What Have You Been Up To?

[Raymilkybarkid 0]

Well I have been a very busy boy since the end of November Gig wise.

January was busy with Christmas parties (some moved from December) but was more noticable in the amount of bookings that had been made in January rather than December which seems to be that venues are offering good deals for January / February.

 

February started off slow which made some time for me to finally get involved with a radio station. I now host a show every Wednesday evening after 2 auditions. I must add my first show I really enjoyed but I have never been so nervous in my 26 years of DJing.

I am playing the music that I really enjoy (Jazz Funk, Soul and Disco from the 70's & 80's) which makes it a breeze to do. The hardest point is talking to yourself (I have been doing this for years).

 

I have had confirmation that I will be at the London Marathon again (5th Year) crowd buzzing and runner motivation details will follow.

 

Booking on the whole are coming in but ......Clients are leaving things much later with one exception NYE was booked at 1 minute past midnight on going......

 

So I now have a bit more time for banter on the forum again.

 

So What have you all been up to and have planned for this year?

 

 

[Robster 0]

currently i have lots of low paid work but i am spending a lot of time researching new genres of music that seem to be becoming more and popular in pub type venues in my area Dubstep and Dancehall and continually researching and listening to future chart hits , this is keeping me on my toes and getting me pub work via recommendations , in publand i have seen and heard DJ's that become stale and stuck in a time zone and they don't notice there crowd is changing and evolving they often get replaced and moan its for someone cheaper but its often because they lost there edge and became complacent and played the same stuff week in week out.

 

BUT I will after September be looking for an extra source of income as the DJ ing is self sustaining but not allowing me to invest to grow , there is now way i can currently afford a better higher spec van or better gear that I will need for higher paid function work and to travel to other than local areas which is my plan for next year. once over that tipping point i will give up that new job.

 

I wont charge higher rates now as i have to feel i am worth the fees I ask and that means as a complete package at the moment i charge what i feel is right for my quality of service my performance and the quality of gear i have , when all are higher end then i can and will charge accordingly but till i get to that point i will charge my current rates in my local area.

 

I know this isnt a price thread and i didnt want to hijack it to a price thread but that what i have been upto planning and researching and working three to four nights a week.

 

I have been spending ages on ebay looking for dj bargains but so is everyone else i am looking for a third backup powered mixer from studiomaster or dynacord for naff all money but they are as rare as rocking horse droppings also some quality passive speakers again for no money , i have struck lucky in the past but everyone seems to be a sniping expert now.

 

also i am still searching for karaoke cdg collections and i have also been recording a few songs of me singing messing about in one take recordings, no multi-track production or trickery just straight off a physical mixer into a recording computer ..that's my excuse why they sound so bad lol

 

Due to working so much i wasnt singing as much as i did in the past and I realised I need to sing to lift my spirits and because i enjoy it even if others don't lol. I was getting grumpy and practising at home singing new tracks each day has been great therapy so to speak.

 

also looking forward to a family Holiday to Cyprus in August ..two weeks of pure escapism and relaxation and fun me my wife my youngest daughter and my mum and dad , my son and eldest daughter are staying at home so when we come back we may not have a house still standing but , i am still looking forward to the holiday though , last year i ended up hosting a karaoke show at the hotel when the normal guy failed to turn up , so i maybe working on holiday lol

 

so thats what im upto not all dj ing but a definite direction to head in

 

 

 

 

 

[mjmac 0]

Have been really busy working my local pub... mainly playing pop, RnB + all good 90s club classics thru Jan & Feb... love the fact that the crowds are changing and getting much more my scene 30+ age range - i hate RnB lol

 

Also done two soul nights at different pubs... and have been asked by my resident pub to do a monthly soul night due to demand since the last one!

 

I too host a weekly radio show, however my chosen music is soulful house... new and old... my features include 'the funky sensation', 'the disco deviants mix', 'whats hot n happening' + a 1hr mix session!

 

my avitar gives you a clue as to the station i work on ;)

 

what station are you working on Ray?

[vokf 0]

No much time for DJU at the moment, but I'm still lurking

Glad to hear some upbeat news here Ray!

 

 

From my end, its been a very successful start to the year.

January was busy with enquiries, and I'm now looking at 18 confirmed bookings for 2011.

 

Ray - there is a "DJ" radio station that you may be interested in; [This entity is not permitted to be promoted on this forum due to previous excessive spamming activities].co.uk its intended to be a DJ friendly internet radio station, and is due to be live early next month, but currently undergoing testing.

 

I've got Christmas Eve and NYE booked and some bookings for 2012.

In my experience, I'm not seeing any downturn in this area compared to 2010.

 

That said, our presentation is slicker with a "info pack" handed to clients when we meet. We see this as something they can read on the way home.

In early Jan, I also purchased a listing on Hitched which has resulted in 2 good bookings (with extras). Hitched does need some time investment (in the forum), and its not always a matter of openly promoting yourself.

 

It sounds like some DJ's are terrible at quoting- chatting to clients is showing that they value confidence, and some of our competitors sound to be providing bad quotes (ie no content, just a price etc).

 

Rates have increased, whereas I felt bad about charging for set-up/pack-up time, this is simply charged for.

 

I thought I'd getting to the top-end of what I could charge for a typical disco, but a recent client meet reported quotes of £700 from some guys!

 

 

What else...

New small active speakers - got 2 x dB Cromo 12" for backup and speeches, some UHF mics, and a Kam ParBar III for some parties that benifit from a colour wash, rather than scanners...

After using the Cromos for a recent gig, they sound better than the 450's up close... certainly very impressed.

 

 

I've done some dry-hire, and have been picking up work where our local hire company closes randomly - a few guys missed them by 5mins, and found me on Google, so I was able to charge £90 for my older speakers, amp and 2 old LED moonflowers.

I'm in the process of setting up a website to advertise some basic hire equipment. All small scale, but with the local shop closing at 4pm (or earlier) on a Saturday, its difficult for emergencies.

Not looking to undercut them, so prices will be similar.

I've also got a few dry-hires to a local pub, but have started to offer a DJ service for not much extra (with better kit, and their current dj is bar staff with a netbook..) So, looking for Fridays for any pub work (or the odd kids party) and Saturdays for private bookings only.

 

 

I've been contacted by a younger DJ who was after work. I don't think this is the direction I want to take, but I'll be meeting him soonish. Sadly, he's into massive (but cheap tat) sound systems, and the look of his rig is not good.

Unsure how to play this, so slowly is probably the word! lol

 

 

Also busy on a few DJ based web projects, but time has been difficult.

 

 

The wedding plans are ongoing- we need to meet our DJ, so will be arranging that soonish. Venue is booked and now looking at invites/numbers. We're meeting a Photographer (also a Hitched advertiser) tomorrow night.

 

 

 

Lastly, I resigned from my Day Job last week. I have plans, but I'm the last of our department (product research/development) to resign, so understandably the company is in serious panic.

No wads of cash has been offered, but our reasons are due to higher management and basically, its become difficult to work there.

 

Jas

 

[Raymilkybarkid 0]

what station are you working on Ray?

 

 

Soul Groove Radio.

 

 

[wizard 0]

Had a very busy January, but only a few gigs in February, which to be honest suits me as it is a nice rest after a very hectic December and Jan.

 

Looking foward to going to China in just under 2 weeks time. Visiting Shanghai, ( where my son Lives), Beijing & Xian.

 

Going to need the rest as when I get back working every weekend thro march, April, May.

 

Lastly, I resigned from my Day Job last week. I have plans, but I'm the last of our department (product research/development) to resign, so understandably the company is in serious panic.

No wads of cash has been offered, but our reasons are due to higher management and basically, its become difficult to work there.

 

Jas

Hope all goes well for you Jason.

[Robster 0]

I know with your skills Jas you wont be out of work but i too also hope everything turns out ok for you

[vokf 0]

Cheers guys. I have plans - but can't discuss them publicly.. Needless to say, I'll be better off

Sadly, I'm not going full time DJing though!

[gadget 0]

 

Been busy with $day_job, prep for a Wedding this Friday (half-unusual track list!)... and still attempting to sort out my new website :/

 

 

Jas: Hope all goes ok !

 

Cheers,

 

David

[DJMickeyk 0]

Like Rob, I have plenty of low paid work and could probably get more if I pushed it, with some better quality gigs booked for later in the year. I know some guys on here would rather a trip to the Dentist than do a low paid gig in a busy pub but I actually really enjoy these, it is nice to get a break from it to do weddings however. I also do lots of birthday parties and nearly all of the above work is within 15 minutes of my home so very happy overall, I also work a day-job, hope your plans work out Jason.

 

Mike

[vokf 0]

Like Rob, I have plenty of low paid work and could probably get more if I pushed it, with some better quality gigs booked for later in the year. I know some guys on here would rather a trip to the Dentist than do a low paid gig in a busy pub but I actually really enjoy these, it is nice to get a break from it to do weddings however. I also do lots of birthday parties and nearly all of the above work is within 15 minutes of my home so very happy overall, I also work a day-job, hope your plans work out Jason.

 

Mike

 

Cheers Mike,

I enjoy working my local pub. In Jan I poppped in for a night of beer meeting and recently purchased a bunch of CD+G (thanks to Rob for spotting it on 't' bay) for providing Karaoke as we decided this was the best service to bring in business for the pub.

 

The gigs are low paid (compared to Saturday nights), but the set-up will be simple;

-VMS4+Laptop on Stand

-Pub Table, possibly with a black cloth :pro:

-2 x LED Pars

-2 x Actives

-VGA Screen on Karaoke Stand, and possible hook up to pub TV.

 

So an easy set-up. The pub is very blokey and not that much fun for being a "DJ" or the singers he gets in.

I've run a few Karaoke nights with some borrowed gear and found it good fun and also brought in more girls and couples - so good for the pub..

 

I think I had a spate of weddings last year and really enjoyed the pub work, even if there were only a few customers there.

 

As part of the agreement, I've taken mainly fridays (not loads) for the pub, as I can't easily do private gigs.

 

The day job has been going downhill for a while, its very high-tech, very science orientated. When I joined it was very much research focused, with good people at the top. With a change in ownership a few years ago, the focus is understandable on earning money and reducing costs -so no more Fruit Juice, BBQs, Pizzas etc, and instead redundancies and cuts.

 

All normal part of modern business, but those at the top were still flying business/club class, and very much "jobs for the boys", with the workers being treated like mushrooms..

I probably have a few weeks of PHP coding (fixing a travel agents website), but then have fixed plans - so onwards and upwards!

 

Jas

[MintyDave 0]

Have been very quiet through january after a rather dissapointing Christmas (Snow!!!) with a slightly better february. Have quoted for quite a few gigs but not got them as the first thing they have asked everytime - how much. have a few confirmed up until August which will pay the bills

 

To be completely honest i have done very little promowork for the DJ business so cannot and am not having a whinge about the lack of work. there is so much uncertainty going on right now and i hope to address this when everything settles down in the coming months.

 

am currently working on an incease in my hours at school as a that would be a permanent contract (could be doubled) and have just completed the census collector training. We have a family member ill at the moment so me not being out so much has helped as the mrs is doing 16 hr days by the time she has been to work then taxied her family backward and forwards to hospital

 

have been doing some PA work with the Mrs' band and other local artists which i really enjoy, apart from the pay. am planning my own set to rattle out soon, shame Rob isnt on my doorstep as singing is not my strong point.

 

was condsidering dry hire for local bands djs and ipod weddings with my old gear but i doubt there is much of a need round here and getting stuff to a venue, setting it up going to my own gig and collecting could be a logistical nightmare, especially if support is needed. Also i need to free up some space so we can have a dining table (under orders to get rid)

 

2010 was very good for me and i now have a good solid functional setup as i have been lucky enough to be able to reinvest. any new gear purchases now is purely decadence.

 

Sincerely hope that everbody survives 2011.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Derek Paul 0]

Originally for the West Midlands, I now live and work in a ski resort in the Sierra Mountains of Northern California. It is a huge destination wedding market in the summer, However when you ask "What have I been doing lately" the answer is "Not a lot." There is only limited work in the winter.

 

We have already played at a number of corporate events and weddings this year; however our wedding season really started this last weekend. Our next weekend without at least one wedding is November 17th