Patron related pay

[Bob the Builder]

Patron related pay.

I’ve done paid DJed gigs for the same amount for events with 40 people and events with 900 people. It can be the difference with the DJ’s being paid about 15% of the door takings and the DJ’s being paid and DJ’s being paid 0.6% of the door takings.

What’s your view an how much the DJ is paid in comparison to the number of patrons, taking into account the how DJ’s are generally under paid, quite often only get one hour sets, and setup and close down time is not taken into account in the pay?

There are also other things in regard to large events. With large events you can not get away with laptop DJing from a bad sound card and using low bit rate MP3’s. With large events it can also be a event organiser requirement to have a backup system.

The door percentage is just some figure working. I’m not saying that the DJ should be paid a percentage of the door, but it might be the difference between being paid $20 per hour for under 150 patrons and $30 per hour for anything above that.

Brian

[Skippy]

Hey Bob,

I'm going to approach this from the line that a> the gig in question is a paid gig and b> from more of a provision of services rather than "what's fair".

Firstly though, most of my DJing is done free of charge because a> I love it and b> I get benefits through other means.

So back to the topic at hand, if you approach it along the lines of a provision of services it should be fairly easy to figure out how much a(you) DJ should be paid. Most industries that are hired by the hour, mechanics, dancers, electricians etc, all have a flat hourly rate. The next thing some of them have is a flat rate often referred to as a "call out fee" or "travel fee".

I beleive any DJ trying to figure out what they should be paid should come up with a flat hourly rate that they(the DJ) feel is fair and equitible to cover the service provided.

ie: 1 hour of my DJ time is worth $xx.xx to anyone looking to hire me(the DJ).

Then figure out a reduced rate or flat rate to cover the travel expenses along with setup + pull down time. However, if you are already going to be at an event perhaps the travel expenses shouldn't be included, which is where a flat rate "call out fee" would work best for everyone concerned.

When I teach private dance lesson I have:
a> an hourly rate for up to 4 people and an additional rate for every 2 people after that
b> travel fees based on the number of KMs I have to travel (this covers fuel, wear and tear and time - you can't seriously expect to be much more than a TAXI).

I'm not sure where you are headed with the comments about venues having to have a backup system - I think I've misread/misunderstood that part of your post.

However, it is up to you as a DJ to make sure you have the right equipment. You can't pass on the cost of your equipment to the customer (event organisers) - that's just not right. Its an expense you use to claim back on the tax you pay earning money as a DJ (assuming you are doing everything above board in the respect of monies earned being declared).

[Bob the Builder]

[quote="Skippy"]Hey Bob,
However, it is up to you as a DJ to make sure you have the right equipment. You can't pass on the cost of your equipment to the customer (event organisers) [quote]


You actually do that. The cost of your equipment is always built into your rate. Other wise how else can you replace your equipment in 3 years time. That's basic accounting. However if the client asks for additional items above and beyond what is standard, of course you are in a position where you can charge them more.

One of the items in this discussion I'm thinking of is that we are not being taken advantage of. That is one reason I mentioned the percentages above. I think must of us don't mind doing small gigs for small payments, but when it comes to large gigs, where you know the client is making a good turn over, adding an additional $100 to the DJ payment budget for the night is very small when you look at the over all costs.
Skippy you do have an interesting point about being legit. To date I have been in a position to provide the client with an Invoice which is a benefit to them. However when you are only dealing with one hour sets for small amounts of money, they would not be so interested.
I suppose I could ask the question. Is the rate of pay at an Exchange in the US the same or more than the pay at a weekly event?


Brian

[Skippy]

Hey Bob,
However, it is up to you as a DJ to make sure you have the right equipment. You can't pass on the cost of your equipment to the customer (event organisers)

paraphrasing is a beautiful thing. read the sentence preceeding that.

[jmatthew]

I kind of break things down into "dances" and "events." When I'm DJ'ing a regular weekly dance for an hour or two I charge whatever the organizers generally pay (and really don't sweat it, this the part that I'd almost do for free.

Events on the other hand are larger, not regular, and unless I myself and instrumental in the organization I charge up the arm for. Events are generally less fun, more controlled, less relaxed, etc etc, and frankly I have to work harder and be more professional. I really don't care if 10 people or 1000 people show up, if it's a production I want to get paid for my time.

Of course there's always exceptions, I've done a few events for the publicity, or because close friends asked nicely, etc etc, and I kind of figure exchanges will be in a world of their own somewhere between the two if I ever get invited to dj one, but generally, that's how I break things down.