For Mix, Documentary - I was there I when House music took over the world

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I don't drink alcohol. I will buy others a drink and not all drinks are $5. Some more and some might be less. Depends on the place itself. If it's really a nice enough of a place people may spend a little more for a drink. Some places the drinks are super cheap and in such cases those places barely make a profit or last long.
OK .. you made my point .. And EVERYONE realizes that $5 was not the price .. that's why I said AVERAGE.

You seemed to miss (AS YOU ALWAYS DO) the bottom line that it generally isn't profitable for places to pay a DJ for a Monday night .. PERIOD.
 
I don't drink alcohol. I will buy others a drink and not all drinks are $5. Some more and some might be less. Depends on the place itself. If it's really a nice enough of a place people may spend a little more for a drink. Some places the drinks are super cheap and in such cases those places barely make a profit or last long.

Once again you missed the point. It really doesn't matter how much a drink is there is no profit in a dozen people 50+ sitting there listening to house music for hours they just aren't drinking enough to float the overhead
 
No one wants the crowd you're describing on some of those "different" nights. Each night needs to make money. Places can't make money paying for a DJ and collecting from an older crowd that just doesn't open the wallet much. Show me a place that's killing it today with a 60+ year old crowd and a 60+ year old House music DJ .. any place ...

We had a huge live band scene here right thru the 80's.
But then there was a big push for Karaoke and Country Line dancing,
as bar owners realized they could get a big crowd without paying too much for the entertainment.
The places that had these nights (on the same day every week) were loving the regular crowds.
Country Line dancing went away first...mostly because the crowds would drink nothing but water...
and karaoke faded too...because EVERY little corner bar was doing it.
So, to agree with your point, big crowds are the goal, but big money always makes the rules.
 
Once again you missed the point. It really doesn't matter how much a drink is there is no profit in a dozen people 50+ sitting there listening to house music for hours they just aren't drinking enough to float the overhead
Stop assuming things. First I'm talking a nice mixture and more then a dozen people coming. Maybe that's all you could get to hear you play but not me. Don't get upset. Just having fun with you. You don't know and neither do I know what either one of us could bring to come hear us play. Again it's all in how things are setup.
 
Stop assuming things. First I'm talking a nice mixture and more then a dozen people coming. Maybe that's all you could get to hear you play but not me. Don't get upset. Just having fun with you. You don't know and neither do I know what either one of us could bring to come hear us play. Again it's all in how things are setup.

In this case previous performance does indicate future expectations. Your park gigs weren't drawing that many people for free the bar which will cost them isn't going to draw any more especially on a Monday. Mix you could have 100 people and if they aren't drinking there is no profit and that age group isn't spending the big bucks in a bar on a Monday for the most part.

I was hired about a dozen years ago to play a local Elks Club Friday nights. The previous person there was doing Karaoke and in this area the Karaoke people are an older crowd who don't drink a lot. They drew well but weren't making the bar money. I drew half what they did and according to the bar manager the bar took in 4X more with me. Generally older people don't drink as much as younger people and the bar doesn't survive serving water
 
In this case previous performance does indicate future expectations. Your park gigs weren't drawing that many people for free the bar which will cost them isn't going to draw any more especially on a Monday. Mix you could have 100 people and if they aren't drinking there is no profit and that age group isn't spending the big bucks in a bar on a Monday for the most part.

I was hired about a dozen years ago to play a local Elks Club Friday nights. The previous person there was doing Karaoke and in this area the Karaoke people are an older crowd who don't drink a lot. They drew well but weren't making the bar money. I drew half what they did and according to the bar manager the bar took in 4X more with me. Generally older people don't drink as much as younger people and the bar doesn't survive serving water
I hear you. Now one of the tricks is knowing how to turn the bar/Lounge over. The thing is to get people to enjoy what you do so you get to stay there. The thing is not having people dancing all night. The aim should be having people going back to the bar buying drinks.

The other thing is it depends who the DJ is. My friend on a Monday night brought in a nice crowd on a Monday night to hear him play. The big thing is he is very well known. A lot of that had to do with 27 years of playing in The Private Place Lounge and other places as well. I'm serious when I say this. On Monday night he was able to bring in 30+ people on Monday night and they drank. He was getting paid $150. So that's not bad 30+ people on a Monday night.
 
30+ people is not great if they're not buying at least $500 of drinks.
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30+ people is not great if they're not buying at least $500 of drinks.
Let me say this. My friend was getting paid $150 a night when he played there and the owner wasn't interested in him being let go. That's what counts. Getting paid the amount that's agreed upon and people including the owner not wanting you to go. Now obviously the owner was making enough money to justify him being there and paying him the $150. My concern is about me and how will things benefit me. Even if I like the owner I still say it's about looking out for DJ MACHO MAN!

So I don't know how much the owner was making for a profit with him playing there. Nor is it any of my business.
 
Even if I like the owner I still say it's about looking out for DJ MACHO MAN!

So I don't know how much the owner was making for a profit with him playing there. Nor is it any of my business.
Coming from a guy that's always so concerned how much profit some other business needs to make, this is weird.
 
Coming from a guy that's always so concerned how much profit some other business needs to make, this is weird.
Others have voiced their opinion as to how much a place needs to make in profit to keep the doors open. I don't know how much that is because each place is different. Some places may have more expenses than other places. Taxes maybe higher in one place than another. Depends on how many employees that are working there and what they are getting paid. So many different factors go into it.

I said my top priority is me getting paid and how much that will be. I went to a place where I was told they only pay a DJ $50 a night. I walked out never to return. Now if it was the old place it used to be I might have done it for that amount for a while. The place had changed drastically. Since then that place has been closed for many years.
 
Others have voiced their opinion as to how much a place needs to make in profit to keep the doors open. I don't know how much that is because each place is different. Some places may have more expenses than other places. Taxes maybe higher in one place than another. Depends on how many employees that are working there and what they are getting paid. So many different factors go into it.

I said my top priority is me getting paid and how much that will be. I went to a place where I was told they only pay a DJ $50 a night. I walked out never to return. Now if it was the old place it used to be I might have done it for that amount for a while. The place had changed drastically. Since then that place has been closed for many years.
Mix .. we really don't care how much anyone makes, but we can make educated guesses since many of us have worked with owners over some time and understand business a bit. All we're saying is it doesn't make sense in most cases to pay for a DJ when the money coming in doesn't cover it. Yes, there will be an occasional time an owner might "spend money to make money" .. filling in a Monday so the same people show up on the weekend, but it's rare .. and REALLY rare for an over 60 clientele .. PERIOD.

If your priority is to get paid, then it doesn't make sense from a business perspective to focus on the nights of the week that generate little money to actually pay anyone ...
 
Mix .. we really don't care how much anyone makes, but we can make educated guesses since many of us have worked with owners over some time and understand business a bit. All we're saying is it doesn't make sense in most cases to pay for a DJ when the money coming in doesn't cover it. Yes, there will be an occasional time an owner might "spend money to make money" .. filling in a Monday so the same people show up on the weekend, but it's rare .. and REALLY rare for an over 60 clientele .. PERIOD.

If your priority is to get paid, then it doesn't make sense from a business perspective to focus on the nights of the week that generate little money to actually pay anyone ...
Steve when it comes to a bar/Lounge or club I normally don't expect getting paid $500 each time I play there. I just look at it as gas money and maybe something to eat.
 
Steve when it comes to a bar/Lounge or club I normally don't expect getting paid $500 each time I play there. I just look at it as gas money and maybe something to eat.
There you go .. hobby time ...
 
I normally don't expect getting paid $500 each time I play there. I just look at it as gas money and maybe something to eat.

Well that sums it up nicely. Mix, for a hobbyist, you sure do make more noise here than any part time or full timer's do...which is your right.

But (sorry), sadly I'm tiring of the always circular discussions...never any firm answers or resolution.:sqfrown:
 
I said it correctly. Most places will pay a DJ no more than $250 and that's damn good in most cases. A DJ getting paid more than that is rare. Doing a private event is all together a different thing. Some I know work at a bar and when asked to do a private event will get paid much more than what the bar is paying them. Sometimes that can backfire because a potential client will assume they will do an event for them for the same amount they get paid at the bar or close to it.
 
I said it correctly. Most places will pay a DJ no more than $250 and that's damn good in most cases. A DJ getting paid more than that is rare. Doing a private event is all together a different thing. Some I know work at a bar and when asked to do a private event will get paid much more than what the bar is paying them. Sometimes that can backfire because a potential client will assume they will do an event for them for the same amount they get paid at the bar or close to it.

How would they know what you got paid at the bar unless you tell them?
 
How would they know what you got paid at the bar unless you tell them?
A lot of people know on average what a DJ gets paid playing in a bar and there are those who figure you'll accept an event paying $250-300 because you're a DJ playing in a bar. A friend of mine was playing in Club Marlos getting paid on Friday night for the after work thing from 6-9PM and at the end was getting paid $450. He got that because he helped to bring back the crowd the owner lost to the club making him plenty of money to afford to pay him that much. He eventually stopped playing there because he could do his own parties making much more than that.
 
A lot of people know on average what a DJ gets paid playing in a bar and there are those who figure you'll accept an event paying $250-300 ...
Wow .. that would be a big raise for you ...
 
Others have voiced their opinion as to how much a place needs to make in profit to keep the doors open. I don't know how much that is because each place is different. Some places may have more expenses than other places. Taxes maybe higher in one place than another. Depends on how many employees that are working there and what they are getting paid. So many different factors go into it.

I said my top priority is me getting paid and how much that will be. I went to a place where I was told they only pay a DJ $50 a night. I walked out never to return. Now if it was the old place it used to be I might have done it for that amount for a while. The place had changed drastically. Since then that place has been closed for many years.
No, others have voiced fact about how much it costs for a facility to pay a DJ $150. The difference here is that you are often concerned that a place of business, like say a mechanics garage, needs to pay for electric, etc - and also be able to have a profit (your justification for paying higher prices). What you fail to realize is the true costs of things. As demonstrated, for a bar to pay a performer $150, they need to bring in $500. You seem to not grasp this. Your mechanic on the other hand, has fixed costs, which any general automotive service uses - and these costs include the cost to operate and includes a profit .. and you seem ok with paying above that - which means you also don't grasp this. If your top priority is getting you paid, then why are you so willing to throw it away (pay more than you should for things, split incoming costs 3 ways).

Before you discuss taxes, you need to be paying them - are you paying them?
 
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