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-- I need some advice on how much to ask for my next gig......
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I need some advice on how much to ask for my next gig......
Basic situation, I just want advice on how to approach...
I talked to a local bar/lounge owner here in San Diego and I managed to get a nice gig at a lounge/bar
I told him I'd be willing to do it complimentary this one time that way he has nothing to lose and he can see how I perform, he told me he would give me $150 so that I wouldn't go down there for nothing (I said awesome...)
So I spun that night with a bunch of friends that came as well, I brought about 20-25 people, everyone thought it was amazing... owner called me back two days later asking for more bookings and said that he loved it and that he would contact me for further details to discuss it later in the week etc.
NOW, I am wondering... how should I go about asking for pay? If he offered $150 off the bat, I'm thinking of telling him I charge 400-500 for the full setup which he saw on that night (I brought literally everything, Mackie PA speakers, CDJ's, laptop, table, pioneer 800-mixer etc.)
Do you think 400-500 from $150 that he offered is a huge jump?
Any tips or ideas would be greatly appreciated as to how I should WORD what I say to the owner, thanks a bunch
IMO, that's fair considering you're bringing EVERYTHING. Congrats btw.
you're thinking about asking 400-500 bucks for 20-25 people... that's 20 bucks a head!!!!
getting 150 for 25 people is 6 bucks a head!!
i would stay at 150 until i started to draw more than 50 people and then negotiate a $ per person deal. it will motivate you and the owner to work towards one common goal.
there is a cover charge right?
How much would you pay your self if you had a bar and was going to hire somebody like you?
How much are you worth to him?
Think of a price that is fair for you and for the owner so that you stay in business in the long run.
Thanks for the suggestions.... the thing is I am going to tell him that I want to do these bookings Once or even every other month so that I can manage to get a crowd going, I dont want to be spinning at the place weekly with 4-5 friends you know?....
I would say for once a month to prep a nice tracklist and bringing a bunch of people with all my equipment, $400 would be a fair price no?
And there is no cover charge
Yeah I think that sounds fair.
As someone mentioned above, if you're providing all the equipment- i wouldn't hesitate to charge that much at all.
yea however he's got cdj-800's and an old pioneer mixer, he may just ass out and say "alrite just use my stuff and $300 it is"...
but bringing the speakers/stands. etc is the bitch and all hes got is some nice ceiling speakers which arent as exciting as my mackies obviously
so i'm still debating if i should even mention the equipment factor as he may refuse my offer to continue bringing it and just use his stuff
make sure you let us know how it goes...
How long did you play for?
If it was only two hours, I think upping it to $200 would be fair, but if it was five or six hours, I'd be asking for about $400.
There are two things to keep it mind:
1. If he's not a music nutter, he will think it crazy to spend $500 a night on a DJ, even one bringing their own gear.
2. If you ask, he can only say "no", but this may lower his opinion of you. Is it worth it?
If he complains about you upping the price, just remind him how many people you bought in, explain to him how much it would cost for him to hire all the comparative gear if you weren't bringing it in yourself, then finally, explain to him that the extra money is to cover any wear and tear on your gear, or any other damage that might occur in the foreseeable future.
Fuck, wish I could charge $400 a night. 
First up, for a lounge gig $150 is about 3 or 4 times what most DJs can expect to be paid.
Also think of it like this, let him make an offer, but I think to be honest that 150 is your limit already.
150 Dollars is about 75 pounds give or take, I know DJs who play alongside world renound names like PvD and the likes who get just a bit more than that per gig.
If you do get 3 to 400 dollars good luck to you, and I think I might move to San Diego to DJ.
Seriously though, with that kind of money exchanging hands you really have pressure to fill that place because if you don't and the bar makes a loss you will most likely get fired.
Don't get me wrong dude, I'm all for DJs being well paid but just know what's at stake and don't price yourself out of a job.
I do see that there is a difference with brining your own gear too and that will make a difference to the price, just stay alert and be aware that you can loose gear too or have it damaged.
What you might want to do is find out what I hire company charges for a similar set up and then undercut slightly.
Just avoid putting yourself in a situation where the guy can't make money from having your there because then you will be out of a job. Don't forget, the guy has overheads too, bar staff, premises and so on. It's sometimes worth a small sacrifice to get your foot in the door.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those people who will flame you for wanting to make money out of what you do. We all gotta eat. But you do have to keep in mind that DJing is pretty tough in the beggining, middle and for most even the end assuming that they get past the first two stages.
You have an opportunity to create something, so nurture it and be prepared to compromise.
Cheers
Nem
wow, awesome replies thanks a bunch for the advice to Nem and everyone else
I'll be sure to let you guys know how it all goes down
oh and I was mixing from 10pm-2am, and I will probably be doing this once a month at the place
Fuck taking your own gear- too much hassle and you take ALL the risk with your gear.
use the cdjs and the pioneer he has already.
If it comes to it, hire the gear, or as mentioned, get a quote for hiring, and undercut it slightly.
Take it weekly if its offered, use the gear he has, and start to get a regular crowd in.
If it picks up, then negotiate some sort of door cut (he will get the bar obviously) which may well get you the more cash you seek.
You have a chance here that many people would kill for - dont price yourself out of it, which you are in severe danger of doing.
Take it from myself and from Nem- both of us who have been there, done that and got the T shirt...
club gear takes a beating and a half, don't risk your own gear, sounds like his setup will do just fine, i've gone through an ENTIRE setup, TTs, CDJs and mixer, that's a lot of cash to just dispose of, the gear is beyond repair... they sit there in boxes sticky with drinks and beaten into submission from being constantly moved and setup
as mentioned, 150 a night for a dj who is just starting out will do just fine, i'd work on getting a bar tab as part of the deal myself on top of pay or work out a little larger number without bar tab, 200 for example
you also don't want to charge too much off the bat because if another dj comes in, undercutting you won't be too much of a problem, build a crowd and the owner will have a harder time giving the job to someone else
take it, promote the shit out of it, build a crowd and you should be good to go... and when i talk about promoting the shit out of it, i mean PROMOTE THE SHIT OUT OF IT
when you get a crowd built, taking the door while the bar takes drink sales will get you some good cash
don't be discouraged either, it takes a while to build a following, keep at it and keep promoting it
Hiring that setup for a night in the UK would be likely to cost �150-200, so about $100 maybe? (bearing in mind that
As already said, $150 for your first bar gig is pretty damn good as it is, so I don't know if you can reasonably charge more than about $250-300 - that said, you'd have to make it clear that half of that is for the gear, at which point he'd be likely to turn around and say to use the kit he's already got if he doesn't want to spend extra money (which is likely to be the case).
I strongly recommend avoiding taking your own kit if you possibly can! Unless he's willing to pay you a fair amount for the hassle, bear in mind that if it's not insured and a pint goes over your mixer or whatever you're royally screwed no matter how much he's paying you (cos I'm sure it's not gonna be enough to afford a new one!) - and if it is insured then you've got to factor that into your price.
The other option (and probably a better option) is asking him to make you an offer - have an amount in your head that you'd like to get (keep it reasonable), then if he offers you less than that then you can negotiate, if he offers more then you are the winner 
promote it yourself and take cover
i've made 550 at a similar gig this way twice
3.5 hours, bar/lounge, brought my own equipment, promoted the hell out of it.
Lots of very good points in this thread. In my opinion, you have to think of ow much your time is REALLY worth. Lets say you spin a 4 hour set. you will have at least an hour of setup and breakdown time, if you are bringing ALL of the equip. So for 5 hours of work, $150 is $30/hr. For me I think I would be happy doing it around $60/hour, but thats just me.
Be a business man and negotiate with him. Find a number that you will be happy with and aim for that number. Start high, haggle, and settle on a deal. Maybe offer to take a percentage of the door instead of a flat fee, that way the more people you get in the door the more you make.
Just my 2 cents. Congrats on your gig and good luck with it!!!
I'm just realizing what an idiot I am risking my CDJ-1000mk3's and Pioneer 800 when the guy has CDJ 800's laying there ready to get abused.... definitely not worth taking my stuff for even $400 a night, really appreciate the ideas you guys.
He's also got a pioneer 3000 mixer, but i'm thinking i may just use mine...then again, still a bad move
| quote: |
| Originally posted by Sound O fTrance I'm just realizing what an idiot I am risking my CDJ-1000mk3's and Pioneer 800 when the guy has CDJ 800's laying there ready to get abused.... definitely not worth taking my stuff for even $400 a night, really appreciate the ideas you guys. He's also got a pioneer 3000 mixer, but i'm thinking i may just use mine...then again, still a bad move |
a 3000 with 2 800s is a better setup than some clubs have here
the few extra features aren't worth the risk unless the 3000 is too shoddy to play on
Definitely use their equipment. $150 is pretty good for a night if you don't have to take your equipment. If you can get some drinks on top of that I say thats good money. Now if you start pulling a huge crowd you can always renegotiate.
yeah, i would definitely use the club's gear instead of yours.
I just started working for a promo company and they give me 50 an hour....and bringing my equipment is optional. I think that is a fair price to pay for a starting dj who uses in house equipment. Also, its rare that bars and lounges pay over 200. By the way, I suggest that you use the in house set-up, its good practice.
| quote: |
| Originally posted by Sound O fTrance I'm just realizing what an idiot I am risking my CDJ-1000mk3's and Pioneer 800 when the guy has CDJ 800's laying there ready to get abused.... definitely not worth taking my stuff for even $400 a night, really appreciate the ideas you guys. He's also got a pioneer 3000 mixer, but i'm thinking i may just use mine...then again, still a bad move |
Just so I'm getting the situation straight before making a suggestion:
1. You have equipment that you would like to bring
2. The venue has equipment (and good equipment at that!)
3. Your last gig at the venue was for $150, including equipment fees
4. You want $400 for the next show, which includes equipment fees
Personally I would not bring my equipment to the venue if I didn't have to. Since the venue has good equipment in house already, leave your stuff at home. The only thing with the equipment is to do a sound check with the in house equipment before doing the actual gig.
As for the price, I think $400 is too much to ask for 4 hours when the venue has no cover and you are not bringing equipment. I would either ask for $240 (4 hours @ $60/hr) and negotiate down to $200, or if bringing equipment charge $350 (4 hours @ $60/hr + $110 equipment rental charge) and maybe negotiate down to $250. Having no cover makes charging more a problem. If you plan to charge the venue this way, make sure you break down how the cost is being calculated to the owner.
Another option (and the one talked about here) is to take a portion of the cover, and give the venue the bar. The bar owner will have a no-risk win-win situation with this plan, which will make him much more eager to book you. This is what I use for my gigs in Hickory. I take the cover from the door, and promote the event myself. Whatever cover money is made is payed to the DJs and the people that helped out in the gig (visuals for example). Usually I'm one of the DJs so I get to pay myself this way also.
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