Karaoke Forums

Hello! I'm John and am wondering what the going rates are for DJ and/or KJ gigs. I'm new to the forum and hope you'll be patient with possible mistakes. I used to own a high volume dance club/bar with local, regional, and national acts and sold it back in 2007...regretted selling it now in that I'm bored out of my mind and considering doing some DJ & KJ'ing. I have just a few questions if someone would be kind enough to throw in some input. 1. Thoughts on 'Compuhost' software 2. Is it illegal, or not, to purchase 'pre-loaded' music on a hard drive. Someone told me that as long as you have the CD-G covers as proof of purchase they want 'destroy' your ife. 3. I was required to pay ASCAP, BMI & SESAC for the 'rights' to play the music in my establishment. Are DJ's and KJ's required to do the same as a performer? And a thanks to Karaoke Scene for a 'forum' which is shared by all.

First off welcome to the board, Second it is better to post questions in an area where more people will read them such as in the tech area or general karaoke questions.

I'll try to answer your questions.

1. $$$ depends on the area in which you live. Most legal DJ/KJ's will not do a show for under $125-150 for a 4 hour show.

2. I'm not to familiar with compuhost but others are. I use Karma and it does a great job for me.

3.Preloaded hard drives are NOT legal unless you get every original (not burned) disc for every track on the hard drive. Covers are not enough you must have the disc.

4. ASCAP, BMI, & SESAC fees are paid by the venue owner. DJ/KJ do not have to pay this fee.

Hope this helps.

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I like everyone when I first meet them. If you don't like me that's not my problem it's YOURS!
A stranger is a friend you haven't met yet

John

Where are you from ? It may be helpful in advising you on those questions.

I concur on all points here as well. For my hosting software prference I prefer MTU Hoster even over Compuhost. Much easier IMO.

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

1. If it's a one time deal, $150 for four hours. If I'm working steady (weekly) for the same venue, I'll cut them a break and do it for $135

2. Stay away from preloaded hard drives. They are ILLEGAL! You must own the physical, actual manufacturer's CD in order to be legal. There are some sites where you can legally download and use these tracks comercially but these manufacturers are NOT U.S. based so they don't have the restrictions that we do.

3. Compuhost. I couldn't live without it. In my opinion, it's the cream of the crop. It's a little pricey, but worth it. And if you're ever stuck with anything, their customer support is outstanding. After using Compuhost, I could never use anything else, it's that good! And I don't think it's hard to use at all, my wife mastered it in one hour and she's not very tech savy. Trust me, it'a a piece of cake.

Good luck.

I can't speak to weekly rates in areas other than my own, but I will say that I won't touch a one-off for $150. I usually charge $500, more if it's far away, involves stairs, or other silliness.

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Jeff Wheeler, moonlight DJ/KJ

Sure would love to find a bar around here willing to pay $500 for one night of Karaoke. Many won't even pay that for a 5-piece band. That's closer to what I'd charge for a private party (non-wedding) gig for 4 hours. Where are you taking these gigs? Beverly Hills?

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DJ Tony
Let It Rip Karaoke

1 - For a one-time gig, I don't unpack for less than $300. $200 for a multi-week bar contract.

2 - IMHO, Compuhost is the gold standard by which all the others are measured. It is also one of the most expensive.

The prices you can charge depend on your market, and the size of the club.

I mean, let's face it.. a small corner bar that only seats 35 people isn't going to be able to pay a KJ/DJ $200 a night even if the place is packed all night.

My average show is 4 hours, plus 45 minutes set up, and 45 minutes tear down, so i'm looking at 5 and a half hours of work, not including the time it takes to load and unload my vehicle at home.

So at $125 a night, that breaks down to $22 an hour.. which isn't a bad hourly wage at all.. but also consider the thousands of dollars spent on music, equipment, fuel, hours spent putting together books, business cards, PENS.. man.. I spend $150 a year on PENS.

With that said, generally speaking, $125 to $150 is my bottom end for weekly bar gigs.

My private party rates start at $375 and go up from there.. usually depending on how long they want me there, what kind of party it is, what kind of crowd, etc.

I absolutely will not do weddings.

That's what I thought he meant. I didn't realize there were a bunch of bars booking KJs for one night gigs.

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Jeff Wheeler, moonlight DJ/KJ

I've had offers from clubs to do a 'one off' gig at their place.. usually for some kind of special occasion or holiday for a place that doesn't normally have weekly karaoke.. but other times to do a fill in for their regular guy who couldn't make it out that date, or to fill in for a band that cancelled and they just needed to fill the spot fast with something.

Many reasons a popular KJ might get called for one nighters in bars/clubs.. and the rates for those kinds of nights are generally higher than reoccurring dates.

I have as well in the past for a special event or promotion in the bar.

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

I don't do one-off events for bar-friendly prices. When other KJs ask me to fill in for them, I do it for an affordable rate; but in my mind that is different, because I ask these same KJs to cover things for me, swap private bookings with them, it's on a night that normally has karaoke at that venue, etc.

I don't really see any reason to give a bar what is basically a huge discount for a one-nighter.

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Jeff Wheeler, moonlight DJ/KJ

So how many of these $500 one-off bar gigs do you actually book? This almost sounds like an intentional strategy to price yourself out of doing those gigs.

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DJ Tony
Let It Rip Karaoke

I don't do them. It absolutely is my intent to price myself out of that work. Why would I charge a birthday party $500 for a one-off, but go to a bar and do a one-off there for $150? That does not make sense to me.

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Jeff Wheeler, moonlight DJ/KJ

I understand that perfectly, now I understand what you were saying. In my position, I do mostly what I would call "one-offs" for bars but I think my definition of one-off is different than yours. I have three clubs that call me from time to time when they need a fill in or in some cases they don't have regular Karaoke and just call me when needed. I consider these one offs. I do it for my regular bar price because it keeps them calling me when they need someone again.

For big parties or special events like NYE or something at a bar I've never played and don't expect to be back for, then yeah my price goes up considerably. Not usually quite what I'd charge a private party but close. I think we're on the same page with this scenario.

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DJ Tony
Let It Rip Karaoke

Also that one off has turned into steady weekly gigs as well in the past - for me anyway.

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

Well.. the reason is pretty simple.

A birthday party isn't likely to book you more than once a year. A bar is far more likely to use you again throughout the year as a pinch hitter if your rates are reasonable and you're a good fit with their club.

So the bar might call you back 10 or 15 times over the course of the year.. heck, you might even find yourself offered a weekly spot.

How many times is that birthday party likely to call you back over the course of the year?

If i've got the night open, i'll absolutely set my equipment up and take their money.

Prices for gigs. That's a per area subject if ever there was one. Won't comment on that.

As for software I tried several of them and settled on Compuhost. I consider it the best and admit it's a personal choice. I like the interface, ease of use and support. However it's a personal choice and every piece of software has it's strengths. Try several and then settle on one.

I don't do a show under $200. I have too much invested in equipment, music and insurance policies to charge less. And that's exactly the selling point I use to get that price. I make them understand that they can get cheaper KJ's, but they will certainly get what they pay for. I use only top of the line equipment, from microphone all the way to the amp & speakers and that is noticeable even to people that don't have sound education.

I do understand though that there are small places with low capacity that wouldn't make enough money to justify $200 for Karaoke. But then I just tell them politely that I am not the right guy for them. UNLESS there are special circumstances (like a good friend running the bar or working as a bartender, or my parents Restaurant, etc). Then I might go down a little. But so far I only had that happening twice in 8 years.

For a private party I charge $100 per hour, 4 hour minimum. Means, even if it's 3 hours I still charge $400 minimum. If it's 5 hours, it's $500 and so on...

Weddings are a different animal since there is a lot more work and planning involved.