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shdixon said:
Right with you, Mike. The DJ business never really rebounded after the Bush/OBama recession. Before that, I was making $1,700 a wedding or corporate party. Once the Bush/OBama hit, my events fell more than 50% and the dollar amount went down to $500. Corporate holiday parties evaporated. The $300 DJs stayed busy. I stuck it out till 2018 then gave up. Glad I did. Good luck!
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Don't know your age, but you might have suffered from Aging, and moving on from your "Prime Years" along with losing a referral base due to your contacts at venues leaving their positions.

I believe DJs have their best years when they are in their late 20s on up to age 42 or so in terms of deejaying private events including Sweet 16s, Mitzvahs, Weddings. After Age 43, can still be quite good for DJs. Eventually, you look old and/or your clientele base changes. Image/Your Age will matter to at least some clients. Most Mitzvah clients will go with an energetic looking young DJ who is 25 or 30 vs the 65 yr old DJ. Younger wedding couples will relate and gravitate to a 30 year old DJ over a 60 year old DJ. Older DJs will still book weddings. They are just going to book fewer of them, and often older guys will be the ones who turn into the $400 to $650 wedding guy just to stay in the game and because a $600 wedding pays more than the $200 karaoke bar gig they get here and there.

Also, it's tougher to stand out, and show your Value if you are charging $1,700, and the vast majority of DJs in your service area are charging $300 to $800. If the inquiries coming your way are not referrals from a friend or planner who speak highly of you to the prospect, or the prospect themselves saw you at a previous event and really loved the job you did at the event then being way higher priced than most everyone else is going to be a tough sale.

I will say this about the great recession. The 2008/2009 years Sucked. Earnings was down over 40% both years from 2007. 2010 I chased work wherever I could find it and had to drop prices to obtain work. 2011 I was quite busy. 2012 was another busy year. 2013 was a real busy year with prices increasing. 2014 was a SLOW year. 2015 was the BEST YEAR I had. Every year since 2015 was a small decline, then 2020 Pandemic hit, and 2020 was the worst year ever! 2022 was probably my 3rd best year in 22 years of doing this.
 
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Jeff Romard said:
Me too....Did better 40-50 than any other 10 year span
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Results will always vary from person to person. It could have been a number of things. Perhaps there was more competition in your area when you were in your 30s? Or maybe it was a slower market, and became busier when you were in your 40s? Or maybe you were simply a lower quality DJ in your 30s, and you realized some things, and polished your marketing/image? Or maybe you had established better connections and built a better referral base in your 40s compared to your 30s.
 
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That era of the "DJ" has past for a number of reasons.

"Disc Jockey" is a role rooted in outdated technology having derived from the novelty of a record changer and radio's adoption of popular music formats as primary programming, When the equipment became portable - "mobile DJ" became a popular small business pursuit and filled an actual vacancy around family and special events,

Despite technology that still supports "DJ applications" the capability is so ingrained in personal electronics that the need for services providers is greatly diminished and will continue to decline. Very few people still doing this market themselves on the basis of actual DJ or entertainment skills, rather they promote a conglomeration of frills in the form of retail product (uplights, foggers, confetti, photobooth, novelties, etc.) none of which really bares any stake in regard to the music portion of an event. They are easily separated and other event vendors can peel these ancillary enticements away from the DJ provider.

Additionally, REAL talent is back in vogue! Decades of broadcast talent search programs has increased public awareness and appreciation of REAL talent and live entertainment now greatly outstrips the demand for DJs, The event business has not declined (quite the opposite) but save for some of the most youth centric arenas (bar mitzvahs and young marriages) the demand for DJs as entertainment has declined quite a bit. In addition, marriage rates have declined, and so have U.S birth rates - and of top of those demographics lies a trend toward smaller weddings, more creative events, boutique styles, and destinations that may not involve dance music at all.

Few things ever disappear completely. "The DJ" will continue to be a thing on the social event scene, but it is certain that it will never again appear in any business news article as a trending or desirable small business venture.
 
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shdixon said:
Right with you, Mike. The DJ business never really rebounded after the Bush/OBama recession. Before that, I was making $1,700 a wedding or corporate party. Once the Bush/OBama hit, my events fell more than 50% and the dollar amount went down to $500. Corporate holiday parties evaporated. The $300 DJs stayed busy. I stuck it out till 2018 then gave up. Glad I did. Good luck!
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Don't blame it on either one of those presidents. It's about us and how you run your business. When the going gets tough the tough get going. The Pandemick has been a rough time and yet some are bouncing back very nicely.
 
sonic-vision said:
What age do I think about buying a chair or stool ?? :djsmug:
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I bought stools from Wal Mart years ago! :)

I even evolved into buying the Pyle DJ Chair, and Gator Guitar Stool. I pick which one I want to bring with me to each event! Sometimes it's a hard decision to make :)
 
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Proformance said:
That era of the "DJ" has past for a number of reasons.

"Disc Jockey" is a role rooted in outdated technology having derived from the novelty of a record changer and radio's adoption of popular music formats as primary programming, When the equipment became portable - "mobile DJ" became a popular small business pursuit and filled an actual vacancy around family and special events,

Despite technology that still supports "DJ applications" the capability is so ingrained in personal electronics that the need for services providers is greatly diminished and will continue to decline. Very few people still doing this market themselves on the basis of actual DJ or entertainment skills, rather they promote a conglomeration of frills in the form of retail product (uplights, foggers, confetti, photobooth, novelties, etc.) none of which really bares any stake in regard to the music portion of an event. They are easily separated and other event vendors can peel these ancillary enticements away from the DJ provider.

Additionally, REAL talent is back in vogue! Decades of broadcast talent search programs has increased public awareness and appreciation of REAL talent and live entertainment now greatly outstrips the demand for DJs, The event business has not declined (quite the opposite) but save for some of the most youth centric arenas (bar mitzvahs and young marriages) the demand for DJs as entertainment has declined quite a bit. In addition, marriage rates have declined, and so have U.S birth rates - and of top of those demographics lies a trend toward smaller weddings, more creative events, boutique styles, and destinations that may not involve dance music at all.

Few things ever disappear completely. "The DJ" will continue to be a thing on the social event scene, but it is certain that it will never again appear in any business news article as a trending or desirable small business venture.
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This is why I don't believe our business as DJs will actually be around in 15 to 20 more years. I think the ones left will simply be working a gig here and there as a side hustle income to give some those of us DJs left some purpose other than collecting UBI benefits since far fewer people will even be working at all. Big Events will simply have a production company facilitate the gear, and music when needed will be piped in digitally without a DJ. That is assuming we don't have World War 3 occur in the coming years, and the end comes.
 
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DJ Ricky B said:
This is why I don't believe our business as DJs will actually be around in 15 to 20 more years. I think the ones left will simply be working a gig here and there as a side hustle income to give some those of us DJs left some purpose other than collecting UBI benefits since far fewer people will even be working at all. Big Events will simply have a production company facilitate the gear, and music when needed will be piped in digitally without a DJ. That is assuming we don't have World War 3 occur in the coming years, and the end comes.
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You do realize that only about 20% of what a successful DJ does is about the music??
 
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Could it be that a DJ could also become a "novelty" in the future? I mean, a 70+ or even 80-year-old DJ. Just imagine the decades of music this DJ would bring to the event. No research necessary.
 
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DJ Ricky B said:
This is why I don't believe our business as DJs will actually be around in 15 to 20 more years.
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Ricky, I've probably been on this board or another with you for at least a decade. You've been saying the same thing the entire time I knew you. So if you were right then... we're down to < 10 years at this point...
 
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tunes4046 said:
You do realize that only about 20% of what a successful DJ does is about the music??
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Enlighten everyone on the other 80% and why all of those functions can't be replaced by someone else or something else in the future.
 
DJ Ricky B said:
Enlighten everyone on the other 80% and why all of those functions can't be replaced by someone else or something else in the future.
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They are skills, MC, Coordinator, Entertainer, sure they can be replaced, but typically a great and successful DJ possesses all of those skills along with music knowledge and the ability to read and play to a crowd in one package. Honestly most mid priced and lower DJS lack some of those skills and can easily be replaced, the top tier will remain in demand
 
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DJ Ricky B said:
This is why I don't believe our business as DJs will actually be around in 15 to 20 more years. I think the ones left will simply be working a gig here and there as a side hustle income to give some those of us DJs left some purpose other than collecting UBI benefits since far fewer people will even be working at all. Big Events will simply have a production company facilitate the gear, and music when needed will be piped in digitally without a DJ. That is assuming we don't have World War 3 occur in the coming years, and the end comes.
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There's so much more to a private event than just having "music piped in". First off, have you seen what rental companies charge to set up a basic sound system. Second, for formal events you want someone that knows how to run them and mc appropriately. And when it comes to dancing, just like the question asked in another thread about what would one play for x amount of time... they'd do a generic job at best providing background music. The talented human dj is needed to provide the best results more often than not.

This is just the tip of the iceberg though. People book someone because of the trust and confidence in the experience that is being provided. There's a reason why certain dj's have more demand or certain vendors/venues... or even everyday aspects such as a barber... there are those that will go to anyone at supercuts, and then there are those that will go to someone specific, and schedule an appointment 2 weeks in advance to ensure they get the person they trust and know will consistently deliver. Taking it one step further... for better or for worse... private events are also growing in production elements. Different layers of lighting, effects, photo booths/areas, after parties, etc etc etc. Sure you can book almost all of that independently... or you could hire the one guy that you trust to handle it all so you can have the peace of mind. It's often for that reason people will pay a huge premium to have me drive to different states and bring my production with me, as opposed to paying me a lower rate and renting things locally. They know what they want and are paying to ensure the best guarantee of those results.

Then there are the unusual aspects of what some of us do... such as cultural weddings with traditional dances... some that may require the ability to physically gauge the dancefloor as to when something should continue or end. Or knowing how to transition from one culture to another at an appropriate time. For example, I often get couples who say, hey we have guests from this area, can you play a song or two and see how it goes, but if it's not working, move on. A human element is at this time in our lives needed to gauge that.
 
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djtaso said:
There's so much more to a private event than just having "music piped in". First off, have you seen what rental companies charge to set up a basic sound system. Second, for formal events you want someone that knows how to run them and mc appropriately. And when it comes to dancing, just like the question asked in another thread about what would one play for x amount of time... they'd do a generic job at best providing background music. The talented human dj is needed to provide the best results more often than not.

This is just the tip of the iceberg though. People book someone because of the trust and confidence in the experience that is being provided. There's a reason why certain dj's have more demand or certain vendors/venues... or even everyday aspects such as a barber... there are those that will go to anyone at supercuts, and then there are those that will go to someone specific, and schedule an appointment 2 weeks in advance to ensure they get the person they trust and know will consistently deliver. Taking it one step further... for better or for worse... private events are also growing in production elements. Different layers of lighting, effects, photo booths/areas, after parties, etc etc etc. Sure you can book almost all of that independently... or you could hire the one guy that you trust to handle it all so you can have the peace of mind. It's often for that reason people will pay a huge premium to have me drive to different states and bring my production with me, as opposed to paying me a lower rate and renting things locally. They know what they want and are paying to ensure the best guarantee of those results.

Then there are the unusual aspects of what some of us do... such as cultural weddings with traditional dances... some that may require the ability to physically gauge the dancefloor as to when something should continue or end. Or knowing how to transition from one culture to another at an appropriate time. For example, I often get couples who say, hey we have guests from this area, can you play a song or two and see how it goes, but if it's not working, move on. A human element is at this time in our lives needed to gauge that.
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Great observation sir. What I find is some will base their decision on price alone and not look for a DJ that would be a good fit for the event. What has happened is sometimes the event will turn into a big mess because they didn't take the time to find the right DJ to do the event. It's not just all about a price a lot of times. Thanks for your post.
 
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My opinion:
Trends change
Tastes change
technology changes.

Some businesses are great at adapting, some find it extremely difficult.

When businesses are having difficulties adapting to what their core customer currently want, they often have trouble realizing that as well and assume that the market simply no longer exists.

Like the thousands of failed steakhouses who felt people would rather buy a cheap burger than a great steak, while a woman named Ruth spent her life’s savings on a small business named Chris steakhouse and turned it into into a national high end steakhouse chain.

In my day job, most of our manufacturers that tried a cheap knock off material come back after the failed experiment. But not everyone. One company that left us 10 years ago and hasn’t returned yet , I saw at a show. I didnt see any of the knockoff material displayed. When I asked about it, they said, they still offer it, but no one really buys it any more, as it was fad, in their opinion. Meanwhile our sales have grown 400% during those 10 years and about 60 of their competitors were displaying products made with our material.
One of our customers just had their products showcased on the today show on Friday 😁
27BE61E8-99DE-4872-870C-0EBFECC8250E.jpeg
 
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DJ Ricky B said:
and even Cap is still working events!
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Don't put me in the ground yet.
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Regurgitating some past explanati
ons, my show biz personality and exuberance launched my career, and has continually been tuned and honed to a fine surgical edge.

My problem in today's market is my total unwillingness to jump into the reduced price pit of snarling critters going after a chunk of meat. That, and the business devastation experienced during COVID, plus the rise of good quality muti-ops, I'm chugging along at one event a month. Sucks, but it's better than being forcibly retired .
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