Karaoke Forums

When one of your regulars want a quote for a party do you tend to trim it a bit? We have a young college couple that got engaged. Chris approached me and said they have a friend who is a DJ but how much would we charge. How many guests? 75  Well Chris it would normally be about 500 but for regulars or you guys 300. He fell over. Just go on the web and figure out which songs you want for Father Daughter dance etc..

Am I just big & easy or smart?

_________________
Join The Karaokle Singers Social Network. Upload Your Music!!

I think you did the right thing Ollie in giving a regular customer a price break. Once word gets around at what a great job you did for them, the referrals will start to flood in and you'll increase your reputation as a very diverse entertainer that can handle weddings, engagement parties, baby showers, bachelor and bachelorette parties, and finally their kid's first birthday party in a year or two. Call it "in-advance-advertising".

For friends and former clients i give a price break but suggest as part of the deal that they somehow pass the word around and give me a copy of some of the wedding pics that i then add to my website. Also a recommendation or comment on my site. I keep it updated til the next couple checks it out and see's my company as being an active entertainer that performs weddings. It's worked for 12 years- no problems.

Also since it's under $499- you won't have to pay taxes on it...if you were gonna. Good Luck and let us know how it turned out!  J.R.

You're being human.

We develop friendships with some of these people that transcend socking it to them when they ask us for a favor.

I actually donated my services to a couple I'd known for years for their wedding reception as a wedding present a couple of years back. They had invited me into their home and fed me on numerous occasions, and even let my stay in a place they had out of the area when I had a job there.

Sometimes you just do things that don't make any business sense because it's the thing to do.

That's the way to keep your reputation up strong.  I do this all the time for friends & family.  It's the glaring difference between a cut-throat unethical business and a still make money and keep everyone happy business!  Show 'respect' to people that come in and support your other shows.  Great job and as you well know...word gets around!  Good Luck, MrD

_________________
[highlight=midnightblue]MrD - KJ/DJ Specialist
Visit MrD on facebook - mrdsentertainment
& on myspace - larrynance[/highlight]

I've given regulars breaks like that in the past.  Good customer relations for being loyal to your shows.  Kind of like a rewards plan!

_________________
LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

I have given special rates to karaoke friends and friends of family for years. I don't 'give it away' but in our area a lot of DJs charge over $1000 for a wedding reception ONLY! I also do other community service stuff that doesn't bring huge monetary returns but is great PR for us. If I didn't enjoy doing it so much, I probably wouldn't give the price break...we're very fortunate that way, that what we do is enjoyable.

k

I had a couple that were regulars at the bar on Saturdays  ( NOT SINGERS) but regulars and nice people.  They asked for a quote to DJ their wedding as they "liked" me better than the DJ the bar had on Friday nights.

Anyway I don't claim to be a Wedding DJ although I've done a few in the past ..so I quoted  a low $350 ( I knew the Wedding would have plenty of potential future customers etc. )  ANYWAYS  the Wedding went extremely well !!!

2 months later as anticiapted one of the OTHER regulars brothers is getting married and they call for a quote ......  I quote another great price but not as low... $500.
They got all upset because it wasn't the $300 I charged for the previous wedding.
I explained it was a "special" price for the regulars themselves and not their siblings....normal DJ would charge at least $800+.   LONG WINDED but be careful of setting a precedent for pricing unless you can live with it! .....NOW I quote a regular price  say $600 for 4 hours and discount from their a percentage (this was they KNOW they are getting a great price)

There is a regular who asked me to do the reception of a friend of hers in June. Someone who seldom comes into the room. That one is triple club pay.

If it had been the regular I would have asked for much less. And congratulated her! So yeah it's nice to give back a little to those who make your job possible. But this job in June doesn't fall into that category.

Just out of curiousity does that $1000 include the Wedding ceremony and a formal coats and ties very formal reception which requires rehearsal? I have never done the whole enchilada. I have charged as much as $600 for the reception with coat and tie formalities but cant imagine $1000...

_________________
Join The Karaokle Singers Social Network. Upload Your Music!!

Good friend of mine charges $1500-2000 for wedding (dj only), but this is what they specialize in.  They coordinate the entire thing with the couple from the minute the bride & groom walk into the reception hall, to the first dance, to the cutting of the cake, best man toast, etc.  He will even get the crowd, if they aren't dancing, out on the floor with a Hokey Pokey to loosen them up, then into a slide dance or something.  He is by far THE best dj I have ever had the pleasure of working with.  They do no advertising what so ever (word of mouth only) & are booked solid for 2 years every weekend (sometimes 2 shows per day).  They even have caterers, photographers & limo services that they work with that they can recommend as well.  They will go out & find any specially requested songs for you as well - I went to my cousins wedding a few weeks ago & the DJ there was a joke, no personality, he REFUSED to go get their first dance song so they either had to find it & bring it in themselves or they had to make a choice out of his selection (all computerized, but sounded like quality rips at least).  My cousin paid $900 for that dj!  Only reason?  This was the cheapest that had a 120" projection screen for a slideshow presentation.  All the others wanted 1200 or more.

_________________
LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

Wedding DJ's are very expensive in the DFW and Seattle areas.  I couldn't find anyone for less than 1800.  I ended up having to DJ my son's wedding because none of us wanted to pay that kind of price. It was a lot of work, but it worked out well for us.  Many of my KJ friends here in DFW do weddings and they charge anywhere from 800 to 1000 just for the reception and that is DJ only.  However, that being said many of them will do a reception or party for free for their friends and a minimal cost for people that come to their shows.  

Ollie, I think you did the right thing.  You should have a lot of fun.

_________________
Will sing or fish for food!!I'm not quite right!!

I charge $500-1000, depending on what they need. That includes a one-hour pre-wedding consultation. I ask them for a list of their favorite music, aside from the official music for the ceremony. I will often coordinate the wedding rehearsal in conjunction with the officiant. If they need soloists, I will find a soloist to sing in the ceremony (or Joe or I do it ourselves...actually had daughter do this once). I will also provide cordless mics for the officiant, and for the toasts, etc. I will MC if they need me too.

I haven't had to deal with many bridezillas, thank goodness...Just one and that was last summer...watch for bridezillas!

I also set out the guidelines very specifically. Nothing worse than a wedding reception winding down and a bunch of drunk people run up with fists full of money, begging us to stay longer.... I defer to the bride, who will often say they're leaving anyway, don't bother...

I also request a nonrefundable deposit when they book the date. Learned that the hard way - had booked a wedding 8 mos prior, turned down another gig that day because of time conflict - the original couple had broken up and didn't have a wedding and I lost out on the other gig.

I do DJ'ing as well...and charge heftily for that. Did a sweet 16 birthday once and won't do one of those again - nothing sweet about it.  These kids proceeded to bring up music for me to play that would make a Vegas hooker blush...argggg....

k

Anymore the average wedding is at least $15,000 +    So the DJ/KJ price should be more too.

Quick post before work tonight. I've been doing weddings and charging $600-$2000 per reception for almost 12 years. This includes deejaying the reception for 5 hours, meeting the client at least 3 times to fill out and update wedding party planner sheet, having a wedding/dj assistant at the reception (working for me and client). giving my vendor-referrals for videographers/photographers/ florists/parking valets/limos/ etc.

We charge this much because we provide full service weddings- i've even booked dancers for rehearsal dinners, restaurant venues, and graphic artists to make video collages for the couple. EVEN shuttle services to the airport for an out-of-state family once!!! The only thing i haven't booked is a minister to perform the marriage vows.

I've found there is a service level for every wedding budget out there. You do get what you pay for. Some couples don't realize "price-dictates-quality" MOST of the time. They get any dj and HOPE he provides and performs well. WE only perform high-end serious wedding events where EVERYTHING is expected. They of course have to pay for my stress!

oops...gotta go to work! Aloha!  :wave:  J.R.

Yep that's why they make over $250K a year just doing weddings on the weekends on word of mouth advertising & referrals only because they are idiots!  If you can get it & they will PAY it even after shopping around for better prices, then who's the idiot?  Nice to start calling someone you don't even know names because you think they are charging too much.  Guess the going rate in your area is quite a bit less, a GOOD dj around here is anywhere in the $1000-2000 range & that's the norm.
Well like I said my cousins wedding dj they paid $900 buck and wouldn't even get them the song they wanted to be their first dance - and no personality to his voice.  The bride had to keep telling the DJ when to do stuff on the fly.  



As long as the dj/kj is worth it, then yes the price should be more.

_________________
LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

Not calling them idiots.  I'm saying that anyone that would contract to do someones wedding without finding out the songs they want and coordinating the events of the night is an idiot.   That should be a normal part of the gig.  Not an add on or an exception.     I do that so i must be a fantastic KJ.


I was shocked to hear about wedding costing $30,000 +.    A $600 KJ/dj is a joke.  

WE (all KJs) are getting screwed because we can't make more than $125-200 a night.    $300 should be the starting price.

in what area??? I've lived in many areas that the going rate was double that for an idiot to go in and play music... and I've lived in a few you couldn't GET decent rates! Again SW, you're spoutin' nonsense!

Spouting off, that every KJ in any part of the country should have a minimun starting wage of $300.   WHY NOT?     Or aren't you worth that much?


Karaoke is a very popular big money for the bar, type of entertainment.    It should be price structured as such.    $300 SHOULD BE THE MINIMUM just for the investment.  If you're a good to great KJ, the price should/would be higher.

The MOST $$ i've heard of a dj making performing a wedding was $5000.... and i've been the biz quite awhile! (minus the celebrity ones mind you-they make bank.)

I've known photographers and videographers that price their service packages at $12,000 all inclusive..... and I have personally performed at an $80,000 wedding. The most i ever made was $2800 on THAT ONE and that included extra assistants AND kickbacks from vendors.  Mobile Entertainment is highly underrated!

Most people opt for the $300-$700 wedding dj and hope he knows what he's/she's doing. Only 25% of my clients went for the higher-priced dj (ME!) so i concentrated on corporate jobs to make me wealthy!  :yes:  :no:  :no:  :yes: