I'm starting a DJ equipment rental business. We'd hire lighting and audio equipment. I'm curious, is this a service that people would be interested in? If so, how much would people pay for it and what equipment would they most want to hire? I appreciate all suggestions and feedback. Thanks!

Are you in the U S ? If so bit difficult to help with pricing. One major problem is hiring out equipment to amateurs, damage can be expensive to repair ! Think most people like to hire the whole package with dj included.

If I wanted to hire a complete disco off you to make it pay you would have to charge me about £70 at least for the bare minimum equipment (Prices are for Torquay area) I would then need to buy some CD's to play and a volunteer to 'run' it. OR I could hire a cheap disco with DJ for about the same amount. No hassle on either side.
BTW £70 would be taxable so at the end of the day you wouldn't make any money

Total paid £70
Tax at 23% is £16.10
Total now £53.90
Delivery and set up £20
Total now £33.90
Collection £10
Total now £23.90

And you haven't paid any insurances, which will be heavy, as unqualified, drunk people will be using expensive electricial goods or any advertising to get the telephone call in the first place.

Every older DJ on this forum has thought about hiring equipment (we all have a garage full) or getting another DJ on the road but at the end of the day it just is not worth it.

Just my tuppence worth anyway.

Andy

Hi,

If you are planning on doing this properly, then you need to consider a few things. I hire out equipment, and it can work well, but equally there can be a few pitfalls. Here are a few things to consider:-

(1) Firstly, your hire business has to recoup it's original outlay for the purchase of the equipment. Most new business work on a business plan, hoping to get their initial start up investment back within a year to 18 months of trading. Consider whether you are going to Hire out cheaper equipment, or go for "names" such as Vestax, JBL, Technics, QSC etc. Buying the named brands will cost you big $$$'s but you will be able to charge more for the hire fee. However, find out what your local area would require, if a customer only wants to pay $50 hire, then your $300 rig will never be out, so you would be better buying cheap, and offering low(er) hire fees.

(2) Nobody wants their equipment damaged by the hirer, but it happens. Equipment insurance for hiring purposes is expensive but worth considering if your customers are left alone with $5000 of hire rig. Also take a deposit to cover for minor damages, this is usually the excess charged by your insurer. I charge a £50 deposit for single items or £100 for a complete rig. This is the excess levied on me by my own insurer should they Ahem....not bring it back and I have to claim.

(3) Security, never trust your customers, you have to cover yourself against the potential theft of your gear whilst out on hire. I mark all of my hire gear with my postal (zip) code in UV pen. Always insist on seeing 2 or 3 forms of ID at the time they collect the equipment:- Passport, Drivers Licence and a recent utility bill. If they don't produce ID they don't hire!. If you are going to go about this in a big way, then consider paying $50 for a good quality CCTV camera, and connect it to a vcr. This is a good deterant since you have a picture of the hirer to pass to the police. Also make a note of the vehicle registration plate of the vehicle they arrive in

(4) Make sure your equipment is checked and serviced. Hire equipment is often abused by hirers. I'm not sure of the law in the U.S, but in the UK we have to PAT Safety test every piece of hire equipment before it goes out. If this applies in the U.S then invest in your own PAT test unit and keep records of the tests carried out. Check your local laws with regard to this, since it does vary from country to country.

(5) Have a good hire agreement. Make sure that it is made clear that the hirer (and not you) is responsible "For the correct and proper use of the hire equipment". Also include a clause that holds the hirer responsible for any damage or liability to persons or property when using the hire equipment. If you intend on delivering and setting up the equipment yourself, or hiring yourself as a "Sound Tech" then make sure that you have liability insurance. Set out your contract, so that you are covered from all angles, and detail the hirers responsibilities and situations in which the deposit will be forfeit.

Good Luck

I've been extremely keen to hire one of the new Antari ICE low fog machines for some time now... you feed it with ice cubes and it makes smoke/fog which lays on the floor...great for the romantic first dance, great for when you're working on a stage with the fog rolling off the front into the crowd...not so great during the eating bit of dinner dances if you drop your fork...you'll never see it again...

However, one regular venue has very sensitive smoke detectors, and Im not entirely sure that the low fog/smoke wouldnt rise when it warms up a little later after "release" and set the detectors off. Hence, I'd rather rent one for £30 or whatever, for a night, than splash out only to find it cant be used most times.

For hiring in general, I've been particularly pleased (but hard pushed) to find places that will supply, set up and break down, full rigs (minus the mixer/decks). I was invited to a couple of weddings last year, where they told me in advance that they wanted me as a guest...until 7pm, then they wanted me as a DJ til 1am...

I was happy to oblige but the sheer logistics/timings of munching my way through the afternoon meal/wedding breakfast until 6:55 and then playing the first record (in a dinner jacket/bow tie etc) at 7:30pm was too daunting... Solution? I had my own trusty cd-decks/mixer case/mic/headphones, and CD's in the car with me, and got the couple to pay for a local firm to deliver/set up the remainder of the sound/light show. Best of both worlds.

Good Points Gary. I offer this level of service - at least within travelling distance!. Hire Clients have the option of either arranging to collect / return the hire equipment themselves or for a small additional fee (Diesel & Time!) I can deliver / collect which includes setting up etc.

Also for local D.J's I offer a call out service for those who don't have access to back up gear (and WHY not!!!??). So if your Amp explodes at 9pm, then give me a call and i'll get a new one delivered to you on "hire" for the rest of the night . Of course I'll also expect to get to "repair" the blown one

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Also for local D.J's I offer a call out service for those who don't have access to back up gear (and WHY not!!!??). So if your Amp explodes at 9pm, then give me a call and i'll get a new one delivered to you on "hire" for the rest of the night  . Of course I'll also expect to get to "repair" the blown one

good job you wrote local dj's there Chris,

we'd all be ringing you....

I must admit I was tempted to add my bit to that one aswell, I wish we had somewhere local with backup like that!

So you've never thought of starting a southern branch then Chris?

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So you've never thought of starting a southern branch then Chris?

Sadly, no. I've reached the point where i'm happy with things as they are, I get Zero social life as it is.

Seriously it may be an opportunity for somebody in that area. I mean if you have good quality and regually serviced "back up" gear then why not offer to have one of your Roadies drive it over to another D.J having problems - For a fee of course?. As D.J's you are already starting to meet each other in person as well as sharing gigs etc, so why not help each other out at this level?

I say "local", but I have delivered hire gear at the last minute for D.J's at gigs in Manchester, Wrexham, Staffordshire and even Birmingham once. Of course you pay for the distance, but if you have no Amp or Speakers at a gig then sometimes my fee is better than the loss of business and your reputation . Having said that there is no way I'm driving down to Essex on a Friday Night!.

Sometimes, it's even possible for me to carry out a repair on the actual gear before you start the night! - a bit like the AA for Disco Equipment.

So if your in my area and have problems, either on the day of your gig, or at the gig itself then keep my Mobile Number handy, and i'll sort something out.

very interesting idea..... I think I have just got myself a new outlet to my business... yes, I will definitely consider becoming the AA of the mobile disco world down here in the sunny south... well get my hubby to... he could do on-the-spot repairs as well as put to good use the masses of stuff we have in our lock-up. Why hasn't anyone thought of this earlier!

In Which case Kazz sign me up lol but it might help if you put a contact no. or mobile no. as your sig so people can contact you!

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions, I really appreciate it!

-Jeff

welcome naeco...give me a PM or email, and i can tell you about a very good retailer located in the states. (well i did used to live there )

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Having said that there is no way I'm driving down to Essex on a Friday Night!.

I wouldn't want to do it on many of the other six either