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Guest
Guest
You've been paid for five hours and you are now in the fifth hour and the party is going hard. You've had the dance floor packed all night. The client has the hall till 2 AM and it is just 10:00. What do you do?
Simple - about 10 min before the top of the hour, let the client know that the SIGNED contract goes until 10:00. You will be more than happy to play as long as they want at your overtime rate(mine is $100 per hour). I have seen clients pass the hat, end the night at 10p, go for 2-3 more hours. Just make sure that you present it in a positive manner! By this time, I'm usually tired, hungry and ready to bolt, but this is there special night and that is all that matters. I and there to provided entertainment and if the dancefloor is jumping and people are having a blast then I am successful!!!
I have it in my contract that we play til venue close..(within reason)
I dont like upselling more hours if the guests have having a great time.
But on one side note....I am starting to consider..talking to my brides and grooms about ending on a high note..if it looks like guests are starting to leave...it makes a ton of sense this way.
I dont like upselling more hours if the guests have having a great time.
But on one side note....I am starting to consider..talking to my brides and grooms about ending on a high note..if it looks like guests are starting to leave...it makes a ton of sense this way.
Oh dang..after 5 hours of music..um...maybe..um one more hour.
I'd probably be hitting some sort of song mental block going into a 6th hour. Oh my!
My OT is $200 per hour. Or $100 per 1/2. cash or check...
Must be notified 1/2 prior to contract ending.
Must be notified 1/2 prior to contract ending.
I always go talk to the bride with 30 minutes remaining in my show and ask her what se wants to do. Many times the hall may not allow extra time. So long as the hall aloow its and they pay I will play for as long as they want 
. I charge $75 per 1/2 hour (Cash or Check)
. I charge $75 per 1/2 hour (Cash or Check)
We usually talk to the bride and groom about it and let them make the decision. We're at $50/hr extra at this point. Last year, we had couple go over the pre-planned hours. One was extra time for the venue, but not for us. (they wanted a 6th hour and had the venue for 5 hours; we play up to 6 hours.) The other was extra time for us.
It doesn't happen often, but we don't mind since we don't have anyplace to be anyway.
It doesn't happen often, but we don't mind since we don't have anyplace to be anyway.
Before the end is near, usually 20-30 minutes out, the continuation contingency has been determined with client's full awareness, the venue's full awareness and is based on the long, long ago established contractual parameters.
If you do not have clear overtime provisions in your contract, you should.
What I can't understand is why so many treat overtime as less valuable and an appropriate time to discount. That practice violates every aspect of supply and demand. When demand is HIGH, (slamming dance floor, banging crowd) and supply is severely limited, (It is us or none, so the supply is 1), our service is substantially more valuable and the compensation should reflect that.
If you do not have clear overtime provisions in your contract, you should.
What I can't understand is why so many treat overtime as less valuable and an appropriate time to discount. That practice violates every aspect of supply and demand. When demand is HIGH, (slamming dance floor, banging crowd) and supply is severely limited, (It is us or none, so the supply is 1), our service is substantially more valuable and the compensation should reflect that.
I don't like up-selling extra hours either but the part I hate is when there are like 3-4 people left and they're "ready to party till dawn!"
Amateurs... Sheesh.... It's exactly at the point when Mobile Beats Top 200 is exhausted that things actually start to get FUN and good stuff starts getting PLAYED!
And per the OP, my OT rate is $100/hr. and is stated in the contract. To Rox's point, unlike many, supply & demand doesn't play a factor in my pricing. I charge on a simple cost+business model. As my costs associated with doing an event are adequately covered in the 4hr base-rate, there is no need to charge as much "per-hour" for that last hour.
I'd rather leave them on that extended high-note and give them a great deal on the night of a lifetime than try to be overly opportunistic and "get what I can."
The meager per-hr/OT diff we're talking in this case will more than be off-set by the good-will and reputation earned by the client and their guests.
WHY?! If the venue doesn't care, and you're getting paid (perhaps even a premium)... What's to hate?
If supply and demand are not part of your calculation, I understand.
You should charge exactly what you think you are worth. The secret to getting it is proving it on a regular basis and acknowledging it when it happens.
"It ain't bragging if you can back it up." - Dizzy Dean
Being compensated at a premium level for premium service and premium results and "leaving them on that extended high-note and giving them a great deal on the night of a lifetime" are not mutually exclusive, and shouldn't be.
One man's meager is another man's house note.
Being compensated at a premium level for premium service and premium results and "good-will and reputation" are not mutually exclusive, either.
The echo from the vast emptiness of the room, the delay in getting home, the "Now that it is just us, you can be our little DJ Puppet," appearing desperate, the likelihood that you are now dealing with ONLY drunks...
P.S. The venue cares.
Gotta agree with Rocky on this. My OT is $200 per hour and I approach clients at about a half hour to go, gauge the room's intensity level and we decide together whether the party has reached its peak and what they want to do. Ultimately...it's the clients decision although by that point they trust me and my input as well.
Yup, one of us will ask the client if they want to go into OT, usually a half hour or so before quitting time. Results are hit and miss.
Some clients aren't prepared for payments at the time of. I have run into OT from cash collection or guests who'll cut a check to keep the party going.
Some clients aren't prepared for payments at the time of. I have run into OT from cash collection or guests who'll cut a check to keep the party going.
OT is clearly stated in my contract. Price and payment. Cash only please.
If venue is OK and OT is wanted, Its a go.
Music is not a problem. If youve been going 5 hours, this most likely included the formalities. So at the most, dancing should have been going 3 hours tops.
If your tapped out Music wise after 3 hours of dancing, its a good time to reconsider your being a DJ. If it has been 5 hours of straight dancing at this point, there is no shame in repeating a highly requested tune.
If venue is OK and OT is wanted, Its a go.
Music is not a problem. If youve been going 5 hours, this most likely included the formalities. So at the most, dancing should have been going 3 hours tops.
If your tapped out Music wise after 3 hours of dancing, its a good time to reconsider your being a DJ. If it has been 5 hours of straight dancing at this point, there is no shame in repeating a highly requested tune.
If you are tapped out, Musically and or artisitically, after only 5 hours of dancing, its a good time to reconsider if you are an entertainer.
I think this needs a new seperate thread for what I am going to continue with.
It has to do with 5 hours + of music. And running out of songs....
It has to do with 5 hours + of music. And running out of songs....
I never said they were. I just said that value can be just as pronounced, if not more pronounced, at the opposite end of the financial spectrum. I took no shots there... I'm sorry if you felt I was or felt a need to defend yourself against such a perceived jab
Not comparing one man to another. Comparing the "hourly rate" that my base package breaks down into and what I charge per-hr for OT. No other rate for any other individual is part of that comparison, nor need any be introduced.
Paste where I said they were, or even insinuated the same. I merely stated what I strive to provide. No comparisons or contrasts were made of those.
These aren't concerns for me. What's to rush home to at 12am-1am? There is no appearing desperate about it - I'm not asking for OT, they're asking ME remember?
Who cares if they're drunk? Drunk money spends too. As long as there are no obvious safety concerns for myself, my gear, or anyone else present, what's it to us how schnockered they get?
And it goes without saying that the event is going into OT only with venue approval, so that one's a no-go too.
It has to do with 5 hours + of music. And running out of songs....
Simply NOT going to happen unless either the crowd, or you, have VERY narrow musical boundaries/limits.
5 hours isn't anywhere near enough for a diverse crowd of adults spanning multiple generations (ie weddings) to run dry on dance songs.
Nadda. Nope. No way.