2009 Confirmed Bookings

[YourBigEvent 0]

As per question.

 

Excluding Christmas 2009 I have 53 booking already deposits paid.

[Kingy 0]

As per question.

 

Excluding Christmas 2009 I have 53 booking already deposits paid.

 

Mr Popular!!!

 

I have 23 at 25/12/08, 3 more contracts to be returned.

[Dukesy 0]

Mr Popular!!!

 

I have 23 at 25/12/08, 3 more contracts to be returned.

That's great! :Thumbup:

 

I have 5 private bookings generating just a little over £3,600, and there's still another 47 weeks in the year to go!!!!

If next year is anything to go by as reported on the news, I reckon once the fat of the land has been taken, the scrap bookings will be fought over.

 

2009 - the year of the under cutter?

 

[Kingy 0]

That's great! :Thumbup:

 

I have 5 private bookings generating just a little over £3,600, and there's still another 47 weeks in the year to go!!!!

If next year is anything to go by as reported on the news, I reckon once the fat of the land has been taken, the scrap bookings will be fought over.

 

2009 - the year of the under cutter?

 

Hmm..it's ok, but at an average of approx £296 a gig it only adds up to £6808.

 

I need more than this... hence I need to be a multi-service supplier and operator.

 

I have absolutely no conferences in the diary at all yet!!!

 

I have 3 bookings for the PA for bands, all Feb & March.

[Dukesy 0]

How are the bands finding work these days with venues closing? It was reported recently that 36 pubs a week are closing in the UK. Estimates are that between 1560 to 1800+ will have closed in 2007. Not really looking that good for any form of entertainment these days is it, what with changes in social habits, venues closing, rise in unemployment, etc

[McCardle 1]

Minimum wage = £5.73 per hour. Average 39 hour week = £223.47 or £11,600 pr year (before tax and ni)

 

Taking an average of say £250 a gig (taking an average from various polls here)

 

You'd need to do 47 gigs a year at 100% profit and with no expenses in order to make as much as you would get working in a 9-5 unskilled job for somebody else. Hmmmm.

 

But we all know that you cannot run a disco or indeed any business on 100% profit. The taxman has made it illegal for a start.

 

So taking a business model which gives 40% profit. To 'take home' that same £11.6k minmium wage from doing gigs and nothing else then you'd need to turnover at least £28800 a year or 116 x £250 bookings, thats most of the 144 weekend days.

 

Of course, with a bit of care in planning your expenses, by not buying every new product that is released and making some good business choices it is possible to better that 40% profit model, but even at 50% or 60% you are still going to have to do close to 100 gigs every year, to match the salary of a 22 year old working for just above the minimum wage in a fast food eaterie, who still gets most weekends off in additon to a minimum of 21 days PAID holiday and doesn't have to worry about the pitfalls and stresses of running a business, such as the taxman, getting bits of paper, licenses, marketing etc etc.

 

Then again, nobody said self employment was easy and with many more businesses going to the wall everyday, it seems that its becoming more of a challange to turn a profit.

 

If you do the disco in addition to another occupation then technically you are even worse off, because your personal allowance is all used up on your main job, and you'll be paying 22% (or £22 in every £100 earned) from the first 1p profit that your additional business(es) make(s), to Happy Horace the tax collector.

 

So to obtain a healthy profit and enjoy a good standard of living from your business, then you will need to do between 80 - 100 gigs a year at £250 each. If you charge less than £250 then you'll need to be increasing that figure even further, but if you charge £400+ per gig then you can at least look forward to the odd weekend off tongue out icon

 

How are the bands finding work these days with venues closing?

 

Oh, thats an easy one. They are entering the Wedding Market, and offering their services to agents and Brides and Grooms. In other words, competing head to head and toe to toe with us. I must admit that most of the bands I have worked with don't seem to do it full time, only a very small percentage I have asked reply that its their full time occupation.

Edited December 25, 2008 by McCardle

[Kingy 0]

How are the bands finding work these days with venues closing? It was reported recently that 36 pubs a week are closing in the UK. Estimates are that between 1560 to 1800+ will have closed in 2007. Not really looking that good for any form of entertainment these days is it, what with changes in social habits, venues closing, rise in unemployment, etc

 

I don't do pubs, so this has not affected my target market. YET!!

[YourBigEvent 0]

Same here

[Dukesy 0]

I think McCardle has hit the nail on the head.

 

 

[YourBigEvent 0]

Agree with most things McCardle said except, the tax inspector is called Hector

 

 

Hector the tax inspector.

[TonyB 0]

11 confirmed bookings and 2 waiting for the contracts/deposits to come back

[Danno13 0]

26 of which 23 are Weddings.

[YourBigEvent 0]

All mine are weddings.

[deejaymitch 0]

Minimum wage = £5.73 per hour. Average 39 hour week = £223.47 or £11,600 pr year (before tax and ni)

 

Taking an average of say £250 a gig (taking an average from various polls here)

 

You'd need to do 47 gigs a year at 100% profit and with no expenses in order to make as much as you would get working in a 9-5 unskilled job for somebody else. Hmmmm.

 

But we all know that you cannot run a disco or indeed any business on 100% profit. The taxman has made it illegal for a start.

 

So taking a business model which gives 40% profit. To 'take home' that same £11.6k minmium wage from doing gigs and nothing else then you'd need to turnover at least £28800 a year or 116 x £250 bookings, thats most of the 144 weekend days.

 

Of course, with a bit of care in planning your expenses, by not buying every new product that is released and making some good business choices it is possible to better that 40% profit model, but even at 50% or 60% you are still going to have to do close to 100 gigs every year, to match the salary of a 22 year old working for just above the minimum wage in a fast food eaterie, who still gets most weekends off in additon to a minimum of 21 days PAID holiday and doesn't have to worry about the pitfalls and stresses of running a business, such as the taxman, getting bits of paper, licenses, marketing etc etc.

 

McCardle, I accept the point you are making but your calculations are a little misleading. The 22yo oik isn't taking home 11600 (even excluding tax and NI). Just as the DJ has expenses for every gig, so does Mr/Mrs 9-5. Petrol for driving to and from work, parking in a busy city centre, or, god forbid, the exorbitant cost of public transport (£162.50 a month for me), lunch every day, sponsorship money for Maureen's son, a ballot ticket for Brian's son's football club etc etc. Your points are valid but your figures are a little skewed.

[Dukesy 0]

The annual figure looks rounded down to me from £11620.44

I don't consider the figures presented as misleading. :shrug:

[McCardle 1]

god forbid, the exorbitant cost of public transport (£162.50 a month for me)

 

Are you seriously paying £160 / month to commute to employment which which has a salary of circa £11,600 a year?

Edited December 28, 2008 by McCardle

[Liscio 0]

1 so far, not advertised at all, need to get my setup sorted to PCDJ and then will be pushing hard!

[Norfolk DJ 0]

 

At the last count 174 without Xmas 2009

[deejaymitch 0]

Are you seriously paying £160 / month to commute to employment which which has a salary of circa £11,600 a year?

 

My salary is a bit higher than that but a lot of folk have no choice and make the same journey for that sort of money.

Edited December 31, 2008 by deejaymitch

[Marble 0]

good gosh this thread makes it look i'm going hungry this year... I had 14 confirmed bookings... since three of those venues have closed down this january... I now have a grand total of 6.... (and one charity gig)

ah the joy of the pub trade.

 

On the plus side, I have three nights of regular work a week, and don't do weddings... but this year I'm raising my prices which has meant a lot of people are turning me down for a cheaper alternative.

 

Since I know what the cheaper companies offer in my area, we'll have a lot of people learning the hard way that I charge more because I'm worth more. I've turned down at least 20 gigs this year, because i refuse to go out for £90 for four hours on a saturday night.

[Kingy 0]

At the last count 174 without Xmas 2009

I take it some of those will be residencies though, which should not be counted for this poll. If not, well done!!!

 

I've turned down at least 20 gigs this year, because i refuse to go out for £90 for four hours on a saturday night.

 

Devils advocate, but £90 for 4 hours work sounds appealling to some folks. £22.50 an hour is not a bad rate for just playing records isn't it?? Isn't it? :hide:

 

Ok, grabbing coat now................. :wall:

[Robster 0]

 

Devils advocate, but £90 for 4 hours work sounds appealling to some folks. £22.50 an hour is not a bad rate for just playing records isn't it?? Isn't it? :hide:

 

Ok, grabbing coat now................. :wall:

 

I know your playing devils advocate but....

Marble can easily defend themselves but marbles shows (and many of us people who also do karaoke )are not just playing records and as marble said management will find out you get what you pay for.

 

 

[McCardle 1]

20x £90 gigs is £1800, which is not riches by any means, especially after expenses, but if you were full time or DJ'ing was a large part of your family income, then, if you are careful and lived on baked beans, it may be enough to pay the mortgage and bills for 2 or 3 months and keep the wolves from your door. What would happen if you cannot pay the mortgage doesn't bear thinking about, and i've seen the rags to riches happen to somebody I know, and believe me, it does happen, and the effects are very real. Banks don't care, how good a dj you are, if the work isn't there and you can't meet the payments the end conclusion is always the same.

 

It all depends on all individual circumstances, but if those lucrative bookings are not appearing, and if the market can no longer stand the prices that we were enjoying 6 / 12 months ago then eventually we might have to adapt to adverse circumstances which are ebyond our control and make some decisions which may involve either diversity into another business, going back to a 9 - 5 job (not that there are many of them about), or taking what we can get and trying to ride out the worst of it, until the economy improves and market recovers.

 

There is no right or wrong in this situation or methods, as all will be a step towards keeping the roof over your head and food on the table, but its the ones who sit back and do nothing to improve the situation and stubbonly admit that everything is 'fine' and business is 'good' right up until the point that they are evicted, these are always the ones who end up losing everything. Like I say, i've seen it happen, and watched them bury their head in the sand whilst the rest of their world, business and family fell apart. Pride is a very dangerous thing.

 

 

[Ste Owens 0]

25, Not too bad, gigs are coming in as and when we need them people booking a few months ahead. Nothing much for Xmas yet. But plodding along!

[Raymilkybarkid 0]

we have 90 confirmed discos booked for this year, but has anyone noticed the amount of last minute booking coming in (under 2 months before)?

41 still T.B.A