View Full Version : A DJ's wage
DJ BLITZiT
10-Aug-07, 08:57am
I know some of you professional DJ's on here may not want to give away what their personal income is, but on average what does the typical DJ get paid?
DJ BLITZiT
10-Aug-07, 09:01am
Hahaha, but on a serious note...X(
twistedbydesign
10-Aug-07, 09:17am
you will go far
depends on a few things....
some are paid what a bar tender is paid (usually when the DJ is a bar tender through the week) some are paid ~$25 per hour for commerical DJ's in a pub up to $400
Funkedub
10-Aug-07, 09:30am
my rates are negotiable ^_^
I know some of you professional DJ's on here may not want to give away what their personal income is, but on average what does the typical DJ get paid?
either
x dollars.
y lines.
or
z blowjobs.
depends on the promoter.
richcur
10-Aug-07, 09:58am
Rates for big names vary quite massively depending on the gig, duration of set, what week day the set is, where the club is, how big the club is etc. But "locals" hourly rates can range between $50 and $150 or more depending on experience, crowd-pull potential, interstate/international status, size of penis etc etc
Good luck getting a solid answer
Nick Vidal
10-Aug-07, 10:24am
^ what he said
Underdog
10-Aug-07, 10:40am
what richcur said, maybe more if youre kid kenobi or ajax / bang gang etc
starting up, id say you be lucky to get much over $50, you might have to play for free / for drinks for the first year or two
best way to make a few bucks on teh side is to do a few corporate type things like product launches - they generally have more money to spend than promoters and less of a clue re rates
creagh1986
10-Aug-07, 11:05am
ive only just started in the scene and im averaging 100 an hr in clubs. how do u get into product launches though?
I don't get out of bed for less than a trillion dollars
Funkedub
10-Aug-07, 11:30am
i only started DJing for the hourly pay rate
I worked for peanuts until I discovered anaphylactic shock.
DJSketch
10-Aug-07, 11:46am
For a local DJ, Drinks or between 50 -100 an hour. if you're good enough to be getting flown to gigs, then you can ask whatever you think is fair and they'll pay reasonably.
If you bring a large amount of people everytime you can start talking about more $$, I.E bring your friends whenever you can, makes a difference to how often you get booked especially if you're playing early/just starting out.
In reality, there are 50 people chomping at the bit to take your place in a second, who can do the same or better job as you and who will do it for free.
When you're quoting a promoter think to yourself, "will i make their money back for them"
if they are charging $5 on the door, and you want 100 an hour for a 2 hour set, ask if you will reasonably bring in 40 people.
This works in reverse too, if you know you'll bring 50-100 paying people just to see you, let the promoter know as long as you can back it up.
Pro Tool
10-Aug-07, 11:50am
I worked for peanuts until I discovered anaphylactic shock.
Oh groan. :lol:
Random_Kiwi
10-Aug-07, 11:51am
:lol: Dad joke!
Interesting stuff.
How does this change for a DJ when doing the rounds at parties? I've recently started doing party gigs and I get a bit lost when I'm trying to work out how much to ask for.
Keeping in mind i'm no Kenobi of course.
ever heard the saying your only worth what someone will pay for you?
DJ BLITZiT
10-Aug-07, 02:22pm
I'm from Darwin and Kid Kenobi has recently just been to Discovery (a local nightclub) and I'd say he brought about 500 people there. Now they were charging $20 a head so that $10,000 just for door entry. Then you have the profits on the drinks etc.
What do you guys reckon they paid for him????
Garthyboy
10-Aug-07, 02:32pm
I'm from Darwin and Kid Kenobi has recently just been to Discovery (a local nightclub) and I'd say he brought about 500 people there. Now they were charging $20 a head so that $10,000 just for door entry. Then you have the profits on the drinks etc.
What do you guys reckon they paid for him????
TOO MUCH :zabiela:
DJ BLITZiT
10-Aug-07, 02:36pm
TOO MUCH :zabiela:
He's not a bad DJ or anything, but yes I agree with the amount that they would have paid him was too much. For starters it's Darwin and about 500 people is all that could fit in Disco...
richcur
10-Aug-07, 02:42pm
Either he brought them there on his own bat with little to no promotion, and deserves a fair chunk of the takings.. or more than likely, he brought a few and the promotion brought the rest. Guarantee you the promotion woulda cost several thousand ;)
It's surprising how much of the door price goes straight to reimbursing the ever-empty promotional bank account
DJ BLITZiT
10-Aug-07, 02:46pm
Either he brought them there on his own bat with little to no promotion, and deserves a fair chunk of the takings.. or more than likely, he brought a few and the promotion brought the rest. Guarantee you the promotion woulda cost several thousand ;)
It's suprising how much of the door price goes straight to reimbursing the ever-empty promotional bank account
To tell you the truth there wasn't really any promotion at all. It's darwin, its a small enough place that the word gets passed around physically. Theres only one street through the city that has clubs all up it and all disco had was a poster that looked like it was created on PhotoShop...
I'll be interested to see what the underground nightclub brings when it opens in November...
DJSketch
10-Aug-07, 02:54pm
It's surprising how much of the door price goes straight to reimbursing the ever-empty promotional bank account
hear hear!
i LAUGH when people go..
oh you guys must be ROLLING in cash now! youve had 800 people come in @ whatever $ thats like $20,000 man.
yeah, except when expenses are 19,800 LOL
then take into account your TIME and you've lost $$.. which is fine untill people start sptrouting off about how much $$ you must be making.
lol
DJ BLITZiT
10-Aug-07, 02:59pm
Yeah but you can't really justify to me that someone with such a name as 'Kid Kenobi' would work the night for a total of $200.
DJ BLITZiT
10-Aug-07, 03:01pm
Yeah fair enough a DJ promoting an album may do it for a cheaper price ie. Nick Skitz, but he would still get free air fairs and accomodation...
He's not a bad DJ or anything, but yes I agree with the amount that they would have paid him was too much...
Hmm.. the people making the most coin out of this arangement is the venue owners, as they say, you need to spend money to make money. Booking the right DJ's is an investment not a waste of money. If a venue can make XXXX amount of money from using a certain DJ to pull that crowd then surely that DJ should be entitled to charge XX for that service. If he wasn't in such demand he wouldn't be able to charge what he does. I think it's fair, if the venues & promoters around the country didn't see it as a wise investment they wouldn't book him.
DJ BLITZiT
10-Aug-07, 03:37pm
Hmm.. the people making the most coin out of this arangement is the venue owners, as they say, you need to spend money to make money. Booking the right DJ's is an investment not a waste of money. If a venue can make XXXX amount of money from using a certain DJ to pull that crowd then surely that DJ should be entitled to charge XX for that service. If he wasn't in such demand he wouldn't be able to charge what he does. I think it's fair, if the venues & promoters around the country didn't see it as a wise investment they wouldn't book him.
Generally in Darwin if a name has a few kudos then you will find that people will come. With a name such as Kid Kenobi, its not gonna bring anymore people then lets say DJ Flash and DJ UK (wikid local DJ's).
^^^ so you're saying the many times ranked #1 DJ in Australia with numerous MOS mixed CD's wouldn't pull more people than a local DJ? Hmm... okey dokey
PS - I played at Discovery about a month ago with Nancy Vice, we loved Darwin & can't wait to come back. (Well I loved the weather & all the people I met anyway, we're gonna stay longer next time)
Tredman
10-Aug-07, 03:56pm
yeah i think he may get more im getting 400for a three hour set for private party heheh
Tha Gooch
10-Aug-07, 03:57pm
20 k
if your working every weekend, friday and saturday night for 4 hrs a night.
factor in records and new tunes and you soon realise not everyone makes a living out of it
I know one guy making a living successfully, but he works so hard at it, and i think other things he loves suffers as a result imo
after a few years on the circuit then pulling out, i can now see how much you shut yourself off from fun / normal things
i am catching up with friends i literally havent seen in years
dont take DJ;ing too seriously kids, there is life before and after it ;)
DJ BLITZiT
10-Aug-07, 04:00pm
^^^ so you're saying the many times ranked #1 DJ in Australia with numerous MOS mixed CD's wouldn't pull more people than a local DJ? Hmm... okey dokey
PS - I played at Discovery about a month ago with Nancy Vice, we loved Darwin & can't wait to come back. (Well I loved the weather & all the people I met anyway, we're gonna stay longer next time)
No no no, you got me all wrong... I'm saying that the population of people that come to town\clubbing would be around the same... Yeah Kid Kenobi is a great DJ and in famous, but what i'm saying is that the numbers that show wouldn't be that greater than one of the locals... You said youself you've been here and played at Disco... At the end of each night Discovery will be full... Its just when Kid Kenobi was on it got full alot quicker...
^^ aah - gottcha!!! yeah, I noticed people in Darwin are up for a party. The guys that booked us mentioned that they never have trouble filling the clubs there because there isn't much else to do at night
DJ BLITZiT
10-Aug-07, 04:06pm
^^ aah - gottcha!!! yeah, I noticed people in Darwin are up for a party. The guys that booked us mentioned that they never have trouble filling the clubs there because there isn't much else to do at night
Lol yeah thats pretty much it, all there is to do in Darwin is drink, and why not throw a bit of dancing/shuffling and music into the mix. You'll have to give me a yell next time you play in Darwin and I'll be sure to be there...
DJSketch
10-Aug-07, 04:41pm
No no no, you got me all wrong... I'm saying that the population of people that come to town\clubbing would be around the same... Yeah Kid Kenobi is a great DJ and in famous, but what i'm saying is that the numbers that show wouldn't be that greater than one of the locals... You said youself you've been here and played at Disco... At the end of each night Discovery will be full... Its just when Kid Kenobi was on it got full alot quicker...
Indeed,
But a club/event/promoter, has a reputation to uphold, and sometimes moreso, they just want to put on a smashing party! if they fill the club regardless, then its more of a favour to the punters to be bringing someone like the kid to town.
DJ BLITZiT
10-Aug-07, 04:43pm
Indeed,
But a club/event/promoter, has a reputation to uphold, and sometimes moreso, they just want to put on a smashing party! if they fill the club regardless, then its more of a favour to the punters to be bringing someone like the kid to town.
And a 'smashing party' it was :rock:
my rates are negotiable ^_^
beer's my favourite rate as well ^___^
Ive worked from the bottem rate of $35 and hour PLUS Had to pay for drinks -- through to $80 with free drinks (which is about average in Brissy) - to working O.S. for $145 US Dollars an hour plus free drinks and all the booty you can get your hands on ....... Its all good and all experience..... Get whay you can get while you can --- Even if its sh*t money the experiance is worth it,
Spitchen
18-Dec-07, 04:30pm
The standard rate in Sydney for bar type work for your average joe is around $75 an hour.
walkingdisaster
18-Dec-07, 04:37pm
My 1st time playing out was 100 an hour
guess i was lucky huh?
Funkedub
18-Dec-07, 06:00pm
do electro house DJs get paid more than 2 step DJs ?
elwood_dj
18-Dec-07, 06:02pm
negotiable
littlebrains69
18-Dec-07, 07:02pm
Well around Brissie the going rate I've seen seems to be $60/hr including free drinks, either by bar tab or by drink cards.
I don't get out of bed for less than a trillion dollars
shit with all those gigs coming up you can retire soon, need someone to carry your records :P
Marc Us
20-Dec-07, 01:01am
i think some people get into DJ for the wrong reasons... i love it, love it as much now as i did when i 1st started, still thankful everyday that i get paid doing what i love.
so yeah price is not the issue here. all depends on who, when, where, what for
yeah definite not forever tho, do it til the burden outweighs the good times
n if u do it for the booty, then for fark sake keep yourself clean, haha
i dont think u will get many straight answer for this question im afraid
Dj Whisper
20-Dec-07, 07:51am
Minimum dj pay in sydney is about $50 an hour.
More established locals anywhere between $100 - $500ish.
For me its all negotiable depending on who the promoter is. If the promoter is a mate who is trying to throw a good party will usually play for cheaper than someone i barely know.
Driving force though is not the money.. its for the love and the good times. Would still play for free if i had to ;)
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