Getting Ready for MBLV

Counting the days...
That's right we are counting the days until MBLV. We will be there Monday and Tuesday so reach out to us if your gonna be in the area and we can meet up on the convention floor.

 

Tired of the Moaning... Some past month observations

So honestly I have been wanting to write this article for awhile now and have put it off. I don't know if I put it off out of fear of pissing people off or just because it may not really be worth saying because it's a simple concept. I have been seeing all these DJ's on Craigslist and Thumbtack (neither of which I will advertise on) posting rates like $150 for 5 hours, Will DJ your wedding complete for $200 and etc, etc. While this is great for somebody trying to save money I bet that at the end of the day the clients are getting exactly what they pay for. Anybody can go and buy equipment and anybody can claim to be a DJ (It is getting easier due to technology) but not just everybody can be a professional DJ. What I mean by a professional DJ is somebody that can make a complete living off of nothing more than DJ'ing or a Professional company that performs high end events.

I'm not wanting to put anybody down but I am gonna charge what I feel I am worth. I don't think many people realize that to DJ and do it correctly there are certain things you must have in place. Some of the must have include insurance, legal music sources, licensing and marketing fees, advertising (in the right places), referral fees, booking agent fees, etc. You see to be successful you will need help. You won't do it overnight and you certainly won't do it by yourself.

With just insurance and legal music sources I spend about $500 in fees every single month. That means that if I am charging $250 (which I can assure you I'm not) I would have to do 2 events at full price just to break even. If I am taking this business seriously and doing my part to ensure success I will not just DJ. I will DJ, do Karaoke, I will do Video Shows, I will do production, I will do remixes, I will do sound support, lighting design and support, transportation of said services, etc, etc. You see it's about diversification. This past weekend reminded me why I made the changes I have made in the past year and why things are working out way better than I expected. You see I was at an event providing a particular service. We were NOT hired to DJ this particular event but we provided support. The event was on the third floor of the venue and I noticed that the DJ brought in everything but the kitchen sink. While getting paid I saw the check for the DJ and it was a little more than what I got for the gig.

I was contracted to provide 2 hours worth of service. At the conclusion of my 2 hours the organizer came to me and said I'll pay you overtime if you stay so I ended up doing an extra hour. Also I was providing prints and customized photos and such to the patrons and made $1 off of each photo print. All the originals are included in the contract but extra prints are charged $1 each. At the end of the night I not only made more than the DJ that was performing I made ALOT more. Sometimes it best to be diversified and the example below will show exactly why.

This venue was on the third floor as I said earlier and the DJ brought in way too much equipment for the size of the room.

So the DJ setup time (I ask him) was 4 hours, he played for 5 hours and it took them at least 3 hours to tear their show down. So that's 12 hours worth of work for their 5 hour gig. They got paid $425 for the gig which is extremely low for this area. Break it out hourly and what did they make? $35.42 per hour. So my setup time was 1 hour, I worked for 3 hours and I was out of there in 1/2 an hour. So my take home for this event was $475. My hourly rate ended up being $105.55 per hour.

This was not the first time I have seen this and I'm sure it won't be the last. But at this event I took away something more. Not only did I make more hourly but they hired us on the spot to provide the DJ and service I provided this year for next years event.

This is not gonna be a bash session but I can tell you the DJ that performed had several problems during the night. I promised I wouldn't bash so I won't go into detail but overall considering what he was dealing with he did a pretty good job with the exception of his rates. I don't know about other DJ's out there but I want a fair rate for what I'm doing and I'm not doing this as a hobby. This is what I do and I have been getting paid to do it for over 22 years now. When somebody calls and their first concern is the price I then have to go into detail about the quality that they are paying for. Sure they can get a DJ elsewhere but I also seen that same DJ they got elsewhere cancel on a client at the last minute and I end up getting the call. Sure I'll take those last minute jobs but it will be more than my original quote. The goal in this industry is to not short change ourselves but I see discussions on it on Facebook nearly daily. I wish people would realize what they are doing to the industry by low balling all their quotes. It doesn't do anything for the professionals out here that rely on the income for a living. With that being said I have come up with some things I wanted to share with you all and see what your thoughts are on it.

First the positives:

1. Don't bash others - Everybody starts somewhere. Not everybody's style or performances will be the same.

2. Realize that your promoting music artist - Without DJ's Pop music would be dead, We provide a service to artist.

3. Help each other - The DJ's that work together end up making it together. Trust me I know.

4. Have Fun - Realize that if your having fun your guest are usually having fun too!

Now the negatives:

1. Stop thinking your the best thing since sliced bread - We are all made of the same flesh and blood and we all DJ differently. We all come from different environments and experiences. Regardless of what you make at the end of the day your the same as everybody else.

2. Don't work for little or no pay - It's not worth your time or your investment. This business is an investment folks. Sure these low balling DJ's will get some gigs here and there but they will never get the larger venues because they don't value what they are doing like the professionals.

Just some observations. It's fun to do DJ battles but you should keep it professional!

Now the reason I wrote this article. If you want to be successful in anything you have to realize that you can't put all of your eggs in one basket. People are successful because they surround themselves with the right PEOPLE that are or have been successful and they pay attention. They learn from the mistakes of others and avoid making the same mistakes. There are several companies out there that I would help out in a second and then there are some that I have worked for in the past that I would help only if they had no other options. Don't burn those bridges folks because someday you will need somebody else and you can't entertain if your a lone DJ on a starry night.

In my example I valued my service appropriately. By helping the venue out at the last minute (Their original provider cancelled on them) I made some new friends and also made new business for next year. It's all about the presentation and taking care of PEOPLE. When you realize that you have to have diversification in your business both in products, services and people you will start to see what I mean. So my goals in 2014 are simple. Diversify my products and services and have the right people in place to make us all successful. That's the entire point of this article. The other thing is to value yourself appropriately and don't let people take advantage of your kindness.

DJ K-Blue