Another meeting with restaurant owner tomorrow.
- Thread starter MIXMASTERMACHOM
- Start date
DjDennis
RIP- My Dad (2011), Sister (2013) and Mum (2017)
See post #57 - you can't be on both sides of the fence Mix. Either it IS your responsibility .. or it isn't.
Post #57:
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The owner should be understanding that to get people to come to his place he should give some incentive. I know DJ's that are very well known and hot right now. They still need something to draw people to come to an event they're promoting.
Just because they are really good DJ's doesn't just cut it. They will either give the event a special name or have someone perform at their event besides them just DJing the event. They may even get another well known DJ to do the event with them to draw a crowd.
Just because they are really good DJ's doesn't just cut it. They will either give the event a special name or have someone perform at their event besides them just DJing the event. They may even get another well known DJ to do the event with them to draw a crowd.
Maybe the DJ world works differently in Cleveland than it does in Jersey, but back when I did bar gigs, we charged a price, and the owner paid expenses for everything else. Yes, we sometimes gave them an introductory discount for 4-6 weeks so they could see how they like us and see if the crowd grew.
BTW, i eventually grew up and stopped doing bar gigs. Only private events now. Got tired of owners cancelling gigs at the last minute, short paying, or trying to undercut us with cheaper DJs. Private gigs with contracts, it's that simple. Plus, I don't really want to be out until 3am any more. I really enjoyed doing bar gigs in my 20's and single. In my 40's and married, I'd rather be home.
Based on your stories, it's really never worked for you in the past. What makes you think it will work now?
If your partner's GF thinks its such a great idea, then she should take the gig and get back to you and show you how much money she's making.
It is your prerogative to chose what kinds of Gigs you want to do and I respect that decision. However your statement above is a poor excuse for not wanting to do Bar Gigs. If you have a business and you are making money, what difference does it make? This is not a Hobby to you is it?
No, this is not a hobby. This is a business. Just because I don't want to stay out late doesn't make this a hobby. It also doesn't make it wrong for someone else to like working those hours.
Part of being successful in business is being able to make money by doing gigs you like and not having to take gigs you don't want.
i choose not to do bar gigs. Why is not wanting to stay out late in bars and spend more time with my family a poor excuse?
Based on your post above it seems like they are not lucrative enough for you. Some Bar/Club Gigs are very lucrative. Add that to the repeat business on a weekly or monthly basis and it makes a heck of a difference to the bottom line. Again I am not faulting you for your decision.
More specifically, it's a sideline.
Like anyone with a hobby you have a W-2 which allows you to wait as long as you want for the gigs you like ..as opposed to facing real risk or taking overt action to attract them with serious income producing regularity.
I'm not saying clubs are a suitable target - but, there is a big difference between shooting at targets and shooting at an economic animal in full charge. When DJing is your sideline - you share with hobbyists the luxury of shooting at stationary targets.
Scott trust me I've had some nice runs in some places. What the problem is that if you're not the owner or have an interest in the place besides just being the DJ then some owners could care less about your ideals. I had a place that was very nice to play at in downtown Newark, NJ. The problem is the managers running the bar had never done so before and didn't know how to attract people to come to this club. It was a small place but very nice. Only one person knew what he was doing and he was a guy who is a DJ and we used to work in the same place at my day job.
I stayed there for about 6 months. I finally got feed up and left the lady hanging that took over the place. I was supposed to come back the next Friday and never showed up or called. 2 big problems they had was that they would have a ton of postcards sitting in the place. Most of them should have been in the public's hands instead of in the club. The 2nd problem they had was they didn't know how to keep things consistent so people would know what to expect. My friends would call me up and get mad at me because I didn't know what they had planned the night I was playing there. 1 Friday it would be free to get in and the next Friday they might have had people wanting to pay $5.00 or $10.00. The place eventually closed it's doors again.
One Friday was a Friday I want to forget. Finally had a nice crowd upstairs dancing up a storm! One of the managers that was the president of my union on my day job stopped me from playing just to get some more people downstairs to drink. He should have let me keep doing my thing. I couldn't argue because I was just working there. He blew it big time because those people dancing there had about 15 to 20 more people they were going to have come to the club to hear me play. Those people got pissed and left. Just so you'll know they had a thing downstairs called sexy talk. the conversation went from G to XXX. Not everybody cares to air out their dirty laundry in public.
Then when I was told to go back upstairs I get up there and one of my CDJ 800's stopped working. So that was a horrible night for me. Like I said if the owner isn't willing to give something to get people in his place then I'm out of it and they can do what they want.
I stayed there for about 6 months. I finally got feed up and left the lady hanging that took over the place. I was supposed to come back the next Friday and never showed up or called. 2 big problems they had was that they would have a ton of postcards sitting in the place. Most of them should have been in the public's hands instead of in the club. The 2nd problem they had was they didn't know how to keep things consistent so people would know what to expect. My friends would call me up and get mad at me because I didn't know what they had planned the night I was playing there. 1 Friday it would be free to get in and the next Friday they might have had people wanting to pay $5.00 or $10.00. The place eventually closed it's doors again.
One Friday was a Friday I want to forget. Finally had a nice crowd upstairs dancing up a storm! One of the managers that was the president of my union on my day job stopped me from playing just to get some more people downstairs to drink. He should have let me keep doing my thing. I couldn't argue because I was just working there. He blew it big time because those people dancing there had about 15 to 20 more people they were going to have come to the club to hear me play. Those people got pissed and left. Just so you'll know they had a thing downstairs called sexy talk. the conversation went from G to XXX. Not everybody cares to air out their dirty laundry in public.
Then when I was told to go back upstairs I get up there and one of my CDJ 800's stopped working. So that was a horrible night for me. Like I said if the owner isn't willing to give something to get people in his place then I'm out of it and they can do what they want.
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DjDennis
RIP- My Dad (2011), Sister (2013) and Mum (2017)
Well, it seemes like you are faulting me. I said I choose not to be out until 3 am. Experience has taught me that when I work until that time, I won't be getting to sleep until very late, which makes for a very unproductive next day and not much quality time with my family.
I never said Bar gigs were not lucrative enough for me. I know some people who are full time off of mainly bar gigs. It's just not the lifestyle I want.
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That's a heck of a lot of put downs in 2 small paragraphs. I'll give you this. You are getting better at it. Usually, it takes you a few long winded paragraphs to throw that many insults at someone.
I do hope someday you realize life is short and should be enjoyed. Then maybe you wouldn't be so cranky and miserable and try to talk down to everyone. It makes you look foolish.
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I am a versatile DJ and it is my Career/Business. I do not have a "Day Job" and DJing is not a Hobby to me. My other Business that I have involves daytime hours and if I have to get home from a gig at 4.00am in the morning and start a project in my other business at 7.00am, I do it without complaint. Yes, a lot of Club Owners are buttheads and do not know what they are doing but most Weddings do not occur during the week so I chase those lucrative dollars. For me it is more fun doing a Club/Bar Gig than a Wedding anyway, even Corporate/Private Functions are much more fun and less stress. Therefore I know how to work with the Bar Owners and if I can't I move on to the next one and the next Dollar. I cannot create a Wedding and hire myself but I can get in my vehicle and go out and canvass/visit a few Bars and I am sure to come back with a booked Gig. I like to sell!
Mix creates his own gigs -- why can't you...?
I can totally agree with Scott -- at some point in time, you get tired of that late night crap. The kind of bar gigs I actually still enjoy, are the ones at the waterfront bars during the daytime. You get to play like 4-5 hours, lots of chicks in bikinis, lots of sun, boats, etc. Most of those types of places (in my experience), bring a band in at night. Decent money, tips, food, beer -- life is much less stressful.
Scott you said something very interesting. You said that some owners will go with a cheaper DJ leaving you out in the cold. The reason for that isn't always because they just want to save a few dollars. It can be because that owner/manager can't tell the difference between you and that cheaper DJ. You've got to separate yourself from the rest. Just as you need to when it comes to private events. If you're just like another DJ that charges $250.00 to do a private event and your price is say $400.00, then why would they book you. Oh and by the way I'm looking to get maybe a couple more lights with a crank stand to put the lights on or 2 stands to go on each side to put lights on. But first things first. First I need to get the DJ chair.
Now back to the bar gig for a moment. If another DJ is as good as you and willing to work for less and the owner can still make the same money as when you were there, then they should hire that other DJ. I know a case with a DJ friend of mine who got fired from a club via a text message and got hired back because his business was hurting so bad and he needed my friend back to bail him out. Of course that meant him getting paid a lot more money to get him to come back. He now gets $450.00 for 3 hours on both Thursday and Friday. Both nights feature a 1 hour open bar and people pay $10.00 to get in both nights while he's there. When he came back it took him no more then 3 weeks to get the place back jumping again. You have to get there before 6 o'clock or you won't find a place to park which is his starting time.
Now back to the bar gig for a moment. If another DJ is as good as you and willing to work for less and the owner can still make the same money as when you were there, then they should hire that other DJ. I know a case with a DJ friend of mine who got fired from a club via a text message and got hired back because his business was hurting so bad and he needed my friend back to bail him out. Of course that meant him getting paid a lot more money to get him to come back. He now gets $450.00 for 3 hours on both Thursday and Friday. Both nights feature a 1 hour open bar and people pay $10.00 to get in both nights while he's there. When he came back it took him no more then 3 weeks to get the place back jumping again. You have to get there before 6 o'clock or you won't find a place to park which is his starting time.
I am accepting this post of yours as a generic one and leaving Scott out of it this time. My comment on your post is that for once you made a statement that makes sense. Standing out and being different will give one a greater command for their fees, providing they have the skills to back it up and also the ability to sell themselves. "I am not your regular DJ" is one of the first things out of my mouth when selling myself to a prospective Client. When they see and hear me they realize what I said is true. For instance, why would I do a Karaoke Show and only carry the bare minimum of equipment like most Karaoke DJs that I know? People love to sing at my shows because they get a full "live" sound, not just two powered speakers, a laptop and a 4 Channel Mic Mixer with Cheapo Mics. I give them quality. Alas, if only some Bar Owners would do their part all will be well.
It's not a put down until it crashes straight into your personal insecurity - which is your responsibility not mine.
It's not my fault your ego depends on the subordination of hobbyists.
Canute it was general. What I posted wasn't meant as a put down but a good thing he said.
Now some owners are cheap and don't get it. They just see themselves saving money. In certain cases it will cost them money because customers may be hooked on the DJ and really would rather hear the other DJ instead of the replacement.
The flip side is that some dj's will find another bar/club owner willing to pay them more and naturally most will choose to go where the pay is more.
Now some owners are cheap and don't get it. They just see themselves saving money. In certain cases it will cost them money because customers may be hooked on the DJ and really would rather hear the other DJ instead of the replacement.
The flip side is that some dj's will find another bar/club owner willing to pay them more and naturally most will choose to go where the pay is more.