How do you know when its time to quit ?
OR am I just having a bad moment ?
Did my first party for a couple of months on Sat, A friends 40th.
It got to Friday and I got CBA syndrome ....... too much hassle , too much work, too much of everything lol.
I usually love doing the nights, watching the floor fill (most of the time )
Playing the sort of music I like listening to which is usualy what the organiser likes as well. And being paid.
Is it time for me to quit ?

Depends on, and is unique to the individual I suppose

Leaving aside a lottery win , for me it would have to be ill health, quitting to care for an ill family member or just when I stopped enjoying the buzz of people enjoying themselves.

When I look back at the many 1000's of bookings i've done over the years, wondering whose Evening wedding photographs I appear in the background of and hoping that perhaps I helped to make their event enjoyable or took their minds off the pressures and stresses of life by enjoying themselves, even just for a few hours, then its all been worthwhile, even the negative aspects, situations and functions.

When all of that stops, and I don't look back on the past gigs with the same fondness, or constantly see the future ones as an inconvenience or getting in the way of doing something better, then will be the time to call it a day.



Hmmm, if you don't know the answer to that question for yourself and you have to ask others, then perhaps the short answer is "No, not yet"

All jobs have this - and its just part of the course...

Its probably why we're into shiny gear, and music, the mundane party of the job (paperwork, marketing etc) is pretty dull compared to a great gig.

Just grin & bear it for the gig


I've felt like this on one or two gigs -normally when I'm stressed at work.
I don't normally mind getting the odd bit of grief - so its not really that.

It's not a great feeling, but I did turn it around by having a chat with people asking for requests, and in the end enjoyed the gig.
Consider a celeb, who has to keep the happy face on every time they are in public.

I think your right in everything !! been working since 1990 with 2nd hand kit and worked my way up to some nice gear.
Got 2 next wkend which I am looking forward too ( I thinkk lol), Not just for the cash but they are both different wedding fri and 18th sat .
I think the reason why Im questioning my self is thru lack of work

Oh is that all , that problem is everywhere and affecting a lot of trades and whilst its worrying, I wouldn't take it personally.

Whilst I appreciate that there are still areas doing well and some people are genuinely busy, there are also others who used to be busy, but aren't busy now! and plenty of people who fall somewhere between the two but always have to be 'seen' to be busier than everybody else and who bend truth and reality to various degrees .

The Wedding Industry is stagnant and the leisure industry has struggled since the smoking ban, followed by a recession, of course its going to have a huge knock on effect to those industries like ours which are reliant on them. Some areas will be affected more than others, but a great number of services will be hit in some way, even if they won't admit it.

If Weddings are your main market, then a good indication as to how well your market is doing, is to look at how well other Wedding Services are doing. For example, i've noticed a lot of wedding venues in this area have slashed their prices and even joined the growing bandwagon of the Wedding Package market . A glance at the many Wedding magazines will show lots of venues still advertising late availability, often at reduced prices, and words on ads like 'Still offering availability for some dates in 2010' is often marketingesque for 'Help, we need some work'

Often these are venues which were booked solid for 12 or 18 months at a time, 3 years ago, now you could probably get married in some of them next week .

If thats all thats making you question your future on a professional level then don't beat yourself up over it, a lot of us are in the same boat.

I have only done two weddings this year so far , got one next friday and a double header (at reduced rate) next month.
Compared to last year where I had 8 thru the summer months.
For the xmas period where last year (only December) I had 9, This year I have 2.
It just makes me question my capabilities and performances.
I must admit I am NOT the most confident of people at the best of times, So being this quiet sort of knocks me a little
Just have to wait and see what next year brings

I was in a similar place a while back, I moved abroad for a while (2 yrs) and when I came back alot of new guys had started up, booking had fallen away and as you know, your fixed costs, music, gear etc stay the same. I did a bit of marketing and networking, built a website and canvassed a few of the local pubs & hotels with cards etc. I now have a busy residency that I am in two nights a week and mobile work is alot better, I am busier than ever but it took alot of work. Admittedly I spent alot of money improving my service, new sound & lighting equipment, and I have started doing VJing and Karaoke, this forum was very helpful over the past while. In about 18 months I went from being on the verge of quitting to absolutely loving it and making some good money again. I'm also the quiet type, not a shrinking violet by any means but I'm not one for party games or anything like that, so if I can do it so can you. You have to decide if you want to stick with it, it sounds to me like you would like to but are just a bit down due to lack of bookings, if things are quiet then you may just need some marketing & promotion and the forum is great for advice in this regard. Best of luck whatever you decide.

I get what your saying and thanks for that, I am only a p/time dj which is not to say I dont do things properly or that im just in for the money !! or do things illegaly
If it was my only job then I would do what you have done with web sites marketing and the rest.

Fair enough, I work 40 hours per week in another job as it happens, but thankfully I am able to rearrange my hours to come in a little later if I'm working day after a gig. Being p/time is no excuse for not doing a bit of marketing, I would guess most of the guys on here work other jobs too, I know Jason has a very demanding job but still maintains a website etc. You will get out of DJ'ing what you put into it (unless you are very lucky ), I was lucky when I started working as a DJ as there weren't very many around where I grew up and work basically fell into my lap. It's a whole new ballgame now and IMO if you want to get good jobs, get yourself a basic website (you can get one up and running very cheaply these days) and facebook page, print up nice business cards and be as professional as possible. Not trying to be harsh or anything, but my website is only live since January and I am definately now getting gigs I wouldn't previously have gotten, you simply can't just wait for jobs to come to you, unless you are very well established and get alot of referral work. Just my opinion, hope this helps

all comments gratefully received, got the card thing covered .