Check out my competition tonight
- Thread starter rickryan.com
- Start date
for your punctuation, Ricky
We've been fighting these "low balling no talented promise the world" DJ's for what...maybe five years now?
Not much has changed. We all here know the potential for a lousy performance and hence a lousy event using them. But clients will almost always look at price first in a service oriented industry such as ours.
If you have video of YOU performing at a reception (not a dance floor full of guests), that may sway a client.
Sorry to be direct and honest here, but it ain't gonna get any better. Technology will eventually (five years?) reduce us to yesterday's news. Get used to it.
The funny thing is that there are new changes in the technology that will further leave many by the wayside. Pretty soon "Push Play DJs" will be a thing of the past! DJs were the one who brought this on themselves in the first case. Making things look so easy and uncomplicated drove many wannabees to get into the act. Minimum gear, cheap gear overall, and free pirated music added to the mix and everyone felt that they could be a DJ.
Skill sets are changing and the performance levels are going up. Its not just the equipment anymore but a combination of what "new" does one have to present. What can one DJ do that the client cannot do for themselves! These are going to be the determining facts in days to come. I see it happening here in Houston already. Guys are getting more elaborate in their setups and investing in very expensive High End gear. The wannabees cannot keep up so they are being left behind. Guys are equipping themselves with JBL SRX 728s. Crown I Tech and Macro Tech amps. etc. I have seen a few with Meyer Sound Speakers etc. The wannabees can't cope with that because it is not quite plug and play as their regular toys.
So the field for those who do the regular Gigs are becoming more crowded. Everyone laughed at me and criticized me for "all that gear" that I take to a Show. I say, let them! I am laughing all the way to the bank. That is why I want to expand my system so that those who can't afford the big system can hire me to use mine. At least the show will have good quality and not two blaring speakers.
Skill sets are changing and the performance levels are going up. Its not just the equipment anymore but a combination of what "new" does one have to present. What can one DJ do that the client cannot do for themselves! These are going to be the determining facts in days to come. I see it happening here in Houston already. Guys are getting more elaborate in their setups and investing in very expensive High End gear. The wannabees cannot keep up so they are being left behind. Guys are equipping themselves with JBL SRX 728s. Crown I Tech and Macro Tech amps. etc. I have seen a few with Meyer Sound Speakers etc. The wannabees can't cope with that because it is not quite plug and play as their regular toys.
So the field for those who do the regular Gigs are becoming more crowded. Everyone laughed at me and criticized me for "all that gear" that I take to a Show. I say, let them! I am laughing all the way to the bank. That is why I want to expand my system so that those who can't afford the big system can hire me to use mine. At least the show will have good quality and not two blaring speakers.
What are the odds Jim...?
So far, I haven't really seen many showing themselves in action. Personally, I love to take pics of myself and videos. I think I'm cute, and fairly decent at what I can do.
I think clients would appreciate that.
Yeah, I brought that up to entice anyone to post one.
BTW, I agree...you are fairly cute...in a rough Eastwood kinda way...
It wasn't the DJs, it was the march of technology. Once downloadable music became the norm, everyone had the ability to do an event. The only things a DJ added were MCing and a sound system. The sound system can be rented and the MCing, well, people think they can do it.
SO don't blame the cheezy DJ or the low-baller, it was inevitable we are at this juncture. We just need to figure out what the next move should be and that might be different for each.
I'll agree with that and add that you just nailed my entry into the game. I spent years as a musician and had migrated to doing a single act where I played live guitar and sang along with custom-made tracks. I found myself doing a birthday party for some yuppies in Atlanta and they started asking for Sinatra (which was not part of my list). I found myself getting an extra $100 to stay an hour over and download/play tracks from Amazon as they made requests. The next week I got to looking into the DJ world and found that even low-ballers (I didn't know what that was at the time) were making twice what I was as a musician ($300-$400). It was a pretty natural progression although since jumping in with both feet I really got overwhelmed with how much there actually is to being a (decent) DJ. This has been a very interesting side road.
Will you two get a room! Sheesh!
If we do, it'll be with Jenna James, and Sydney Steele -- you, on the other hand (pun intended), will be telling yer redhead boyfriend, how to unhook battery terminals. xf
Exactly...could not have said it better myself...actually, I have been saying this for a few months now.
Trust me the DJs had a lot to do with it. The manufacturers also had some hand in it too. You don't have to have technological know how to assemble a system. The wannabees were and still are copycats. They saw what some were using and copied them. With more people doing the copying, the pool exploded.
I would think we are all in this to make money including/especially manufacturers. A DJ, or anyone, who figures out how to marry their craft with technology that can be packaged and sold to the masses stand to earn a ton of cash. That's the beauty of capitalism.
This may be naive on my part but I would think that the cost of doing business would put low ballers out of the game. Even if someone is using "borrowed" equipment and music there is still the cost of marketing, transport costs, and other things that if left unaccounted for could end up costing one well over what they took in as revenue. I just pulled this from a CL ad in my area as an example.
"Need a DJ and/or Karaoke Host With Experience in Clubs and Private Functions?
> Private Parties Weddings and Receptions
> Birthdays
> Anniversaries
> Graduations
>Restaurants and Bars
> Any Special Event You Are Planning
Prices start at 6 hours for $100 depending on location. No extra charge for setup and break down. I offer the best prices in the DFW area.
I have a professional state-of-the-art sound system, 4 wireless microphones, and a large computerized MP3 and Karaoke CDG collection.
Call for information. References available."
This may be naive on my part but I would think that the cost of doing business would put low ballers out of the game. Even if someone is using "borrowed" equipment and music there is still the cost of marketing, transport costs, and other things that if left unaccounted for could end up costing one well over what they took in as revenue. I just pulled this from a CL ad in my area as an example.
"Need a DJ and/or Karaoke Host With Experience in Clubs and Private Functions?
> Private Parties Weddings and Receptions
> Birthdays
> Anniversaries
> Graduations
>Restaurants and Bars
> Any Special Event You Are Planning
Prices start at 6 hours for $100 depending on location. No extra charge for setup and break down. I offer the best prices in the DFW area.
I have a professional state-of-the-art sound system, 4 wireless microphones, and a large computerized MP3 and Karaoke CDG collection.
Call for information. References available."
Thanks for that intelligent post! You nailed it! The thing is though that you mentioned some equipment that cost a lot of money that not everyone can afford. You're talking Crown Macro Tech amps. Those are some great amps but super exspensive. I've seen the computerized ones that i beleive went for 5k-7k. So not all DJ's are fortunate enough to afford such gear. So some get what they get because that's just what they can afford.
I bought the new stuff i got because that's what my budget called for and i'm loving it. The new setup is much easier to get up and running. It takes about 20 minutes to a half an hour depending on how we set things up and we're ready. The big thing is learning what is mediocre gear and top of the line. Then deciding when to pull the trigger and upgrade. Some of the stuff you mentioned may cause some DJ's to take out a second morgage to get that stuff.
Once again thanks for one of the greatest post ever on any of these frorums.
Well, the manufacturers aren't stupid .. they will fill a void if there's money to be made.
Everyone's looking to stay above water for now. For me, it's not an issue, I have a day job that pays the rent. For the full-timers, some will resort to that CL thing .. hoping to make a few bucks in a crowded market. You will need to identify what your market wants in your area and react accordingly. It won't be pretty for some for a while.
I'm getting less work so far this year, however I'm holding at the prices I'm at. The gigs I'm getting the folks are happy, referrals coming thru.....all good for me........however I also have a job that pays the bills.
I'm in the same boat. The big thing is with those who this is their only source of income. They must command a certain amount of pay or else their bills won't get paid. I've got less then a year to go before i can retire and get my full pension. When that happens i will definately reevaluate things looking at getting more bookings. As of right now even with my health difficulties i don't plan on retiring from DJing yet.
Amazing how civil this thread has become, after a nasty start!
After reading these posts, I think we all can agree that technology has opened the flood gates in this biz.
You can battle it with price, you can battle it with add-ons, you can battle it with expensive gear and bigger advertising budgets.
But in the end, WE need to supply the one thing that "wannabe's" cannot offer: EXPERIENCE!
We need to prove to potential clients that our valuable knowledge and talent has been earned over years of experience.
Of course, the price shoppers won't care, as long as they don't pay too much...
the dreamers won't care, as long as you can make their reception look "pretty"...
and the average client won't really care if you have BRAND A speakers or BRAND B.
All they want is a few minutes of honest conversation to make them feel secure!
After reading these posts, I think we all can agree that technology has opened the flood gates in this biz.
You can battle it with price, you can battle it with add-ons, you can battle it with expensive gear and bigger advertising budgets.
But in the end, WE need to supply the one thing that "wannabe's" cannot offer: EXPERIENCE!
We need to prove to potential clients that our valuable knowledge and talent has been earned over years of experience.
Of course, the price shoppers won't care, as long as they don't pay too much...
the dreamers won't care, as long as you can make their reception look "pretty"...
and the average client won't really care if you have BRAND A speakers or BRAND B.
All they want is a few minutes of honest conversation to make them feel secure!
Amazing how civil this thread has become, after a nasty start!
After reading these posts, I think we all can agree that technology has opened the flood gates in this biz.
You can battle it with price, you can battle it with add-ons, you can battle it with expensive gear and bigger advertising budgets.
But in the end, WE need to supply the one thing that "wannabe's" cannot offer: EXPERIENCE!
We need to prove to potential clients that our valuable knowledge and talent has been earned over years of experience.
Of course, the price shoppers won't care, as long as they don't pay too much...
the dreamers won't care, as long as you can make their reception look "pretty"...
and the average client won't really care if you have BRAND A speakers or BRAND B.
All they want is a few minutes of honest conversation to make them feel secure!
I'll throw one other thing in there Mike. Our personalities, that literally is the one unique thing that will set us apart from each other and the "wannabes."
Don't forget another thing....selling skills! Someone with great selling skills will make more money that someone with great Gear or Mad Mixing skills. Its kinda nice to have more than one of those skills. The Gigs are out there, you can't always wait for them to come to you. One has to go out there and get them or create them.