary from £900 - £1300.

I do about 80 events (1.7 gigs a week on average this year), which is as busy as I would like to be thats for sure.
The best thing I ever did was increase my pricing from a circa £220 DJ to £400+ and invest in better marketing and training.

Wow...working my way up to those prices. I'm actually about to sit down (once the mad rush is out of the way) and work out my true costs.

This year being my first year back after 15 years out, it's just been about paying back what the business has taken out of savings....and I've just about covered that in year 1 (the original plan was to pay it back in two years so ahead of the game at the moment). Yes, at times I've bid like Sid to get the job just to make the money back (including expenses) and to get my name back out there. I've just about achieved that now and as such have increased my prices...and still getting work.

I'm not a full timer - this is to pay for my pension. I'm averaging the same number of gigs as you Toby (apart from this month where it's silly season), but at the moment, I'm about half your prices.....softly softly catchy monkey. I don't currently specialise in weddings (I've done loads this year but only had the guts to take one all day-er)...preferring instead to take whatever comes my way (variety is the spice of life and all that).

There WILL be another price rise shortly once I've worked out my true costs. I've invested heavily in kit this year and now it's just a case of running a replacement program - the light and sound is exactly where I want to be, the feedback is 100% positive, so everything's in my favour at the moment thankfully. My overheads being only a part timer aren't that great, but the more I can make, the earlier I can retire from the 9 to 5 :)

Looking forward to a bumper 2015 :)

[Jim - Scotland's Party DJ]

Hi on average I charge £180 for a 4 hour disco. But that's sometimes hard to get in birmingham.
Always curious to see what other djs charge. Cheers.

You're looking at it the wrong way.

There isn't some cabal of price checkers making sure everyone in Brum knows that a disco should cost price £X, what you're actually saying is you struggle to get booked at £180 - of course there's plenty of bottom feeders and tire kickers who are always going to go for the cheapest option but if you want to move outwith the realm of being around the average price or fighting with the "average" priced guys around your neck of the woods (and sometimes even struggling to get booked at that) then you need to objectively look at what you offer and the perceived value that has to the customer.

Spending money on advertising is a tiny part of it - you've got to spend it wisely otherwise it's good money after bad.

[Benny Smyth]

I am from Birmingham and in the right places in the Birmingham you can 3 times that amount

And then some. Especially if you take the very short trip into Solihull and Warwickshire. But even if you stay exclusive in Birmingham, £180 is selling yourself short.

[DeckstarDeluxe]

Lets not have another bloody pricing thread....Considering the amount of content on this site and how much it can make you a better businessman as well as a DJ I'm rather surprised by some of these prices.

[yourdj]

Wow...working my way up to those prices. I'm actually about to sit down (once the mad rush is out of the way) and work out my true costs.

This year being my first year back after 15 years out, it's just been about paying back what the business has taken out of savings....and I've just about covered that in year 1 (the original plan was to pay it back in two years so ahead of the game at the moment). Yes, at times I've bid like Sid to get the job just to make the money back (including expenses) and to get my name back out there. I've just about achieved that now and as such have increased my prices...and still getting work.

I'm not a full timer - this is to pay for my pension. I'm averaging the same number of gigs as you Toby (apart from this month where it's silly season), but at the moment, I'm about half your prices.....softly softly catchy monkey. I don't currently specialise in weddings (I've done loads this year but only had the guts to take one all day-er)...preferring instead to take whatever comes my way (variety is the spice of life and all that).

There WILL be another price rise shortly once I've worked out my true costs. I've invested heavily in kit this year and now it's just a case of running a replacement program - the light and sound is exactly where I want to be, the feedback is 100% positive, so everything's in my favour at the moment thankfully. My overheads being only a part timer aren't that great, but the more I can make, the earlier I can retire from the 9 to 5 :)

Looking forward to a bumper 2015 :)

We all take the odd cheapy job. I did one this year for £250 as it was last minute and at a venue next to my house.
It was not very fun and very simple to run. I like more complicated jobs now like weddings, where everyone is up for a party and not halfassed. :)

Pricing is personal and no one else's business, but it should be realistic. There are so many excellent DJ's charging £200 that should be charging £400. The photo booth or magician is probably charging £300 +.

It should be a gradual process and pricing that you are comfortable with. I think mine went up £50 a year. As per the Dave Reed philosophy there is a lot more to it than just turning up and playing for 4-5 hours. He did have a vested interest in people buing kit though ;)

I will spend 2 hours in meetings tonight alone and 40 mins travelling, with fuel costs on top of that so it all needs to be taken into consideration. It so easy to forget all the background work. If you get a blind gig from an agent and all you have to do is turn up with a small playlist then perhaps its OK to get paid £250, because you can bet the agent is charging £350. As a lone trader then things should change and are changing. All of my contemporaries down south that i know (about 70 of them) are averaging about 3-400 at least and some start at £500 like myself.

I broke down my service like this.

http://www.yourdj.co.uk/wedding-disco-service.php

I would say £350 should be an average for a five your complicated function, perhaps with a meeting in person.
Depends on the venue, your marketing and service and how much the client is willing to pay.

If you have someone at a social club with a total of £2000 then they will not spend £500 on a DJ and vice verser.

The timings here are a little enthusiastic as per the mean, but are a good representation:
16929

[Shakermaker Promotions]

I agree with most of what you've said there Toby apart from the last line referring to someone at a social club.
Yes, it's usually the case but I have had a number of occasions where the venue may not have been that exclusive and it's been a DIY buffet etc but the music has been an important factor to the customer and they've paid the premium for it.
I've never been one for listing prices on the website or on forums. All I will say is that my prices have gone up year on year and I am happy with what I get for my services.
I don't do all day functions. I've not really had any enquiries for them to be honest but that could be because I don't advertise the fact that I do them.
2 gigs a week, sometimes 3, sometimes more suits me fine.

[yourdj]

I agree with most of what you've said there Toby apart from the last line referring to someone at a social club.
Yes, it's usually the case but I have had a number of occasions where the venue may not have been that exclusive and it's been a DIY buffet etc but the music has been an important factor to the customer and they've paid the premium for it.
I've never been one for listing prices on the website or on forums. All I will say is that my prices have gone up year on year and I am happy with what I get for my services.
I don't do all day functions. I've not really had any enquiries for them to be honest but that could be because I don't advertise the fact that I do them.
2 gigs a week, sometimes 3, sometimes more suits me fine.

:agree:

My own wedding a couple of weeks back I had - free room hire, free photo booth, free DJ and £1per head off the buffet.
I spent £500 on the two piece band as I wanted something live. ;)

I have just had a meeting with a client who has a peanuts wedding in a venue that is closing down the day after.
They have 250 evening guests and they wanted me to run the whole day at £1,100. Goes to show the money is there when they want something.

I declined the booking mind you as I suspect it may be a gypsy wedding importantly if the service and venue is not great I will be blamed by the guests, specially as the venue disclosing the next day. :)

Its a big responsibility when a client injects 20% of the budget into you from previous weddings, but I find those function usually have very low expectations and are blown away with the results of a good DJ/host and service. You then get lots of recommendations, most of whom wince at the price LOL ;)

So yes Gary there is market for premium DJ's in budget weddings so I was wrong in my statement, but it was a generalisation and that market is quite small. ;)


Lets not have another bloody pricing thread....Considering the amount of content on this site and how much it can make you a better businessman as well as a DJ I'm rather surprised by some of these prices.

Although i am chipping in they do get a bit boring after a while.
There are a lot of lurkers though so its good for new bees to see that we all charge different amounts relating to our own personal preferences and to get baseline figures.

A poll would have been more useful.

[funkymook]

I think one of the biggest falsehoods when the raising prices question comes up is ‘my customs will never pay that much...’.

It’s about finding new customers who will pay that much, not persuading those who never will to pay more. (though there’s a good argument that if someone wants something enough they’ll find the money for it).

I think a good website with good SEO is essential. Then being able to respond properly to any enquiries. It’s basic sales and marketing.

Word of mouth is great but it’s limited in the area and social circles it can cover and tends to get you more of the bookings you’re getting already (very difficult to raise your fee when you're always working for people who know each other).

And it’s got very little to do with your gear, as long as you have a decent, reliable set-up then that’s good enough, you’re not hiring equipment, you're selling what you do with it.

Mark (DJ Brummie) out of interest how does your £1000pa advertising break down?

[yourdj]

Mark (DJ Brummie) out of interest how does your £1000pa advertising break down?

I am so crap - I need to do a marketing budget.
Roughly mine is:

internet websites etc: £300 +
print: £200
magazines: £300
wedding fairs: £400
Other things i can't think of off the top of my head: £500+

Easy to spend lots on marketing aint it. :)

[Dj brummie]

I can't believe some of you mobile djs can get £500 for a party. As I said I find it more difficult to get half that. Maybe I advertise in the wrong places. At the moment I have a sponsored listing on yell.com. £700 and a website £300 a year.

[DeckstarDeluxe]

I can't believe some of you mobile djs can get £500 for a party. As I said I find it more difficult to get half that. Maybe I advertise in the wrong places. At the moment I have a sponsored listing on yell.com. £700 and a website £300 a year.

LOL......

Have a read over the forum topics. Yell is MDD forum 101!

[Benny Smyth]

I can't believe some of you mobile djs can get £500 for a party. As I said I find it more difficult to get half that. Maybe I advertise in the wrong places. At the moment I have a sponsored listing on yell.com. £700 and a website £300 a year.

There are considerably better places to spend that kind of money. :)

[Dj brummie]

Ok benny I know you would be shooting yourself in the foot but where would you advertise. Yell.com hardly brings any work.

[Shakermaker Promotions]

It's all very well doing the LOL thing but we're here to help aren't we? Ok, you've directed him to a Yell topic.
We all learn from testing the water as they say.
When I first went full time self employed I did exactly the same thing as I am sure the majority of us did. I monitored every enquiry I received via the Yellow Pages and Yell and in the 2 years that I was with them I had quite a few enquiries actually.
Then I kept getting hassle from their sales reps who wanted to arrange to meet me so they could get me to sign up for another year or two. I got hacked off with them constantly calling me so I said I wasn't interested.
Then they downsized and still expected customers to pay the same for less space. I went for the free listing years ago now and I get lots of enquiries, the same as if I was paying for it.

[funkymook]

I can't believe some of you mobile djs can get £500 for a party. As I said I find it more difficult to get half that. Maybe I advertise in the wrong places. At the moment I have a sponsored listing on yell.com. £700 and a website £300 a year.

Do you get any bookings from yell?

I’d say there is a client base that would happily pay £500+ in and around Birmingham. If Michelin star restaurants can fill tables in the city centre then the money is obviously there - connecting with them is the trick.

[Benny Smyth]

Ok benny I know you would be shooting yourself in the foot but where would you advertise. Yell.com hardly brings any work.

I wouldn't be shooting myself in the foot by passing on what I do. I'm by no means the best at this sort of thing (I look at people like Toby and admire how good he is at this). Do you do any wedding fayres? Depending on venue, you can get a stand for anywhere between £30 and £75 (that's the range I generally pay, although there are a couple of venues that I get a stand for free in a 'back scratching' deal). Some hotels have magazines, so get an ad in there. Potential clients are always picking up those things.

NeedADisco.com is supposed to be quite good. I've not used them yet, but I have been tempted.

Just do a search on Google for 'Wedding DJ [venue]', 'Mobile DJ [venue]' and 'Mobile Disco [venue]' and see what comes up. Any site where you can put an advert in would be a good place to advertise.

But if Yell - your biggest advertising expenditure - is hardly bringing in any bookings, it's certainly not worth it. Maybe it's the ad itself, I don't know, but that's a fair whack of lolly for little return.

[Dj brummie]

Thanks benny. I joined this forum for help and advice.

[Benny Smyth]

Thanks benny. I joined this forum for help and advice.

No worries. There are others who know much better than I, so hang fire. I'm sure they will be willing to help. :)

[Jim - Scotland's Party DJ]

I can't believe some of you mobile djs can get £500 for a party. As I said I find it more difficult to get half that. Maybe I advertise in the wrong places. At the moment I have a sponsored listing on yell.com. £700 and a website £300 a year.

When was the last time you ever looked at Yell.com for anything?

Nowadays it's nothing but a middle man for google.

Aside from that, that's not really got anything to do with what you can charge - what do you offer, what experience do you have, what makes you different from the £180 THAT is what the guys charging considerably more are focussing on, not where they're spending advertising money.

[funkymook]

Having a quick peek at your website I’d say you should lose some (actually most) of the photos Mark. Especially the blurry ones and the ones where you can see your signed frontage and mess of wires and plugs hanging down, not a great look for a wedding. I think you’d be better off with no photos instead of those (and having a single stock photo amongst them just makes them look even worse).

It’s written well, but could do with some tweaking, but not much.

Perhaps start another thread to get some feedback on your website, I think that’s going to be the best place to start re-marketing yourself.

[Jim - Scotland's Party DJ]

To add to that.

I just had a look at your website and it's pretty nicely put together, certainly doesn't strike me as cheap or that you're a cowboy so I don't see why you shouldn't be charging more - maybe a rethink about your marketing strategy for the New Year and the kind of clients / events you book are in order? I noticed a good few testimonials from 21sts - I'd say the majority of these are going to be very much at the cheaper end of the market because they're more bothered about superfluous guff at that age rather than the thing that will make or break the party.

[Benny Smyth]

Having a quick peek at your website I’d say you should lose some (actually most) of the photos Mark. Especially the blurry ones and the ones where you can see your signed frontage and mess of wires and plugs hanging down, not a great look for a wedding. I think you’d be better of with no photos instead of those (and having a single stock photo amongst them just makes them look even worse).

It’s written well, but could do with some tweaking, but not much.

Perhaps start another thread to get some feedback on your website, I think that’s going to be the best place to start re-marketing yourself.

I actually changed some of the copy on my site based on this gent's advice. The man speaks sense. :)

[DeckstarDeluxe]

Professional copywriters aren't much, had one of my sites done and going to ask her to create the written content for another one in the works as we speak. Think it was "mates rates" but only came to £40 to proof read the whole site. Well worth the investment.

[yourdj]

When I first went full time self employed I did exactly the same thing

Same here, stung for a £1300 bill and got next to nothing. That was 8 years ago, when they still had the book too.
OK if your a £200 DJ and want clients who are looking at price rather than your value. Website SEO and getting in front of clients is best.


(I look at people like Toby and admire how good he is at this). Do you do any wedding fayres?
NeedADisco.com is supposed to be quite good. I've not used them yet, but I have been tempted.



I have only learnt from trial and error just like everyone else and am still getting it wrong.
i only do the best fairs in venues I like local to me. Thats a total of 4 a year at a cost of £150 + each.
Again with Need a Disco. Great for lower priced DJ's, and you will get something from it at a £300 + price but it takes up a lot of your time justifying the higher fee so when you look at it you probably loose money rather than gain it on the several events that you may pick up each year. Looking at it as "oh got 3 so its paid for itself" is false economy. It probably has reasonable SEO benefits though, but you are directly linking your site with all of your competition, so thats not great.

A well SEO'd website, networking with suppliers/venues and work on customer sales and service skills is far better.


Professional copywriters aren't much, had one of my sites done and going to ask her to create the written content for another one in the works as we speak. Think it was "mates rates" but only came to £40 to proof read the whole site. Well worth the investment.

I have to get my new book copyrighted, so will get them to edit my website too as its full or errors.
Should be sending the final pre edit off in a minute. ;)

[DJColsie]

I can't believe some of you mobile djs can get £500 for a party. As I said I find it more difficult to get half that. Maybe I advertise in the wrong places. At the moment I have a sponsored listing on yell.com. £700 and a website £300 a year.

I used to sponsor with yell.com. Initially thought it was ok as the phone kept ringing. When I analysed it, all the calls were for low cost or budget local functions. Never did yell.com realise a gig over £200.

Stopped the sponsorship, invested the money in better equipment and more targeted marketing, improved myself and low and behold my average fee has increased by 40-50% this year.

[Tony Murphy]

If someone is spending many hours on preparation/meetings and charging say £500 for the event.

And then compare that with someone who does not need so much preparation time and is charging £180 for 4 hours playing time

Then the hourly rate is much the same.

[funkymook]

If someone is spending many hours on preparation/meetings and charging say £500 for the event.

And then compare that with someone who does not need so much preparation time and is charging £180 for 4 hours playing time

Then the hourly rate is much the same.

Believe me the difference in the hours isn't that great, but it doesn't matter which way you work it out, one DJ is still getting £320 more than the other per booking - and they both have an equal number of potential events.

[Tony Murphy]

Believe me the difference in the hours isn't that great, but it doesn't matter which way you work it out, one DJ is still getting £320 more than the other per booking - and they both have an equal number of potential events.

If someone is spending 10-15 hours on an evening event (which was quoted earlier) and charging £500
then that works out at £33 -£50 an hour

If another person is doing an evening disco which requires minimal preparation and he is charging £200 for 4 hours
then that works out as £50 an hour. Plus leaving him with more free time to take another booking.

I know which one I would prefer.

[Benny Smyth]

If someone is spending 10-15 hours on an evening event (which was quoted earlier) and charging £500
then that works out at £33 -£50 an hour

If another person is doing an evening disco which requires minimal preparation and he is charging £200 for 4 hours
then that works out as £50 an hour. Plus leaving him with more free time to take another booking.

I know which one I would prefer.

So you just do four hours of work?

You don't drive to and from the venue? Update your music, or go searching for the random requests? You don't communicate with clients? You don't do your paperwork, updating your income and expenditures? No site visits? Health and safety recon? Consultations? Venue liaising? Plus much more...

I'm envious. I wish my job was as simple as rock up and play.

[funkymook]

If someone is spending 10-15 hours on an evening event (which was quoted earlier) and charging £500
then that works out at £33 -£50 an hour

If another person is doing an evening disco which requires minimal preparation and he is charging £200 for 4 hours
then that works out as £50 an hour. Plus leaving him with more free time to take another booking.

I know which one I would prefer.

Work it out whatever way you wish, one DJ is still has more money in their bank than the other and can do an equal number of bookings.

The only people who say they don’t want to earn more are those who can’t.

[Tony Murphy]

So you just do four hours of work?

You don't drive to and from the venue? Update your music, or go searching for the random requests? You don't communicate with clients? You don't do your paperwork, updating your income and expenditures? No site visits? Health and safety recon? Consultations? Venue liaising? Plus much more...

I'm envious. I wish my job was as simple as rock up and play.

For starters Benny, I was using an example. Not me.

Luckily for me though all my work is local, within 10 - 15 minutes and I know all the venues I work in.

I have been doing this job since 81', so little updating of music is needed. I subscribe to Xtendamix and listening to music and updating my library is a joy and pleasure, something I would do even if I was not a dj.

How hard do you have to search for a music request Benny. If you still buy Vinyl and CD then perhaps so, otherwise it can be done in seconds.

I have an accountant for paperwork.

Consultations with clients are not always necessary especially when most people who book me have seen me dj before and are happy to let me perform as I usually do.

No need to prepare my music as I never work from a playlist and never would.

Sometimes I do 3 disco's on a Saturday and up to 6 in a week so yes, it can be as easy as rock up and play.

[funkymook]

Which all goes to demonstrate there’s lots of business models and they all have their pros and cons (a Pound Shop makes a profit, so does Fortnum & Mason) - it all depends on how you want to work and how much profit you want to be left with after all your expenses have been taken out.

[yourdj]

Which all goes to demonstrate there’s lots of business models and they all have their pros and cons (a Pound Shop makes a profit, so does Fortnum & Mason) - it all depends on how you want to work and how much profit you want to be left with after all your expenses have been taken out.


Work it out whatever way you wish, one DJ is still has more money in their bank than the other and can do an equal number of bookings.

The only people who say they don’t want to earn more are those who can’t.

:agree: Totally.

[Shaun]

I think one of the biggest falsehoods when the raising prices question comes up is ‘my customs will never pay that much...’.

It’s about finding new customers who will pay that much, not persuading those who never will to pay more. (though there’s a good argument that if someone wants something enough they’ll find the money for it).

I think a good website with good SEO is essential. Then being able to respond properly to any enquiries. It’s basic sales and marketing.

Word of mouth is great but it’s limited in the area and social circles it can cover and tends to get you more of the bookings you’re getting already (very difficult to raise your fee when you're always working for people who know each other).

And it’s got very little to do with your gear, as long as you have a decent, reliable set-up then that’s good enough, you’re not hiring equipment, you're selling what you do with it.


Good post. :beer1:

[yourdj]

So good you quoted it twice and added a beer on the second one :beer1::beer1::beer1::beer1:

[Shaun]

So good you quoted it twice and added a beer on the second one :beer1::beer1::beer1::beer1:

Oops..sorted. :d

[capricorn8169]

I live in the North East in a rural markdt town, there are discos here that go out for £60-£80 and to be honest they are crap,2lights, tripod and pa thats something out of Argos but people hire them because they are cheap and cant afford it.Im a professional singer so my pa is excellent and over the years have built up a decent rig.I charge £80 for a kids afternoon disco for upto 3hours and despise charging that as you all know what goes into setting up, time etc but as much as I would like to charge £150 there is no way on earth I would get work.As for evening work it all depends what day and how long.Monday to thursday £100 for 3hours plus £25 per hour after.Fridays £125 plus £25 per hour after and saturdays £175 for upto 5hours.I hardly get any work up here because of the cowboy discos that charge £70-£80 any night any hours who arnt pat tested, dont have pli and are happy just to class it as drink money which isnt declared and arnt self employed.My set up knocks the spots off theirs but hey what am I suppose to do?

[ppentertainments]

I live in the North East in a rural markdt town, there are discos here that go out for £60-£80 and to be honest they are crap,2lights, tripod and pa thats something out of Argos but people hire them because they are cheap and cant afford it.Im a professional singer so my pa is excellent and over the years have built up a decent rig.I charge £80 for a kids afternoon disco for upto 3hours and despise charging that as you all know what goes into setting up, time etc but as much as I would like to charge £150 there is no way on earth I would get work.As for evening work it all depends what day and how long.Monday to thursday £100 for 3hours plus £25 per hour after.Fridays £125 plus £25 per hour after and saturdays £175 for upto 5hours.I hardly get any work up here because of the cowboy discos that charge £70-£80 any night any hours who arnt pat tested, dont have pli and are happy just to class it as drink money which isnt declared and arnt self employed.My set up knocks the spots off theirs but hey what am I suppose to do?

hmm :-)

[Shaun]

I hardly get any work up here because of the cowboy discos that charge £70-£80 any night any hours who arnt pat tested, dont have pli and are happy just to class it as drink money which isnt declared and arnt self employed.My set up knocks the spots off theirs but hey what am I suppose to do?

The truth of the matter is that there are sixty quid sids in every area. Set yourself apart, market yourself to a different clientele and be prepared to travel further afield to get the fee you desire.

Many many moons ago I found myself in the same situation as yourself, and I made the decision to put a large gulf between my prices and all the other (low to mid range priced DJs) around me. It was a gamble but the work still kept coming in. The types of events I was predominantly doing after the price hike started to change. I went from doing mainly regular parties in local working men's clubs to nice classy weddings in plush venues all around the country. I always felt the service I provided was worth more than the fee I felt pigeon-holed into by other DJs around me. There came a point where I decided I either kept doing what I'd been doing and nothing would change or I would have to take a leap of faith and change my business model. Everything worked out great. Business is still going strong.

The biggest lesson I learned was not to worry about what anyone else was charging or doing around me and to solely concentrate on what I was doing. I'm sure there are still the DJs charging 60-150 quid a night around me. And why not! In these times of austerity there are people that are on a limited budget that still want to hold a party for a loved one, so it's good that there are all different kinds of DJ services to provide entertainment at every price level. There's more than enough work for us all. :beer1:

[funkymook]

I know a DJ who lives in Durham who regularly charges £1000+ by travelling to where the work is and offering extras (like uplighting and an all day wedding and MC service), I’m sure he doesn’t worry about £80 DJs stealing his clients. Your location shouldn’t be a barrier unless you’re not prepared to travel.

First step is to have a really good website that people can find when they do a search - if you give us a link to yours we’d be happy to give an honest opinion.

[Imagine]

The biggest lesson I learned was not to worry about what anyone else was charging or doing around me and to solely concentrate on what I was doing. I'm sure there are still the DJs charging 60-150 quid a night around me. And why not! In these times of austerity there are people that are on a limited budget that still want to hold a party for a loved one, so it's good that there are all different kinds of DJ services to provide entertainment at every price level. There's more than enough work for us all. :beer1:

A lesson I'm fast learning myself Shaun.

Most of you know, I came back into this game back in February this year.....and what a first year back it's been! :beer1:
OK - I'm not in the same league (yet) as the likes of Toby and Shaun......and I do mean YET!

I started off this year being one of those "Sids" that took any gig which came my way, many of them sub £200 for a 5 hour party. I was doing kids parties at between £30 and £40 an hour. I was getting A1 feedback, repeat bookings and recommendations....especially on the kids parties (I don't specialise in the kids market and don't want to....but there's money to be made there).

I've just doubled my prices in the last month (and they'll keep going up but it's softly softly.....)
I'm doing 2 hour kids parties for between £150 and £175 now - apparently I'm different to other discos in that I "entertain" the children???? (I'm just doing what I think a kids DJ should do but hey-ho).

Adult parties are now double what I was charging as a minimum, and bookings are still flooding in. I'm already booked for every Saturday next August, 4 out of the 5 being weddings at prices I wouldn't have dared to think were possible earlier this year.

When I first had the idea to double my prices....I winced every time I sent a quote out the door thinking I'd never hear from the client again. There was no need, they're still booking and it makes me wonder how high I can get away with.

Yes as Shaun says, it was a leap of faith, but one which is happily working for me at the moment.

[Shaun]

I've just doubled my prices in the last month (and they'll keep going up but it's softly softly.....)
I'm doing 2 hour kids parties for between £150 and £175 now - apparently I'm different to other discos in that I "entertain" the children???? (I'm just doing what I think a kids DJ should do but hey-ho).

Adult parties are now double what I was charging as a minimum, and bookings are still flooding in. I'm already booked for every Saturday next August, 4 out of the 5 being weddings at prices I wouldn't have dared to think were possible earlier this year.

When I first had the idea to double my prices....I winced every time I sent a quote out the door thinking I'd never hear from the client again. There was no need, they're still booking and it makes me wonder how high I can get away with.

Yes as Shaun says, it was a leap of faith, but one which is happily working for me at the moment.



That is awesome - well done Wayne. I've always said that if you provide a great service and you are continually getting great reviews then you should be able to command a decent liveable fee - it looks like you're finally bearing the fruits of your hard labour. Nice one. And congrats on a great first year since you stepped back behind the decks. :) :beer1:

[Imagine]

That is awesome - well done Wayne. I've always said that if you provide a great service and you are continually getting great reviews then you should be able to command a decent liveable fee - it looks like you're finally bearing the fruits of your hard labour. Nice one. And congrats on a great first year since you stepped back behind the decks. :) :beer1:

It's been bloody hard work Shaun and worth every moment. I've had good and bad gigs as I've got back into the swing of things, I've made massive mistakes with kit which have cost me dearly....but more importantly I've learned a LOT of lessons (it's not the same job as it was 15 years ago....)

I work on the ethos of being completely open and transparent, and I think the clients appreciate that. I do a lot of kids parties (I don't know why), but they work and they're fairly easy money now I've got a formula for how to do them. Somebody earlier in the year on here said kids parties will never bear fruit...but in the last three weeks alone I've booked two weddings and a 40th off the back of them so the hard work with ferral youngsters does pay off if you do the job right (it's a brilliant way to hone the mic skills if nothing else).

All in all....a very hectic first year back which luckily at the moment doesn't pay my salary (although that might change next year as my full time job is looking increasingly shaky at the moment). Do I want to do this full time?? Jury's out at the moment (that's another massive leap of faith and although I think I could make a go of it.....it needs a lot of thought). At least if I was full time though, I'd have the daytime to recover rather than working a full time job plus the disco which is the equivalent of a full time job so wouldn't feel quite as knackered as I do at the moment ;)

[Shaun]

I admire anyone that can do kids parties well. It's one of the few types of events I don't really do. Why, because they are damned hard work. It takes a special kind of entertainer to do them well. And done right it could be a little goldmine for you.

And as for the mistakes and bad gigs, well, we've all made mistakes with kit and all had gigs that we feel could have went better. It's all a learner curve. The minute you stop learning or feel you have nothing more to learn that's the time you'll become stagnant. time to hang up the headphones if that day comes.

Continued success to you Wayne!

Re: full time. It's hard work, especially if you do have a few weeks without work (it does happen occasionally). It is rewarding though, and I enjoy having the time at home, especially with the kids being so young.

[Imagine]

Kids parties really aren't a problem for me Shaun. I've got rave reviews on them (as I said.....I apparently "entertain" them somehow).
It's basically a couple of tracks, game, repeat (boring but can be fun). It possibly helps being a Scout leader in my spare time and dealing with kids from 6 - 16 every week.

However, as much of a goldmine as they are....it's really not where I want to be. Yes they can be hard work (not normally though), and it's a brilliant way to hone the skills of interacting with the audience ;) (also costs a fortune in Haribo and winner's medals)

Full time - more than aware of how much hard work it is and more than prepared to put that in (I've always wanted to run my own business). In the past 10 months, I've done 48 gigs (and I've turned a lot down by choice because I'm not reliant on it at the moment). I'm pretty sure that being able to give 100% of my time to the business I could make it a proper income possibly worth a lot more than my FT job of a software engineer....it's all down to having the guts to do it though .

Although I've officially been going 10 months though...I didn't really kick off until June (that's when I had more than a gig a month), so 48 gigs in 6 months isn't bad in my book. And now I've got the SEO and marketing off to a fine art.....next year's going to be a lot better :)

[DJColsie]

The full time work - part time DJ thing is a challenge for me to.

Done 4 gigs in the last 8 days on top of full time work and decided that is too much. Add in trying to have quality time with the Mrs and family and something has got to give.

Seeing your own business grow and prosper is so much more rewarding than working for someone else though. The pride as fees, reputation, feedback and equipment develope is enormous.

No saying that I don't appreciate the pension, sick pay and holidays from the day job though!

Oh what a dilemma!

[Andy P]

Up here near the wall where its winter all year the pound doesn't stretch as far. my pricing is around £150 based on £20 set up fee which is increased for distance and upstairs gigs. Then £20 for tax man, then £20 per hour.

[ppentertainments]

Up here near the wall where its winter all year the pound doesn't stretch as far. my pricing is around £150 based on £20 set up fee which is increased for distance and upstairs gigs. Then £20 for tax man, then £20 per hour.

sorry, but I know of DJs who have been desperately looking for other DJs to work for them this past few weeks (myself included ) who pay higher fee than that !

getting your own bookings increase the price higher.

[DeckstarDeluxe]

The full time work - part time DJ thing is a challenge for me to.

Done 4 gigs in the last 8 days on top of full time work and decided that is too much. Add in trying to have quality time with the Mrs and family and something has got to give.

Seeing your own business grow and prosper is so much more rewarding than working for someone else though. The pride as fees, reputation, feedback and equipment develope is enormous.

No saying that I don't appreciate the pension, sick pay and holidays from the day job though!

Oh what a dilemma!


Best thing that I ever did was go full time (with the intention of getting some more free time)......didn't work out that way though.

[Andy P]

sorry, but I know of DJs who have been desperately looking for other DJs to work for them this past few weeks (myself included ) who pay higher fee than that !

getting your own bookings increase the price higher.

No need to be sorry, it was a sweeping generalisation about the north east from someone who works a lot with people of working class and below.

If you are ever in need of someone you know where to find me now always happy to cover a gig for a fellow DJ

I do believe however that some DJs have to provide for the lower end of the market so they can afford a DJ but still get a good level of service that the $50 fred's don't offer. I still do 18th and 21st birthdays as again someone else has to. At present I can operate with these margins as I am still new to the game and its probably a bit cheeky to steam into the market and demand high end prices without a reasonable amount of experience and satisfied customers.

[welby]

What a great thread with some sound advice.

I think it is so easy to fall into the "busy fool" trap.

I decided a while ago just to sit down and cost out everything I do and it's suprising how much time and effort you spend on one gig and suddenly that £200 you are charging is probably way off what you thought it was worth.

I found it was also, so easy to cave in on pricing just to get work - another fatal mistake.

Yes some of my customers complained, but look at what effort you put in and cost it out and really do you want customers who just book you because your cheap.

When it comes to business you soon learn there is little or no loyalty.

So my advice is stick with it and charge what you are worth. Do the exercise that Toby has demonstrated and you will be surprised at the results.

Good luck!

Oh and for the record I charge between £500 - £1000 per event.

[alphawave]

In the Southwest i charge around working hours 8 till 12 for £180 and i dont have to travel very far to get this price.... maybe no more that 15 minute travel one way and setup time on top ...

[Shaun]

THis thread has some good insight into evaluating your costs.... CLICK HERE TO VIEW (http://www.forum.mobilediscodirectory.co.uk/showthread.php?15309-Have-you-properly-evaluated-your-costs).