how much do you charge ?

[Cj_The_Dj]

i would usely charge £100.00a gig in sheffield for a disco that starts at 7:00/7:00 pm and finishes about 11:30/12:00 is that price about right ?

[conor]

yes that price seems resonable

[Corabar Steve]

I don't charge anything when I work in Sheffield :dhttp://smilies.vidahost.com/contrib/scorchio/sgrin.gif:d

[Cj_The_Dj]

what you mean by that Mate

[Corabar Steve]

Wedding present from me to them & both something I would be attending anyway. (both jobs are for friends, see other thread)

[ross@rds]

It's up to you what you charge mate. Best finding out what local djs charge so you dont price yourself too high or low as customers will start asking themself questions.

I charge £120.00 for a weekend gig start 7 ish till 1 ish. Works round here for me.

Heres what to do mate call 4 local dj's with an enquiry for a typical event say a wedding reception at a local hotle for 7pm to 12.00 finish. Write down the four quotes and then do a basic bit of maths.

Quotes are £140, £190, £145 and £160
Add these 140+190+145+160 = £635
Divide this total by 4 ( or the number of quotes you got) = £158.75
round up tp the nearest full £10 figure so £158.75 round up to £160
Charge your own clients £160 which would be an average fee.

[Thames Valley Discos]

Ah so experience, and investment in business would not be part of your equation then?

[ross@rds]

It's up to you what you charge mate. Best finding out what local djs charge so you dont price yourself too high or low as customers will start asking themself questions.

I charge £120.00 for a weekend gig start 7 ish till 1 ish. Works round here for me.

Heres what to do mate call 4 local dj's with an enquiry for a typical event say a wedding reception at a local hotle for 7pm to 12.00 finish. Write down the four quotes and then do a basic bit of maths.

Quotes are £140, £190, £145 and £160
Add these 140+190+145+160 = £635
Divide this total by 4 ( or the number of quotes you got) = £158.75
round up tp the nearest full £10 figure so £158.75 round up to £160
Charge your own clients £160 which would be an average fee.


Saying that most djs are self employed so set themselves their own fee for the entire function rether than pay themselves on an hourly basis. If your confident about the service you provide then why undersell your abilities.

[Penfold42]

It seems to vary on where you are and what you get - set up and lights etc,etc around here. So i've based mine on £50 flat rate and £25 for the hour or part of. This includes weddings (evenings only) - different rate if they want you there all day.
The price does reflect what other people are charging but I have built in a small amount to invest in the company, spares and others.

Should never do yourself down and at the end of the day you know what you are worth.

No experience yet but getting there.:)

[soundtracker]

Why should your price reflect what others are charging? People constantly tell me I'll never get £*** around here- so I don't bother trying, I add on at least another £125 and have a full diary. There are plenty of DJs around here that charge less for a night, than I charge per hour - yet the'yre all squabling over £75 gigs at local social clubs, that I wouldn't play at for all the tea in China. Its all about targeting your marketing and setting a price that you feel you are worth- far too many DJs sell themselves too cheap.
As a matter of interest the couple I played for last night were from Sheffield, they were happy to pay £100- per hour!

[Penfold42]

Why should your price reflect what others are charging? People constantly tell me I'll never get £*** around here- so I don't bother trying, I add on at least another £125 and have a full diary. There are plenty of DJs around here that charge less for a night, than I charge per hour - yet the'yre all squabling over £75 gigs at local social clubs, that I wouldn't play at for all the tea in China. Its all about targeting your marketing and setting a price that you feel you are worth- far too many DJs sell themselves too cheap.
As a matter of interest the couple I played for last night were from Sheffield, they were happy to pay £100- per hour!

I take by this you know your stuff and are quite good at this. I dont want to do squabling over £75 but I'm am realistic at this moment in time. What i need is experience, time and for this i have aimed myself at that market. I think i'm worth much more than that but would you book me if you knew my background......your having a big do would you go for experience or amatuer....i know which one i would pick.

Come to think of it why am i doing this..:eek: :eek: :eek: because i love it!!

[soundtracker]

If you think you are worth more than £75 the all you need to do is to convince Joe Public of the fact. Get yourself out with an experienced DJ in your area that works in the market that you aspire to and try to pick up a few tricks (but not bad habits) - offer your services as a free roadie- you'll learn a lot.
There are moves afoot to establish a NADJ branch in the East of the Country- get yourself along and network with like-minded professionals, you won't look back.

[Penfold42]

If you think you are worth more than £75 the all you need to do is to convince Joe Public of the fact. Get yourself out with an experienced DJ in your area that works in the market that you aspire to and try to pick up a few tricks (but not bad habits) - offer your services as a free roadie- you'll learn a lot.
There are moves afoot to establish a NADJ branch in the East of the Country- get yourself along and network with like-minded professionals, you won't look back.

You said the magic word then....Joe Public!! I know i'm worth more than £75 or the other half will kill me.:eek:

What you say makes sence - i will investigate.

Sorry CJ didn't want to hijack this thread.

Thanks Soundtracker..:beer1:

[Dragonfly]

With pricing you certainly dont have to charge the same as everyone else at all and many do sell themselves way too short....that said Im afirm believer that you do have to stay within the same ball park of people offering similar services to yourself ....if 20 discos around you charge £150 then you saying £400 is going to get you turned down more times than booked .... however imo you could well say £200 - £250 because this is a justifyable difference if what you do is "special"... on the £100 an hour front when you build up a client base you do find people calling just wanting to book you because they have seen you and price is sometimes fairly irrelavent.

Im by no means the cheapest round me and a fair bit more than some ... but... diary is looking ok still.

[Dragonfly]

You said the magic word then....Joe Public!! I know i'm worth more than £75 or the other half will kill me.:eek:

What you say makes sence - i will investigate.

Sorry CJ didn't want to hijack this thread.

Thanks Soundtracker..:beer1:


NO !!! you are worth more than £75 because what you do is of a high standard , reliable, safe and professional.... although I do appreciate the power of the other half :D :D :D mine does most of the phone work ....

"This is how much he charges if its too much his wife and family will gladly have him at home for the evening"

[soundtracker]

....if 20 discos around you charge £150 then you saying £400 is going to get you turned down more times than booked .... .

That would seem logical - but that is exactly the case around me - why? Because I know my market, and I am able to justify what I charge. Speak to Daz or Steve, they'll tell you the same.

[theoloyla]

With pricing you certainly dont have to charge the same as everyone else at all and many do sell themselves way too short....that said Im afirm believer that you do have to stay within the same ball park of people offering similar services to yourself ....if 20 discos around you charge £150 then you saying £400 is going to get you turned down more times than booked .... however imo you could well say £200 - £250 because this is a justifyable difference if what you do is "special"... on the £100 an hour front when you build up a client base you do find people calling just wanting to book you because they have seen you and price is sometimes fairly irrelavent.

Im by no means the cheapest round me and a fair bit more than some ... but... diary is looking ok still.

That is the secret - the diary. Price is dictated by supply and demand - its first form economics. If you are new and inexperienced you have an empty diary. You are desparate for gigs and experience and exposure. You will work cheaply. When the diary is full and you keep having to turn work away because you are already booked your prices are too cheap. Simple really.

[Have a disco]

My diary isnt full but that will not make me change my rates even though most are charging between £120 and 160 locally for a nights work. My minimum now goes out for £195 even for a small disco. But I get much better quality types of work than skanks (people always looking for something for nothing) In general people will stick to there budget even if that means its only £75 or 100. Anyone with an iota of booking a disco must realise that were out here to make money and that we all have expenses.

Whats the first 3 sentences they say virtually everytime

a) are you a disco / DJ / business name etc

b) how much are you

c) are you free on such a date

if you cant get the info out what kind of booking they are having and into a conversation then they more than likely price hunting

[Marc J]

if you cant get the info out what kind of booking they are having and into a conversation then they more than likely price hunting
Or it'll be Ross: -
Heres what to do mate call 4 local dj's with an enquiry for a typical event say a wedding reception at a local hotle for 7pm to 12.00 finish. Write down the four quotes and then do a basic bit of maths.

:D

[ross@rds]

I only put that up a mate of mines gave me them when i started out and it has worked for me and him also hes been in biz for 30 years so it must work no problem. End of the day it all comes down to where you are there is diffrent prices people will pay in diffrent areas.

[Marc J]

Nothing wrong with that if it works. It happens in every business. I was just kidding :)

[ross@rds]

Nothing wrong with that if it works. It happens in every business. I was just kidding :)


Lol also if there are alot of discos in your area you need to make your self better than them to get bookings in. Not to bad round here only 2 that i know of in my town.

[PB Entertainments]

There are a few discos in my area that go out for £75 - £120, I do charge a bit more than that purely because I think I'm worth more. That's not intended to sound big-headed, but I have several years experience and am (in the words of others who have told me to start promoting myself a bit more!) a known name locally due to being on the radio.

Also, if a disco charges pennies I can't see how they can invest in new equipment? Maybe its just me, and maybe that's why my accountant is always saying 'you've bought WHAT now??' :D

So in my eyes, you charge what you feel you're worth, and if someone doesn't want to pay your price then let them go somewhere else. In this day and age you get what you pay for!

[Have a disco]

In the end its not what you know but whom you know its better to be friends with local rivals as they may pass bookings to you visa versa, as long as you are willing to be fleible with your price to a reasonable level you could gain mre work buy helping others out. Better to have 2 bookings over a weekend one well priced the other not quiet so. It all balances out in the end

[soundtracker]

I don't understand the obsession with other Disco prices - its totally irrelevant -charge what you are worth, not judge your value on what a bunch of numpties charge.

[Shaun]

I don't understand the obsession with other Disco prices - its totally irrelevant -charge what you are worth, not judge your value on what a bunch of numpties charge.

BINGO!!

[Have a disco]

But its those unregulated numpties that continue to gazump us on price most have very little music knowledge, no PLI or PAT certificates and pay very if no tax or insurance its these unscrupulous few that give us a bad name time and again

In general the more established discos with say 3 or 4 disco's will in a small town will get more word of mouth against a one disco show so they will happily put out disco's at a lower rate than say me. Its about you doing quality nights that people will want to come back to you time and again. Until you have that reputation its hard long work to build your name.