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How much for a gig?

I know I've seen some threads before about it, and I know it depends a lot on each situation, but on average what is a reasonable amount to charge for a 2 or 3 hour gig? I figure one major factor is if you're bringing your own gear or not. If we could distinguish between that that would be great. A ballpark figure would be awesome.

Thanks guys.

Well, like you said it really depends on many things cause there's a lot of variables involved. Do you have to bring your own gear and setup/tear down? If so price goes up. How much gear? Turntables, CDJs, mixer, lights, sound? More gear, more money. How big is the venue and how many people are expected to show? More people, more money. How much is admission? The more per ticket, the more you should get. How "well known" and "established" are you in your local scene? Are you some bedroom dj no ones ever heard of, or are you an established local/regional area dj/producer that plays gigs on a regular basis? If no ones ever heard of you, don't expect much, although I firmly believe if you're good enough to play (that is without trainwrecking every other song), you're good enough to get paid.

So yeah, it just depends. If you're playing some hole in the wall bar that holds 50-100 people and admission is only $2 and you don't have to bring any gear besides your records and headphones, surely you can't ask for much. But if you're playing some large club that holds 1000+ and admission is $10-15+, then you should be getting a lot more.

Whatever you do though, make sure you set your price in advanced and with a contract, whether verbal or written, although written is the preferred.

I do a 4 hour house party for 250 US

Obviously increased if I'm bringing in lights, or mixing video as well.

My group normally makes anywhere from $250-500 for a 3-5 hour event. $250 for house parties, and $400-500 for clubs/bars. We also bring a very nice sound system.

Alright, yeah that gives me a pretty good idea. Thanks guys.

I'm doin it for ~$10 an hour plus a few free drinks, but it really depends on the size of the venue. If its a bigger place which means more people and more income, you can ask for a lot more.

You could also arrange to get a cut of the cover instead (money per person in the door, plus a guaranteed base fee if the night is a bust).

It depends on what kind of event is going on. Proms are lucrative, but a small club on a Wednesday night? Not so much

my advice is to completely detach gear from your fee.

don't be all "well, if i have to bring my own gear then it'll cost you a bit".

act almost as if it is not your own gear, rather you are renting it from a sound setup company or something. make a bill for it. this also gives you room to make a bill for your DJing. keep the things seperate.

this will:

a) keep them from trying to haggle with you over the price
b) make them take you more seriously, possibly lowering the chance of them screwing you over a bit
c) make you more money; you can probably charge them a higher fee for the gear if you're acting like you have to go out and get gear from somewhere than if you own it, since it's a hassle for you, etc.

if this intimidates the promoter, and says he will get the gear himself, you just saved yourself a headache, as bringing your own stuff to a gig is such a hassle. never knowing if it will survive the night. take advantage and state clearly what gear you like to use, in order to make sure they don't set you up on a crap kit.

not to mention, you can also slightly bulk up the bills initially, and then, if necessary, offer them a small discount "just because you like them". ok, so i am starting to sound more like a shady salesman than a DJ, but this is a shady business after all.

quote:

Originally posted by Inertia ok, so i am starting to sound more like a shady salesman than a DJ, but this is a shady business after all.

So motherfuckin' true- The shadiness is part of the fun!

quote:

Originally posted by Dojomaster26 You could also arrange to get a cut of the cover instead (money per person in the door, plus a guaranteed base fee if the night is a bust). It depends on what kind of event is going on. Proms are lucrative, but a small club on a Wednesday night? Not so much

i don't know any promoters that would cut me into the cover price profits. not to mention, how can you make sure he isn't screwing you over by saying the cover was cheaper/less people came in than it actually is?

IMO, just state a base fee accordingly to the circumstances (if you're well established or unknown, if it's a big club or not, if you're doing anything specialized [live show, or Ableton mixing] on top of just mixing, etc.) and basically stick to that.

expect to fight with promoters over your money. specially if the night busts. but don't be surprised when the club was packed all night, you had the crowd jumping, and the ****s still try to skip out on paying you.

that's another detriment of having your own gear at a club. if you have a problem with the promoter/the police raids the place/a fight breaks out/there's an earthquake/etc., you can't just leave. you have gear to pack up and take with you.

quote:

Originally posted by Inertia my advice is to completely detach gear from your fee. don't be all "well, if i have to bring my own gear then it'll cost you a bit". act almost as if it is not your own gear, rather you are renting it from a sound setup company or something. make a bill for it. this also gives you room to make a bill for your DJing. keep the things seperate. this will: a) keep them from trying to haggle with you over the price b) make them take you more seriously, possibly lowering the chance of them screwing you over a bit c) make you more money; you can probably charge them a higher fee for the gear if you're acting like you have to go out and get gear from somewhere than if you own it, since it's a hassle for you, etc. if this intimidates the promoter, and says he will get the gear himself, you just saved yourself a headache, as bringing your own stuff to a gig is such a hassle. never knowing if it will survive the night. take advantage and state clearly what gear you like to use, in order to make sure they don't set you up on a crap kit. not to mention, you can also slightly bulk up the bills initially, and then, if necessary, offer them a small discount "just because you like them". ok, so i am starting to sound more like a shady salesman than a DJ, but this is a shady business after all.

Good advice man. I appreciate it.

This is the event I'm playing at fyi. It's gonna be a 2 hour set and I'm opening for the Miami Heat's own DJ Irie... woot.


http://www.board-up.net/

quote:

i don't know any promoters that would cut me into the cover price profits. not to mention, how can you make sure he isn't screwing you over by saying the cover was cheaper/less people came in than it actually is?

Yeah, you definately have to be careful about this, but in a smaller venue it works fine since you can see exactly how many people are in the door.

No matter how you charge your fee, be careful not to let a promoter screw that money out of you. Shady promoters will try to get out of paying whatever is not laid out in a contract (use a contract!)

50 an hr if i'm using my own top half (tt's mixer etc) and 100 an hr if i'm using my own top half and bottom half (amps speakers etc). never used a 100% club setup before but i'd prob still charge at least 50 an hr.

quote:

Originally posted by Dojomaster26 Yeah, you definately have to be careful about this, but in a smaller venue it works fine since you can see exactly how many people are in the door. No matter how you charge your fee, be careful not to let a promoter screw that money out of you. Shady promoters will try to get out of paying whatever is not laid out in a contract (use a contract!)

This sounds alot like a way I got paid at a regular gig I resided at. Basically, I would send a guestlist to the promoter with a list of names. I tell my people to mention my name and get "VIP" entry. Thier name gets crossed off and I get the cover they paid. The upside to this is if you have friends that are down and not flaky (which is rare), they show support and you get paid. The down side is that more often than not, they forget to mention your name or they don't show whatsoever. Thus, you don't get paid.

Personally, I say set a fee you think is reasonable to the event and your talent and be negocioble. Being negocioble doesn't mean be a pushover. It means, take everything into consideration when setting a price. Nothing bothers me more these days than how so many dj's are sooooo afraid to lose gigs because they are afraid to ask for a fee. Forget all that. If you know you're worth it, then stick with it. It may result in less gigs, but I think you'll find that the quality of dj's at shows get better and you get paid more often.

Once a price has been set. Ask for a partial payment even before you play. This may sound like a dickhead move, but it garners respect (something very few dj's have for themselves nowadays). Keep in mind that this should be worked out before you accept the gig. Don't just show up asking for money. It won't happen. But if you put it as part of the deal beforehand, then the promoter shouldn't have a problem paying up. If you think this is unreasonable, keep in mind that the sound people get paid a deposit before they even show up. The venue, same deal. So why can't you ask for the same respect the other main contributors of the party get?

Finally, draw up a contract and have both parties sign it. Make sure it states what is expected of you (type of music playing, gear your bringing, etc) and what you expect of the promoter (setup, bar tab, guestlist, PAY). In all honesty, the contract doesn't mean shit unless you're licensed as an entertainer and the promoter is licensed to throw the party. But it does provide some proof on what was agreed and what was expected. This not only protects you from getting screwed, but the promoter from getting screwed, too. Even it isn't so legal, flashing that sorta thing around to your other dj buddies and such can really intimidate a promoter/venue to not only paying you, but others as well.

In closing, I firmly believe that EVERY DJ/PERFORMER should be paid for thier services. Even if it's just a few bucks. Too many promoters don't factor the dj's pay into thier budgets anymore (unless it's the headliner). They take local talent for granted, despite being the people within thier own community. They treat the talent not like an essential part of the party that they are, but like an accessory that can be thrown away and replaced at random. Like I said above, if every dj started demanding for thier due respect, maybe we can turn this around. Maybe dj's will start choking up on the bat and perfecting thier skills more and promoters will be more likely to book more quality talent.

To answer your question, there is no answer. Do what you feel is THE RIGHT THING to do and charge what you think you are worth.

Right on dude. Thanks for the post.

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