Work

[motherwell 0]

for the past 4 years I have always had a residency to go along with my private work. this has now dried up due to the pub i was working in shutting down. I have tried to get a foot in the door in various pubs but the money they are paying is ridiculous. One was getting a saturday night karaoke for £60. sO THE PUB i used to work in has opened back up and i approached the new owner. After having a chat he offered me a sunday afternoon karaoke. I do not usually work a Sunday but I have agreed a price of £60 for 3 hours and if it works out well he will increase to £80. I have asked him to keep me in mind when he starts up his Friday/ Night entertainment. he will also have private parties for which i have enquired about. So I know its low but this could lead to more gigs and more money. i am confident enough in my ability so i thinkl this will be no problem. It is sad though that in the area i live west scotland prices are very low. many pubs are shutting downThe last time I worked for £60 was 10 years ago and I WAS RUBBISH and so was my equipment I always invest in new equipment and have built up a nice rig, infact I have 2 rigs. so here's to the future. ( Don't call me a beer money DJ)

Keith from Bonnie Scotland

[Reverandfunk 0]

Mate I'd try and get in with a venue so whenever someone books an event yours is the first number given to them by the venue.

 

60 for 3 hours is really 4 hours by ther time u set up and break down, don't sell yourself short.

[jays karaoke 0]

I agree with reverand funk, if you really are as good as you say then it's worth turning the lower payed gigs down and holding out for the more rewarding gigs.

Although this may lead to more work how much is he/she going to expect to pay you the, they might offer you Friday to Sunday at £80 a night which is not what you are obviously worth.

Good gigs are hard to find but if you promote yourself properly and advertise well in the right places these gigs will start flooding in.

Believe me i had the same problem a few years ago and a DJ gave me the same advise as i am giving you and it really does work.

Chin up and hold out for the better paid gigs.

 

Jay

[Reverandfunk 0]

Bare minimum I work for is 150 quid and try to pitch at around 185-200 mark.

 

Ive got half decent gear, am good at what I do so with that in mind I refuse to sell myself short. Anyone trys to haggle I'm not interested and I'll turn it down. Even though I run it as a business to make money at the same time I turn down work if if the punter sounds like they are going to be a nuisance.

[Paul Smith 0]

It is sad though that in the area i live west scotland prices are very low. many pubs are shutting

 

 

 

I did think things were the opposite in Scotland - recent enquiries received for your Country by the WDJA were passed to DJs in Northern England to cover as my appeals for professional wedding DJs based in Scotland fell on deaf ears - I was of the opinion they must have enough work already and was close to removing Scotland from the map :scared:

 

 

[Secret Disco 0]

I moved from the west of Scotland to Northumberland and although i was doing mostly club work, it was still difficult to find mobile work as fillers.

Here in Northumberland its slightly diffrent with i suppose a wider area to cover but they are still "Canny" with their money.

I do a lot of weddings in the summer and Xmas / new year / Corporate parties for most of the Hotels so i suppose its steady work, but a big change from working in Scotland.

[DJJEG 0]

I see this a bit different than the other replies

Ok £60 is not much on a Sunday afternoon but its still £60 more than you would usally have & it shows to the new owner that your willing & still leaves your Fri & Sat night free

Like you mention it has a possibility of more gigs

You mention you have 2 rigs, well i would ask about installing one permenantly this then gives you the upper hand against other djs & a easier afternoon

Weather the new owner re-starts the Fri & Sat disco or not im pretty sure he wont turn away a private booking & your name would be 1st...after all its your kit

In the town where i work there is no djing work on a Sunday afternoon/evening, so i do kids disco's 2 hours for £67 in one of my residency's

[eazy 0]

unfortunately bars are closing down because the money isn't there to maintain them anymore

 

its a sad fact that most bars are finding it hard to make ends meet and cover their wages as people cant afford to drink in the bars anymore

 

the smoking ban has also put alot of people off going to the pub and if they are going out go out late and get most of their drinking done before they go out then only buy 1 or 2 drinks in the pub

 

this isn't a problem for large clubs with door cover charges but smaller local venues depending on drink sales alone are struggling and that reflects on how much a dj/kj is worth to that venue

 

weddings and private parties are a different story and will always pay more for that one night but ressys giving you 52 weeks a year have to be making money or its not worth their while putting on entertainment

 

for instance say bar with no entertainment - probably less customers in ( sometimes not true out of 52 weeks a year you will always have some quiet night )

 

needs to - pay dj £££ whatever

then - min 2 doorstaff

and bar staff extra 2 hours pay

 

and with no cover charge they need to sell a lot more drinks just to cover the cost let alone make a profit , and lets face it the bar owners dont want to just cover the cost to keep us in work they want to make something themselves

 

i find most people only spend about £10 a head on the average night out as they have filled up with carry out first

 

so £60 for sunday afternoon is better than nothing , its £3120 a year that you would'nt have

 

bar trade is changing , so is dj'ing and the bars and dj's need to work together through the hard times and hope that better times are ahead