Here's an unusual question.

What's your position on free drinks (split between alcoholic and non-alcoholic).

All bar one of the events I go to offer me free non-alcoholic drinks (I never drink alcohol at work).

I consider it a necessity as if I'm talking on the mike and especially stuck in one place for quite a few hours I need some form of basic refreshment.

My local pub, however, where I consider the landlady a 'friend' charges me for my cokes from the soda fountain. It irritates the hell out of me but I don't particularly want to raise it as I know they are struggling and thero bookings are touch and go anyway.

I wondered if you guys specified it in your bookings or just expected it to happen or expected to pay unless offered.

Comments appreciated as if loads of you say it should be a pre-requisite I may have a word.

As they say.. cheers!

at pub gigs i always pay , but i tend to drink water anyway .

It stops any arguments on pay ..i have in the past heard about DJ's who take the micky and drink 10 pints of coke a night , this the business owners rightly see as reduced profit.
They never have the leverage over you ... but i give you free drinks when they want a favour doing , i try to keep it as business as possible.

They make a living selling drinks, you want them to give them you for free(they often make more profit selling coke than beer!) would you give free dj time or extra lighting to them?

I started drinking pints of tap water
1 because i have gout
2 because its free everywhere
3 it is a genuine thirst quencher and better for your voice
4 its better for you than coke /orange etc
5 no leverage over free drinks
6 punters see you dont drink so dont assume you drink driving and you look more professional etc

If I'm playing my local, the landlord gets us a glass of whatever we want on arrival. I normally have a pint of lemonade.

The rest of the night is iced tap water - its free, cold and wet, and better for you than 5 pints of coke!
I think my local charges £3.00 for a large coke, so if I stuck to that all night, it would cost me £12 to £15... !
I only play my local pub, no other pub gigs, and it is my local (so we spend money on drinks on other days)
If Carmen wants a few drinks, this could easily be 10% of my earnings.

Providing they serve you water, I don't see the need to start asking for free drinks.

I have worked some venues where the staff provide free drinks - and this is appreciated.

This is a little bit different from those long gigs where you will need feeding and have not chance to disappear for a break to the local garage!

Jason

One of my favourite regular bars gives staff and DJs free drinks on a certain selection (soft drinks, cheap redbull and certain bottled beers like Stella). And at the end of the night you can have a pint if you like. The venue turns over around £2m a year so they can afford it. I know some people have a few bottles every night - I tend to be quite health concious though and limit myself to one bottle every 2 weeks!

Other places I tend to take my own bottle of water and/or Red Bull, and very occasionally I treat myself to buying a pint when I begin (at 8pm, by 2am its out the system). I never expect free drinks though.

If I'm offered it for free then I'll take a soft drink.. Otherwise I'll get water or the odd coke (caffiene junkie!).

I have water with me quite often though - but wonder if it looks slightly odd drinking bottled water when everyone else has their drinks in a glass (or glass bottle).

Cheers

David, and yes I've overdone the coke on more than one occasion...

Usually my Xmas contract includes a clause for free soft drinks. Otherwise I tend to take my own

I take my own water or coke unless it's a long day. Than in my contracet i say this dj would love to be offerd food

I usually have free soft drinks in my Christmas contract although the hotel give me free drinks all year round as I'm their regular DJ. I don't mind buying juice if it's reasonably priced, but for the venues where they charge £1.80+ for a can, I usually take a 2L bottle with me. I usually take diet Pepsi as a lot of venues only stock diet Coke and if they say anything, I tell them I'm diabetic (which I am) and say I can't drink diet Coke, but this rarely happens.

Just out of curiosity, why can you drink diet pepsi but not diet coke?

Yes, got me wondering too.

Neither have any sugar and are sweetened using modified inert phenylanaline (Phenethylamine)... just in case you wondered.

I drink both on the basis that they don't have anything in them, but if I'm missing something I need to know!!

i neither expect or ask for any free drinks or anything but all offers are gladly accepted. A venue i go to on a regular basis has a pint of very well kept John Smiths waiting on the bar the minute i walk through the door and is happy to supply me with free drinks all night but like most of you i dont take the wee wee and havent got time to wee wee either. (i only have 1 beer on arrival if the place is empty otherwise its soft drinks only)

If im in a high end venue where i know they take the wee wee with drink prices i take my own and certainly take up any offered refreshments

I always take bottled water because trying to get served at the bar during most gigs is a nightmare when you're on your own.
I do, however, always try and get to the bar and buy one large soft drink at the start of the evening and have a chat with the staff.

Especially when you know you've only got 3-4 minutes to do the whole transaction in... also a bit of a nightmare when you need the loo and have a full floor! :)

Cheers,

David

I always take a flask of tea !
Can't go all that while without a cup

You are correct that there is very little within the ingredients to differentiate between Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi, but I'd say about 95% of venues who charge exorbetent prices for soft drinks stock diet Coke, so by taking diet Pepsi, if they do ask why you've brought your own juice, you can say that you only can only drink diet Pepsi and that's usually that. If they say they do stock diet Pepsi....................................................RUN

I usually just go up to the bar and sort of demand (A bit of a strong word but it adds a sense of urgency to it) a glass of water and just say I am the DJ. The bar man always nods and brings it fairly quickly. When I have DJ'd for people of my age (18) I sometimes, in a happy tone of voice, when there is a bit of a queue go, "DJ coming through, this will be quick!" and they split like the Red Sea.