During the last coule of years (and from what I've seen on the forum), mobile DJs have seen the benefits of working together and exchanging ideas, hints, tips...even gigs.

But sometimes, say, when a gig comes up for availability, the question of 'price bracket' may arise.

If you read or listen to Mikeee when he states that hotels for over 5 years have been charging £xxx amount...why don't we as Djs?
Or when Rendevous points out that it is 'us' that actually dictate to the 'market' our rates, I was wondering:

What sort of rate do you as a DJ reflect in your region or area of cover?

Or put another way, what does your competitor charge?

Having openly discussed this subject at length with Vinnie and Chris P (as we each live in different UK areas but have 'similar standards of living!') I would like to ask a further question.

Given what C.S. said about the understanding on 'prices and rates' adopted in his hometown and how that system works, could we as individuals get-together and adopt a similar system to make that equally work 'as good as' for one another?



Private Gigs (Weddings / Birthdays)
Cambridgeshire £350+
Essex - £350+
Kent - £350+
SE London £250

Residency (weekly / monthly)
Cambridgeshire £180
Essex - n/a
Kent - £150
SE London - n/a

Interesting to see this one out in the open again Dan.

I guess there are always going to be differences of opinion, but I do believe that there are 2 options either you let the customer dictate the price or you do.

You know where I stand on this one

Vinnie

PS - please understand that I in no way believe that what a dj charges reflects on their ability. I just think that people should be able to earn enough out of this business to make it full time if that is what they want.

Just fire away on the questions on how our dj pool system works. Incidently you can see how my internet page works at www.urraim.org/djchris .just personal meetings.

Nice website, dodgey picture.

Yeah i was thinking about putting up a picture of you Andy but then i remembered that you couldnt speak Norwegian !
I will explain a little of what Dan said concerning what we do here .
The town I work has population of 50 thousand. I am primarily a club jock who does the occasional mobile. Having been here some years and having a good reputation i started by approaching the best of my competitors and picked out the best of them both club and mobile. We sat and talked and decided to create a dj pool to be administrated by me(guess who picks his gigs out first !) and they they would pay me a small amount a month to cover administration costs,every booking would go through me and everybody got the same money. I then went to the best equipment supplier\repairs in the town and asked if they were willing to work with us. I then went to the five club owners in the town and offered them the following service,we would supply the right dj for their club(there are several different club concepts\age groups) set up a shift list for 3 months at a time, have a dj on stand by ,we would also look after their equipment and order repairs from our supplier,the only thing the club owners needed to do was pay the bill. We also promised to do 2 free gigs a year if the club owners made the effort to organise an event or promotion for the club.
Then we bought a mobile and karaoke gear,then our supplier asked us to show off some of his gear. We invited a caterer on board and bartenders.We did fashion shows for clothes shops a couple of bands who do weddings joined up and the ball really got rolling. We talked to the owners of all the venues who did weddings\parties. Now we get bookings coming from all over the shop,somebody needs a band,we pass on their number and vice versa,need caterers ? we help with that too. The reason i posted my web address is because it is my belief that if i can get a punter to meet me then i can sell them a dj and help them with other things they might need. Now this system would not work in a big city, the web idea would not work as you need to be able to book online in a city. The admin of dj pool is now shared, if someone i know personaly wants to bookme then they talk to one of the other djs so i dont end up losing money giving discounts to mates. All our club jocks have a 200 £ minumum wage depending on length of gig and our mobile price starts at £430, we have no real competition as we all work together. We meet at least once a month and the club jocks meet each friday. To make this work you need jocks of a good standard who are honest,loyal and have the right attitude. We have been lucky and in the 5 years we have been running nobody has been let down or let us down. I hope this sheds some light. The DJ pool is also sponsored by Coca Cola Norway, Free Record Shop (dutch cd chain),Jack and Jones menswear and the local rag which means - free coke, half priced cds, free clothes and free ads. In return we carry sticker ads,write cd reviews,wear clothes with logos and tell all customers who ask where we buy our music ! Dj pool has no website.

OK, I'm going to learn Norwegian...

I think that I could learn Norwegian very quickly '' Very good ya''

Brian mole[QUOTE]OK, I'm going to learn Norwegian...

Why ?

A good number of my family live in Norway and a few more have just moved there, looks like a family renunion/holiday for me

I think what you've managed to achieve with the DJ Pool is amazing Chris.

Unfortunately, the likelyhood of it working over here is very, very low.

Ok, the odd 2-3 guys and girls may get-together in one little area but human nature speaks volumes over here......it's not 'my' culture shock.......more like 'my' culture block when it comes to generating 'team work'.

Sounds like an interesting concept - at first I thought you were going down the "price fixing" route but it is more of a cooperative effort.

At present I'm still only doing "word of mouth" gigs, or gigs for people who approach me while I'm doing a party. The main reason is that I'm still building up my gear. My biggest nightmare is taking a gig from someone I don't know who has never seen me and not being what they expect. So I'm steadily building up my sound gear (and backup gear) as well as lighting. I figure that in about 3 to 6 months I'll have everything I need, at which time the plan is to advertise.

If such a system could be arranged where I am (Perth area of Scotland), I'd be interested in chatting.

Cheers,

Jack.

Glad you like the ideas, this works here but it might not even work in another Norwegian town let alone the uk,fortunately there still is trust in this part of Norway but looking how things having changed in the uk ,i can see that it wouldnt work.

I think there will always be a wide variation in the rates DJs ask for, and an even bigger variation in the prices people are prepared to pay!

ever since i started way back in 71 there have been guys DJing for beer money, and at the other end of the spectrum there have been the "Radio Jocks" that charge more than the national average weekly wage for a few hours work.

Most of us find a comfort zone somewhere in the middle.

I operate in the Wirral, Chester and Merseyside area, and can tell you that Mobile DJs charge from £80 -£200 a night.

One of the biggest problems we find over here is the Hotel coordinators. They appear to have a value issue when it comes to booking DJs. Try as I might to break through this ceiling it is very difficult.

The irony is that when i deal directly with a client and sell my services to them, price is less of an issue, and surprise, surprise we will end up often charging between £250 and £350 to perform in the same Hotel.

Education, as to the worth and value of a quality DJ, will be at the top of my priorities, for the NADJ. I intend to put together a powerpoint presentation for Hotel and Pub / Club management teams. This will be made available to local representatives of the NADJ for their use, and it will also be presented regionally to head offices of "Chains" by NADJ committee members.

Local groups of DJs can make a difference when it comes to pricing. The variation will always be there, but if a group of guys can establish a reputation for quality, reliability & professionalism there is no reason why they should not be able to earn a realistic wage.

Thank you Dan,

Half the probably is confidence. If a hotel bod (and thats all they are) tells you, you are only worth XXX, thats all your charge, Hotel bods are their to sell the hotel, they don't have a clue on anything else. All I can say is, for 5 mins STOP being a DJ and be a business person, pretend your sells widgets or something, DJ's like all other businesses need a profit margain, if you haven't got one, please feel free to go bust, or get a day job to finance the disco ( and if you do that, your running at a lose)

Like Andy i believe that if a customer wants a band\cake\wedding dress\stripper\10000 mile service then i can fix it ! I never say NO