Turning down gigs...

**DigitalDevil** · 10-14-2011, 03:16 PM

Originally Posted by captcha

I politely declined, made some excuses. But I kinda feel I should have questioned it, made a bit of a fuss and asked how they thought they could get away with not paying their DJ's one week and paying them the next!

Why is there any need for excuses or making a fuss? They ask you to work for free, you're not interested so you decline, done deal.

**JesC** · 10-14-2011, 03:32 PM

I would turn down the gig and advise them the real reason. You dont dj for free, its like them asking the bouncer, door guy, bartender, bar back, or promoter to come and work for 4 -5 hours for free.

**dope** · 10-14-2011, 04:34 PM

Well i agree with that, work = getting paid when it's done.

I've been in a situation like that. I played for free at a festival, and then got a call from a guy i barely remembered from high shcool and he told me he liked the show and wanted me to play at a gig he organises.

(i've never been paid for djing for the moment, i'm new to the scene)
I asked about money, and he wanted to know how much do i charge. I asked for 60€ ($80) for 1h/1h30. He didn't complain about the price but the thing is that :
They are in deficit for the moment (the gig is in november) and he said he will pay me if they get profit from the gig.

That was a dilema for me, because i love to play music, i love to party, but in a way i have to earn money from "working".
So i decided to play at that gig, and enjoy it. I'll see how things will go, and even if i'm not getting paid, still i won my promotion for all the people that will be at the gig, and the local clubs around might hear of that gig, so they might hear of me.

But in your case, you are not dealing with students, but with club owners, so i guess i would have declined the offer aswell.

Hope you enjoyed my story ahaha

cheers

**djchriswoods.co.uk** · 10-14-2011, 04:58 PM

u should of asked if their bar staff and security work for free

**Nephew** · 10-14-2011, 05:01 PM

Originally Posted by djchriswoods.co.uk

u should of asked if their bar staff and security work for free

Did you even bother to read what other people have posted so far?

**lethal_pizzle** · 10-14-2011, 05:02 PM

Originally Posted by mostapha

Minimum wage for bartenders and servers in the US is like $2.15/hr.

In the UK it's £6 or $9.50. So if you include setting up time, by playing for free you're already about £30 behind the bar staff.

**Nesquigs** · 10-14-2011, 05:48 PM

yeah, you cant let people jerk your chain around like that and pay one time, then try and get you to play for free

thats what they tried to do to me at work (where i sometimes spin the middleschool dances there) gave all but 2 of them to this other lady and her husband and turn around and tell me they need me to play music for a fundraiser for free...

i smiled and told them that djing is my part time job and i cant be doing it for free (unlike how they make me do my bosses job without the compensation)... they were not happy :P