are DJ'ing salaries overrated?

[tekara]

just curious and wanted to hear some opinions of other DJ's and producers on this forum of what they think about the salaries that DJ's receive for gigs.

It seems quite obvious that pressing vinyl wont make u any money, and in some extreme cases you may actually lose money for each release depending on how much your distributors are ripping you off.

But ive noticed that alot of people are pumping out releases in an attempt to glorify themselves as a DJ. I dont really have a problem with that as long as the music's good. Afterall, anything goes as long as the music is good because thats what its all about.

However im actually curious from people that have experience in this field as to whether the pay a DJ gets on a monthly basis is actually good or totally overrated??

Im assuming your booking agency will probably get a shitload of every gig you do. Ive tried estimating how much big DJ's make and some of the bigger guys may charge up to 1000USD-2000USD an hour. Many of these DJ's will have 2-8 gigs in a month.

Do people actually make a GOOD living out of this?

extermely curious and would like to hear some input on this subject.


cheers

[subsonic]

im sure some dj's realy do ern a good living the ones that dont change the earth and get regular bookings like mark eg dave the drummer chris liberator that seem to be playing out at least 6 times a month

but then you people like
dave angal dave clarke jeff mills that charge the earth but only play out about 12 times a year if that

[eyes without a face]

DC is one of the busiest djs around, he does around 6 - 8 gigs a month and has done for the past 8, 9 years... but its true there are some other big names who charge probably even more than Clarke and get less gigs... techno is not the biggest earning field by a long way tho... some of the prog djs like Sasha, Digweed have been known to regulary pick up sums like £15,000 - £20,000 per set.. thats absolutely stupid (especially for the skillz these guys have i.e none)

tis a funny game the old Djing, u might think current dj fee's are inflated and stupid, but on the other hand if u were getting offered it, would u take it? ;)

[borisXHL]

forgive my ignorance but what is the dj's salary ? ;) :oops:

[subsonic]

DC is one of the busiest djs around, he does around 6 - 8 gigs a month and has done for the past 8, 9 years... but its true there are some other big names who charge probably even more than Clarke and get less gigs... techno is not the biggest earning field by a long way tho... some of the prog djs like Sasha, Digweed have been known to regulary pick up sums like £15,000 - £20,000 per set.. thats absolutely stupid (especially for the skillz these guys have i.e none)

tis a funny game the old Djing, u might think current dj fee's are inflated and stupid, but on the other hand if u were getting offered it, would u take it? ;)

i think dj fees should not be a standard fee
i think thay should be payed by the numbers
i.e
if youre venue holds 2000 or more you give them a min fee if the punters fill the venue then you pay them more
you get me and if the venue only holds like 100-300 people the fee has got to drop as the night would not be able to afford to run unless they charge the earth for people to come witch in turn means low numbers coz peeps dont want to pay silly money to go out

thats just my thoughts any ways ;)

[G-whizz]

DC is one of the busiest djs around, he does around 6 - 8 gigs a month and has done for the past 8, 9 years... but its true there are some other big names who charge probably even more than Clarke and get less gigs... techno is not the biggest earning field by a long way tho... some of the prog djs like Sasha, Digweed have been known to regulary pick up sums like £15,000 - £20,000 per set.. thats absolutely stupid (especially for the skillz these guys have i.e none)

tis a funny game the old Djing, u might think current dj fee's are inflated and stupid, but on the other hand if u were getting offered it, would u take it? ;)

i think dj fees should not be a standard fee
i think thay should be payed by the numbers
i.e
if youre venue holds 2000 or more you give them a min fee if the punters fill the venue then you pay them more
you get me and if the venue only holds like 100-300 people the fee has got to drop as the night would not be able to afford to run unless they charge the earth for people to come witch in turn means low numbers coz peeps dont want to pay silly money to go out

thats just my thoughts any ways ;)

it makes sense ! I`m with you on that one :clap:
and thats what dave the drummer and chris liberator etc do if I remember correctly ...

[Buttman]

Dave Clarke is NOT worth his 12.000€ + expenses.

[eyes without a face]

unfortunately buttman id have to agree with u these days.... there was a time when i thought techno started and ended with Dave Clarke, but there are alot more Djs out there today who are trying alot more exciting things and generaly causing more of a stir for the right reasons....

back on topic tho now hehe.......

[Miromiric]

if someone gets 503453€ for a gig and tickets are sold out then yes, he deserves that kind of money.

[subsonic]

if someone gets 503453€ for a gig and tickets are sold out then yes, he deserves that kind of money.

thats what i was saying but if the night has not done to well then the artests need to lower there wage demands compramise you know

[subsonic]

i know there jocks out there that help all they can and if they see its not a good turn out they say no worries but there are some who just dont care
and take you to the cleaners :roll:

[gumpy green]

techno did not start out as a commercial thingy....

i fukin hate all these cunts that are taking it this direction......yall be the end of the proper techno vibe.

the best vibe at partys ive experienced are the free party/raves...

usually the atmosphere at such event like creamfileds-bugged out is pish comparred to the vibe we get up here at underground partys.....

and to tell the truth id easily hold my own againts dave c etc if i had to battle them.....if not show em up.

and ill play for a free holiday/weekend and some good banter.

[tioneb]

well its like in football or furmula one. do the djs desserve the money for what they do of for what they make earn to promoters ????

schumacher earns shitloads of money, but its nothing compared to what the tvs and federations can get with all the incomes...

thats the same for a dj.... whatever he does (everybopdy will agree oakie does crap compared to Mills or Clarke) the dj will get what he knows he can ask...

In Ibiza the parties can hold thousands of people and they charge the entrance sometime sover 30€ ... and i dont count the bar incomes. So whats the problem asking over 15000€ for a gig if youre called Mills or Cox ?????

hey man , i know some people who got Laurent Garnier for 300-500 people clubs... do you think he asks as much as he can ask for a 5000 people party. Beleive me, its deffo NOT the same.

thats sad and cynical, but we live in a cpitalistic and liberal world, even in music. That totally logic to ask big amounts of money if people get shitloads more on your head.

The stupid thing is the DJs who refuse playing in small clubs because they give them smaller fees.

[tekara]

somebody told me that booking agencies can take up as many as 30% of each gig they introduce u to.

that is CRAZY RIPOFF!!

[subsonic]

somebody told me that booking agencies can take up as many as 30% of each gig they introduce u to.

that is CRAZY RIPOFF!!

normaly about 10-15% as fare as i have known but 30% is way to much :shock:

[Buttman]

I guess herr. Clarke also deserves to be a cocky cunt who refuses to play if his favourite cigar is not available. Not to mention that his hotel costs 3000 EURO/night and that he only accepts drivers who use a special model of Mercedes?

[schlongfingers]

I guess herr. Clarke also deserves to be a cocky cunt who refuses to play if his favourite cigar is not available. Not to mention that his hotel costs 3000 EURO/night and that he only accepts drivers who use a special model of Mercedes?

er, that's VERY debatable - far more deserving DJs these days.

[Frank Dogshit]

I guess herr. Clarke also deserves to be a cocky cunt who refuses to play if his favourite cigar is not available. Not to mention that his hotel costs 3000 EURO/night and that he only accepts drivers who use a special model of Mercedes?

what about armand van helden?doesnt request 1 hotel room but 2!!! :roll:

[Buttman]

I guess herr. Clarke also deserves to be a cocky cunt who refuses to play if his favourite cigar is not available. Not to mention that his hotel costs 3000 EURO/night and that he only accepts drivers who use a special model of Mercedes?

what about armand van helden?doesnt request 1 hotel room but 2!!! :roll:

Who is Armand Van Helden and anyways who wants to share room/bed with ones manager?

[schlongfingers]

Armand Van Helden is great though :D and he'd REALLY fill a club up if that's what everyone cares about most. And with attractive women. And the music would be good ;-)

[g]

Armand Van Helden ... And the music would be good ;-)

or, not.

[g]

but then you people like dave angal dave clarke jeff mills that charge the earth but only play out about 12 times a year if that
what?? mills plays close to 100 gigs per year.


for better or for worse dj fees are always going to be set by the market. and the market, ironically, is created by the djs/producers. market yourself successfully through releases and media and you can command exorbitant fees. BUT, people come to see you so the venue makes money so, arguably, you are 'worth' the fee. it's just business... exactly like sports, as benoit said.

the sad thing is when djs reach this stature and then get bitchy about staying there. some big name djs play smaller gigs throughout the year (hawtin comes to mind) while others almost NEVER play smaller venues (mills) and have crap representation who will piss on smaller promoters (also mills).

even more sad is that there are plenty of other djs out there who just kill it but don't get the exposure they should. like dj bone.

[tioneb]

I guess herr. Clarke also deserves to be a cocky cunt who refuses to play if his favourite cigar is not available. Not to mention that his hotel costs 3000 EURO/night and that he only accepts drivers who use a special model of Mercedes?

youre caricatural ... i dont think such things should b psoted ehre as some might beleive its true ....

Clarke like cigars and cars , but he can do without. Instead of saying youre sure to make him unhappy without this, lets say its sure youll make him happy with, and thats very different.

[Miromiric]

and thats gay.

[schlongfingers]

Armand Van Helden ... And the music would be good ;-)

or, not.

Depends whether you can get down I guess.

[reality]

ok here is my take on it......

most parties are not djed by one person usually so now lets just say a 3000 person venue sells out is it really becuz you got one headliner or is it cuz the people that are buying the tickets see there are many djs they would like to see on the bill so who is the dj to say hey they are all here for me so pay me say 5000USD for my hour......I say BULLSHIT....now if the pary is a two dj or even one dj venue and the party sells out then yes the dj/djs can say they are here for me now show me the money...after all they are going to spin for hours ata time.......

I do thinkalot of big timers charge too much YES they do dont lie to yourself....but you can blame that on promoters also for allowing them to charge that much....cuz from my experience throwing parties and spining them that a big money DJ doesnt guarantee you a soldout venue......


If they DJ was booked for a live PA then sure now charge some $$$ cuz now you are performing...

as someone here asked if i was offered big money for an hour set would i say yes....NO I would not cuz id like to get guaranteed money...what im saying is i charge a very modest amount of money to spin cuz unlike alot of people i still enjoy spinning music for the masses and sure my rate will change but i could never see myself being so bloated to the point where id charge more than 800/hr ....

here in NYC if im booked within a 30 mile radius from my house i dont charge my full fee but Id like transprotation at the least and only a fraction of my fee......but if i have to take a bus/plane/or a train yes im charging my full fee + trans.... but never anywhere near the fees that most big wigs charge...


Final Thought
PARTIES COST MORE THAN THEY SHOULD BECAUSE OF THE RIDICULOUS CONTRACTS THESE PEOPLE HAVE..{youd think it was britney spears or something}

i remeber seeing people like F.Bones, DClarke, T1000 and a host of others on the same bill for 10USD and NOW if they were all booked again for one party id probably have to pay 60USD

PEACE OUT

[The Overfiend]

Fellas can we not start picking apart dj's and what their demands are rather than discuss the actual topic, yeah some people want stupid demands, hate to say it but they have a talent and the people want to hear it. So why not give a mofo a cigar or a chocolate covered banana, if the party goes over well, then so be it. You made your money back in revenue and the dj played good cause he was happy. Reality is it's only stupid cause we ain't getting that same treatment, if someone was dumb enough to offer me a hairstylist and a couple grand to blo in some itn'l town you think I would not take it? Lets be real, the dollar talks. And yes others have way more talent, but shit. I'm sure these mofo's lugged their crates around to shit parties in the beginning as well. and Don't bring up Armand, he is one of the coolest mofo's out there cause he's no ego involved. Ayak to him. He demands 2 rooms as a joke on who ever is idiotic enough to give it.

[Stella Boy]

Fellas can we not start picking apart dj's and what their demands are rather than discuss the actual topic, yeah some people want stupid demands, hate to say it but they have a talent and the people want to hear it. So why not give a mofo a cigar or a chocolate covered banana, if the party goes over well, then so be it. You made your money back in revenue and the dj played good cause he was happy. Reality is it's only stupid cause we ain't getting that same treatment, if someone was dumb enough to offer me a hairstylist and a couple grand to blo in some itn'l town you think I would not take it? Lets be real, the dollar talks. And yes others have way more talent, but shit. I'm sure these mofo's lugged their crates around to shit parties in the beginning as well. and Don't bring up Armand, he is one of the coolest mofo's out there cause he's no ego involved. Ayak to him. He demands 2 rooms as a joke on who ever is idiotic enough to give it.

Well said :clap:

[Ritzi Lee]

it's not the artist who's asking a lot of fee.
IT"S THE BOOKING AGENT!!


:roll:

[MARKEG]

well i play shit loads of gigs. perhaps 12 each month, maybe more. and it's always charge different fees for different people, based up what chrissi and i think they're trying to do for the true music scene and why they're involved in it. i think this is a really fair way to work. if the promoter is all about money, then hey, take advantage of it. if the promoter is doing the right thing then, the price you charge should reflect that. and also how many ppl they're getting through the door. there's bookings you've been doing for years - since when you were a spoty geek with a record box - and you've never put the price up cause they were with you from the beginning. oh god, it all varies.

i do think that many dancefloor ppl just look at the 'top' amount a dj charges, times it by the number of plays per month and thinks 'holy ****'. but this really isn't the reality. granted, dj tiesto, perhaps dave clarke, liebing etc make alot of money. but so many top dj's i've met are doing ok, but nowhere near what people think they are earning...

[jesus]

im sure dnb's more popular in the uk, yet the best dj (andy c) only charges £600 compared to the 3 grand you have to pay for a big name techno dj. then 1000 people turn out for andy c and only 100 turn out for luke slater, therefore no more techno where i live.

[reality]

i agree with you Mark....but there are those ones that do charge alot..granted sure there seeing an opportunity and juping at it...but then they are just feeding into the money pit and frget what this shit is really about ya know.....

Listen im not hating on anybody and i understand if someone books you a bunch of times sure you give em a break compared to the person that just booked you for the first time....

but i am not a name dropper so i wont but i know of people that even take a deposit on a huge booking fee and then come up with some excuse not to play and then what, that promoter thats trying to do the damn thing gets reamed by loosing the deposit and the people that look at him/her like they are smuks...ya know

we all are in this for the music and i dot have to tell you that but its a shame that there are still some cats that just take advantage cuz there ego is allowed to balloon and thats all i have to say bout that...

Demian
aka R_E_A_L_I_T_Y

[tekara]

some very interesting comments and opinions....


i am surprised at what Mark said though, and i obviously trust his opinion because hes experienced...

but still i sometimes cant help but wonder how these dj's are only "getting by" or "doing ok" if they are theoretically charging 1500-2000USD a night and doing up to 8 gigs a month.

Based on that math, already it seems like they have a six-figure paying job that they can live happily off...

just my 2 cents.

[Ritzi Lee]

ONE MORE TIME:

There is a real difference between DJ's who do their own management,
and DJ Booking offices... DJ Booking offices have a more commercial additude...

Mark's comments only make sence when the DJ does his own management. But when you're a part of a booking list of some big agent,
you can't decide about variation in pricing your fee....

So if you want to book a big act,
you just have to accept what the agent is asking. Period!

[lunatrick]

im sure dnb's more popular in the uk, yet the best dj (andy c) only charges £600 compared to the 3 grand you have to pay for a big name techno dj. then 1000 people turn out for andy c and only 100 turn out for luke slater, therefore no more techno where i live.
you've definately got a point here - D&B is much bigger in the uk, and for the same price as maybe one big tech dj at the lost or the end you could see five or six top D&B dj's - in cardiff the main night has two or three well known names (i.e andy C) for about 8 quid - so techno has lost its way somewhere. To be fair to the big names though - in europe they play massive parties - so they're not going to take a third of the fee to play in the uk when they could jump on a one hour flight and earn three times as much are they? I wouldn't......

[subsonic]

im sure dnb's more popular in the uk, yet the best dj (andy c) only charges £600 compared to the 3 grand you have to pay for a big name techno dj. then 1000 people turn out for andy c and only 100 turn out for luke slater, therefore no more techno where i live.
you've definately got a point here - D&B is much bigger in the uk, and for the same price as maybe one big tech dj at the lost or the end you could see five or six top D&B dj's - in cardiff the main night has two or three well known names (i.e andy C) for about 8 quid - so techno has lost its way somewhere. To be fair to the big names though - in europe they play massive parties - so they're not going to take a third of the fee to play in the uk when they could jump on a one hour flight and earn three times as much are they? I wouldn't......

BUT IT SHOULDNT BE ABOUT THE MONEY IT SHOULD BE ABOUT THE SCENE :roll: :roll:

[gumpy green]

BUT IT SHOULDNT BE ABOUT THE MONEY IT SHOULD BE ABOUT THE SCENE :roll: :roll:

fukin word.........thers a few djs that werent up for playing for our night(which is fukin proper underground techno) because we wouldnt pay 700+ for fee........wont metion no names but its down right sad and ill not be supporting them in anyway from now on.....will not be buying ther ep's etc.....

get a fukin job if you think money is the best thing.......id rather rock a good party with a good vibe for 100 sheets.

[lunatrick]

BUT IT SHOULDNT BE ABOUT THE MONEY IT SHOULD BE ABOUT THE SCENE :roll: :roll:

fukin word.........thers a few djs that werent up for playing for our night(which is fukin proper underground techno) because we wouldnt pay 700+ for fee........wont metion no names but its down right sad and ill not be supporting them in anyway from now on.....will not be buying ther ep's etc.....

get a fukin job if you think money is the best thing.......id rather rock a good party with a good vibe for 100 sheets.

we have a proper underground techno night - and thats about the going rate for some of our guests....and we fill the club, so fair play. As far as getting a job is concerned - erm that IS their job isn't it?

[gumpy green]

we have a proper underground techno night - and thats about the going rate for some of our guests....and we fill the club, so fair play. As far as getting a job is concerned - erm that IS their job isn't it?

well our club hold 300....we get anything from 150 up to 260 folk.....we got rent more pa, lights to pay on top of it......so aint much more than 350 left over..

we could charge folk more than 5/6 to get in but that again would be going against my techno........wish i could do it for free........

ther job------for some......to me its my hobby/luv....

im still with subsonic on this one..........its about the scene not fillling yer pockets.

[jonnyspeed]

If you are talented and take enough coke with enough industry wankers you'll make a lovely living out of DJing - if you refuse to enter into this world of arse kissing, backstabbing and self-interest you'll have fun and maybe, if you are lucky, get by but never be really affluent off it.

[TripleX]

i think you can´t blame the deejays if people are stupid enough to pay em that much,
blame the clubbers/ravers who will only attend if there´s a big name on the flyer, because they have no clue about techno :lol:

[gumpy green]

i think you can´t blame the deejays if people are stupid enough to pay em that much,
blame the clubbers/ravers who will only attend if there´s a big name on the flyer, because they have no clue about techno :lol:

word.......but imagine this senario..

jeff milss(or the like) said fuk im not playing unless ther is no commercilsm shit going on, i wann take it back to what its all about...free music for peolpe who want to come together for the luv of music....no race hates, no egos, no fashion, just luv and unity with the sound we love.....everybody just luvin the music for what it is.

if im to play then the maximum door price should be 3 quid(enuf to cover costs)....

then i wanna free party after which ill play for free and party with ya......think the scene would be alot better off.

[Geoff]

ONE MORE TIME:

There is a real difference between DJ's who do their own management,
and DJ Booking offices... DJ Booking offices have a more commercial additude...

Mark's comments only make sence when the DJ does his own management. But when you're a part of a booking list of some big agent,
you can't decide about variation in pricing your fee....

So if you want to book a big act,
you just have to accept what the agent is asking. Period!

The DJ still decides what fee to set though .. Most agencies will ask how large the club is etc and tailor it round that. I've found that a lot of the time the first price they quote is nonsense, usually after discussion it drops down. We've had one of the bigger names drop their fee by over £800 ..

[conflict]

i feel quite strongly about this.We run a night every so often in a small club that holds 250 maximum.There are some well established djs who'll play no quarms for £300,based on the size of the venue.Cool no probs with that.Then there are certain other dj's who will still not drop their monies to under a grand,even if the dates are free.How is a techno scene supposed to survive?Maybe the dj's in question would be prepared to drop the price,but its just not getting further than the bloody agent.And yes the dj's in question are english.

[conflict]

i guess what i'm trying to say is that it'd be so nice if all dj's in this scene would all support new nights

[schlongfingers]

simple answer is, if you don't think they are worth what they think they are worth - don't book them!! Thare's plenty of talent out there after all.

[gumpy green]

simple answer is, if you don't think they are worth what they think they are worth - don't book them!! Thare's plenty of talent out there after all.

yup thats excactelly what happened.

thats what my night is about anyway...pushing through new and local techno.......and to tell the truth the guests weve had so far have rocked just as much as any big name........i will never spend more than 300 on a djs/acts wages....all that would happen is id have to charge more entry fee which im dead against.....10/12 quid to see some dj spin some tracks for a few hrs.....fuk that.

[Frank Dogshit]

simple answer is, if you don't think they are worth what they think they are worth - don't book them!! Thare's plenty of talent out there after all.

yup thats excactelly what happened.

thats what my night is about anyway...pushing through new and local techno.......and to tell the truth the guests weve had so far have rocked just as much as any big name........i will never spend more than 300 on a djs/acts wages....all that would happen is id have to charge more entry fee which im dead against.....10/12 quid to see some dj spin some tracks for a few hrs.....fuk that.

good lad i like your attitude...could do with more people like you in the scene. :clap:

[gumpy green]

good lad i like your attitude...could do with more people like you in the scene. :clap:

wit??grumpy auld cunts that dae nuthin but moan.....lol

na, defo......its about time techno took an about turn and got back to its roots i say.

and to be honest i recon our punters that come trust our jugment now, as weve had guests that they have never heard of but VERY much enjoyed..

its a real nice thing that and i respect them back a great deal for it...

plus ive did shit like punt out cds from future guests as promotion(both for us and the artist)....things like that to me are what promtion is about....not getting in the biggest star you find and rakin it in...

[schlongfingers]

and to be honest i recon our punters that come trust our jugment now, as weve had guests that they have never heard of but VERY much enjoyed..

its a real nice thing that and i respect them back a great deal for it...

plus ive did shit like punt out cds from future guests as promotion(both for us and the artist)....things like that to me are what promtion is about....not getting in the biggest star you find and rakin it in...

You're going very much the right way about it - getting a name for YOUR night and YOUR judgement rather than filling the club with people that follow the names - it will lead to a much more loyal following! Keep it up geezer.

[gumpy green]

and to be honest i recon our punters that come trust our jugment now, as weve had guests that they have never heard of but VERY much enjoyed..

its a real nice thing that and i respect them back a great deal for it...

plus ive did shit like punt out cds from future guests as promotion(both for us and the artist)....things like that to me are what promtion is about....not getting in the biggest star you find and rakin it in...

You're going very much the right way about it - getting a name for YOUR night and YOUR judgement rather than filling the club with people that follow the names - it will lead to a much more loyal following! Keep it up geezer.

thanks man and we will....

[FUSION]

they are if you book them to play live and they forget their headfones laptop and then **** everyone up with foot long lines of k ;) .......

[schlongfingers]

:lol: