Remember, we are NOT a Charity Service

[djthunder]

We all get a lot of these calls, or emails, inquiring about our services, which end with the common, "we are on a really tight budget, and only and $peanuts to spend on a DJ. Can you help us out??"

If that number is below the amount you have hopefully predetermined to be below a reasonable profittable amount for your services, the answer should always be NO.

Okay, that's said a lot, but I want to put a light on it that I thought of recently.

Here's the exceptions:

1. If it is for a charity event, where you actually might be helping to save actually lives by helping them raise money for a cause, like actual starving children, or cancer, or Juvenile Diabetes, etc... I am doing a benefit for free next month. I only do a certain number a year, because I need to make a profit, so I choose one or two I believe in, under direction of organizers who I really believe in.

That's it.

Ever other event, period, is a WANT, not a NEED. And that is important to remember, and to put into perspective. You are not going to be personally responsible for so and so complete stranger having their reception ruined because you wouldn't do it for them, for $150. There are plenty of receptions that go on every year with NO DJ at all, just fine. They are a lot more fun with a Good DJ, but they are not ruined. Even if they get a cheap DJ for $150, and that guy does ruin it... that is their choice, and no children died of starvation, no one died of cancer because you were not there. If either of those was the case, then you'd have a reason to rescue, but that is not the case.

DJ service is a complete WANT, not a NEED. When something is a WANT, there is no need for charity, or for providing the WANT for less than what is profitable for you, or worth your time.

Whatever that amount is, that is profitable and worth your time, that is your business, so I will put no number on it. I am someone who believes that economies are different for different areas, even within the same country... but just make sure you reason it out, and get what you are worth

Happy Friday, my friends

[Synaxis]

Agree!

You get what you pay for. End of story.

You go Cheap, you get cheap. You go more high end, you get high end.

I don't understand how people expect to get a $1500 DJ for $200. That's like buying a brand new car for $10 grand...

[Synaxis]

Agree!

You get what you pay for. End of story.

You go Cheap, you get cheap. You go more high end, you get high end.

I don't understand how people expect to get a $1500 DJ for $200. That's like buying a brand new car for $10 grand...

Edit: WE have our expenses too. I don't give a Sh*t that you can only afford $peanuts, how am I supposed to cover my own expenses when you expect me to practically work for free?

EDIT: Whoops, clicked on reply, instead of edit.

[lee miran]

Part of the problem is that there are some good DJ's out there just not charging enough. So the "you get what you pay for" adage is not always accurate (mostly, but not always). I'm sure many have paid $150 and gotten entertainment that exceeded the value in terms of what they paid.

Case in point, I had retired my own DJ business back in 2006 of which I was making $700 - $1000 per gig. A couple of years later and upon moving to Florida, I came across 2 individuals that both DJ'd separately. We knew each other from mutual acquaintances and I had been to a couple of parties where each had DJ'd. They were both pretty good, and getting alot of work for $200 - $300 an event, weddings and all. Their issue was they were doing it as a hobby, no insurance, no real business entity, etc. And, $200 - $300 every so often to do something they loved seemed like a dream come true.

I gave them some tips and tried to help them get more money, but the bottom line was they did not see things in terms of "bottom line", expenses, and profit. As long as they didn't treat it like a business, they had a hard time even bringing themselves to quote over $500.

Long story short... this year we teamed up and started a legit business where we've already done several events at $1100 - $1300 and have several more booked. They are realizing that to get that amount, which allows profitability, you have to separate yourself from the low-priced DJ's in what you do and how you do it; and you have to treat it as a business where you have to actually convert inquiries to sales by not just being priced cheaply. As long as DJ's (even good ones) sell themselves on price alone, the clients will continue to choose based solely on price.

[SockoPro]

I am just gonna take a deep breathe and hit the back button before I go off on an hour rant...

[Vegeta]

I think we've beat this topic to death lately.

[Sween]

I must have missed this thread. And not to beat a dead horse...

But the point here is: Doing a cheap gig once in a while might seem okay if it does not bother you to settle at that moment... but by doing it you are lowering the pricing bar and thus hurting yourself from ever making a REAL profit.

You can make decent money doing this... so don't sell yourself short. You might lose a few gigs, but the ones you get will be better quality.

It's been beaten to death, but the DJ's need to be educated. Preserve the industry.