What would be your starting price for this system setup?

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MIXMASTERMACHOM

MIXMASTERMACHOM

Mac Daddy DJ
ODJT Supporter
Oct 16, 2011
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I'm looking to get 2 Yamaha DSR 118 subs to go with the Yamaha DSR 115 speakers i bought not that long ago. I have a Denon DN MC 6000 controller along with the case with the built in laptop stand. I'm using a HP laptop.

I was just wondering how much would you charge for say 4 hours with that setup being used? I live in East Orange, NJ. How much would your starting price be if using this setup for somewhere local? Then what about long distance?

I'm asking these questions because i never really took time to come up with a formula for a starting price. I would just come up with a price off the top of my head. I know that's bad business but that's what i was doing. Like i said in another thread i'm looking to improve on things and not keep making the same old mistakes i've made in the past. I'm also getting a facade with a built in table top. Please let me have it. I can take it. Now i'll shut up listen and learn something.
 
The type of system does not matter. Quality stuff is a good benefit for the dj's long term investment. I would set my price on my experience and what amount I need to make for a good profit for my doors to stay open.

Mix I read in another post that you have 31 years of dj experience. You joined the NJDJN, you should network with some of those guys and try to work with a multi op to make some money. Your from EO which gives you easy access to get to many venues.

A 4 hour minimum general party starts at 600 for me with a similar system. Good luck mix
 
I would price that at $600 as well for 4 hours for any non-wedding event.
I don't charge extra for traveling further, I just have a minimum package requirement for events that are 60+ miles.

I try to price things at what I value at, what I'd be willing to pay as the customer, but also on the work involved in it. There are some things I offer that I would never pay for because it is too expensive to me, but it is such a pain to do that there has to be a high price.
 
Like John said, the equipment is pretty much irrelevant. As long as its adequate, the client could care less you have a Denon controller and new Yamaha speakers. None of us have ever seen your show so there is no way to give you a fair assessment.

But to give you an idea, I start at around $550 for 3 hours. But that rate can easily double(or more) depending on the varibles involed with the event. Bar gigs bring in $200-$250 but I only give that price to a venue that will commit muliple nights weekly.
 
I would figure up all my expenses; equipment payments, advertising costs, fuel, Vehicle maintenance, insurance, apply a labor wage and labor burden(Health insurance/ Workers Comp {if applicable}/etc) roughly about 28% this will give you a true "Cost Of Doing Business". Then add a profit %. Take last years average of events and divide that into your C.O.D.B. You will have a true number! Good luck!
 
Thanks to all so far. I've got a funeral to go to and it already got started. I'll check back later.

One more question please. How many people do you think such a system would be good for?
 
Depends on the room, but probably 150-250 people.
 
So if I add the 2 Yamaha S215 that will bring the numbers up to 350 people give or take? Just trying to get some ideas on starting prices. $600.00 sounds very good for a starting price. I just to remember to stand my ground. That means to quote a price and not worry if they will agree to that price. If I show clients quality and enough people like what we do then other clients won't hesitate when quoting a fair price.

Of course I know there will always be clients looking the cheapest DJ they can find. I'm just working on not being the cheapest they can find and looking towards marketing our business to those who will pay a nice price for our services.
 
DJ PAUL said:
I would figure up all my expenses; equipment payments, advertising costs, fuel, Vehicle maintenance, insurance, apply a labor wage and labor burden(Health insurance/ Workers Comp {if applicable}/etc) roughly about 28% this will give you a true "Cost Of Doing Business". Then add a profit %. Take last years average of events and divide that into your C.O.D.B. You will have a true number! Good luck!
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Wait a minute!!!! Nobody told me there would be math in this biz.....carry the 2....divide by watts.....add cost of gear....Yep...it's confirmed....I'm screwed!!!!:eek::)
 
On a more serious note. Gear is not irrelevant is my opinion. The best DJ in the world on crappy system will still come across as crappy. Quality gear is a must just to get out of the gate. After that it is skill set, your demeaner, your business sense, and sometimes even the tonal quality of your voice. No one want to hire a wedding DJ that sounds like they just got through inhaling helium.

A lot of what you charge will depend on the market in your area and "average price" of other competant, professional DJ's in your area. What you posted as your system is pretty much what a lot of Dj's on here have as their "base system" a.k.a. The bare minimum they would do an event with. Some may charge a little more for adding the subs. But all in all a pretty basic set up for a pro.

Like Paul said there is math in the DJ industry and the model he presented is virtually the same in all industries. If you expenses outway what you can charge in your market then you need to re-examine your business plan.

If you are starting out, I would start at the lower end of the pro pricing scale and gradually work your way up as experience increases. Virtually no one can start at the top of the scale and make a go at it. There are just too many little things that experience will teach you that you can't possibly know right out of the gate. These things may or may not come across at your events, but they can make or break you. If a customer feels they got you for a great price they may overlook these minor things. If they feel they paid top dollar...watch out!

I would do some research in your market are, including basic pricing of other pro DJ's, the set-ups they are using, and how many. An oversaturated market can be killer. And go from there.
 
unless you have inadequate, crap gear, I wouldn't worry too much about pricing. That said, I have charged LESS for my JBL system than my Bose. My Bose are what I use for a base price, but if somebody is balking at the price, and I do want the event, I offer my JBL setup for $50 less.
 
MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
Thanks to all so far. I've got a funeral to go to and it already got started. I'll check back later.

One more question please. How many people do you think such a system would be good for?
Click to expand...

Are you sure you are a DJ?
 
Agree .. good equipment essential .. but it shouldn't factor into pricing per se. You buy quality because it lasts, sounds better, looks better and makes a good impression. Charging for excessive equipment is ok. If you need delay speakers because the room is too long, or you have a party and your "average" system needs more oomph, then yea, but that should be clear in your pricing. I would expect an "average" (and yes I know nothing is actually average) system to cover 200 or so people in an event (not club) situation. If you are requested to bring more, charge more. If you have 400 people, charge more. If you need a ceremony or 2nd kids room system, charge more. Just make sure to spell that out. Only you can prevent forest fires and figure out what works for you.
 
Trust me I just sold 2 earthquakes because we didn't get to use them very often. Maybe 4 times tops in I guess the 5 years or so that we had them. I still have my 2 Yamaha S215 speakers that I can use with the QSC 2450 amp I bought over 10 years ago. So if I need more I can produce more. I just decided on power speakers and the Denon DN MC 6000 so the setup is much faster. In about 20 minutes or so I can be setup and ready to go. I'm not 23 any more. I'm 53 and need a easier lighter setup then what I was using. That's for when I need to move gear by myself.

So if the job is a big job and we need to use the Yamaha S215 we can use them. That's if the price is right.

Papa Duce please take it down. You just posted you've got a gig to do and don't know the music needed to make the kids happy. You got ask for help and when you get there still won't be sure what you're doing. Lol!
 
badblood70 said:
On a more serious note. Gear is not irrelevant is my opinion. The best DJ in the world on crappy system will still come across as crappy. Quality gear is a must just to get out of the gate. After that it is skill set, your demeaner, your business sense, and sometimes even the tonal quality of your voice. No one want to hire a wedding DJ that sounds like they just got through inhaling helium.

A lot of what you charge will depend on the market in your area and "average price" of other competant, professional DJ's in your area. What you posted as your system is pretty much what a lot of Dj's on here have as their "base system" a.k.a. The bare minimum they would do an event with. Some may charge a little more for adding the subs. But all in all a pretty basic set up for a pro.

Like Paul said there is math in the DJ industry and the model he presented is virtually the same in all industries. If you expenses outway what you can charge in your market then you need to re-examine your business plan.

If you are starting out, I would start at the lower end of the pro pricing scale and gradually work your way up as experience increases. Virtually no one can start at the top of the scale and make a go at it. There are just too many little things that experience will teach you that you can't possibly know right out of the gate. These things may or may not come across at your events, but they can make or break you. If a customer feels they got you for a great price they may overlook these minor things. If they feel they paid top dollar...watch out!

I would do some research in your market are, including basic pricing of other pro DJ's, the set-ups they are using, and how many. An oversaturated market can be killer. And go from there.
Click to expand...
You call it a pretty basic setup for a pro and i say it's a nice setup for a pro. Trust me i know some that don't have nearly as much and wish they had that setup. I understand you though. You're more then likely talking about some fancy lights, a gobo and video too. Which makes it more then just a basic pro setup.

I decided on trimming things down a bit as a lot of clients today are having smaller events with less people. Not to many clients are having 300 guest or more for their event. Yet if they do that's why i kept the other speakers and amp just in case if they are needed.

The graduation party i'm doing in July is to be for 150 guest. So this setup will be fine. It just might be over kill but we both know how to tweek it according to the room size and number of guest. To add $600.00 for a starting price for a non wedding event sounds like a good starting price. That price will depend on where the event is at. Lets say the event is to be in Pa. Then the price automatically goes up. It would go up to at least $800.00 to start. That means it would take at least that much to get me to think about doing the event.
 
MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
You call it a pretty basic setup for a pro and i say it's a nice setup for a pro. Trust me i know some that don't have nearly as much and wish they had that setup. I understand you though. You're more then likely talking about some fancy lights, a gobo and video too. Which makes it more then just a basic pro setup.

I decided on trimming things down a bit as a lot of clients today are having smaller events with less people. Not to many clients are having 300 guest or more for their event. Yet if they do that's why i kept the other speakers and amp just in case if they are needed.

The graduation party i'm doing in July is to be for 150 guest. So this setup will be fine. It just might be over kill but we both know how to tweek it according to the room size and number of guest. To add $600.00 for a starting price for a non wedding event sounds like a good starting price. That price will depend on where the event is at. Lets say the event is to be in Pa. Then the price automatically goes up. It would go up to at least $800.00 to start. That means it would take at least that much to get me to think about doing the event.
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You basicly have a $3000 pro audio set-up. A controller with 2 mains and 2 subs. Granted there are other misc costs.....cases...stands.....cables and all that other good stuff. And that is pretty basic compared to a lot of pro DJ's on here. Most, including me, have signal processing, vocal processing for their mics, etc....etc...etc...etc.... If we get into lights and other effects then that is a different story. Many, myself included, don't just do weddings. We do proms, homecomings, live sound, large outdoor venues. That takes db's no if and or butts......
It also takes lighting....to the best of my knowledge you can't do a prom without lighting....either yours or another contractors, but they are a must.
 
badblood70 said:
You basicly have a $3000 pro audio set-up. A controller with 2 mains and 2 subs. Granted there are other misc costs.....cases...stands.....cables and all that other good stuff. And that is pretty basic compared to a lot of pro DJ's on here. Most, including me, have signal processing, vocal processing for their mics, etc....etc...etc...etc.... If we get into lights and other effects then that is a different story. Many, myself included, don't just do weddings. We do proms, homecomings, live sound, large outdoor venues. That takes db's no if and or butts......
It also takes lighting....to the best of my knowledge you can't do a prom without lighting....either yours or another contractors, but they are a must.
Click to expand...

To be fair, I have about $15,000 in equipment (not much lighting), but for a 150 person DJ setup, would be hard-pressed to bring much more than Mix has, so I would venture for that size audience it is on par with most DJs. The equipment gets mixed and matched depending on the needs. Straight DJing doesn't require too much DSP (maybe my driverack), Karaoke requires more (effects, pitch control), and live sound can be nearly anything.
 
Badblood 70 you said it right about having to have more gear for proms and such. Depending on the size of the prom the other speakers would work. As far as lights go I just have 2 left. I had some other ones that weren't LED but they have been in the trash a long time ago.

That's my next step up after getting the 2 subs is more lights. I also definitely want a crank stand for the lights to make it easier on us setting them up. That I know is down the road when more work and more money comes in. I really want a pair of Chauvet Intimidator 3 lights. They are hot. I can get them from KPODJ for around $450.00 each.

Right now I have the VUE 11 and another light I just bought a few days ago. Just can't remember right now what it is. I know to do a prom you'll need more then just those 4 lights. So what would you suggest?
 
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