Charges

[chris_gilly 0]

hi,

right i need helping out (yet again)

what do you base your charges on??

do you charge a setup fee then hourly??

if so how much do you charge for example per hour or what ever...

 

thanks

[Dream Catchers 0]

hi,

right i need helping out (yet again)

what do you base your charges on??

do you charge a setup fee then hourly??

if so how much do you charge for example per hour or what ever...

 

thanks

It is all down to personal circumstances and goals.

 

Some DJs are beer money DJs who simply want to ean enough for their weekend out, others use illegal downloads and very little equipment and also work cash in hand.

 

Those of us who do it as a business have to take into account all of the running costs and overheads of the business, the on going costs of music and equipment.

 

Others rely wholely on the income from their services.

 

Jim

[Dukesy 0]

hi,

right i need helping out (yet again)

what do you base your charges on??

do you charge a setup fee then hourly??

if so how much do you charge for example per hour or what ever...

 

thanks

Great question.

 

I offer more than a disco service therefore I base my charges on the requirements of the function, location, duration and include setting up and standing time as part of the fee which can be broken down and presented as an itemised list if required, i.e. how much everything equates per hour.

However, I'm never asked for what I charge 'per hour' for private / wedding reception entertainment. The only ones who've been interested in a price breakdown have been corporate clients.

[chris_gilly 0]

Great question.

 

I offer more than a disco service therefore I base my charges on the requirements of the function, location, duration and include setting up and standing time as part of the fee which can be broken down and presented as an itemised list if required, i.e. how much everything equates per hour.

However, I'm never asked for what I charge 'per hour' for private / wedding reception entertainment. The only ones who've been interested in a price breakdown have been corporate clients.

 

how can you break down the cost o everything?

i mean you can say well that cost me £200 so ill break it down into £10 a gig??

i think im offering my services really cheap and want to make more as this is my main job, at the same time i need money for the house etc... so i cant just put them too high so i get rejected. i need everything i get!

could you explain how i can break everything down to work out a fair cost for my services.

[Dukesy 0]

I'm a bit confused.

If you are already paying a mortgage, and presumably even the minimum of living expenses, then surely you have income from this activity already?

 

 

With regards to how can I break down my prices - easy, I'm a professional service and I've been promoting my dj and disco service professionally since 1997 - plus I have over 21 years experience as a DJ. smile icon

I have a mortgage and a family and a cat. The cat eats me out of house and home so I have to have a little bit of a business head on to keep what I have! LOL!

 

The best tip I was ever given is what I'll pass to you - keep receipts for everything.

 

I fill up the car - I have a receipt.

I buy a CD or equipment - I keep the receipt.

I buy cat food - I keep the receipt - why, I don't know but I do.

I buy clothing or advertise, or buy PLI or pay for a PAT test - I keep a receipt.

 

Breaking down figures is easy. Sounds like you need a business plan.

Here are some office templates here

 

Being able to refer to the plan - ongoing with the development of the business, it's worthwhile. smile icon

 

Internet wise, have a look at the Business Link site for advice. If you are under 30 yrs, the Princes Trust can assist / advise as a business start up. They may even be able to help you with a grant too.

 

[chris_gilly 0]

I'm a bit confused.

If you are already paying a mortgage, and presumably even the minimum of living expenses, then surely you have income from this activity already?

With regards to how can I break down my prices - easy, I'm a professional service and I've been promoting my dj and disco service professionally since 1997 - plus I have over 21 years experience as a DJ. smile icon

I have a mortgage and a family and a cat. The cat eats me out of house and home so I have to have a little bit of a business head on to keep what I have! LOL!

 

The best tip I was ever given is what I'll pass to you - keep receipts for everything.

 

I fill up the car - I have a receipt.

I buy a CD or equipment - I keep the receipt.

I buy cat food - I keep the receipt - why, I don't know but I do.

I buy clothing or advertise, or buy PLI or pay for a PAT test - I keep a receipt.

 

Breaking down figures is easy. Sounds like you need a business plan.

Here are some office templates here

 

Being able to refer to the plan - ongoing with the development of the business, it's worthwhile. smile icon

 

Internet wise, have a look at the Business Link site for advice. If you are under 30 yrs, the Princes Trust can assist / advise as a business start up. They may even be able to help you with a grant too.

 

my cats like that tooo! darn thing!!

ok thanks i get what you mean, thanks

 

[Kingy 0]

Why not ring 5 djs in your area and ask them to quote for a gig. You should then add all 5 together and divide the answer by 5 to give you an average. Base your charges around that average figure. Just a suggestion.

 

[Dukesy 0]

Yes - this has been mentioned in the Knowledgebase by DJ Seer and Guru Chrispy smile icon

 

How much should I charge for a disco?

Hourly Rates and Fee's

 

Most D.J's tend to be Self Employed and working for themselves therefore they set their own fee for the entire function rather than pay themselves on an hourly basis. The the best way of finding out how much D.J's charge in your local area, is to phone a local D.J and ask how much it would cost you to book a disco

 

The best way to start out is to charge the average for your area. This way you are not to expensive, and not too cheap either. To work out the average you need to contact 4 local D.J's with an enquiry for a typical event, say a Wedding Reception, at a local hotel for 7pm to 12.00 finish. Write down the four quotes, and then do a basic bit of Maths.

 

Quotes from your local competition are £140, £190, £145 and £160

 

Add these Together:- £140 + £190 + £145 + £160 = £635

 

Divide this total by 4 (or the number of quotes you got) = £158.75

 

Round up to the nearest full £10 figure, so £158.75 round up to £160

 

Charge your own clients £160, which would be an average fee.

 

You may think that D.J's get paid well but when you take into account that their fee also has to pay for C.d's, Advertising, Vehicle Cost's and Fuel, and the purchasing and maintaining of their Sound and Lighting Equipment means that only a small percentage of the fee charged is actually profit for the D.J. Obviously if you can get booked 2 or 3 times a week, rather than once a month then you will make more money.

 

Many D.J's have to start out by undercutting other D.J's locally in order to win business. There are some points about this which you may like to consider. First of all, being the cheapest isn't always the best move especially for those with little experience. Clients may be suspicious of any new disco on the block, providing a service for below the going rate, they may feel that by being the cheapest that you aren't good at the job. Of course this is the direct opposite of what you intended it to do.

 

If you are confident about the service you provide then why undersell your abilities? or Underprice yourself. Always charge the going rate, or average fee for the area. You may have to work twice as hard on promoting your business and spend more on advertising, but being the cheapest is not really a viable option.

 

You also need to keep accounts. If your Disco is run alongside other self employment or a full time Job, then you'll probably have to pay tax on every penny of profit you make. So don't forget to factor in these costs as well, and any accountants fee's!.

 

In the beginning you may choose to work for a D.J as an assistant or roadie, in order to learn the business. You may find that the pay is very poor - sometimes you may have to offer to help out for nothing in order to gain experience, although you'll probably find that most D.J's will pay you a small amount to help out, or cover your expenses Remember, although the pay is poor, as a "Roadie" you will be gaining the valuable experience of how to run a Disco, which is something that can't be taught in any college or attending a DJ course, which may cost YOU!.

 

Regular Booking Charges

 

Regular Bookings are a good way to win regular work, and a good P.R excercise at the same time. Pubs and Function Rooms may expect a discount in return for a diary full of bookings, or a full block of bookings over the Xmas period. Depending on the amount of work given you can negotiate a discount. An fair idea would be 20% if the booking was on a weekly basis, or 10% to 15% if it was just a short run of bookings. Don't forget that if you have a residency you may be able to leave all or part of your gear set up all of the time, making the Job easier for you.

 

Charity Events

 

You will probably be approached by numerous charities every year, each wanting to obtain your services cheaply or for nothing. Every year I do one Free function for a nominated charity, and then a small discount to any registered charity event, booked during the rest of the year.

 

Charity events can be a good community P.R excercise. If you decide to help a charity out on price, then also negotiate advertising in return for your services. Perhaps a free ad in their newsletter, or a sponsor announcement in the local press.

 

Source

[vokf 0]

hi,

right i need helping out (yet again)

what do you base your charges on??

do you charge a setup fee then hourly??

if so how much do you charge for example per hour or what ever...

 

thanks

 

Adding to the other posts here, its worthwhile knowing your costs

- Fuel and Equipment wear n tear (obvious items such as amp/lighting etc, but also your car/van)

- Music costs

- Other expenses (FSB/Professional associations/Bank charges/accountancy fees etc)

 

You'll probably be paying some income Tax/NI on your earnings (after expenses), so allow 25%.

A £200 gig may break down to;

-Fuel £20

-Wear n Tear £20

-Admin £10

-Income Tax (£150 @ 25%) £38 ( I'll assume you have another job so will be paying at least full rate)

 

Income = £112! (assuming you don't need to buy new music, or food/drinks!)*

 

You can increase your earnings in 3 ways;

-Decrease your costs (stick to 50 or 60Mph on the motorway and don't worry about spares)

-Increase your price

-Increase turnover (more gigs, but fuel and wear/tear will increase)

 

A balance is good, most companies will try to reduce costs, and increase sales - raising prices isn't always possible without a new product or service.

 

The actual price you can charge will depend on your location and what you can offer.

However, you can clearly see that if you run it as a business, its easy to justify a genuine rate but getting someone to pay it is down to you.

 

Apart from being recommended, written contracts, face-to-face meetings, professionally written emails will help achieve this, and treating the business side casually will not. You may be the best party DJ in the UK with the best gear, but spelling mistakes in emails and not returning calls won't help achieve success.

 

 

I personally have a fixed rate for setting up and packing up (so just to play 1 song will cost xxx).

Then I aim for an hourly rate.

I don't normally charge extra for fuel/travelling (most gigs are local, I would charge extra if I felt the fuel costs would be significant, or I would need a face-to-face meeting).

 

I do charge for extra time, and this is stated in my contract.

 

It is totally up to you what you want to charge - there is no law stating £10, £50 or £100/hr. Most of us would like as much as possible, but at the higher end, the required level of service that is expected will be high. Sometimes lots of mid-priced gigs may be less hassle than a few big earners.

 

Sorry if this doesn't answer your question directly, but I hope its food for thought!

 

Jason

*Maths are not my strong point... But the general idea is there... :joe:

[Andy Westcott 0]

To assess your charges properly is a complicated process, but if you've been working for a while you should be able to predict fairly accurately how many gigs you will secure throughout the year. Note this number.

 

Now add together all your running expenses, such as equipment testing, PLI, ProDub (if needed), all vehicle costs including fuel, phone call costs, and your projected music spend (again based on previous years).

 

You will need a 'kitty' to pay for equipment repairs and replacement, so make a sensible guesstimate of this.

 

Now - add all the projected expenses together and divide by the expected number of gigs - this will provide you with a minimum cost per gig.

 

Now you need to add to that figure to provide you with some profit, allowing for the tax man's cut.

 

If you are lucky, well-booked or just careful, your expenses may not be too much, allowing for a better profit margin, or the opportunity to undercut some of the competition, but beware the advice given earlier in as much that too low a price may make some people wary - this aspect will obviously depend on your target client.

[cctvguy 0]

In my case I chrge on a cumulative basis. I've seen many DJ's make the mistake of selling themselves short. I come from a conferencing background so we always gave the customer a choice, in the case of DJ work it goes like this:

 

A basic charge for 8pm until 12pm - music only

additionl cost for lighting - basic rig

Say £50 extra for 1pm finish

Additional cost for karaoke!

Lighting effects are then on a sliding scale ie laser show smoke pyros.

 

Gives your customer the knowledge that if they ask for more, they PAY for it. I've fallen for the trap in the past where the customer presumed the price covered ALL.....and more.

 

Stick a price in midway ie including lights, smoke, karaoke and a 7pm start. You can they negotiate the final price from there. Many people don't like to admit they are strapped for cash so give them the choice to reduce the requirements....and in turn price....to suit their pocket.

 

 

[Danno13 0]

The only pitfall with the above is they're still getting the same DJ/performance and the price only varies with equpiment used.

 

So what should have the biggest bearing? Your skill as a DJ or your skill in putting equpiment together, which anyone can do!

Edited November 10, 2008 by Danno13

[UKHero 0]

The only pitfall with the above is they're still getting the same DJ/performance and the price only varies with equpiment used.

 

So what should have the biggest bearing? Your skill as a DJ or your skill in putting equpiment together, which anyone can do!

 

Hmm I sort of see what your saying but I dont entirely agree... If you were correct then a guy turning up with a 1980's FAL system is as good as a DJ with a Bose L1 system... While the DJ might be the same the level of entertainment provided will be much higher with the bose rig. And I would think this has to be taken into account.

 

It also shows that the operator takes there business and there service very seriously by investing in new quality equipment....

 

Nik

[Bouncy Dancefloor 0]

A basic charge for 8pm until 12pm - music only

additionl cost for lighting - basic rig

 

ive always wondered about this one, does anyone book JUST music?

I often get asked, does this price include disco lights? Sometimes i feel like saying "DUUUUUH its not a disco with lights!!" but politely say of course it includes a state of the art lightshow etc

[DJ JENX 0]

Hmm I sort of see what your saying but I dont entirely agree... If you were correct then a guy turning up with a 1980's FAL system is as good as a DJ with a Bose L1 system... While the DJ might be the same the level of entertainment provided will be much higher with the bose rig. And I would think this has to be taken into account.

 

It also shows that the operator takes there business and there service very seriously by investing in new quality equipment....

 

Nik

 

Nik

 

Agree in a way, however does a customer care what rig you bring? Maybe you have, but I have never been asked what equipment I bring. Id say that 90% of my customers wouldnt know the difference between a maplin special offer or a very expensive high quality alternative.

 

I suppose it is then down to how you pitch it, and you must explain why your rig is better and how it would improve the customers experience?

 

 

[UKHero 0]

Nik

 

Agree in a way, however does a customer care what rig you bring? Maybe you have, but I have never been asked what equipment I bring. Id say that 90% of my customers wouldnt know the difference between a maplin special offer or a very expensive high quality alternative.

 

I suppose it is then down to how you pitch it, and you must explain why your rig is better and how it would improve the customers experience?

 

But what about how it sounds and looks on the big day... Will a Maplin special sound like a Mackie Wonder or a JBL boomer? Will some plastic lamps that make just a twinkle compare to a high quality DMX lighting rig?

 

I have been asked, recently in fact, here is a copy of the e-mail

 

Hi,

 

Just wanting to

 

a) Check if 20th June 2009 was still free and

b) Ask about the lighting you provide? What sort is it? What kind of displays/equipment?

 

Thanks,

 

Andrew

 

 

And my reply was Thus

 

 

Hi Andrew

 

Yes the 20th is still currently available.

 

I use a selection of lighting including Moving heads, LED Par cans Martin Ego 2’s a glitter ball, Acme imposibleds and a lighting box or black felt to the front of the disco. I also use a 32” video screen for the videos and the photographs to be displayed on. Some venues are tight on space so this can be reduced to fit a smaller venue.

 

PA wise I use Cerwin Vega and studio master amps and speakers. This might be different by the time your reception comes around as we are changing and up-dating on a continual basis, but I hope this gives you an idea. We can provide other extras to your requirements but would have to re quote for this.

 

I hope this helps and if you require any further information please shout.

 

Kind Regards

 

Nik Andrews

 

 

Today I got conformation of the booking :Thumbup:

 

Nik

Edited November 11, 2008 by UKHero

[DJ JENX 0]

Nik

 

Totally agree that there would be a difference in both sound and lighting, however I do feel that the majority of customers A) Dont care and B) wouldnt really notice anyway.

 

Thats all. Of course there are those that would notice the difference and those that care in advance, but I as of yet have only ever been asked the once.

 

Dont get me wrong I agree with the need to invest in proper kit as itll save you in the future, they tend to sound better and last longer, however I am just expressing my opinion that customers wouldnt care.

 

Before I started I would never have asked a DJ what kit he had.

[Dream Catchers 0]

I was asked at a pre wedding meeting, in the summer, if I would be bringing lights. I said "I'm sorry, I didn't think you wanted lights at a disco, I haven't got any!", the B2B looked very sheepish and said it was OK, I then explained I was only joking and what I would be using, she was relieved LOL

 

At a meeting for another wedding the future groom asked me what lighting I would be using and could I write it down, he seemed pretty genned up and was impressed.

 

Nobody has asked about sound though.

 

Jim

[Kingy 0]

I have ben asked about lighting too, but once you mention that you will utilise suitable equipment they never push it any further. I think they just guess you will bring appropriate stuff.

 

I sometimes think less is more in this department.

[spinner 0]

Would it not be fair to have different charges for, say, a function for 500 and one for 100?

 

Of course the same equipment could be used for both but the one for 100 would probably be in a smaller venue requiring less sound and light equipment ( and may not have enough room for a rig suitable for 500).

[Andy Westcott 0]

I've never been asked about lighting, but I have been asked about the sound system.

 

The question was along the lines of,

"Do you use those little speakers on poles, or do you use proper speakers?"

 

This was for a 16th birthday party and they wanted a healthy bass content. I explained what I used and they were happy. It was a good gig as well.

[cctvguy 0]

ive always wondered about this one, does anyone book JUST music?

I often get asked, does this price include disco lights? Sometimes i feel like saying "DUUUUUH its not a disco with lights!!" but politely say of course it includes a state of the art lightshow etc

 

 

Just got a booking and they have specifically asked for no lights and an adjusted price :joe:

[Kingy 0]

Just got a booking and they have specifically asked for no lights and an adjusted price :joe:

Personally I would not have given a discount simply because they didn't want the lighting. They are paying for me, not the kit I use for a standard show.

[cctvguy 0]

Personally I would not have given a discount simply because they didn't want the lighting. They are paying for me, not the kit I use for a standard show.

 

Agree entirely! But it's only a couple of hours in an afternoon and not having the hassel of lights to worry about means I can still fit in another gig later in the day.

 

 

[UKHero 0]

Would it not be fair to have different charges for, say, a function for 500 and one for 100?

 

Of course the same equipment could be used for both but the one for 100 would probably be in a smaller venue requiring less sound and light equipment ( and may not have enough room for a rig suitable for 500).

 

 

I understand what your saying but I would rather wait for a gig where they want my kit as provided for the Higher price than take a gig for say £100 less because they wanted less kit..

 

52 weeks in a year say half the sats in that year you took a cheaper paying gig so lost out on £100 that's 26 X £100 = £2600 lost proffit.... Closer to the date is a different matter but with people booking for 09 and 10 now there is no rush. IMHO

 

Nik