I’ve mostly been a bedroom DJ, but I’ve played out at a sweet 16 over the summer for my friend’s sister, paid and everything and was a great night. Turns out her friend is also turning 16, so she needs a DJ, and I told her I would be happy to. She then asked me how much it would cost, to which I asked her if she wanted only music, or also lights. In the end, she wanted the price for both.
Here’s a little background on my setup. She told me the party would be roughly 50 people and 4 hours long, and I have a pair of speakers which should be enough for this I think… 750W each. If she wants lights I’m going to have to rent, but I have the person for this. He said lighting should cost me at max 50 for the night.
So since I don’t have much experience in the field, and this isn’t something I can google to find out, I require the infinite wisdom that DJTT members have
What would be a reasonable rate for the party for just music? And taking into consideration lights would cost me $50, what is a reasonable rate to play this sweet 16 for 4 hours.
keep in mind if shes the average 16 year old, she/her parents might not be willing to blow a lot on a dj. also it really depends on you and the going rate in your area. also, since your just getting out there, you might not be able to charge a lot at this point. i’d say try to get about 100 in profits for this one.
Well… I’m not about to divulge all my trade secrets, but i’m 17 and do mobile stuff with a friend (So there’s two of us)
But we charge about $#!AUD an hour considering we don’t have to hire anything, but have about $2000AUD in speakers+lighting, and anything we get is pretty much all profit. We can ask what ever price we want, but chose to keep it reasonable. We arn’t the most professional guys out, but we’re a lot more approachable than other older mobile djs at parties, which i feel makes us very successful in our area.
Ya I totally get that, and for me I really just do it because I love DJing. The only reason I have to charge is to fuel my love of it, if I didn’t need the gear/songs/money I’d do them all for free.
So you’re saying somewhere in the 150-200 for a 4 hour night?
And p.s. love your remixes man! You’ve got great skill and have been keeping my ears happy on my long commute to school. Keep it up
150-200 is pretty good for your first few gigs. honestly it really depends on how much the girl is willing to blow i make decent money gigging now, but i received the following payments for my first 3 gigs:
gig 1) gas money
gig 2) nada
gig 3) a slice of pizza and some perogies (its a food for those that don’t know)
basically what I’m saying is, go have a good time and don’t get discouraged if your don’t get paid a lot when your starting off. if you can pull in between 100 and 200 for this gig, then awesome! if not, then i’d say still go do it, gain some experience and most of all make sure you have fun
I did a similar gig and got 250 for 2 hours+lights/lasers and fog. I’d say around 200 250ish is a good price. However, since you’re 16 they may try to lowball you, (happened to me last year when I was 16…
Just some tips you can use when negotiating.
Being 16/17 you can relate to your crowd better, tailor to their needs more since you are that age.
Act professional, etc.
Meet with your client beforehand
Give them some mixtapes
Overall be kind and helpful!
i make decent money gigging now, but i received the following payments for my first 3 gigs:
