I used to think this was ok but i've had a big change of heart.

To many ads? Support ODJT and see no ads!
The way I see it, the DJ that no longer settles for $250-$350 is really only worth more IF HE IS ACTUALLY GETTING IT. Just turning down gigs that you used to take and then not working at all doesn't benefit someone very much. You should be turning down the $250 gigs because you are too busy booking more expensive gigs.
 
Scott Hanna said:
The way I see it, the DJ that no longer settles for $250-$350 is really only worth more IF HE IS ACTUALLY GETTING IT. Just turning down gigs that you used to take and then not working at all doesn't benefit someone very much. You should be turning down the $250 gigs because you are too busy booking more expensive gigs.
Click to expand...
I agree with part of that. I can understand that. For me i started to turn down such gigs because all they would lead us to is a dead end. Another person looking to spend $250.00 and not wanting to budge from that price. It just kept us in a hole.

All we got to be known as were very good DJs that would do gigs for a very cheap price. Sometimes we would be out there all day. Like say 7-8 hours getting paid that much. That was crazy and also that was me not coming up with a business plan. And part of that business plan should have been about not going below a certain price no matter how tough times are and how many gigs are coming in. Remeber this is what i observed about us. This doesn't mean that this had to happen to you or it's about you. I just made some bad choices. It's one thing when you're first starting out and people don't know about you. But it's a whole big difference when you've been doing it for a good while and you're still cheap Charlie.

Remeber the old saying nice guys finish last. I'm tired of finishing last.
 
MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
Sometimes we would be out there all day. Like say 7-8 hours getting paid that much.
Click to expand...

If that is what was happening... then that is entirely the fault of the DJ. 7-8 hours for $250.00 would of been a huge hell no in my book. As recently as last year I booked a gig or 2 for that price, on occasion when I did not have a better one booked, but it was only for 4 hours. Any longer I had overtime rates established. I have also gone into overtime on occasion, but never had a client balk at the overtime rates. People understand if they want more, pay more. After the pre-set time if they are unwilling to pay the OT rate, I pack up and head out. A DJ choosing to stay for the additional time at no charge is their choice entirely.
 
MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
Sometimes we would be out there all day. Like say 7-8 hours getting paid that much. That was crazy and also that was me not coming up with a business plan.
Click to expand...

I could care less what anyone thinks about the price tag - I only think about earnings. I still take gigs for $300, like a MS school dance 5 minutes from home. They are typically Friday, just 2 hours long, fun, easy and with setup takes only 3 hours of my day. That's $100/hr any way you slice it. Those of you who like to whine about equipment wear and tear, etc... uh-uh - you don't know jack about accounting and finance. The equipment had a book value of zero years ago and it's only value is when it's powered "on" and let's me earn a wage. It has no value of it's own. Music? Thanks to Promo only and iTunes what used to cost $300/month in 1987 now costs about $20/month and I would be maintaining that collection anyway.

The new reality is that DJing is far cheaper and simpler to do than it has ever been, and is now easily accessible to all of our clients and end users as a part of their personal and portable entertainment experience. Without some unique niche or target clientele you are at the mercy of a vocation whose value is in serious decline.
 
Your points are well taken. Plus school dances are low pressure, fun and you get to learn the newer music so when someone ask for it a month later at a wedding you already know it!

school dance dj
 
I was just speaking for me what I'm tired of and yes I'm to blame for doing gigs for $250.00-$350.00 and staying all day. We all have a choice as to who we want to work for and how much we want to charge.

The sad part is that it has gotten easier for someone to become a DJ and not the hard work it used to take. That I felt gave you more appreciation for what it took to be a DJ. It's one thing to have some gear and music and call yourself a DJ. It's another thing to be called a true professional DJ/entertainer.
 
MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
Yea but check this out. The $500.00 may work more often and i do mmean they may work more often. But the DJ who gets to make $3,500.00 on event only has to work so hard in actually doing the event. Their hard part is in selling to a client. So keep on being a $500.00 DJ that has to do 7 gigs to make what the other DJ makes in one. Nobody says he has to be a great DJ but it sure don't hurt that this DJ from one gig get to make $3,500.00. Yes there are exspenses that have to be paid and then there is a profit but i bet his profit is more then what that $500.00 DJ charges alll together.
Click to expand...

Using this mindset then how come you aren't charging $3500?
 
Mix here is the thing Bobby Carpenter lives in a very wealthy market. He also spends more on a website than most DJ's have for a total marketing budget.

Here are his two biggest DJ packages. His Base package starts at $2495

Signature Muli-media Package -$4295.00
1) Bob for the entire event
2) Two 50 inch Plasma Displays with custom intro and two montages.
3) Uplighitng Entire Ballroom - Our LED lights are Battery Operated and wirelessly controlled
4) Dance Floor Lighting

Signature Lighting Package - $3695.00
1) Bob for the entire event
2) Uplighitng Entire Ballroom - Our LED lights are Battery Operated and wirelessly controlled
3) Dance Floor Lighting with Spot
Click to expand...

He also offers Photography, Videography, Event Planning, Uplighting, Photobooths among other features. he creates an event and plays music at it. You DJ someone elses event. See the difference?

He also has a rock solid business and marketing plan. He also has a down town office for his business he doesn't run out of his house anymore like most of us do.

Bob Carpenter is a quality guy and if you want what he has you should strive to be like him he does it right but you can't be like Bob and be like you at the same time.
 
I would like to dwell on this a little more but I want to use the $500 dollar figure to a $3,000 figure

Somethings i know is that a $3,000 figure entails more time and visits with the client, Usually entails rehearsal and usually doing the ceremony and reception

So I have to wonder the advertising budget the $3000 DJ has to spend to find the Brides that will pay that compared to the $500 DJ

I know the $3000 DJ has to operate in a larger radius then the $500 DJ to stay busy

The $3000 DJ probably doesn't charge by the hour so he is there for the entire event for the $3000 could be a 4 hour reception or a 9 hour reception.

I know the $3000 DJ won't work every weekend and will encounter dry spells where as the $500 DJ can stay busy every weekend on a consistent basis

Something tells me the grass is not really greener on the other side.
 
Thank you Jeff

Many people never think about the Market a person lives in when they see what they consider a wealthy price quote from a DJ out of their area.
 
Cesar said:
I would like to dwell on this a little more but I want to use the $500 dollar figure to a $3,000 figure

Somethings i know is that a $3,000 figure entails more time and visits with the client, Usually entails rehearsal and usually doing the ceremony and reception

So I have to wonder the advertising budget the $3000 DJ has to spend to find the Brides that will pay that compared to the $500 DJ

I know the $3000 DJ has to operate in a larger radius then the $500 DJ to stay busy

The $3000 DJ probably doesn't charge by the hour so he is there for the entire event for the $3000 could be a 4 hour reception or a 9 hour reception.

I know the $3000 DJ won't work every weekend and will encounter dry spells where as the $500 DJ can stay busy every weekend on a consistent basis

Something tells me the grass is not really greener on the other side.
Click to expand...
Cesar, you need to do your Math. A DJ busy every weekend doing Gigs at $500.00 each, will make less money than a DJ doing one Gig per month at $3,000.00. No matter what side or what color the grass is, you still have to cut it! Or smoke it (If it is "that" type of grass).
Your argument does not hold water.
 
Cesar said:
So for the sake of this argument how many events do you think the 3000 DJ is booking a month realistically?
Click to expand...
Does it really matter? :rolleyes:
 
Only if your curious about the truth

We should also come up with the additional advertising costs he is spending as compared to the DJ operating in his local area unless you think there is no difference.
 
Cesar said:
Only if your curious about the truth

We should also come up with the additional advertising costs he is spending as compared to the DJ operating in his local area unless you think there is no difference.
Click to expand...
He goes out once a month and the other DJ goes out 4 times = 4 times the amount of Gasoline etc.
 
Ahhhhhhhhh Houston you have your blinders on and your not looking at the whole picture. When you read about these $3000 DJs they are selling on the personalized service and that is not done on one visit. I can see right now that this will be futile to discuss with you since I ask for us to establish advertising budget differences between the two DJs and you come back with gas costs. Let's just forget it.

DJ operating in his local area travels 20 miles to his event DJ operating in a larger territory to maintain a significant amount of Brides willing to pay a higher then norm DJ cost travels 120 miles to his event, Are gas costs as simple as you say?
 
At the end of the year the $3000 DJ probably is making more money over all than the $500 DJ if he can find a way to keep himself busy..That might be easier said than done but I can guarantee that the $3000 DJ is definatly with higher costs. Like I mentioned earlier folks like Bob spend more on their website than most spend for a whole marketing budget. To get that type of client you have to portray an image and it isn't built on Craigslist or WeDJ.

Have you checked out the price of ads in Bridal magazines lately? Bridal Shows? TV Ads?

They also put more hours in to an event than average.

At 30 events a year thats $90,000 Gross. Take Marketing, office space, gas, gear, etc. what is left?
 
See Houston........Now Jeff would be one to debate this belief with since he has shown he doesn't have blinders on and can think past the Money Figure $3000.
 
Cesar said:
Ahhhhhhhhh Houston you have your blinders on and your not looking at the whole picture. When you read about these $3000 DJs they are selling on the personalized service and that is not done on one visit. I can see right now that this will be futile to discuss with you since I ask for us to establish advertising budget differences between the two DJs and you come back with gas costs. Let's just forget it.

DJ operating in his local area travels 20 miles to his event DJ operating in a larger territory to maintain a significant amount of Brides willing to pay a higher then norm DJ cost travels 120 miles to his event, Are gas costs as simple as you say?
Click to expand...

Using that logic, the other DJ may be traveling just as much for each show. You have no idea what the lesser price DJ is including, or not, in his / her show. You also have no idea of the 'lesser price' DJ's servicing area. Based on these, I think you also may not be looking at the whole picture. I believe Canute was giving you 1 example of things that could be different. I didn't read that as a complete list of differences and from what I know of Canute, he knows that there are more - lots more (in a given 1 to 1 example with known scenarios).

In fact, I'm pretty sure that I can guarantee you that there are so many factors between what each of us provide (and other factors) that not one of us here can come up with 'the whole picture'. For everything you can come up with, I bet someone can show a different angle on it - and the whole picture - covers ALL angles.

Contrary to popular belief, Canute doesn't just think about the moolah.
 
I'm with Cesar on this.

For the record, I'm a part timer.

I DJ weddings in my market for $825 and I'm as busy as I want to be. I'd rather go out 2 (instead of one) times to make $825 using a really good system of planning I use. Half the time the BG and I meet ONCE, half the time not. For a BG interested in my services at $1650 (or double what I make now) I'm certain would require me to have potentially more visits for a client to justify that price (or for me to to justify it).

In other words...I try to make M - F as family friendly as possible.

I'd have no problem doubling/tripling rates if I went full time so I could really hammer all the add-ons and quality of service/gear to a "T."

In the end, I really like teaching.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back