Yes .. but you shouldn't typically need to know their music preferences to provide a price .. that comes while you're putting a contract together.
Is a $1,200 to $1,600 for a 5 to 6 hour Wedding DJ a Low End Budget DJ?
- Thread starter DJ Ricky B
- Start date
How does the music affect what you charge. Do you charge more for top 40 as opposed to disco
What I do is to try to get a feel for a potential client to see if it's an event I would like for us to do. I have been put in situations that I certainly wish I never agreed to do the event. I have been put in situations where people will say it's OK to play music with explicit lyrics. I don't care to do such events. By looking to get a feel for the music they want the I can decide through my senses if it's something I want us subjected to.
So when you tell some potential clients you only play clean music, they will look else where which is what I want them to do.
Ok lets try this again... Someone calls you for a wedding for a Saturday in March 2021, at the Pines Manor in Edison, NJ from 5pm-10pm. 5-6pm is cocktail hour and 6-10pm is reception. I only need sound for the 4hr reception and will be having 125 guests. No lights. They like music for people of all ages, such as disco, 80's for their older guests, but mostly top 40 for their friends(clean versions only as their family is conservative). You're the dj, so they trust you to pick the music, and are not interested in giving many, if any, requests. What would their price be.
If you can't give me a quote for this then idk what's left to discuss. For reference... mine is $2500 (again).
OK since you insist our starting price to do a wedding is $500. Now what you charge is what you charge and I'm proud you can get paid what you do. Now you said you get people to pay you the price you quote them is because most of the people you do events for have their own businesses and are not struggling to get you paid. Congratulations! Now I really didn't want to talk price because there's always going to be 2 sides to the coin. Those who say you're not charging enough or you're charging too much. Again like I said what counts is what clients are willing to pay you and not us DJs. I keep saying it's about what you get consistently paid by clients.
I mentioned what I charge to show the consistency in pricing for my clients, not to brag. In all examples, from the bare minimum info given, to super detailed info, I stated the same quote. I in fact treat all my potential clients equally, whereas in a sense you discriminate based on their personal preferences and interests. You have a hard time coming up with quotes for clients, and I, the outsider, view that as unfair to your inquiring clients. That's my opinion and you're free to argue your point/view.
I never said you're charging too much or not enough. I find flaw in your methodology in determining a price. And you're right... it IS about what clients are willing to pay you... so I'll leave off with this... is there a signed contract in your possession for a wedding where you charged $500. You said you did one in July... did you get a signed contract and $500 for it?
Again... I'm not saying anything about if what you charge is too much or too little... but rather did they pay what you're telling us that you charge.
..and how much time the have to get all their equipment off the handball court for the next wedding, free-picnic, etc.
Fair enough.....but if you're not going to answer, PLEASE STOP MAKING POSTS ABOUT PRICING!
First to be honest I have been careful as to who I agree to do an event for because some of the people who have contacted us in the past are not clients I'm interested in doing an event for. I'm not just talking about it being just about the money they want to pay for a DJ to do an event for them. Some of them are those who will want you to play the dirty version of Cardi B's song WAP for example. I have no desire to work for clients like that.
The wedding we did in July we got paid $400 in cash. It had been 5 months since we did an event and we just wanted to be able to do an event since we've been put into quarantine because of this situation we've been forced in. The wedding was for a friend of my partner that he calls family. When I mentioned the thing about what a DJ charges may or may not be good enough, I wasn't just talking about me. I was talking about us as a whole. Some will be judgemental because a DJ is not charging at least as much as them for doing a certain type of event. The problem with that is in at least say 80% of the time the DJ judging another DJ has never met or seen that DJ doing an event.
He's not auricularly limited, so yelling won't accomplish anything.
He's debilitated and pity-worthy regrading more serious capacities/faculties and likely to heed no advice on any front.
Depth of disposable income is no more a measure of the work being performed than is the depth of a lake to the swimmer's ability.
If we're wading it's obvious. If we're swimming - the depth of the water informs us of nothing.
If I'm a swimmer than I need only confirm the water is navigable and free of hazards.
Not sure about that .. beginner swimmers always want to know the depth of the water should they "malfunction" along the way. It informs them whether panic is needed.
How can you then claim prices start at $500... if you've never charged $500 though?
Looking to "touch bottom" is not swimming. Hence, the analogy for those who do and those who don't.
I suppose you could argue that persistently under charging for work is like wearing life preserver but, the lackluster performance is every bit as conspicuous as wearing a big orange float around the neck.
I never said we didn't ever charge $500 to do a wedding. What I'm saying going forward the starting price will be $500. The one we did for $400 my partner agreed to that price. That's what was decided on and we got paid the money days in advance. Like I said it was months in between gigs, so we took it. Especially since gigs are hard to come by today because of the situation we're in and all the restrictions in place. I originally wanted to do the event because it was supposed to be in a decent venue which of course due to the restrictions was impossible. I was hoping it was in the venue so I could get nice pictures and some video to promote our business. Certain events we've done in the past I can't use them to promote our business. Some for sure but we need much more and much better stuff to promote our business.
Before I take a beating on not looking at doing this sooner, the kinds of events we did or at least some of them were not high class events. They may have been outside in the hood. Stuff like that. Anyhow I know you're not bragging when you post your prices on here that you get to do events Taso. You're just showing others that it is possible to be done.
from that perspective that does make sense
... Mix let us know how long it takes to get there!
...better yet, Dramachoman, when you make the first effective move in any meaningful direction.
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