What’s a reasonable amount of payment for a 3 hour long set?
Recently started at university, and to my surprise the market for DJs is much more open than I had anticipated. And being here only a couple months, I’ve gotten more gigs than ever. Very little competition.
Along with this, I’ve begun getting paid for these gigs, which is a lifesaver.
Now, I “advertise” myself as an producer DJ. I’m pretty accustomed to playing in lineups, where my set is usually an hour, and never more than an hour and a half. This is all on CDJs.
I’ve been getting booked by the university’s club that puts on parties and events/dances.
They now want me t play at an upcoming back to school dance event. They will be providing speakers, lights, etc. All I am providing are my CDJ’s and music.
They want me to play a 3 hour set, and asked me how to much I would share. Which I’ve never really done before.
I’m not sure what a reasonable amount is for that? I don’t want to charge too much, but I also know I need to set a level of quality, to sell myself as more than the frat party beatport top 10 DJs.
This is kinda an open ended or loaded question that you ask of us. The variables for a DJ’s payment can depend on so many things. The simplest answer to this would be why not charge twice what you do for an 1.5 hr set + a bit more for it being a bigger event.
to determine how much you feel you should be paid think of how long you search for those bangers each day, how much you spend on tracks. How much you have spent on gear and the wear n tear. Your physical time djing for them, set up, take down etc. and fraction all that out into one gig! its a personal thing. As you aren’t bringing speakers or lighting, your price per hour would be less then mine.
$300 for 3 hrs? Just curious OP how much have you been getting from other gigs?
Whatever you do, present them a value. If you can’t deliver a value, why would you expect anyone to buy your product? On your invoice, list your time separate from the equipment. It’s not like CDJs are cheap. You gotta charge something to haul them out of the house. $300 seems legit for a tiny plug n play bar gig but not for a massive student party. Got insurance?
One thing to also consider, is how much money the event is generating, that way you can gauge how much to charge. However, other things that factor into price involve equipment provided, work required, and other things that coincide with the gig.
Personally, I tend to charge differently depending on the economic situation of the client (not in all cases, but it can be a good tool to use). I’m not going to charge a regular mobile gig what I would charge for a corporate party, even if I’m providing the same exact equipment for both gigs.
But as always, justing echoing what @HigherFi said, you always have to value yourself, your equipment, and your time. You might be charging a premium, but you are providing a premium as well.
Don’t play 7 hours for 50$ anymore. Ask at least double or don’t go back there. Because you really want to pay, doesn’t mean you should be taken so much advantage of.
@TS:
What is the regular rent price in your neighbourhood for CDJ’s? For 2000’s plus DJM800/900/2000 you can easily ask 125-150. For anything below that somewhere between 75-100 I guess.
For the rest, you can easily ask 50-75 bucks an hour. I would ask 350 in your case and maybe drop to a bottom of 250 but try to play it rather hard. They want you, not the other way around
I know i’m getting ripped off, believe me i’m not blind.
But it’s either this or staying in the bedroom.
Even relatively high-profile local djs don’t get more than 100-150 per gig…
I played at a local bar every Friday for 3 months for free on that note. My buddy was running the night, and i needed some exposure and experience on stage behind the decks, so I didn’t mind helping him out, I still had a blast. If you’ve got a residency though, you should be asking for a %of the door, free drinks and/or more money. Bit playing for people os playing for people, and if you enjoy it, then keep enjoying it.
