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Let's talk about incoming (pg. 5)
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| mfitterer1 |
| quote: | Originally posted by cammaxwell
I'm not sure where your basing these figures on, but local Dj's make much more than $50-$100 a gig and usually more than $300 (unless you just started and are begging for gigs). I can only assume that once you get recognition for your tracks and are getting booked else where, it will be much more like $1000-$2000 starting off (and not $300 like you mentioned).
At least in North America and Europe.... |
This is another part of the equation that most people don't think about or look into. I know way too many dj's and they all have no understanding of what the market value of their talent is. Unfortunately a lot of people THINK that those figures he listed are pretty normal.
It's not tough to understand why people won't make it if they don't get business.
People aren't going to just give you things especially in music you have to stand up for yourself and go take them. Playing for 100-200 a gig is just ridiculous and it's a shame the people who do this are allowed to continually undervalue a GOOD dj and their sets. |
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| cammaxwell |
| quote: | Originally posted by mfitterer1
This is another part of the equation that most people don't think about or look into. I know way too many dj's and they all have no understanding of what the market value of their talent is. Unfortunately a lot of people THINK that those figures he listed are pretty normal.
It's not tough to understand why people won't make it if they don't get business.
People aren't going to just give you things especially in music you have to stand up for yourself and go take them. Playing for 100-200 a gig is just ridiculous and it's a shame the people who do this are allowed to continually undervalue a GOOD dj and their sets. |
Yeah, some club owners and promoters will try to undercut some DJ's for sure. That's all part of understanding the business and being able to be a successful part of it. But every DJ should make sure they're being paid for they're time, and if they are bringing people in the door than they should be paid accordingly.
Of course when you start it's not as easy to demand a certian fee, but you should take into consideration the size of the place, the crowd, and budget.
I actually recently did a interview for Scenester Radio on how to become a successful Dj. If any of you are interested in listening to it here's the like:
Scenester Radio - How To Be A Successful DJ
(right click and "Save Target As") |
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| Mauricio |
My first gig the dude tried to pay me $20.
Ok, it was my debut, they gave me a kind of chance.. but come on!
I said "save it for your beer." Oh my, it was embarrassing.
And I knew about a lot of people that would pay for free just be a "DJ". On average clubs. Man this is shameless. |
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| Rodri Santos |
personally i focus first on getting to that particular club you like, it's better to play for 3000 and get 100$ , if you are doing right you can ask for a raise, if you go to a club and say : "You are paying him 100$ but i want 1000$ because i'm 10 times better" nobody will give you the chance.
However in my city the EDM scene is completely dead so they're not looking for dj's they are looking for someone to press play/stop so i'm quite happy that i'm on one of the few clubs that actually look for a dj and pay some more.
I am going to listen to that interview because i have lots to learn about marketing myself |
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| kitphillips |
Cam (and others) what the are you talking about???
I live in australia (exchange rate is about 90 aud to 100 American) and I could count on my hands the number of DJs in the entire city who get paid above 250 for a gig. And sydney is a big international city of several million people, not bum idaho.
Sure international DJs might get paid 7 or 8 grand, but most locals usually are lucky to charge more than 100 per hour.
Of course, all of this depends on your relationship to the promoter. I've often played free at free gigs for friends, and I've often dropped my price if the night hasn't gone well and not many people have come through the door. Generally I think its fair to charge at least as much as you spent on the tracks for the gig, plus your cab fair there and back. And I think another good guide to go by is to look at how much money you brought the promoter. If the promoter only takes the door, then look at how many people came to see you, and charge them the amount that your friends payed to see you. If you didn't bring anyone, don't expect to charge much. If the promoter takes the door + the drinks, then expect to be paid at least the amount your friends paid on the door + half the amount they spent on drinks.
No one DJs to get paid, you'd be lucky to break even unless your an international and/or playing 3 gigs a week. Its something you do for love, theres very little money in it. |
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| cammaxwell |
Well, I can only speak for Toronto mainly although as I said I do have a residency in Vancouver as well and I usually play several other clubs when I'm there (as well as haing plaing in the US/Mexico ect...). I'll admit that Toronto is probably one of the best EDM scene's in North America. we're lucky to have international headliners every weekend at several clubs, but to be honest we only have one super club with 3000 + people. The rest of the city has maybe 2-3 clubs that cater to EDM and are definitely more intimate with capacity around 300 +.
Maybe things are drastically different in other cites, but $250-$300 is definitely a normal average fee for most clubs. And that's per DJ with like 4-5 playing a night. The only time someone may expect to get less is if your a new "opening" DJ, or if you're playing some small little lounge/restaurant type place.
Now again, this is in Toronto.....but even Vancouver, that has a MUCH smaller scene and fewer clubs, this is standard. And yes our Canadian dollar is pretty much par with the US. When I've played in the US in New York or Buffalo, the fee is closer to $500-$600 because we're out of town DJ's. I know for a fact that my friends doing well with production are able to charge much more.
As for the headliners we bring in, the smaller clubs (300+) usually have a budget of not much more than $2000-$3000 per night (depending on the DJ). The larger clubs can offer more to get your top tier guys that charge $5000-$10,000+. These rates are standard in the industry as well, I know this because most guys have standard rates provided from management and every offer is compared to that of other clubs.
As for the topic of just "getting paid" as a DJ, as I mention in that interview I think personally that everyone should be doing this because it's a passion and not to get "paid". Yes you should be paid for what you do and the service you provide, especially considering how much we spend on new music ($300-$400 a month myself), but it also has to be for the right reasons. You have to love what your doing and have that passion, if you're just DJing to be cool or get girls or get rich (lol) than you won't be successful. That passion will come out in your music and your sets, people will hear if it's not from the heart.
Another note to make to is that DJing is a VERY competitive industry and it takes a lot to be successful. Being a "good" DJ is just not enough anymore, you really do have to bring more to the table. You have to market yourself, build a brand around yourself, and promote everything you do. You have to remember that club owners and promoters are running a business and there to make money whether you like it or not. Just being a great DJ with skills wont be enough to get booked, they will choose the OK DJ to play a night over the GREAT DJ if they know the OK guy will promote and bring a larger crowd. This may make some people angry, but it's a fact and you have to learn how to work with these people to be successful. Another way to build up a name is start your own night, this s a great way to get exposure for yourself and start building a following too.
Anyway, I'm not meaning to off on a rant here guys. Just sharing my experience and knowledge of how it works, at least here in North America. I now that Scenester Radio interview was one of there most popular ones with tons of feedback, so this is obviously a hot topic for a lot of people. Hopefully this info can help some guys trying to be successful DJ's get a ahead in the game. I know LOTS of guys who just sit at home waiting for the phone to ring for gigs, and then get angry when the phone never rings. You have to make that phone ring with hard work. Get out there, promote, network, just go and support other nights and eventually it will start happening for you. |
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| s_t |
| quote: | Originally posted by 19503
19 apartments for 70.000????? wtf, i payd more than the double for one here not even in the centrum of oslo. ive been ripped. |
I know it is out the content again, but that's not true. I do live in east-berlin and an appartment (2 rooms) costs around 70.0000 Euro. the cheapest you might get in around 50.000 Euros, but that might be in one of those "no go areas" (how they have been named in 2006 when we had the soccer champion-ship around here).
All those aritst you are talking about (Paul van Dyk, richie, Ricardo, etc) live in those fancy areas ;) so more than 100.000 Euros!
Sry to interrupt this whole thread. But I couldn't accept the rumor that apparments are that cheap around here .:toocool: |
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| music2dance2 |
All good points here. Fee's is dependant on so many factors like all have said, whether it being a new up and coming dj, lazy persona, professional, local dj, international, whether you have management, work through an agency, manage you own gigs, provide contracts or not, type of night, type of club, country, where about in that particular country, man I could go on and on.
There comes a time when you can charge more or ask, but new dj's will almost always have to play for free or take whats given, and we have all been there you 1st gigs arent about money its like wow im dj-ing so its a buzz anyway.
I live in Birmingham in the UK and I'm local dj's will get £150 - £200 in big clubs, prob £100 at smaller. Some could charge £300. Playing in different cities you can get £200 - £300 or more dependant on how popular you are. These are purely my guess's from what I have found out by some dj's in past years. Its so dependant on many things, but having a 1 or 2 gigs a week is a nice tidy some at the end of the month. As said you have to work hard to keep it up, no point in waiting for the phone to ring as that usually doesnt last long and people lose interest.
Interesting topic here, will have a listen to the interview Cam. Dj-ing is something I will be getting back into down the line. |
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| 19503 |
| quote: | Originally posted by s_t
I know it is out the content again, but that's not true. I do live in east-berlin and an appartment (2 rooms) costs around 70.0000 Euro. the cheapest you might get in around 50.000 Euros, but that might be in one of those "no go areas" (how they have been named in 2006 when we had the soccer champion-ship around here).
All those aritst you are talking about (Paul van Dyk, richie, Ricardo, etc) live in those fancy areas ;) so more than 100.000 Euros!
Sry to interrupt this whole thread. But I couldn't accept the rumor that apparments are that cheap around here .:toocool: |
still cheap. i might go lol. doesnt even need a loan if i sell my apartment here. |
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| Rodri Santos |
I always have free drink when i'm playing so i think 20-30 extra €uros come here easily , i'd prefer cash but here it's included in the fee.
My problem as you said in the interview is that i only want to play trance, and this is absolutely impossible, i hope next year i could start working closing the nights because right now i'm working till 1 o clock in the night or so when people usually go home at 6 o clock so i think trance at this point of the night it's impossible.
I am starting to try with prog.house and i think it's going better, producing a bit seriously right now too, probably a Vandit release soon along with 2 others in minor labels |
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| Kthought |
| quote: | Originally posted by music2dance2
To be honest mate that is what separates the people that do achieve what they want and the people that dont. You say nothing has come out of it yet? Well when is yet? No one knows that answer.
Its up to the individual to believe what they want, being naive is a little harsh for someone that believes in what they do, and that they will achieve their goal. Yes there is a possibility of it not happening but who is to say that it wont. Bottom line is the music to be fair. If you can make great tracks and get it out there, the music will speak for itself, you can't deny a good track and people will come to you if you can deliver. Simple. |
/end thread |
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| Richard Butler |
| quote: | Originally posted by s_t
I know it is out the content again, but that's not true. I do live in east-berlin and an appartment (2 rooms) costs around 70.0000 Euro. the cheapest you might get in around 50.000 Euros, but that might be in one of those "no go areas" (how they have been named in 2006 when we had the soccer champion-ship around here).
All those aritst you are talking about (Paul van Dyk, richie, Ricardo, etc) live in those fancy areas ;) so more than 100.000 Euros!
Sry to interrupt this whole thread. But I couldn't accept the rumor that apparments are that cheap around here .:toocool: |
To be clear - I said the appartments were far from Berlin by the Polish border plus they were run down and bought from the court auction. |
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