About idiots on craigslist and IRL that low ball the people that actually make a living out of what we do. I know this has been discussed - and people have always asked “how much should I charge”. Now, personally, before anyone says go do the same thing, I don’t rely on my DJing as a form of income. But there are people that do, and that should be respected, not just by fellow DJ’s but also the people that are “trying” to be DJ’s. Let’s not get on the whole, when’s a DJ really a DJ, “he uses sync!” trash, but honestly, it’s making it harder for everyone to get gigs, support your family or whatever your situation may be. By now you might be asking, Jay, itajeN, why the rant? We got it. But no, not everyone has grasped this concept and they probably never will. But take a look at this. If that doesn’t boil your blood, especially if you use music as your secondary income, I don’t know what will. All I’m saying is, do some damn research or something. I understand that yeah its cheap you cant go wrong, but its not quality. The world has lost sight of quality - especially in America - perfect example, McDonalds - yeah you get 50 nuggets for $10, but lets face it. They taste like shit.
Now, who else is with me with coming up with some sort of idea, to bring back quality over quantity.
Just because someone posts an ad on Craigslist it doesn’t mean they’re getting booked and paid. There has always been and always will be people who charge lower fee’s for getting booked as entertainment. They don’t usually stick around for long or the people who book them realize they’re shit and don’t book them again.
It’s just like the DJ that’ll agree to play for a promoter for free getting more gigs compared to the DJ who charges $100.. the only way to work against that is to make yourself more valuable and prove you’re worth the money.
I remember throwing parties and booking dj’s that’d play for a few beers instead of cash.. they were great but after a couple times I realized if I booked the other guy who wanted to get paid in cash that it was worth it as he had a following.
This may feel like more of an issue than in the past simply because there are so many more venues for people to post ads for their shitty karaoke business. It has been going on as long as anyone can remember, but the internet allows it to be done with less effort than ever.
A better middle-ground certainly needs to be established. As much as ads like the one you linked suck for all of us, there are plenty of DJs - karaoke or otherwise, who are hardly more skilled then Mr. Fredericks and charging $2000 for a four hour wedding reception. Thats the reason Mr. Fredericks exists in the first place.
This has been noted. I’m not worried about getting gigs. I know my worth. But yeah, it doesn’t mean they’re getting booked. But I’m using it as an example of how far people will go to put others out of business.
I don’t know, I saw another post like this a while ago on the DJTT forums talking about price and stuff, and some dude saying he’d play for free as well. There was a post that I created long before that where people suggested I charge regardless due to what you metnioned but I wont go into that right now. What promoters, people who are highering DJs for bdays etc., and the general public do not understand is that someone who truly believes in his craft (DJing) and is a true artist he will charge more simply because of the cost to him. It costs us our equipment, our music (since most of us DO pay for our music), and our skill.
After my gig tomorrow if I feel like I was comfortable and people enjoyed it then I create my own craigslist add I will make sure to include why my price is higher and what I offer etc.
Yes guys, if you undercut everyone else you will most likely get the gig as in for the $100 for 6 hours or whatever - but we all know you don’t buy your music at that point, and probably do used cracked software.
I honestly feel like if I make a craigslist advertisement i’ll send emails to all the other DJs in the thing charging close to nothing saying i’m sending their #s and emails to the FBI (or whichever agency is responsible for piracy, but I think its the FBI) and make sure that they are aware of the massive pirating they are doing.
People may laugh at that, but here in the U.S. they have been cracking down more and more on such piracy.
It’s probably the guy’s attempt to get a first gig. Seriously, have you ever played any gig for 6 hours? Add karaoke to that, add that it’s maybe a wedding or bar mitzvah, add that it’s in Dallas; the guy is gonna want to shoot himself after hour 3. I’d want more money than that just to show up to that party for 6 hours without working!
And I don’t know how we can assume that the guy isn’t paying for music or equipment or whatever. It’s possible that he is wealthy enough not to care and just wants the exposure. I played a lot of free gigs when I was starting out (hell, I still do free gigs now and then, though I’m a lot more selective about them). For a while I was playing 2-3 hour sets at an Indian restaurant where nobody danced and I got paid in saag paneer; at the time I was just happy for the exposure.
Here’s the thing Jay…as a person who has been doing this for 14 years, I get asked by people all the time who are starting out “what should I do to get gigs?”
The answer is: Don’t charge what I charge. I have a history, a brand, a reputation, whatever…I’ve been this for a long time. You are new and are just starting out. Hell, just for the experience you shouldn’t even TAKE money…try to get free drinks or something.
I’m not sure how this Craigslist ad is a problem. If the guy is good, and he’s willing to haul his shit out for $100 a night and deliver a decent product, then more power to him. If he sucks and is your typical undercutter, then he won’t work more than once for a given venue and those gigs open back up.
There isn’t a DJ union to regulate prices (OK, there actually is, but they’re powerless). If you find that you’re consistently losing gigs because of price, you might be pricing yourself out of your local market. If there are undercutters out there that are making it hard for you to make a decent living, you might look into how they’re able to do what they do so cheaply and fight them with their own tools. You might also go the other way and see how much you can differentiate yourself from them with higher end services.
This is an interesting topic actually. I’ve got a gig as opener (I think it’ll be about 1-1.5 hours) at a club in Toronto in a few weeks and I was wondering about payment. How much would you guys expect to be paid for something like that?