Reasonable rates?

[PropellerHeadCase]

I know that this is a topic akin to politics and religion but I can't help but think that if, as an industry, Mobile DJs can't go some way towards agreeing on what is fair and reasonable for certain levels of provided service (something that can be publicised and understood) then the problem of cowboys and unskilled hobbyists being considered in the same league as genuinely professional mobile DJs will always be a significant problem.

Whilst the degree of organisation you guys have, even on just this site, is streets ahead of anything in NZ, I think I can still say with a certain amount of assurance that in NZ $400 + GST (around £145 + VAT) is generally considered the cut-off point between the people who value their abilities as DJs and those that just think of it as a chance to hit on drunk chicks. I charge out at $600 + GST (£220 + VAT) but also usually take a sub, venue-permitting, whereas our $400 + GST DJs don't have a sub and have about a tenth the music I do.

There are certain things that you can state are certainties with regard to DJing, if not with specific numbers certainly with acceptable ranges, e.g...

1) Weekly spend on music library updates (in my case I spend about $80 or about £30 per week on new music, but I know that's on the high side compared to most).

2) What's a reasonably powered system for an average-sized wedding, and what would that cost to hire were you not hiring a DJ?

Any thoughts?

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

My thoughts are:

Have you ever heard of Richard Mills AKA Rendezvous?

He is a NZ based DJ whos rates start at £700 and yes he is working most weeks!

You couldn't possibly discuss this on a global basis, as there are far too many factors involved.

Reasonable rates to one person is peanuts to another.

[PropellerHeadCase]

Ummm, yeah, but I was referring to the UK market.

[benlewis13]

no, sorry there are still too many factors to consider.

I DJ in and around Central London, that means i can charge a hell of a lot more than some other DJs. Simply because of peoples disposable income and expectations.

[Dragonfly]

the grat pricing debate this one will rage for centuries lolol regional differences seem to be massive in some cases over here with some struggling to obtain £160 a night and others getting £400+ regularly there are a lot of factors involved and i really dont think there will ever be a difinitive answer.

[Corabar Steve]

no, sorry there are still too many factors to consider.

I DJ in and around Central London, that means i can charge a hell of a lot more than some other DJs. Simply because of peoples disposable income and expectations.

Experience being a major factor.

Must be hard for you gigging in Central London though, must be a right pain taking all your kit on public transport

[soundscapes]

Plus of course, if eveyone charges the same then theres no competition, no way for new blood to get started ( why would anyone hire a new jock when they could get an experienced one for the same price ?).
the only way this industrty can sort itself out and become more professional is for someone to enforce properly the anti piracy laws. Im sick to the back teeth of seeing jocks with laptops that dont own a single cd or jocks with a caselogic full of white top cdr's.

[theoloyla]

You cant set rates accross the industry as you will have the competition and monopolies and fair trade people down on your backs for organizing a cartel. As has been said rates vary enormously around the country and according to size, style, experience etc. I always use the analagy of comparing to other trades. The best one is car mechanics. If you go to a main dealer you could be paying £80 per hour round here but if you go to a back street garage you will probably pay half that or you get a dodgy mate who is a grease monkey to do it and moan like mad when the car breaks down!

[PropellerHeadCase]

I agree with all the points made, my point, though, is that there must be a price point at which it is impossible for a DJ to be a) making money, and b) using appropriate equipment and legitimate CDs/MP3s. I am well aware of the "oh dear, you live in London" surcharge

I had a chat with the guy that supplied my sound system as his company has a rental arm and I ascertained that my kit, not including mixer and lights, rents for about $300 a night, which is more than half my standard charge, including lights and mixer the rental would be about two thirds of my normal charge.

I realise that it is impossible to quantify experience as one person will take more out of the exact same situation than another.

One of the DJs that sub-contracts to the company I sub-contract to has been DJing for a few years more than me but I have no doubt that I am a more experienced DJ with a far broader knowledge of music and a much bigger collection (by a factor of about 10).

Surely, with the UK broken down into areas (South-East, South-West, etc.) it must be possible to at least come up with some very broad guide-lines...

Equipment
Library
Experience
Location
Travel
Certification

If you pay less than X you are risking your event with someone who is undercharging because they are cutting corners on one of these points.

I understand about cartels and anti-competitive practices and all that, but an Association can still publish guide-lines that give its members an idea as to what to charge, and on what basis, and gives punters an idea as to what to be paying.

[Dragonfly]

i really dont think it is possible to create a charge of any sort as there are just far too many factors involved...... and just because you have a massive all singing all dancing show with denon martin etc doesnt mean you are in any way good at what you do ...... for example my wedding my disco cost me £150 it was upstairs and yes i got a slight reduction because i knew the guy ...£50 at most... we all had an excellent night infact i paid the chap to do an extra hour because no one wanted to go home we had a 3m tri-lite truss god knows what lights were on it but they all worked and were pretty and colourful so who cares and we were entertained.

my sisters wedding the disco cost £300+ a t bar with 5 abstract twister 4s on it pcdj with peavey ul-15 cabs the only words spoken all night were to introduce the bride and groom on to the dancefloor for their dance. yes people danced but at no point was it a "memorable night"

i suppose what im saying is you cant say if you pay less than x you are going to get a rubbish dj likewise you cant say if you pay £600+ you are going to get judge jules in diguise..... and i really do believe gear is largely irrelavent if it is appropriate in output for the venue.