how much should i charge as a DJ for house parties & things of that nature?
Question by maverickpoint: how much should i charge as a DJ for house parties & things of that nature?
Hi! My names David and the last year I’ve been DJing at small house parties and hotel parties. Everything I’ve done as of now has been free. That means, me hauling my own gear, and stereo/speaker system everywhere i’ve gone too. Im that passionate about being a dj LOL i love doing house parties, the vibes are usually real good. Lately ive been trying to go to some clubs in my city and try to get a spot to play but havent had any luck. i am only 19 and a lot of djs have to be 21+ for clubs but i know some djs who started at 16 or 17. the clubs ive gone to so far told me that i wont be getting paid for the first several months even a year…that its to get my name out there. So i want to take matters into my own hands, start a little business on my own where i continue to play at house parties and hotels charging whoever a basic ‘per hour’ fee and also a fee to haul my equipment up, cause thats a biatch to do. ‘scuse my language.
ive looked online and some forums are saying that a hundred dollars an hour is cheap and that 300 for a night is good, but ive never even played in a club before! i have probably a year experience djing +4 years of collecting music but i still feel like thats too expensive for a beginner like me.
what i was thinking:
20 dollars to bring my own equipment/stereo/speakers & to setup
25 dollars per hour
and if its over 6 hours (longest ive done is like 8 hours! no joke!!) then i wont charge a setup fee cause that is already 150 dollars right there.
what do you guys think?! any business savvy people who can help a brotha out with this?! does 100 dollars for a 4 hour gig seem fair, not including setup fee? obviously i would make some sort of contract with every party, saying if anything happens to my equipment (drinks spill on it, whatever) then that person paying is liable for damages. that might come across like im some jerk but i want to be smart about all of this since my equipment costed me 3 grand, my money too.
k think ive given enough info, hope some of you can help.
Best answer:
Answer by Elle
Well DJ prices are different in every area. A DJ that might charge hundreds of dollars in my area may only charge a couple bucks in your area.
The best thing to do would call a few DJ’s or DJ companies and ask them how much they would charge for the services that you, yourself, intend to perform (act as if you are interested in hiring them). You can find the companies just by Googling the ones available in your area.
Once you figure out the average that they charge, I would charge a little bit less than them, since you are just starting out. Once you become better known and more and more people begin to hire you, you can rise your prices to match those of other DJ’s in your area.
Good luck.
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