I was wondering what sort of money the working dj’s on here get in a night? what are your circumstances, resident or casual? paid in drinks, cash, etc?
I’m interested because I am about to start gigging at a small bar (at max it can hold is literally 40 people inside) a hole in the wall really. They still bring in alot of people due to outdoor seats (it’s premium seating because it is on the main thoroughfare to the bigger places)
…anyway, should I set an hourly rate? or flat rate for the night? I have djed a couple of gigs before but still just starting out from the bedroom. I am being as professional as possible about it and would be keen to get some input as to what I should get paid and what I can expect.
first step dont be too cheap as you will have hard time gettinng a rise find out what there entertainment buget is per night and go for 75% its a hard one cos if you are just starting out you need to make a name (old say a dj is only as good as their last tune they played)
Get a set Fee for the evening. If the club has a power fail or Fire alarm and ends early (has happened to me at least 5 times over the years) you get paid in full.
Never accept drinks as payment. What if you need to drive there one night. The gig ends up costing YOU in expenses and it is a cheap way of paying a DJ. Maybe you dont wanna drink.
DJing per hour is rare in UK and payments are going down down down because of the state of the economy.
charge either by the hour, including setup and tear down or a flat rate with some sort of variable (% of drink sales or something like that) work it out so that the flat rate will bring you in slightly below the hourly but with the % of drink sales, takes you above.
if you charge a flat rate make sure that there is a fairly set length of time for your performance and include something for if the gig lasts longer then that set time.. you dont want to charge $200 thinking its a 3 hour thing. and end up playing for 8 hours. the key is to make sure you are covered on every end and then have a contract. many people say contracts are not needed and such. VERY rarely will i play without a contract and only if i know and trust the person i am playing for. it keeps both parties safe by ensuring each party knows what they are and are not responsible for.
If the place holds 40 ppl inside the place sounds tiny. To do a 4 hour set I would charge $60. Or workout a % off of the bar plus a min. For example you show up to dj, you get paid $50 and once they make 1k you get 5% or whatever you work out. I know dj’s here in L.A. that get paid $20 for a 1-2 hr/set plus some drinks tix.
Thanks everyone for the advice, I will let you know how it goes after talking to the guy. I imagine they have a set pay for each night as many dj’s go through there. will keep you posted (excuse the pun!).
$60 bucks for a 4 hour set? really? $15/hour? I don’t know if i would do a 4 hour set for $60. Remember you have setup and tear down times. I average an hour-hour and a half for both. So you would really be looking at 5 hours worth of work for $60. And the fact that its a very good idea, and a courtesy, to stay the entire night (after the club closes is your networking happy hour).
(at max it can hold is literally 40 people inside)…come on lets be real, the owner would rather press play on a iPod with a decend playlist and call it a night. My setup takes less than 10 min max to setup. The place is not gonna have space for a dvs setup if it only holds 40 ppl. You would be luck if the place has one of those Numark CD Mix stations. Now if you can get more for the owner/bar mngr more power to you.
yea a small bar wont be able to afford much. and if your just comin out of the bedroom… you cant complain, ive been gigging for a few months now for essentially nothing, the opportunity is more than enough
I play a small club occasionally probably 200 people max. I don’t know if I’m getting a fair rate or not, but I’m definately not doing it for the money. My buddy owns the club so it’s a great excuse for us to hang out and have a good time. I live about a hundred miles away so transportation to the gig is a big expense. He will pay me a minimum of $100 plus all my drinks, and give a place to crash for the night. If we’re crazy busy I can make more. The drink tab is usually pretty high especially if I start buying some for lady. Basically I have found DJing is cheapest way to get drunk and have a good time.
Agreed. My “standard fee” ranges from 250-1000 depending on what setup I bring and the length of the set.
However, several of the places and people I DJ for end up paying far less. As I often take venue size, and attendance into play.
I have a weekly I DJ at, that my fee is scaled down to 100. Another evening I work for, I don’t get paid at all (but I love it there so I ‘do it for fun’ remember those days?) and when i DO get paid there it’s usually about 40.
Realism needs to come into play. I could ask for my normal fee, and get laughed at with the “you’re not serious, right?” question. Or just make an intelligent bid on a job.
with 40 people, the bar is probably doing 500-1000 a night (if they dont have a cover) on a really good night. It’s a bit unreasonable to ask for more than 100 I think.
DJ pbe thats a tough one, if you travel 200 round trip I would say your spending about 40 - 60 bux in gas and food give or take. So you are really walking away with 60 bux + drinks. I would say that the bar is making $2500 to $3000 with about 200 people if not more. And is there even a cover? Wow…I know he’s you friend but he’s pulling a fast one on you.
youre in chch right? i have no idea what the general pay is there for anyone down those ways but youd be lucky to get $100 nz i think, in saying that its worth shot
