Hi All

I need some general information on how much it would be start my disco’s? As I had a bit of a shock when speaking to a dj who basically laughed me off

My plan is looking at doing discos for birthday’s weddings etc for about 200 people max

what kind of equipment should I be looking at getting. My plan is to work form CD’s at the start and once I get up and running is to work from a laptop

Any suggestions would be a big help

Welcome to DJU John.

What you are planning is to essentially provide a hire service, therefore, a good idea would be to write a business plan. The plan can help "make sure you don't get any nasty surprises later on!"

For reference, have a look here and here for further business advice.

Here are some links to articles on how to write a business plan, but a good search engine browse will reveal far more sources of information!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/2943252.stm
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/busi...icle2537485.ece
http://www.teneric.co.uk/businessplantemplate.pdf

If not seen already then these will be of interest. Useful links to articles and guides in the dj knowledgebase and dj forum:
http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=25746

Here you will find free to download guides from the DJ Associates Association.

The market you intend to aim your service at will help influence decision on equipment investment. Whilst there are a variety of options available, naturally you won't wish to fork out replacing items every couple of weeks! A good rule of thumb is "try before you buy".

Whilst *this article provides recent example comparrisons of basic systems, it does not include other dj equipment, insurance or licences required. See What licences do I need to DJ
You'll see from the *article that DJs are facing competition from electronic media systems.
Already, Full Wedding Packages inc Buffet up to 100 people and these systems are being pitched by hotels and businesses for under £800.00, obviously driving the need and justification for a 'human DJ' away, so don't forget to include and bear this 'threat' in mind when putting together your business plan!

Here is a "How do I become a DJ" article and this covers running a Disco from a Laptop or PC

Hello and welcome John
Dan (dukesy) has posted a comprehsive list of info regarding startup and i highly recommend you have a read through, Gathering up a bunch of kit is the easy bit.

when you are ready to get going please bear in mind this simple but worthy comment - Buy Cheap - Buy Twice

Many would be tempted to go out and pick up new budget gear which they soon realise is not up to the job or doesnt suit the long term needs. I appreciate in some cases we have no choice but i have been there and done that. Budget gear holds no secondhand value.

Typically a cheap cd mix unit (twin cd player + mixer) is an ideal starter but after a while you may feel the cd or mixer functions are lacking and you would have to scrap the lot and start again. Same with cheap l.e.d lighting effects, look great on promo videos but when you get them to a gig are dissapointing especially since smoke machines are being outlawed

Personally i would look for some secondhand gear to get you going which you could sell on again with little loss.

Music playback - Whats your goal with regards to cd playback, whats your style. If you just want basic playback then a twin drawer cd kit with controller would suffice. If you are more intent on mixing and dance music then a pair of tabletop players would be a better investment. If you do progress to laptop djing then a set of midi tabletop cd players are the way to go. More expensive in the short term but considering you may have cd/mp3/usb and software control it would be a good investment. A laptop setup will set you back well over £600 (laptop, external soundcard, dj software) and you would need a special licence to allow you to convert your cd collection to mp3 (£300 ish)

Lighting i would start with some scanners and moon flowers. The scanners get you movement around the room and the moonflowes give you some steady floor filling effect. 4 fixtures on a t bar would be a good start. No need for complex dmx for now as they have decent built in programs.

Soundsystem - this is where people struggle and faulter. The specifications of components can be misleading and you may think you are buying an amp that will fill a stadium but realistically it will be ok fr a pub functionroom. A 4000w power amp may actually only kick out 500w per side with one set of speakers connected. choosing a decent soundsystem is very important as no matter how good a dj you are a bad sound is a bad sound.

Have a look here for some more info

some ideas of basic costings
basic cd mix kit - £270
amp - £240 (450w per side)
speakers - £300-400 (300 w per side)
2 scanner lights - £240 (250 w lamps)
2 moonflowers style l.e.d lights - £250
t bar stand - £50
deck stand - £50
extras (speaker cables, various audio leads, mic, speaker stands) £200

Thats just some basic kit and would in total set you back in excess of £1500 - if you want to go for better table top cd players that will control software when you get a laptop then the cost for these would be around £1000 - £1100 for 2 cd players a mixer and a flight case)

Then you would need pat testing which would be £40 ish, Public liability insurance (Get it from here for £75)
Transport and music - cant put a cost on that.

When you do invest all this money one thing you must not do is undersell your self. £80 a night sounds very tempting but realistically is a poor wage when you consider the time spent workig (a 4 hour gig = 7/8 hours usually) and business runing costs. Thats an aguement for another day.

I hope some of this helps and doesn't put you off. If you do need specific advice on any subject- just ask and somebody will reply.

Take you time and spend wisely

Best wishes
Dave

Great advice.
DJs are increasingly using the likes of ebay and many DJ have been selling up, so there maybe some great bargains to be found out there!

It's worth bearing in mind that although Public Liability Insurance has been mentioned, its not a legal requirement! Venues set the level of liability required to be in place before an entertainer even performs, thus, if the entertainer does not provide liability cover in advance of function date / upon request, it is highly likely that they will be refused entry / turned away from the venue, so a good thing to have (especially in the event of a claim!). If you'd like to discuss liability in further detail, please do not hesitate to give me a shout.

All good stuff from Dan & Dave :-)

Depending on your experience, its also worth thinking of the worst case... you get the gear and actually don't enjoy the work!
Getting a bunch of new stuff will simply mean a huge loss from the venture. Quality 2nd hand gear will hold its value.

Tax/NI
As you'll be self employed, you will need to register for this, and possibly apply for a small earning exemption to avoid paying NI.

Once you're registered self employed, you will be able to deduct the cost of equipment+music (and most other costs) from your DJ income to reduce your tax bill.

If in Daves example, a £1500 setup, basically means you can earn £1500 before your earnings become liable for income tax. Great stuff!
If you don't currently have a job, then your personal allowance also gives you a probable £4 to 5K per annum before you need to pay tax.

As part of your plan, check out some gigs in goodparty.co.uk
I think most of us agree that most prices are very low on this site, mainly due to clients basically setting a price and DJ's being willing to provide at that price.
However, it will give you a guide to what prices are in your area, and you should be able to get higher from normal marketing (ie website)

I hope this helps!

Jason

Dont forget the equipment for sale on this forum too.

somebody recently put up a pa rig for sale as well as other stuff. im sure he will have some other bits and bobs