Heres One For The Boys In The Smoke

[Paul Smith 0]

If I get an enquiry and the date is only a couple of weeks away and it's free then I will ask the enquirer the best quote they have had so far. If it is really too low then I won't match it but if it is respectable (say..£200 at the lowest), I will agree to it because it is my belief that I would much rather be out working and earning than sitting at home twiddling my thumbs with all of my gear sat there doing nothing.

 

This widens the debate out a bit more. What would you do if a future client was at one of your 'cheaper' events and discovered that they are paying more for your services simply because they booked you well in advance?

 

This topic seems to be turning into a 'them and us' type topic. If you are down here in the south then apparently you are in the rich territory?

Well the title is 'Here's one for the boys in the smoke' The rest of us have just jumped on-board - after all why should Londoners have an exclusive (they've already got the 2012 Olympics) smile icon

[C.S 0]

Well guys ,I am from Cornwall which just happens to officialy be the POOREST county in Great Britain, it is however full of rich people from the north of England !!!!!! There are rich and poor people in every part of Britain, its not like all the poor people are shuttled into eg; east anglia!

[UKHero 0]

You know this is one of the things that gets me about this site... And one of the reasons I dont post so much and lost interest in coming here so often..

 

Why does it always turn into a pricing war.... If you get 5 6 7 or 800 quid then thats great I dont and a lot of others on here dont... I started this thread because of all the boasts we get from the guys down south about the LOADSAMONEY they get for there gigs and how crap we are up here at promoting ourselves and how much better we should be and then we too could comand the grand figures that you guys get..

 

Its a known fact that south of Watford gets more than north of Watford and untill global warming kicks in and all you guys wanna come live up here thats how it will stay....

 

Hey theres another idea for you CS an under water Disco.... How much?????

 

But guys lets please stop this silly pricing war and make this site a great resource for all DJs where ever they come from...

 

 

Nik

 

 

Ask yourself this - your friend does 3 nights a week at £80 a gig, someone else does one night a week at £240. Who's the smarter businessman?

 

And ask yourself this "your friend does 3 nights a week at £80 a gig, someone else does no nights a week at £240. Who's the smarter businessman?

 

Nik

 

 

[YourBigEvent 0]

Cornwall is the poorest county in the UK, closely followed by Devon.

 

Devon has more bankruptcies then any other county too. It also has quite high unemployment, especially during the winter months.

 

Looking bleak isn't it.

 

Devon also has one of the best, if not the best (outside London) hospitals in the country for head injuries.

 

Devon house prices are one of the highest in the country because people like to retire to the country

 

So is your glass half fill, or half empty ?

 

Best hospital = Best Doctors, Professors etc = Good money = High disposable income

 

Lots of retired people = High dispoble income

 

I counted 92 other DJ's in the YP a few months ago (I say other despite the fact that I am not in there at all), that means for every job at every hotel there will be 100 plus DJ available for the gig, so what do I do.

 

Let them fight for that gig, whilst they are fighting for that £100 gig I can concetrate on getting the better gigs for the Professors, or retired, who have the high disposable income.

 

I travelled all over the UK for the last few years, people who have said there is no money in XXXshire have been the ones who have visited me whilst I was worked in xxxshire doing a gig for 3 or 4 times what they say you cannot get in that area. This is because I aim for a particular market and get thiose bookings. Once I have those booking I work hard to keep those people happy, it may be great saying you have a booking for £500 when you normally charge £120, but you have to justify the extra costings, when they say they want a meeting you work around they and travel to them, I have had meetings in Cheshire and Norfolk before. You are charging them to provide a FULL service, if you only want to turn up on a Saturday night at 7.30pm, start at 8pm, then go home by 1am, stick to your £120 gigs. I alway arrive at least two hours before I have arranged, and always spend another hour or so after the gig talking to people.

 

I spend on average 1-2 hours a day on paperwork, sending out quotes, talking to people, networking etc.

I spend another 2-3 hours a day on the telephone talking to people

 

You get out what you put in.

You charge accordingly.

 

I do take bookings at £120 sometimes, even if it means I lose out money wise on the gig, I may put in a DJ that charges me £160, but you have to look at the bigger picture, and the picture you want in 5 years time.

 

You should have a goal for 2010, and if that means doing £200 gigs for 12 months to get some cash behind you, or to buy a new bit of equipment that it means doing so, in 2010 once you have you targets and you reach them, whilst 'DJ X' is still working the scene at £200 whilst you have the experience and the equipment to be charging £800 who is the smarter than ?

 

Like Shep says I do not answer peoples questions at all, I tell them what they want, for exsample

 

Q. What lighting do you have ?

 

You could say I have 8 Constella Chameleon Mark 4's which are 512 DMX protocol, each with 8 gobos....ZZZzzzzzzzz

 

or I say, I have some flashing lights that look nice.

 

Q. What CD players do you use ?

 

A. Ones that play the CD, why do you need to know, Dancing Queen will sound the same on a Pioneer/Denon or a Numark.

 

I have never read a book in my life, never watch anything by Randy or Mr Merry, but I do know what I want, and how to get it. It's common sense, forums like these help, but if you don't know what you want, and how to get it you are onto a loser.

 

Think of this...

 

 

If you don't know where you are going, how are you going to get there ?

[C.S 0]

 

You know this is one of the things that gets me about this site... And one of the reasons I dont post so much and lost interest in coming here so often..

 

Why does it always turn into a pricing war.... If you get 5 6 7 or 800 quid then thats great I dont and a lot of others on here dont... I started this thread because of all the boasts we get from the guys down south about the LOADSAMONEY they get for there gigs and how crap we are up here at promoting ourselves and how much better we should be and then we too could comand the grand figures that you guys get..

 

Its a known fact that south of Watford gets more than north of Watford and untill global warming kicks in and all you guys wanna come live up here thats how it will stay....

 

Hey theres another idea for you CS an under water Disco.... How much?????

 

But guys lets please stop this silly pricing war and make this site a great resource for all DJs where ever they come from...

Nik

And ask yourself this "your friend does 3 nights a week at £80 a gig, someone else does no nights a week at £240. Who's the smarter businessman?

 

Nik

 

I really dont get this type of post at all , you said you started this post because of the boasts from all the guys down south who boast about what they can get. Well why would you do that ? whats the point ? Sorry I just dont get it ? Its not exactly positive is it ,the forum doesnt benifit from it. Your comment to me about the underwater disco ,flew right over my head, is it a tease of the fact that i do lots of activities at my discos ? Was your motive for posting the initial post in the hope that some of the southern guys would make fools of themselves?I really dont get your motives here nik and it would be nice if you could explain to me.

Edited March 26, 2007 by C.S

[UKHero 0]

I really dont get this type of post at all , you said you started this post because of the boasts from all the guys down south who boast about what they can get. Well why would you do that ? whats the point ? Sorry I just dont get it ? Its not exactly positive is it ,the forum doesnt benifit from it. Your comment to me about the underwater disco ,flew right over my head, is it a tease of the fact that i do lots of activities at my discos ? Was your motive for posting the initial post in the hope that some of the southern guys would make fools of themselves?I really dont get your motives here nik and it would be nice if you could explain to me.

 

 

Hi Cs sorry it flew right over your head...

 

My original motive was to ask the guys down south would you work for this kind of money???

 

But after the first few posts it turns in to a slanging match of how we should all pull our socks up and charge more...

 

The under water thing was in gest at all the things you have added to your discos (and I have much respect for you for doing this some of the things you mentioned I already do) and I am sorry it fell on deaf ears... As to my post not being posative there are a fair few other posts in this thread also not condusive to this debate.. The original question was Would you work for this much and I posted an advert for work that had come through to me... It was not How do I make more money and where am I going wrong because im not as successful as you.

 

I did say in my second or third post lets not turn this into a pricing war as always seems to be the case on here and sadly I have been proven right again...

 

Nik

[DJ Marky Marc 0]

I dont think it did turn into a price war , a few people just offered advice on how to get you making more money..

 

however every one from up north seems to think it cant happen what ever we say and goes into the same old replys of you down south rubbish...

 

we have £80 a night DJs down here too...

 

you dont make any more money down here than you do up north in other jobs as the cost of living is higher..

 

its a fact that people in the north of england spend more money on going out then we do down south....

 

But as always you guys never listen you just start taking pops at the DJs trying to show you the light at the end of the tunnel...

 

we cant make the changes for you. you have to do it with hard work...

 

some you will win. some you will lose but unless you try hard and keep trying you wont ever change things..

 

 

[digitaldistortion 0]

D'you know...either I'm mellowing....or Marky Mark is aging......I just agreed with his last post!!!!!!!!

 

(Scary...isn't it!)

 

:dan+ju:

[C.S 0]

Thats fair enough Nik ! I also posted a "lets not turn this into a mines bigger than yours" post but ok it ended up being a bit of a slagging match. Now i get the underwater post and i can promise u if i was 20 years younger i might of tried it !!!!!!! I also appreciate that the stuff that i do is not for everyone and i honestly dont mind being ribbed for it ! ps how did you know i was going deaf !!!!!!!!

Edited March 26, 2007 by C.S

[digitaldistortion 0]

Thats fair enough Nik ! I also posted a "lets not turn this into a mines bigger than yours" post but ok it ended up being a bit of a slagging match. Now i get the underwater post and i can promise u if i was 20 years younger i might of tried it !!!!!!! I also appreciate that the stuff that i do is not for everyone and i honestly dont mind being ribbed for it ! ps how did you know i was going deaf !!!!!!!!

 

Oh I don't know.....I can give you a few years.....and I'd be the first to volunteer as a roadie for you (providing the gig ISN'T off the Norwegian coast at minus 200 degrees, or whatever!)

 

 

tongue out icon

[C.S 0]

How about in the leg of an oil rig ,100 miles off the norwegian coast ? They have just had a concert there !

[Dukesy 0]

Picking up on a point from Marc, there are many places in the South/South East where it would be hard for a DJ to earn above £80 - £100 a gig. And it has been said before on DJU that demographically, the country has more affluent areas than others.

For instance, 30-40 miles or so down the road from me is an area that is second in place to those areas which have the most expensive private properties in the UK according to the BBC.

But 30-40 or so miles up the road from me are areas where DJs have charged similar prices to what I would charge in the south.

Having lived here in 'wet wet wet' Derbyshire for five months now, the majority of my work is still in the South East and Anglia. Gradually making headway but like fellow southerner Dan (Desperate Dan) said to me at the NW meet up, it takes time to establish yourself in a new area.

Appreciate now how ADS must have felt driving all over the place! :djuhi:

 

 

 

[shakermaker 0]

Paul - I know where you are coming from mate but I like to look after number 1 and still being a relatively new business, that's the way I have to think. If I have a night spare and I get a call, I would rather be working as I said previously. If, as you say, someone did make a point of saying to me about my pricing I would explain the situation to them honestly.

 

I think Marc is dead right in what he says too. There are plenty of places in this part of the country that don't pay as much as you think, or would like to think. Just because we MAY have a rich community down here doesn't always mean that they will pay more. Believe me, I am amazed at some of the prices people pay down here (£500 plus) but I haven't done any like that (yet!). The big corporate venues like the Yates's and Litten Trees of this world etc...don't pay great and I expect that those venues pay the same allover the country. They are ok if you aren't doing anything midweek or you don't do it for a full time job and want the extra cash but £80 or £90 on a friday or saturday night when you can be earning a lot more than that doing private work is pretty poor....and most of those places go through agencies now too.

 

As an ending note - I think it's good to hear different views etc on subjects like these but I don't like the way some of the posts go a bit off the rails and turn into near on school playground arguments.

[Paul Smith 0]

Paul - I know where you are coming from mate but I like to look after number 1 and still being a relatively new business, that's the way I have to think. If I have a night spare and I get a call, I would rather be working as I said previously. If, as you say, someone did make a point of saying to me about my pricing I would explain the situation to them honestly.

 

Fair comment - I wasn't judging (as you'd gathered) smile icon

 

As an ending note - I think it's good to hear different views etc on subjects like these but I don't like the way some of the posts go a bit off the rails and turn into near on school playground arguments.

It is good to hear different views and I don't know why some people get annoyed when an opinion doesn't fit in with theirs.

 

[digitaldistortion 0]

I think Marc is dead right in what he says too. There are plenty of places in this part of the country that don't pay as much as you think, or would like to think. Just because we MAY have a rich community down here doesn't always mean that they will pay more. Believe me, I am amazed at some of the prices people pay down here (£500 plus) but I haven't done any like that (yet!). The big corporate venues like the Yates's and Litten Trees of this world etc...don't pay great and I expect that those venues pay the same allover the country. They are ok if you aren't doing anything midweek or you don't do it for a full time job and want the extra cash but £80 or £90 on a friday or saturday night when you can be earning a lot more than that doing private work is pretty poor....and most of those places go through agencies now too.

 

As an ending note - I think it's good to hear different views etc on subjects like these but I don't like the way some of the posts go a bit off the rails and turn into near on school playground arguments.

 

What amazed me...sorry to keep the pricing thing going...was the wedding disco in Essex where the base price was something like 2000/2500. If you wanted lighting to hit the moon (or Mars) then it cost so much more, if you wanted fairy lights..a bit more, and so on. Their equipment (sound wise) wasn't more than you would expect from a big(gish) rig. I suppose they get work....

 

Now why don't I get queries from people prepared to pay those prices....unless its just a question of front!

[UKHero 0]

 

you dont make any more money down here than you do up north in other jobs as the cost of living is higher..

 

its a fact that people in the north of england spend more money on going out then we do down south....

 

 

This is utter twaddle, my Wife hails from West Sussex and she has friends that travel into London because they can earn more, she does the same job in Wolverhampton that she did down south and gets paid less...

 

As to the spend less on going out down south, there is the whole of the west end open till 6am Soho, The theatres, all the clubs in brighton etc... people spend much much more going out down south I agree they get a lot less for there money though.....

 

Nik

 

[digitaldistortion 0]

This is utter twaddle, my Wife hails from West Sussex and she has friends that travel into London because they can earn more, she does the same job in Wolverhampton that she did down south and gets paid less...

 

As to the spend less on going out down south, there is the whole of the west end open till 6am Soho, The theatres, all the clubs in brighton etc... people spend much much more going out down south I agree they get a lot less for there money though.....

 

Nik

 

 

Thats exactly what Marky Marc is saying........

[C.S 0]

I see from your website Nik that you have worked for the BBC and Sir Cliff amongst others and I am sure they pay the same rate wherever you are in the country or am i wrong ?

[mikeee 0]

"are you worth what you charge?? or do you charge what your worth??"

[UKHero 0]

I see from your website Nik that you have worked for the BBC and Sir Cliff amongst others and I am sure they pay the same rate wherever you are in the country or am i wrong ?

 

 

it actually varies because of other costs Congestion charge food fuel hotel bills etc although my basic day rate generally stays the same.....

 

"are you worth what you charge?? or do you charge what your worth??"

 

 

Interesting question Mikeee and the answer from me is who decides I think im worth Millions but dont charge that much... You might think im worth 50 quid but I charge more... Is some of it not what we think we can charge.... How do you work out what your worth as an entertainer... How do footballers artists and actors work out what there worth?????

 

If you think your worth say £800 per gig and no one books you are you correct and there wrong or visa versa...?

 

Nik

 

[mikeee 0]

Nice reply. OK the question is: Is anyone hammering at your door to book you??

You mentioned Actors, well like Musicians, there are national guidelines as to charges for a variety of different jobs, so for arguements sake, one Mr E Clapton is a solo guitarist in the local pub and gets £80.00 for 3 hours (well below the guide), then a WMC for £100.00 for 2.5hrs (still below, but closer), but he does a wedding, 2 hours background during the meal, £150.00, (now he's in pocket). All the guests think he's quite good and book him for Birthdays, Anni's etc and he books them in at £200.00 (ok, he's on a roll now), after 4 or 5 he thinks to himself, Erm, I think they like me, but does't want to be greedy, so over a year the price goes up to £250.00 and he add's the extra, a CD for a tenner. This goes well, selling 10 to 20 per function, then a friend of a friend of one of the guests hears the CD and thinks thats what we want for our corporate presentation night - Bingo £500.00 for 45 mins, and so on it goes.

The moral to this story is: If you are good, you will be in demand, If you are in demand you charge more, but you look for better clients to earn the bigger bucks. But if you get to a level and it fizzles, then you are either not ready yet, or can't do it, so you go back to the pubs and clubs, and start again. Business like life is a cycle, just try to understand where you are in the cycle.

Please note: your equipement doesn't even enter the equation - it is you

 

If people ring you because of your kit and not you, go into the hire business. If you believe that kit say's it all, then may I suggest a secondary occupation - painting white lines on the motorway. (PLEASE NOTE THE SMILEY)

 

[Paul Smith 0]

If people ring you because of your kit and not you, go into the hire business.

:Thumbup:

 

If you think your worth say £800 per gig and no one books you are you correct and there wrong or visa versa

 

If you think you are worth £800 then you just have to work on achieving it. Dismiss this comment if you like but there are people out there who do and have so ask yourself 'Why not me?'

[C.S 0]

And I am definately taking more tha 800 quid for an underwater disco.

[shakermaker 0]

Underwater Disco..lol

 

"Helwooo gwub eebween n welshwum" or something like that?

[UKHero 0]

Nice reply. OK the question is: Is anyone hammering at your door to book you??

You mentioned Actors, well like Musicians, there are national guidelines as to charges for a variety of different jobs, so for arguements sake, one Mr E Clapton is a solo guitarist in the local pub and gets £80.00 for 3 hours (well below the guide), then a WMC for £100.00 for 2.5hrs (still below, but closer), but he does a wedding, 2 hours background during the meal, £150.00, (now he's in pocket). All the guests think he's quite good and book him for Birthdays, Anni's etc and he books them in at £200.00 (ok, he's on a roll now), after 4 or 5 he thinks to himself, Erm, I think they like me, but does't want to be greedy, so over a year the price goes up to £250.00 and he add's the extra, a CD for a tenner. This goes well, selling 10 to 20 per function, then a friend of a friend of one of the guests hears the CD and thinks thats what we want for our corporate presentation night - Bingo £500.00 for 45 mins, and so on it goes.

The moral to this story is: If you are good, you will be in demand, If you are in demand you charge more, but you look for better clients to earn the bigger bucks. But if you get to a level and it fizzles, then you are either not ready yet, or can't do it, so you go back to the pubs and clubs, and start again. Business like life is a cycle, just try to understand where you are in the cycle.

Please note: your equipement doesn't even enter the equation - it is you

 

If people ring you because of your kit and not you, go into the hire business. If you believe that kit say's it all, then may I suggest a secondary occupation - painting white lines on the motorway. (PLEASE NOTE THE SMILEY)

 

I know what your saying and for the most part agree with you... But still in the real world we get what we can even your Mr Clapton gets what he can....

 

Nik