What do you pay your speakers?

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Part of the equation missed...

Better quality speakers can conceivable make you a higher wage, thus earn a better fee. The missed part of the equation, is better sound from better speakers, may reap better income.

Let's say that your equation is based on $500 dollar speakers.
Because you are now in the same league as "most" DJs, your payment to your speakers falls into that catagory... but now let's look at $1000 speakers.

Doesn't it make sense that your value to the costumer is greater.. you get more calls for service and get a bigger fee because you "sound" much better. You may even be able to pay your speakers a bigger fee, and pay them off earlier, putting more money in you pocket in the long run.
 
my thoughts exactly Tyrone I would pay them off early as I did my Mackies. 6 months they were paid off.It is now time to pay for better looking and sounding workhorses.
 
Keep in mind, in Bens question, paying off the speakers is not the goal...he is looking for the worth of what we pay the speakers...that is, the percentage of our wage that we would earmark for the speakers.

The points made are why I cannot produce a number, because it depends on what we are paid; and why I cannot produce a percentage that would work for all of us because our costs are different.

It does not matter whether the gear is new and financed or old and paid for...

(finding this dialog intriguing and abstract, LOVE IT Ben, LOL)
 
Harryoke said:
Ben, given THAT clue, I would say the number would be whatever you were willing to leave a PA unmanned at a reception for, with no music...and that the term "speakers" would encompass the entire PA including players; that is; what the bride feels the value of the DJ service, minus the DJs actual fee?
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It is very interesting that you bring that up. That's about right. We began polling brides as to how much they felt they were paying for the gear (specifically speakers and amps) and how much they were paying for the DJ. The answers will undoubtedly start a fierce debate, some will celebrate, some will cry and some will go into denial. The smart ones will welcome a peek into their client's minds. Maybe for years we as DJs have conditioned their responses, and the debate can rage about why the data is what it is... that's not my part. ;) I'm just going to show you the data we've collected.

Ben
 
Setup Company A, which purchases and rents out speakers to DJs.

Company B (you), rents these speakers for each gig from Company A.

Company A gets to write off wear and tear/depreciation of their assets. Company B gets to write off the rental fee for each gig. There are also transport and handling fees that can be added and written off.

If you have a good accountant, the speakers not only cost you nothing in the long run, but save you from paying other taxes as well


You pick the amount you want to pay them
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Rick, thats deep!


I would say, I cannot put a price tag on something so valuble to my performance. but if I had to I'd say $765.34 per $1200 event.
 
Rick, thats deep!
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Mom and Dad always said that about me :sqlaugh:


I can't help myself, I'm into numbers. My first few years in college, I was an accounting/business law major. Then I saw the light -- computers, beer and weed :)
 
NorthernLightFX said:
It is very interesting that you bring that up. That's about right. We began polling brides as to how much they felt they were paying for the gear (specifically speakers and amps) and how much they were paying for the DJ. The answers will undoubtedly start a fierce debate, some will celebrate, some will cry and some will go into denial. The smart ones will welcome a peek into their client's minds. Maybe for years we as DJs have conditioned their responses, and the debate can rage about why the data is what it is... that's not my part. ;) I'm just going to show you the data we've collected.

Ben
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Will be interesting to see the data. When people see what we charge an hour, we hear interesting comments about worth...but when you break down what we bring to the table, it becomes easy to see.

I remember starting out as a karaoke host, and thinking the pittance I was charging was great, because hourly, I was making far more than at my day job.

When I realized what it would cost a bar to rent a PA like mine, and what it would cost them to rent or buy a music collection like mine, then what it would cost them to merely pay someone to run it, then exponentially increase the value because of the great quality I had in all of the above, and I realized I was giving it away and IMMEDIATELY raised my price, and have no qualms in justifying my rate.

I was contracting a bride the other day who tried to bristle at a wedding rate...until I pointed out that she had 150 chairs rented and was paying an extra $7 a chair to have them covered with a bow on them.

If your chair covers are more valuble than the DJ, something is wrong, LOL.
 
Harryoke said:
Will be interesting to see the data. When people see what we charge an hour, we hear interesting comments about worth...but when you break down what we bring to the table, it becomes easy to see.

I remember starting out as a karaoke host, and thinking the pittance I was charging was great, because hourly, I was making far more than at my day job.

When I realized what it would cost a bar to rent a PA like mine, and what it would cost them to rent or buy a music collection like mine, then what it would cost them to merely pay someone to run it, then exponentially increase the value because of the great quality I had in all of the above, and I realized I was giving it away and IMMEDIATELY raised my price, and have no qualms in justifying my rate.

I was contracting a bride the other day who tried to bristle at a wedding rate...until I pointed out that she had 150 chairs rented and was paying an extra $7 a chair to have them covered with a bow on them.

If your chair covers are more valuble than the DJ, something is wrong, LOL.
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Now you're talking... ;)

Ben
 
I did the same using per plate Buffet it began to make it clear to her. However they have the classic issues of not much funding as they are paying themselves and a dog with cancer. Medical bills exceeding $8,000 in the past two months. I am preferred vendor recommended by the venue so will patiently await a call back to book a face to face no obligation meeting.Likely she will travel into the world of unknown DJ and pay the untested 500 dollars. There is another one lined up right behind her though I would like to secure every preferred referral.
 
I would pay mine, but I stabbed them in the back with and XLR jack.

JK. I use Bose L1s, which get me jobs just because they're cool, so I have to offer pay plus commission. I guess they are getting too expensive, so I might try to work without them. I wonder what a deaf couple would pay to have me DJ their wedding?
 
So Cal Hugh said:
I would pay mine, but I stabbed them in the back with and XLR jack.

JK. I use Bose L1s, which get me jobs just because they're cool, so I have to offer pay plus commission. I guess they are getting too expensive, so I might try to work without them. I wonder what a deaf couple would pay to have me DJ their wedding?
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Hmmm... my brother's fiance is deaf. I could ask them. ;)

Ben
 
My events usually equal out to a 50% / 50% split between my pay and what goes back into the company as overhead. This is what I did in the beggining and still to an extent do today. Granted I may not have as many expenses as the other guys up here on the boards, but I speak the truth, I gotta pay my office rent every month lol. My new idea has been, pay overhead FIRST, THEN pay business/myself.
 
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