Karaoke Forums

Hey guys! Have a sweet sixteen birthday party in doing soon. How much for the rate? I was thinking $100-$115 per hour.. Let me hear your thoughts..

In where? PER HOUR !!!!!! Scrub that first comment. If you tell, we'll all be after the job! And I've gotta fly over!

with slight corrections....

OK, you lost me on this. Have you already been booked to do this party, or did someone ask how much you would charge if you are available? It doesn't make sense to me that you would have booked yourself to do a private party without first agreeing upon the price, so I'm assuming it's the latter.

That being said, you should quote a fixed price for either 3 or 4 hours, and tell the client that it will be $xxx extra for each additional hour. As to your thoughts on the rate of $100-115 per hour, it all depends on what you believe other KJs are charging. If you are asking for less than what you know other KJs are getting for private parties, then you're selling yourself short. If you are asking for more than what you know the other KJs are usually getting, then you'll probably be lucky to get hired for this. You'll have to figure that one out for yourself, because we're all from different areas and states. While I might be charging $350 for 4 hours in my area, someone on the other side of the coast might be charging $500 for a private party. It's all about where you are, and what people are willing to spend.

I agree with Cueball. Time, place, duration, number of people, travel distance, special needs, etc. would all factor into price.

In my town, a vanilla show up and play 4 hour Sweet 16 gig on Friday or Saturday night would start at about $75 an hour , but more like $50 and hour during midweek or weekend afternoon, and would go up from there depending on the other variables.

_________________
C Mc
KJ, FL

Thanks guys,

The reason I ask is because it is very hard to get other people's rates in my other area to go off of. Unless I call my competitors mysteriously, I can't find there prices elsewhere. I've read for California rates start at around 350 per gig to 1500. So I am kind of between

...in the information overload age, you don't know where to go to get a little information? Let me school ya:

Go check your local craigslist. There are about 25 ads for DJs and KJs on my local craigslist at this second, most with advertised rates.

You can also check GigMasters and search for your area, and get a general range for sweet 16 parties in your area.

Also, just a general google search will show DJs and KJs in your area, most listing their rate ranges.

Average it all together, and you'll have a pretty good idea what's going on.

_________________
C Mc
KJ, FL

I would not use the term "hourly rate" - except when additional hours are requested.

In terms of accounting, there are "fixed costs" and "variable costs". The time to travel, the expense of traveling, hours, etc are all variable costs. You need to know these factors in order to quote any gig properly.

But then - there are the fixed costs. That time you spend at home going through music, the vehicle you travel in, the marketing plan you designed & implemented, the consultation you provide, the time to set up and the time to tear down, the system you provide & maintain are among the examples of fixed costs. With these fixed costs, you should be able to provide a quote of f + v (where f= fixed costs; v= variable costs).

My fixed costs (for what I provide) are roughly $200 - just to show up. From there, my hourly rate is $50 - which might seem kind of low, but that puts me at about $500 - which is the average that I make per wedding and slightly below the going rate for my area (again, for what I provide). My rates are lower than many other established DJ companies, but I don't like to spend time & money marketing, so I let my price do all the talking. And my booking % from May - October is well over 90%.

_________________
I'm not a cheerleader, but I paid for my pom poms with my own money!

4 hour private party, $350 for four hours. OT is 75 per half hour if you ask for the add on during the party. If you pre book the ot, it is 55 per half hour.

That's just me. And I make sure I have all the latest songs in the edited versions. Unlike most DJs/hosts around here, I get both versions if the song has explicit lyrics.

_________________
KingBing Entertainment C'mon Up! I have a song for you!!! [font=MS Sans Serif][/font]

4 hour private party rate is 3x my bar rate which can equate to anywhere from $375-$450.

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

I wanted to add one more thing:

As mentioned, I do weddings nearly every weekend from May - October. Often, I get inquiries for dates from folks for private parties. If I happen to have their date available, I have to tell them that "Unfortunately, you're competing for DJs with people that are getting married. I can't book parties for less than what I would otherwise make at a wedding because I know that I will book that date".

Even if you don't do weddings, keep that in mind for your rate. The supply of available DJs is at its lowest point in late spring/early summer. And when supply is low, prices grow.

_________________
I'm not a cheerleader, but I paid for my pom poms with my own money!

In my area, not so much the truth. There are some DJs around here with crappy equipment and skills, can always find someone for $150 (not weddings) if you don't mind crap. I disagree that we should charge the same for a wedding or private party. So much more goes into a wedding for the planning and also my base rate for a wedding covers 6 hours, not four hours. My standard wedding rate is $650. Plus milage if over 20 miles.

I am in a network of five of us that watch each other's back. When I can't do a gig, I let them know. Ditto for them. We are considered the best of the area. Only one of them also does karaoke. I've covered a couple gigs for one of those guys at a price of $250, ONLY because he had already booked and couldn't show up so I made it happen for him.

_________________
KingBing Entertainment C'mon Up! I have a song for you!!! [font=MS Sans Serif][/font]

I charge $550-650 for typically weddings as well, but will do 3-4 hour DJ-only backyard afternoon pool parties all summer long for $150-200.

I have a ultra portable mobile setup (18lb rack with 1U Rane mixer and 3U Denon HD-2500) that takes me two trips to pack into the car and about 10 minutes to set up, and I keep all of my playlists up to date either way.

I'll take $50 an hour for an easy afternoon gig all day.

Want to add karaoke? More hands-on, more $$$. Want a bigger system? More labor, more $$$. Want to party on a Friday or Saturday night? More $$$. Want to party on one of my normal karaoke nights? You'll need to at least double my bar rate for me to justify the work to get a replacement and inconvenience my bar owner. Want more than 4 hours? Have more than 30-40 people? $$$$$, $$$$$, $$$$$.

You get the idea. You just gotta think what goes into the gig. With weddings, the prep work is the hard part. Once you get there (and finish the announcements), it's a breeze, but I probably spend 4-5 hours doing prep work for a typical wedding.

So, I think you really have to add up all the variables, and each gig's different.

But to say that $150.00 DJs are crappy across the board? I have great equipment and will take those gigs all day long, as long as the variables fit Don't be one of those "I cost $200 just to show up" KJs/DJs. WTF makes you so special, unless, of course, you've done $200 worth of prep work for the gig. Assuming no prep work, however, my customer service is that I show up for free and earn my $$$ at the gig! Joe Bluecoller Smoe who's paying you (usually) doesn't get paid just for showing up before he's done any work. I don't either.

Sh*t. I work my day job for $28.00 an hour, and it's twice as stressful daily than any DJ or karaoke show I've ever done. Who am I to say I can't show up and play music for 3-4 hours for $50.00 an hour poolside/oceanfront on a Saturday afternoon?

Are there crappy KJs/DJs that lowball and work next to nothing? Sure. But there are also KJs/DJs that get alot of work because they price their services fairly for the amount of service they render. I offer a great service at a fair price, and thus I have the luxury of turning away almost as much work as I take. It's also nice when you then have other KJ/DJ friends who are happy to give you 10% referral fees.

I'm in it for the $$$$!! Will work for $$$$!!! As long as it's fair for me, and fair for the client, I'm taking the gig!

_________________
C Mc
KJ, FL

If you are referring to my comment Topher, here it is again. "In my area, not so much the truth."

I can't speak for your area but I'd bet a week's salary you won't find a DJ in my area that will do a 4 hour gig for $150 that isn't crap. I stand by that statement. Has nothing to do with my or their "other jobs" and how much they make. Having a separate system just for backyard parties makes sense for how you put it.

_________________
KingBing Entertainment C'mon Up! I have a song for you!!! [font=MS Sans Serif][/font]

Ripman, definitely not taking your statement personally, and definitely not replying directly to you. I'm definitely talking specifically about my area as well. I have no doubt there's a different dynamic in Iowa than there is here at the beach

_________________
C Mc
KJ, FL

My standard setpoint for an event held in a venue such as a banquet hall or restaurant within my normal work radius is $125/hr, 4 hour minimum. In other words,$500- but use the hourly rate to compute any overtime. In general I will not charge more for an extra 30 minutes or less for one of these events.

However, nothing is etched in stone. I've done $350 shows at Elks clubs and V.F.W. halls ( and had a blast in the process!)

Except on the very rarest of occasions, I stopped accepting weddings a few years ago (I absolutely hate doing them), but make about the same for corporate functions such as merger dinners, etc.. These, due to extra prep and usually transporting one of my bigger setups, can range from $750 and up.

I make absolutely stupid money on NYE, but so does everyone else....

_________________
"No Contests, No Divas, Just A Good Time!"

" Disc based and loving it..."

The same $150 (or less) DJs exist in this area as well. If you are regularly doing weddings (as I am), it would not be prudent to book a Saturday night during the peak of wedding season for anything less than what you expect to make at a wedding. Now, if you have a date open up to 4 weeks away and someone wants to book you at "private party rates" then YES! Take the gig.

In the long run, assuming that your booking % is 75% or higher, your prices for private parties SHOULD be the same as weddings, unless you are cutting a last minute deal. In the long run, you will make more money.

I stand by my comment that you should be aware of the fact that, during peak wedding season, the supply of available DJs is at its lowest point, and your prices should reflect this - even if you aren't doing a bunch of weddings.

Think about it this way: You probably got the call because every other DJ they called did not have the date available.

_________________
I'm not a cheerleader, but I paid for my pom poms with my own money!

You ain't lived until you've been on Bass Island or Bikini Beach on the Mississippi river! It's not dynamic, it's DYNO MITE!

_________________
KingBing Entertainment C'mon Up! I have a song for you!!! [font=MS Sans Serif][/font]

Naw, they call me first!

_________________
KingBing Entertainment C'mon Up! I have a song for you!!! [font=MS Sans Serif][/font]

You and I run our businesses very much alike. I used to do open houses and then go do a wedding on the same day, but I quit doing that. I'll still do them, but not on the day of a wedding - which is almost always every Saturday in June. I found that it causes a lot of stress on me, and I am not at my best, as a DJ, when I am stressed.

_________________
I'm not a cheerleader, but I paid for my pom poms with my own money!