posted
I noticed on the topic "What KJ's get paid" that some of you charge substantially more for weddings and private events...now, I am all for making a decent (and honest) dollar, but I wanna tell you straight-
750 DOLLARS FOR A WEDDING?!?
sadly, that is a common price I have heard quoted around these parts...and truth to tell, it makes me upset. I price my weddings exactly like my charity functions: $250 for four hours, +50 per hour, karaoke is 100 extra. Why so low? a couple of reasons:
1)weddings are EXPENSIVE ventures. It has been my experience that when someone approaches a caterer/florist/whatever, if you even MENTION "wedding" that they tack on an additional 2-300 bucks..not to mention the rest of the stuff...so it's kind of my wedding present to the couple hiring me to keep my rates low.
2)the return business is better than you think; It's been an almost guaranteed thing that at every wedding there will be a couple there either getting married next year or related to someone getting married next year...right now, over four summers, my unbroken string of 17 weddings and NO divorces! finally, 3) the gig may not last as long as you think- or else it will last a WHOLE LOT longer... either way, they get their money's worth (and so do YOU!)
now, I'm not telling ANYONE how to run their show...but I will tell you that keeping weddings and charities low will really rack up the ol' karma meter...and get you KNOWN around town... (but at the same time, if you normally make 250 bucks or more on your Saturday night gig, don't be a fool...no enticement of wedding cake is THAT good.. )
just some food for thought...
------------------ The only thing better than karaoke is BAD karaoke!
Posts: 745 | From: Portland, OR, USA | Registered: Aug 2000
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posted
While I agree with your reasons for keeping the price low, you may be doing yourself a disservice by pricing SO low... When it comes to weddings, people want that perfect experience. I have found that if you price yourself TOO low, people are sceptical, and assume they are gonna get what they pay for. If everyone else is significantly more expensive, and you are so low, they tend to assume that your show will be substandard. You may have the best show in town, but if you charge bargain basement prices, it may scare some people off. Obviously this doesn't preclude referrals, but the prson thumbing through the yellow pages doing comparison shopping will wonder why you are so low compared to others.
[This message has been edited by cliffd64 (edited September 11, 2000).]
[This message has been edited by cliffd64 (edited September 11, 2000).]
Posts: 575 | From: West Hartford, CT USA | Registered: Apr 2000
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posted
i get about $400-450 for a wedding, that's a common price around here, some dj's even get 6-8 hundred. you do get what you pay for. my fee is a flat rate with unlimited hours, i feel no need to gouge the happy couple for more money to play for a few more hours.
only 2 services can really screw up the reception....the dj and the catering service. and we should get paid accordingly. the videographer can get over $1000.00, and photographer and usually get $600 to 1,000 too. so why is $400.00-800.00 too much for a dj,we ARE providing the entertainment and all of the announcements. a professional band would get much more than that. as for repeat business, i get more back than i can handle sometimes, that's why i bought 2 more systems over the years just to keep up. i do about 22-35 weddings a year myself. the other shows do about 10 each
------------------ DJ Mad Maxx Karaoke done right!
[This message has been edited by MADMAXX (edited September 11, 2000).]
[This message has been edited by MADMAXX (edited September 11, 2000).]
Posts: 1898 | From: DuBois, PA | Registered: Jun 1997
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posted
I find the different opinions of what we are worth to be far apart at times. What can cause these differences? Why does one guy think it is ripping off a client to charge $750. for a wedding and another thinks it's appropriate. Let's look at what you bring to the typical wedding. I have 30 years of exp-eriance in the entertainment field. I have a $13,000. sound system. I have a $15,000. CD+G library and an original artist library of at least that value. Then there's the light show and fog machines and the magic tricks I use at the tables to get to make friends with the guests. There's the props and inter-active games I use to liven things up. Did I mention that this is my full time occupation? Then there's the van that I use for my business exclusively that I must maintain, license and insure. Being self-employed, I have no medical benefits so my diabetes, gloucoma and blood pressure medications as well as the doctor visits are all paid with my D.J./K.J. income. There are those out there with full time jobs that pay very well and have loads of benefits, paid vacations, bonuses etc. They enjoy going out and gigging on the weekends 'cause it gets 'em out of the house, away from the wife/husband. They don't look at it as a business but as their recreation time. Could this be why they don't think it's right to charge a fair price for what we do? Then there's the guys who have low quality systems and a poor selection of music who, because they charge so little, can't buy better pro-audio gear and improve their music librarys. So many factors in the equation isn't there? The BOTTOM LINE IS "Get what you're worth and be worth what you get."
Posts: 37 | From: So Cal | Registered: Sep 2000
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posted
Valid points, gang...just one important thing to remember- Clubs use you to generate income. The wedding gigs are trying to generate happy memories of an event. They make no profit, so why NOT cut the overhead a little bit. Christmas parties? $$$$$$$$ a whole 'nother story...
Posts: 745 | From: Portland, OR, USA | Registered: Aug 2000
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posted
I'm at the Jersey shore. You think $750 for a wedding is gouging? I scoff in your general direction! I *attended* a wedding this year with someone that knew how much the DJ was charging. Now, this DJ was absolutely nothing special, but they were from a large company. 2 ppl, small sound system, minimal interaction, some lights. Ready? $2,800. Yep. Why? Marketing. ppl are comfy paying it cuz, well, I guess the company has a decent reputation and were able to perform the task. I'm one of those $750 guys, and I interact more, and sound and mix better at my gigs than the 2 of these $2,800 dj's did.
Clubs will always pay less, but it is a steady gig. If you can afford to go into a club night after night for, say, $200, then more power to ya. I do karaoke twice a week at $175 a pop, and I'll tell ya, as much as I like karaoke, the pay is chump compared to what I do on the weekends. The setup and teardown takes longer, the ppl are drunker and more rude and obnoxious, I smell like an ashtray when I leave the place and I am tired when I get home at 1:30am and have to get up at 6:30 for my day job. Lately, I also find myself putting way more time into books, equipment, software and the time to keep up all the karaoke stuff than I *ever* did with the dj side, and I still put a hell of a lot of time into the DJ side. Don't get me wrong, I love the karaoke side, but the market around here is saturated with karaoke. You can do it 7 nights a week here, and there's bottom feeding remoras that charge $75 a night. It's a tough karaoke market around here.
Jimbodj's post sums it up. We, as DJ's, pour our heart and soul into what we do. If the market bears it, charge what you can get, especially if you think you're worth it, and always deliver more than you promise.
Posts: 123 | From: Ocean County, NJ, USA | Registered: Jun 2000
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posted
I say nail 'em get as much as you can, I recently got $1800.00 for a wedding, and a $200.00 tip, and $67.00 in the tip jar. Also booked 4 more weddings that night, with deposits. As said earlier, a photographer gets $1,000.00 to $$1,200.00, Caterer gets $20.00 per plate (eaten or not) and a wedding cake costs $400.00 to $600.00, wedding dress $2,000.00 come on people, don't you smell the money!!!!!!
Posts: 29 | From: cresthill, Il. U.S.A. | Registered: Sep 2000
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posted
it's all about supply and demand, get what you can. it all has to do with the economy of the area you work in. i have a wedding this saturday at 11:00am for $400.00, i just got off the phone with another girl who was really desperate to get a dj for her wedding this saturday because her dj just had a heart attack. luckilly i was able to help her out since her wedding is later in the day (around 5 pm). but i didn't charge her my normal price, her dj was only charging $250.00 for 5 hours, so i am going to do the same. this was not a time to get greedy, it was time to help someone out.
------------------ DJ Mad Maxx Karaoke done right!
Posts: 1898 | From: DuBois, PA | Registered: Jun 1997
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posted
I believe that the first job of a good KJ or Dj is to know his market and work within this bracket in setting prices. Next important thing is to build a system to better standards if you lag in what you can offer. I dont think we would aurgue the fact that what kills the business is the people who dont have the best they can in doing a show and kill the market in a certain area. At weddings and special functions I do my best to please the groom and bride in providing them with what makes them happy.a tip I learned back some time is people will pay for something as long as you provide the type of show they request. Further is to offer any help you can in them setting up the program. This makes happy customers and brings your name up for future gigs.
Posts: 20 | From: Colonial Beach, Va.22443 USA | Registered: Sep 2000
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posted
Way to go, Maxx!! I can see why you get so much work!!
Going price for a DJ in Orlando is generally $495-795 for the major players (these are the guys that have 5 to 10 rigs and hire DJ's for $100 to go do the shows. I do all my own work and charge a flat rate $350 for the standard 4-hour gig, lights, bubbles, karaoke (if they want it) all included. Yes, you can find any number of DJ's for $150 and they're worth at least half of what they're charging!! But like a jock around here said, he refuses to play for less than the cost of the wedding cake!!
posted
I've been in the catering industry for over 10 years. I have seen great KJ/DJ's make only $400.00, I've seen mediocre KJ/DJ's make $1000.00. That is all about negotiating skills.
NEVER have I seen a KJ/DJ put out a tip jar at a wedding.
If you want to put one out at a corporate event, that's one thing, or at a class reunion, cool. Putting out a tip jar at a wedding, bar-mitzvah, birthday, or any other social event of that nature is pure unadulterated, unprofessional scuzzbag.
posted
Ok, here's the deal! I've been DJing for almort 23 years. When I started out I was getting about $175.00 for the gigs. I was 'afraid' to ask for more becasue I didn't want to be turned down becasue I needed the cash.
But I found an interesting factor that made me thing twice. The people that didn't want to pay much for a DJ were mostly Hickerbilly ScumTrash that had a Shotgun Wedding and the families hated each other. They where the first to complain about EVERYTHING, and sometimes their checks bounced. People that pay my prices tend to have a better facility, more fun guests and TIP too.
Plus if I told a client I only charged $250.00 for the night they'll think either
A) Inexperienced B) Poor equipment C) Poor music selection D) Combination of All
It's like this. A Jaguar probably costs about the same as a Intrepid to make, but the prices are quite different. Why do people gladly pay more?
A) Reputation B) Name C) Quality D) Combination of all
$550.00 to $750.00 is the going rate for DJs for a 6 hour wedding with lights and dinner music.
If you had a good band people wouldn't balk at paying 1500.00 to $2500.00, and the bands TAKE BREAKS!
Like everything there are good and bad. People that want the good pay premium prices because they are in demand.
Dale
Posts: 175 | From: Grand Rapids, MI | Registered: Apr 1999
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posted
Again, I see some validity to the comments here- except for one: KIX I sincerely hope that if/when you get married, that you are set upon by over-greedy caterers and florists "cuz they could smell the money"...(kidding- wouldn't wish that on ANYONE) There is something to be said about "playing the nice guy" in events like this...or am I the only one seeing this?
Posts: 745 | From: Portland, OR, USA | Registered: Aug 2000
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posted
and the thing about bands is that they are quite limited in their selection of songs, whereas i carry over 2,000 cd's to a wedding. that gives me many choices. weddings rarely see just one or two styles of music, they are much more eclectic.
------------------ DJ Mad Maxx Karaoke done right!
Posts: 1898 | From: DuBois, PA | Registered: Jun 1997
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You might be nuts, and you might be crazy, but, I do agree with you.
We've done receptions and birthday parties for alot less than the going rate. But only when we think the people or the situation's deserve it.
You can call us suckers or whatever you want, but when we see the genuine emotion of thankfulness from someone that otherwise couldn't afford to have any entertainment, I think it's all worth it.
Whenever anyone's done something special for me, I always remember them and somehow try to get even with their being considerate. It always comes back around one way or another.
Life isn't just about money.
Posts: 81 | From: Cumming Ga. USA | Registered: May 2000
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