That's 60% of web-centric people - not the public at large.
I no longer use the web at all - so, based your version of reality how did I end up with 48 gigs Apr-June ??
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- Thread starter sawdust123
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That's 60% of web-centric people - not the public at large.
I no longer use the web at all - so, based your version of reality how did I end up with 48 gigs Apr-June ??
Bob I agree with Taso about people seeing a price online or they will move on. That's for anything being sold online. If I don't see a price I won't look any further.
How many of those gigs are weddings where you are solely acting as a DJ?
As mentioned in other topics, you also have 40 years of a base built. These things I say are implied more towards those looking to grow and last another 10-20 years.
Likewise, the stat I shared was 60% of COUPLES. So yes, the wedding market as a WHOLE. But again, I keep focusing on weddings, not corporate, not mom calling for her husbands 50th, not a school calling for a banquet dinner dance, etc.
Let me add to what I just said. Finding how much a product or service cost tells me if I can afford to pay for that thing. If I want something bad enough it can look into a way to pay for that thing.
I've said this before that no matter how large a persons bank account is every one has a limit on what they will spend for anything and that includes a billionaire or trillionaire. What I'm saying is everyone has a limit.
I've said this before that no matter how large a persons bank account is every one has a limit on what they will spend for anything and that includes a billionaire or trillionaire. What I'm saying is everyone has a limit.
Yes, but for people of means the limit is not based on affordability but rather value. A person may have millions but still balk at a $20 hot dog at a ball game.
I would too because I don't care how much money I have I will never pay $20 for a hotdog.
You're going very far out of your way to define weddings as something that's an exception to all other business realities and they are not. At some point - direct referrals should outpace ALL forms of advertising and if they don't we're simply speculating.
When I started I did what you're doing, and as a result traveled from Maine to Southern CT, White Plains and Albany. But within a few years local referrals and vendor relationships (which cost nothing) produced a higher value overall by recapturing otherwise unproductive time spent on delivery. This also enabled me to make more money through better use of my time and lower costs of delivery.
90% of my gigs are within 90 minutes which for my metro area, is considered local being between NYC and Philly. The 10% that are further out compensate accordingly for the time. An event in Florida will pay accordingly to give up a whole weekend. While I’m young and am ok with the travel, I’m happy to make 3 events worth of money to do 1 event.
I’m also in agreement that referrals should overtake every other form of advertising. 90% of my weddings are purely word of mouth and most events I do, I have at least a pair of guests or clients that I’ve known for years in attendance.
However, Weddings ARE very different. You’re dealing predominantly with a VERY narrow demographic of clients who are under 35. Their behaviors are naturally very different. They don’t just trust a referral because someone mentioned it. They live on their phones… within 2 seconds they’re searching the Instagram and website of the guests. They may be getting multiple referrals. Within 5 minutes they can be requesting quotes from all of them by searching the site for a starting price and inquiring if it fits their budget. I get tons of referrals from clients whose budgets are simply way too low, usually for non wedding based events. My site does a great job of filtering them out. Young people work on conflicting schedules nowadays, that means getting them together for a meeting is not as easy, so rather than set up a time with 5 DJs, 4 florists, 6 photographers, etc to meet just to get pricing… they research it first (and if they don’t see price they skip). They then narrow each category to the top 2 to set meetings with based on what they see online and the information they received when inquiring online. That’s a lot more manageable for a young couple. They don’t wanna go to an office, deal with traffic, only to see a prod that’s out of their range or not vibe well. Same for a phone call, minus the traffic. Some do have planners, but the planners are not choosing the dj. They’re recommending… but the couple is still going through the same research process. To them it’s just another recommendation… which like all other recommendations, they’ll go look at Instagram and then their site. Rinse cycle repeat with all recommendations.
Young people just are just different in 2026. I literally am that young person. Do all my research online to filter who I think may best fit my needs for whatever (pool work, house work, private event for kids, etc), and then narrow my calls down to 2-3.
Weddings are not in and of themselves "very different."
You are simply focused on one narrow profile of experiences sought by certain young couples.
This is not an "undiscovered reality" it's simply a choice.
Statistics are useless if we fail to properly interpret them.
The average wedding cost in MA (gross closed sales) is just under $50,000.00 meaning many wedding focused venues may start their base package pricing at $49K and up with sufficient expectation of interest.
The median cost of a wedding (actual expenditures by couples) in MA is just under $21,000.00 meaning MORE THAN HALF of all couples maried in MA spend LESS than $21k..
There are on average 35,OOO weddings in MA annually. A DJ booking 60 weddings a year is sampling just 0.17% of the market.
What's Trending is not relevant until the range is narrowed to numbers so insignificantly small that it speaks nothing to anything outisde of that one desired bubble. A $5,000 DJ likely costs less than the tux rental and dresses for a wedding party of the same event. But, just as in the disparity above - that comparison holds no real basis for what the ideal DJ price would be. Rarely in business is the highest porssible price the best realizeable income.
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What other event type is defined as exclusively targeting those under 35 who are the decision makers? And what do you mean 60 weddings? The surveys discussed are thousands upon thousands. Let alone every fb and Tik tok post talks about brides hating on vendors who gate keep pricing and don’t have transparent pricing on a site?
You keep wanting everyone else to have the same business model you do, that is just not the case. I thought it was very clear that Taso was clearing speaking about his business model, which is weddings and other upscale private events where he is the entertainer as well and the provider of all of the gear involved involved in the production.
It is very clear to everyone on this board that what you have is a production/rental company while similar not the same.
Very few if any of us are looking to pursue that path, I am glad it works well for you. But it not worth constantly trying to prove yourself right by comparing a different type of business that you are the lone wolf who is doing this on this particular forum
I have a question. Since the recent gas prices have gone up significantly, does that figure into what events you will or will not do?
Not at all... my margins are not based on gas being $25-$40 more a tank... and after really narrowing down the numbers... each event on avg only costs me $10-$12 more in gas. The avg wedding is over $4500... if my average event was $450, that's a different story.
I think "what I want" lies outside your scope of knowledge.
Weddings are not themselves a business model. They are merely a customer/event type. A "wedding DJ" describes a person not a business.
'Taso' is a person (talent) not a brand that can be delivered concurrently; nor survive it's proprietor. No matter how viral the online vanity marketing gets we can only hire Taso - one discreet day at a time. There is no 'business' per se, there's simply one performing talent sans agency, seeking a limited number of bookings.
Unlike a performance, a business can be sold or traded along with assets that include a client list and talent contracts. For a wedding DJ the talent is singular and the client list is always in the past tense..
Kind of the same thing as an actor, a singer, a real estate agent (not a broker, just an agent), photographer, an artist, trainers, private chefs, independent consultants, etc. What is wrong with the talent model... if you can make it work as a "business". A business is after all to facilitate a product or service in exchange for money, preferably at a profit. All of those examples mentioned above... the overall majority make mediocre wages, but the ability to make more most certainly exists. Avg actor makes 50k... but we all know 6 figure and 7 and 8 figure incomes exist. Chefs typically make 85k or so... but there are chefs to the wealthy that make 250k a year.
I just don't get the negativity surrounding the talent based DJ model. Some dj's get 1500, some get 2500, and I know a couple who avg closer to 8k a wedding as a solo op at 40-50 weddings a year. Is it how much you make or how you make it that matters more? Im just not seeing the point in the comparison of models.
I don't understand why a DJ doing a wedding and getting paid is not a business.
The definition of business is as follows
A business is an organization or entity that engages in commercial, industrial, or professional activities to produce, buy, or sell goods and services, typically with the goal of generating profit. It serves customer needs through structured, income-generating efforts, ranging from small sole proprietorships to large corporations.
It literally says sole proprietorship
I think once the "dictionary" is invoked, your burger has been on the grille for far to long.
How we register and pay our taxes does not change the fundamental reality that when a solo talent (person) is removed from performance - all that remains is the assets and/or intellectual property rights (if any.) For a solo wedding DJ - that's pretty much a pile of commonly available equipment.
Performing labor does not by itself create any independent asset value, even when we develop a reputation or credibility. To truly rise to the definition of a business - it must be an entity that can continue to operate even in the absence or transfer of ownership.
Compare a DJ to say. a liquor store owner. Both may be sole-proprietorships, but the store holds lease, license, and inventory assets and can continue to operate even in the owner's absence. It is not necessary for the owner to conduct sales in person. The DJ is by definition hired for service delivery in person.
Even a pizzeria though, if all the profit is tied to the owner being there or not, it's by theory no different than a dj. I use that as an example, bc in my family someoen has been trying to sell a pizzeria. He truly thought it was a $1m business bc of the revenue it receives and that he could retire by selling it and the numbers can in some ways support that, although he is present everday w/ no manager (open only 5 days though).... but the reality is The business has no literal value other than the equipment. Anyone can come in and open a pizza in the same spot with any name, and traffic will likely be equal as long as the pizza is good and prices are appropriat. There's no reason for someone to have to buy his business to accomplish the same result.
Wth that said. You're focusing on the prestige of the "asset" and the "value" of the business beyond the owner. I'm just trying to get why it matters. Numbers are numbers no matter how you get to them. As tunes has mentioned on multiple occassions, you can also grow your portfolio with other forms of income as well to diversify. Rental properties are an example. Once paid off they provide a solid source of income. Investing in the stock market at an early age can easily guarantee a solid retirement as well as flexibility in financial decisions in life.
I don’t believe any of us wedding DJ’s have ever claimed that we would have a valued asset when we retire, we have however been able to provide ourselves and our families in many cases a wonderfully prosperous life and the ability to invest well to secure our lifestyle into retirement