Wedding Charges

[ChrisPointon 0]

Depends on what the "average" fee for your local area is.

 

Of course you've already phoned around a few established local D.J's and asked for their price to find this out haven't you??. http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/smile.gif .

 

No doubt that i'll get boo'ed and Spat at for encouraging the above, but i'm sure that some other people on here have done this at some point, even if it was only when they first started. The vast majority of working D.J's do know exactly what their competitors are charging - however much of a competitor that roadshow may be http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/smile.gif .

 

Running a successful business does need a little bit of leg work, and this is one area of market research that can be done to answer the above question.

 

Once you know the answer, then don't pitch your price too low. If the average price of a DJ in your area is £250, and your nearest competitor quoted £200 - then don't charge your client £120. Being TOO low and the CHEAPEST can also work against you.

 

If you don't yet have a good reputation and any references then you will need to pitch yourself slightly lower than the competition, but not too low - being too cheap can make people suspicious. Other than that you will need to work at building business, and advertise. Instead of being the cheapest, why not offer something that the competition doesn't? - this will give you the edge.

 

 

[Award Entertainment 0]

My starting rate for that event during the wedding season (which runs from late November until early May down here in New Zealand), is £430.

[mikeee 0]

As I've said before I start at £350, but most of my summer weddings this year are around the £500.

 

If their paying £300 for a wedding cake, would you charge less to entertain them???

[Eskie 0]

Similarly to Mikeee, my fees start from £400 and will be doing weddings virtually every saturday from now thru to October plus quite a few sunday weddings which I'm finding are becoming more and more popular nowadays.

[Hugmaster 0]

Hi

 

difficult one this, yes of course DJ's feel they do more for the Wedding event than the cake maker, however, it's what the customer perceives that is important.

 

Often, DJ's are just seen as guys/gals who stand there and put CD's into their machine and press play, they have no concept of what goes on before and during the function. You can only charge what your market will tolerate.

 

My own charges are based on the package selected and not the event.

 

Standard package - £40 per hour.

Deluxe package £350 flat rate for up to6 hours.

Deluxe Live package £425 flat rate up to 6 hours.

 

Darren

[paula 0]

QUOTE

How much would you charge for a normal wedding (backing music from 1700 to 1900,

http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/huh.gif Oh dear, I think I'm tired http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/sad.gif

I read this totally the wrong way! theres me thinking about music from the 1700's http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/wacko.gif

[Kingy 0]

QUOTE (mikeee @ Apr 1 2004, 12:53 AM)

As I've said before I start at £350, but most of my summer weddings this year are around the £500.

It is so refreshing to see a pro being paid a fair fee. Well done Mikee, Esk and Richard.

 

HOWEVER

 

I just really wish that here in the sunny (not) West Midlands people would start to realise that this is the sort of fee Professionals should be getting. Sadly, its just not there!

 

As a Pro with 25 years experience and a good reputation around here I struggle and am frustrated by the fees I have to charge. My average Saturday night is £170 and on occasions I do charge more should the client require extras or a longer performance. I dont get many gaps in the diary, certainly not Saturdays anyhow, but do feel undervalued. If I was to charge more ( which incidently I am well above average with my fees) I am sure I would start to loose work to the " Cheaper Guys".

 

Places such as The Hyatt Regency in the centre of Brum, and many of the other leading big hotels only pay between £200 and £220 per night and you are on till 1 AM!

 

Then of course you have the agencies! (Non of which I work for!)

 

In Brum they offer Hotels a 60 day account, employ Students from the uni, pay them £50 a night and supply them with a small ( usually Tatty) show. The student is responsible for supply of music. My RANT here is the client pays the hotel a minimum of 30 days PRIOR to the event. The Hotel pay the agency 60 days POST the event and the Dj gets his money when the agency has cleared the cheque! So lets just analise that a bit. You as Dj, do the work having recieved a phone call from the agency. You then wait nearly 3 months for your money LESS the 15% that the agency deducts.

 

They are on a nice little earner for very little here! http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/ranting.gif

 

[ChrisPointon 0]

I'm with the King on this http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/smile.gif . I agree that it would be nice to get such a level of fee but in some area's its not practical.

 

The average full time wage for manual work in this area is £12,500 most people in this area are actually on Minimum Wage (Source: UK Census - CW postcode area)

 

For them a fee of £350 - £450 would be unrealistic.

 

You may recall that I mentioned a hotel which is being built literally 1/2 mile from my address. I have been trying to get into this hotel even before it had a roof. Eventually I got a reply from the head office stating their "offer" for a resident DJ for its function room. *Ahem* even I don't work for £70 a night http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/scared.gif .

 

 

[DJshaggy 0]

Agreed with you two on this. Its hard in the area i work to get any bookings if you quote more that £150. there are just too many under cutting me at the moment i am having to hammer venues with my cards and really pull my show up above the rest to get noticed these days.... its paying off. but as its been said before managers always want that smaller overhead so they will take on Mr £60 a night in order to save a few quid.... but personally i thnk they are losing out in the long run. As dropping their standards in entertainment will only work negativly towards the venue

 

Roll on Union rates for Djs and rules all Djs Need to follow thats what i say

 

http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/wallbash.gif cant ever seeing it happen though sadly

[kazzachi 0]

OK... so you northerners might not be able to get southern rates.... but on the accounting front...... You can demand that hotels pay as per your payment methods! Just because they tell you they work on a 30/60/90 day accounting period.. you dont have to accept it. Provided that the hotel are happy with your service, you TELL THEM that your accounts work on a 10 day before or payment due by basis..... I had this problem with a Jarvis hotel..... I told them my terms of payment... and should they insist on me waiting for 60 days or whatever, I would apply interest to my outstanding invoices. They then paid when I wanted paying. One thing to think about, is that hotels will try it on with the smaller supplier... but I guarantee you, when they are paying for other supplies and services, they have to go along with the payment methods dictated by the supplier.. so why should you let them treat you differently! After all, you cant book a hotel room and then say you will pay for it 90 days later!

[Award Entertainment 0]

Kingy, Chris & Shaggy, if you asked virtually every other DJ in my region this question, they'd probably say the same as you. Heck, I would have agreed with you 5 years ago! Here's some things to ask yourself:

 

* Does anybody in your region buy a new Mercedes or top-end luxury car?

* Does anyone spend over £200,000 on a house?

* Do any businesses succeed in your area?

* Does anyone own a pleasure boat?

 

If not, you need to move your business out of the area because there's no money there. If you said yes to a couple of those questions (or all of them!), then you're assumptions may be wrong. Often my client's weddings are paid for in part or in full by their parents, who have some money and want the very best for their children. They know that the best usually costs more and they don't mind paying for it.

 

Your market might not be the problem- your marketing and beliefs might be. If I shifted to your town, I'd be charging the same or more than I do right now and I'd bet I'd be booking the right weddings. It's hard not to be a gig-pig and fight for every function, but it's a wonderful release to work just the best weddings instead of the most weddings.

 

If you want to earn more per job, invest in these two items:

 

Harry Beckwith's book 'Selling The Invisible'

and

Randy Bartlett's DVD 'The 1% Solution'

 

I'm deadly serious about this and no, I don't get commissions for these! You'll realise that you've got so much potential in your business that you didn't know you had, that you'll be annoyed nobody told you about it sooner. I also recommend reading (with an open mind) a few of American DJ Mark Ferrell's ideas about a DJ's worth. These things, amongst others, have taken me from being a £125 DJ to a £430 DJ in just 3 years. It's not rocket science guys, it's just working smarter rather than harder.

 

I dare you to try!

 

p.s. If you get great value from this advice, feel free to send me presents!

Edited April 1, 2004 by Rendezvous

[kazzachi 0]

Its all very well being charging top whack.. but you have to weigh up all the odds... just because somebody drives a merc doesnt mean to say they will pay the top fee for a service. Most of my clients book me because they like what I do - I dont charge the highest nor cheapest rate.. but I charge what I consider a fair price... and because I love my job, am out most weeks..... which if I was charging a higher fee, but only going out once or twice a month, I wouldnt like that at all.

 

It really doesnt matter what books you read... if your client has a budget, then no amount of flashy marketing will get them to pay a higher fee. For me, I would rather work 3/4 times per week and earn a good living than wait to get the highest paying gigs and work less often. The more I work, the more work I get, and any good dj doesnt have to read a book to tell them how to increase their business potential!

 

Plus.... if your charges are high... why do you need to cut them by 50% for those winter months?

Edited April 1, 2004 by kazzachi

[C.S 0]

Living in Scandinavia which is expensive i take basic £350 and then add £75 per hour after 2 a.m.Will be putting up basic fee £50 from 1st august

[ChrisPointon 0]

* Does anybody in your region buy a new Mercedes or top-end luxury car*

 

Very Few, the Majority of vehicles parked on my road are 1989 - 2000 models of standard Ford, Vauxhalls etc. My 1997 Vauxhall Vectra is actually an average family car in these parts. Yes, there are a few accountants, pilots and such who commute to Manchester. Good Cars usually come with a good Job, and if you have a company car in the UK you are penalised tax wise by the government. A minority of professional business people have top of the range marques (Usually company owned), however these are the type of people who often marry somewhere exotic - New Zealand, Florida, Torquay etc

 

*Does anyone spend over £200,000 on a house?

 

Average house price in the current UK boom market here is £93,000 for a 3 bedroomed semi. When I last had my own property valued in 1996 it was worth £38,000. Yes it was an investment and yes I was lucky to buy when I did, but as the UK averages go, its still very very low. Many estates in congleton are council or ex council based.

 

* Do any businesses succeed in your area?

 

A few, Congleton Town centre is rapidly coming a ghost town, hence the high rate of unemployment (and why I am e-commerce mail order). Retail outlets are being killed off by the large Shopping arcades such as the Trafford Centre in Manchester and larger towns close by such as Macclesfield and Hanley (Stoke on Trent) who offer a wider variety of products. Congleton used to be heavily involved in fabric and pottery manufacture and 80% of workplaces were mills dating back to the 17 and 1800's. Sadly this is the area which suffered the most from Far Eastern influence, the mills are abondoned, and many previously skilled people are still redundant. We have one main employer (Siemens) and Celestica - formally D2D / ICL employ a large number in the Stoke on Trent area - however the majority of employment within these companies is temporary contract. I can honestly say that I have personally not shopped in Congleton for 5 years!

 

* Does anyone own a pleasure boat?

 

whats one of them??

[ChrisPointon 0]

Sorry in my effort to answer Richards Questions, i've put a very negative aspect to life in Rural Cheshire, however on an commerce level it is fairly unattractive!, however its not all bleak namely some advantages...

 

This is a very rural area - drive 3 miles in any direction and you are in open Countryside - your kids can feed lambs, ride horses and play in relatively unspoilt open countryside (something city centre kids rarely experience) . The sea is around 1hour 15 mins drive away, and its also close to the main motorway routes and Manchester Airport and City Centre.

 

Low crime rate - one of the lowest for the area.

 

Low Pollution - zero smog problem

 

High percentage of Retired people live here and a low number of under 16's http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/smile.gif

 

Male and Female life expectancy is slightly above the UK average

 

Good GCSE and A Level Pass Rates, again slightly above the UK average

 

Little Traffic Problems

 

And above all, I have good neighbours (Cue Neighbours theme tune!) this is worth a lot in itself and something that a lot of people in any country don't have.

 

Richards advice of relocation, on the surface can make sense however considering that I could sell my property for £93,000, I would have to pay around £200,000 for the equivalent property in the more lucrative city centre. Whether the income (and the additional taxation associated with this higher income) would fund the additional mortgage and cost of living is highly debatable!.

 

Here are some other Facts about living 'up North!

 

Average Beer Price (most important):- £1.60 / pint (Local Beer - during happy hour)

 

Unleaded Petrol (per Litre) £0.791 / £3.50 per Gallon

 

Council (property) Tax:- £1017 / year based on a 3 bedroomed property valued at £93,000

 

Average Wage (Factory Manual Labour / Clerical) £12,000 per annum

 

Electricity:- £200 per Quarter

 

Gas:- £150 per Quarter

 

Water Rates:- £280 / Year

 

Would be interested to see how this compares with the Expensive South (of the UK), Norway and NZ http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/smile.gif

[kazzachi 0]

£200,000 for a house down south.... well thats about average here! Mind you, in nz you can get a proverbial mansion for that money!

 

My mate is aus charges 600 bucks for a full video/disco.... and that is getting over the odds - but you have to bear in mind that on the whole, prices in aus are much less than here... I dont know about nz though! Go to malta... every cabby there owns a merc - as they do in spain/greece! The UK market is fickle to say the least!

Edited April 1, 2004 by kazzachi

[Kingy 0]

QUOTE (Rendezvous @ Apr 1 2004, 10:37 AM)

* Does anybody in your region buy a new Mercedes or top-end luxury car? * Does anyone spend over £200,000 on a house? * Do any businesses succeed in your area? * Does anyone own a pleasure boat? If not, you need to move your business out of the area because there's no money there. If you said yes to a couple of those questions (or all of them!), then you're assumptions may be wrong. Your market might not be the problem- your marketing and beliefs might be. If I shifted to your town, I'd be charging the same or more than I do right now and I'd bet I'd be booking the right weddings. If you want to earn more per job, invest in these two items: Harry Beckwith's book 'Selling The Invisible' and Randy Bartlett's DVD 'The 1% Solution' These things, amongst others, have taken me from being a £125 DJ to a £430 DJ in just 3 years. It's not rocket science guys, it's just working smarter rather than harder.

Interesting comments here.

 

I simply dont think you would get the money Richard. All the Pro guys, including local radio "celebs" are working for the same sort of fees. What applies in some parts of the same country, let alone internationally, does not apply in this case. I am sure that your marketting ideas are very good, I did a course on something similar about 8 years ago. It was an American course, run by a guy called "Freidman" (sp?). Many of the delagates kept in touch for a while after....who made the most money? We all reckon it was the course organisers!

 

I do appreciate what you are saying, but, as we are in the second largest city in the UK, I can, with a fairly confident and high percentage of accuracy, tell you that you would be VERY dissapointed if you thought you would get regular work at that price.I really wish we could!!!!

 

I never jump in with a quote for a function, always explain about experience, reliability, flexability etc, and 9/10 calls end up in a booking, so the sales techhnique works. Repeat bookings are a very regular source of my work, so the client must be happy with the service. If both of those work, I think we have it about right. But £430 a night........I can only dream! http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/sleep1.gif

[ChrisPointon 0]

Talking about local radio celebs. Our local radio station covers local events for around £170. Okay so its slightly higher than the average "nobody" DJ around here but its still not a fortune.

 

Considering that the actual roadshow consists of Circa 1980's equipment and early 90's lighting, and I can say with a degree of confidence that every Dj on DJU (who has submitted a picture at some point on the forum) has a far better rig http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/scared.gif , it also proves a few interesting points...

 

(1) You don't need £10,000 of lighting and a 3KW sound system to be a professional Dj and get a good reputation

 

(2) Even the "big boys" in some area's are only charging a fraction of that charged by the average mobile DJ in other area's / countries.

 

And a final observation based on my own personal opinion....

 

(3) Being on the Radio doesn't automatically make you a good Mobile D.J or able to "read" a crowd! http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/rolleyes.gif

 

 

QUOTE

If I shifted to your town, I'd be charging the same or more than I do right now and I'd bet I'd be booking the right weddings.

 

This is something that I missed earlier, but would like to comment on, I am assuming that you have lived in the UK at some point Richard?, if so which area did you reside?. I know that a lot of non UK residents often pass comment based on little more than assumption. It is possible to command a greater fee in a different area, but Pro-Rata often the cost of living is also higher in these areas. Just like a Friend of a relative in Canada assumed that I would know one of his relatives who lived in East London........

 

QUOTE

Sure you guys, well the little of village of London is no bigger than my Momma's closet is it guys?, shucks, then you know my cousins sister who lives next to that nice family the Jones' who live round the corner from that nice little jazz club.

 

...and I don't jest! http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/071.gif

[Dukesy 0]

QUOTE

Here are some other Facts about living 'up North! Average Beer Price (most important):- £1.60 / pint (Local Beer - during happy hour) Unleaded Petrol (per Litre) £0.791 / £3.50 per Gallon Council (property) Tax:- £1017 / year based on a 3 bedroomed property valued at £93,000 Average Wage (Factory Manual Labour / Clerical) £12,000 per annum Electricity:- £200 per Quarter Gas:- £150 per Quarter Water Rates:- £280 / Year Would be interested to see how this compares with the Expensive South (of the UK), Norway and NZ

 

 

My Location: Essex (Witham)

Average Beer Price (most important):- unsure

Unleaded Petrol (per Litre) £0.78

Diesel (per litre) £0.82

Council (property band B) Tax:- £951.86 / year based on a 3 bedroomed property valued at £115,000 in October '03

Average Wage (Factory Manual Labour / Clerical) ...unsure

My Electricity:- £192 per Quarter

My Gas:- £240 per Quarter

My Water Rates:- £338.6 / Year

 

QUOTE

Depends on what the "average" fee for your local area is. Of course you've already phoned around a few established local D.J's and asked for their price to find this out haven't you??.  . No doubt that i'll get boo'ed and Spat at for encouraging the above, but i'm sure that some other people on here have done this at some point, even if it was only when they first started. The vast majority of working D.J's do know exactly what their competitors are charging - however much of a competitor that roadshow may be  .

 

I looked into adjusting my fees recently, but have put them back to the original charge.

There was 2 main reasons for this:

 

1) I am already committed to functions (this year) at the original fee

2) my nearest (local) competitor is double my original fee!

 

(It would be difficult to justify to my existing customers if I dropped the fee - so it stays!)

Edited April 1, 2004 by discodirect

[Ian Stewart 0]

I'm based in South East Essex, very near Basildon which has to be the countries biggers council estate (i'm not knocking people who live in council houses, I was brought up in one myself)

 

My fee's start at £300 and move upwards, there are other DJ's in my area charging less than £100 for weddings, I chose to charge more then them, and it works for me.

[Dukesy 0]

I agree with Ian.

[kazzachi 0]

and dont presume that every london based gig is gonna pay big bucks either! I have been offered countless jobs in and around london.... and they have been offered to me for £150! Noooooo thank you!

[Paul Forsyth 0]

http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/042.gif

Hi Andrew, I'm based midways between Maidstone & Ashford and would look to charge £300+ for weddings

and am getting the bookings coming through at this price.

Hope it helps.

http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/beer.gif

Vinnie

[Kingy 0]

QUOTE (Vinnie @ Apr 1 2004, 04:26 PM)

http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/042.gif Hi Andrew, I'm based midways between Maidstone & Ashford and would look to charge £300+ for weddings and am getting the bookings coming through at this price. Hope it helps. http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/beer.gif Vinnie

http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/014.gif Just wish it was the same situation up here! http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/014.gif

[Award Entertainment 0]

Guys, I'm really pleased to have kicked up a lively discussion here and I'm thrilled that you're all responding in an adult fashion. If you've spent any time on American DJ forums, you'll see that price is always the most contentious issue discussed. A large number of US DJ's are charging USD$1200 and some charge as much as USD$3500 without even taking out lighting!

 

For every DJ explaining that it's possible to charge a premium price, there are 40 telling him that it's not possible and that people won't tolerate the higher fee. I get told all the time by DJ's in my area that my clientele won't pay more than £190. While they tell me this, I book 3 to 4 functions a month during Summer at my price. It's not my job to convince you all that it's possible in your area, but if you're genuinely interested in what I've done to increase my rates, flick me an email and I'll send you what I sent to a colleague in Auckland. Using some of my ideas, he's nearly tripled his rates and still books nearly as many jobs. Here's the email address: fourhundredandthirtypounds@disco.co.nz

http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif