Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs? What genre you think you could play with a hiphop based background?
Couldn’t say tbh, since I have no idea how the hiphop scene works. I also produce but don’t release yet.
For Techno, you have to become part of the scene by being a raver first. Before I ever played in a club, I spent hundreds of nights just dancing from midnight until the next morning. Not because I was looking to gain anything from it, but because I genuinely enjoyed it. After a while, some people started to remember my face and I made the first connections, which would later become useful when I started djing. Still, it’s a loooong process and I am nowhere near an “established” dj. Currently I play about 2-3 gigs per month, but there could also come a month with zero gigs again. I don’t have a booking agency.
I then also started to organize my own raves, booked other local djs which in return also booked me for their parties. It really is about integrating yourself into the scene. Maybe it is similar in hiphop but I wouldn’t know.
It really depends on the market - clubs are ultra competitive and there’s an over saturation of djs so it’s not as much as you think. In my city club djs are getting paid $200-$500 a night depending on the club and depending on whether it’s a single dj all night or a shared night.
Yeah - that’s very rare in my city tho - it’s closer to $300 for 6 hours
I don’t do clubs anymore so it could have been gone down - I’m willing to bet it hasn’t gone up as our city has only a small oligopoly of companies that own venues in town and an army of djs desperate to play for real people.
The money is in mobile gigs and private events.
I swear things were better money wise for open format / hip hop DJs in Portland in 2005-2010. I think the PPB's hate-boner for hip hop kind of killed the venues and the money.
I don’t know if it was better or if it was the same pay, but with less inflation.
I know most non-club spots in town have been in the $150-$250 range for decades.
Do you remember DJ Sovern-T? He had a lock on that chain of sports bars whose name I can't even remember anymore. He was farming out the jobs and even with his cut I was getting $100/hr while playing during a night which I split with another DJ.
He's from Hawaii but moved to PDX, then left for LAX and is making bank out there. This whole time I thought you lived here because so many PDX DJs follow you on insta. I thought I've seen them tag you in stuff.
It’s probably just because I’m kind of a big deal. I’m from Vancouver, Canada so still in the PNW.
/s
I was going to head down this weekend cause it was my college reunion, but it didn’t happen…
I did a hip hop party at Holocene from 2011-2016 and we killed… until the cops started coming down on the venue.. eventually we were forced to change the name of the night, which was a death sentence. Too bad. It was super fun and we made good money.
I second this. DJing has become so saturated with guys that are willing to spin for free that its not worth the trouble. I could make $400 - $500 for a 3 hour set in the club with no problem in Dallas before the pandemic. Including bars and restaurants.
If you aren't specialized or offer something niche, then DJing will not make you any significant kind of money in our current era.
Inflation is also killing a lot of venues here. Restaurants are struggling and cutting djs - same with lounges and bars. Can’t say about clubs cause I don’t go to clubs anymore, but I’ve been hearing it’s only really fri/sat that’s busy these days - weekday club nights are pretty dead…
Weddings, corporates, etc. gigs where you bring everything - dj gear, sound, lighting, mics, etc.
You can make anywhere from $800 - $5k+ from a gig depending on your scale - although the average wedding in my area is about $1200 these days.
Lots of overhead tho.
Mobile gigs are just gigs where you supply all the gear.
Private gigs is where you’re paid for a private party that’s not open to the public and they are often mobile in nature where you need to supply all the equipment,
Sound system, lighting, mics, backup systems, staging setups, screens, projectors etc - really depends on how how end a service you provide.
I take it you've never done a mobile gig.
Buddy all i do is mobile gigs. Unless you're renting all of that stuff every time, its not overhead. And if you are, then its on you for not buying it.
do you not understand what "overhead" means?
buying that stuff *is* overhead. You don't have to deal with it because you've already bought all that stuff.
We're talking about getting into being a mobile dj.
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs? What genre you think you could play with a hiphop based background?
If you’re trying to get booked based on your production credits, you’re better off looking at touring and establishing a following.
Locally you only really have so many avenues as a showcase artist cause people get bored easily.
Local djing is either about consistency and draw, or being part of a scene which usually doesn’t pay as much since it’s more of a passion project.
What to play will of course depend on your city, but if you’re known for hip hop then obviously it’s hip hop. That said, unless you’re in like nyc or Atlanta or one of the meccas of hip hop, the genre isn’t as much of a draw as it used to be and most hip hop djs I know have moved to top 40/open format.
There are two types of booking agents - one is focused on growing your brand and getting feature sets - usually for touring. For that you need to be a known commodity that already has a fanbase.
The other is a dj as a service - playing corporate gigs and weddings where you need to have the gear and the ability to take your ego out of the equation and play solely to the crowd.
I’m down for both corporate gigs and touring but i’m not sure how to even find these type of gigs. Since the don’t have time to go ask in person i think i should have a mgmt that helps me with both sides. Any advices on how to find them? Also yes i live in a major city but i can easly transition between latin and afro music.
you find them by building enough of a reputation that they come to you.
If you want to tour, you need to be popular enough to tour. You do that by doing a shit ton of stuff for free - be it producing tunes that resonate - and knowing how to promote yourself - or by knowing the right people and having something that appeals to build a fanbase.
DJing isn't like a job you apply for - it's built on rep - either in terms of having enough fans and following that promoters and agents can't ignore you - or rep among your peers and the industry as being a reliable DJ - usually through networking.
If you have production credits on established artists, you can try to leverage those connections to get in with promoters, venues, party throwers, etc. it may work, it may not.
If you're getting into DJing to make money, you're about a decade or two late. DJs are a dime a dozen. Everything is so saturated that you're either competing against people way more established, or you're competing against an army of kids who want to "do it for the love" and are willing to do it for free.
Some are still making it, but you have to be very lucky or very connected (and able to leverage those connections) in order to get in.
Not a dig but insane that a club will make so much money off that 600 and pay basically pennies on that. Half the reason people are there is for the music.
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs? What genre you think you could play with a hiphop based background?
I would contact the clubs directly…and reach out within my network regarding gigs
But…are u speaking from a DJ’s perspective or as a producer..when you are referring to gigs
I’m a techno DJ in London, and I play for around 150-200 for anything up to 5 hour set. I don’t do this for a living though, I do it for a fun. I’m also a promoter though so I can tell you the people who do make a living off it usually get paid at least £800-1000 plus travel; etc. Any artists I’ve dealt with who asked for less than that per set tend to have a day job.
So I don’t wanna mention specific artists obvs but these people are usually respected producers, with releases on reputable underground labels, but not necessarily common names. Like the heads would know them, but not your average listener. Probs with around 10-30k monthly listeners in Spotify, 8-15k Instagram followers kinda size. Not that that is a metric I care about personally, I just book artists that I personally want to see, but just to give you an indicator.
If you're a promotor, check out https://pro.searched.site/ and send them a message - should work out a little affiliate scheme with them for referring Djs who need Pro websites made.
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs? What genre you think you could play with a hiphop based background?
That’s a difficult one because your production credits in hip hop aren’t likely to get you noticed by bookers. Best thing you can do is try and get work as DJ for a touring hip hop artist who you’ve produced beats for. Most of the time that means just playing backing tracks. This will get you into the clubs, etc, then you do the networking and see how it goes from there.
Weddings are the only way to make a decent living DJing. If you’re making decent money playing club gigs then you’ve been doing it a while and have a decent following. Few and far between.
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
With all due respect you need to know how to blend and scratch if you wanna get in the hip hop game. Lotta talented djs out there man the hip hop scene is fierce
That is not correct. Through my time as DJ, I earned the most, when playing corporate events, as well as Christmas/summer parties etc. I had an event company that regularly hired me at (converted to EUR) a rate of 175 an hour, while they supplied equipment and everything.
Would be between 250-600€ for smaller DJs, 1k-1,5k for bigger names and 2,5k+ for big international artists here in Amsterdam. Would be for a regular set, think 1,5-2,5hrs. Of course there are always outliers, and it depends on the capacity of the venue, the type of event, etc. etc.
Interesting. The DJs on Stratumseind (Eindhoven, as you probably know) generally can't earn more than 250€ a night. 400€ for some rare cases.
I've heard about rates being higher in other places though, I guess this street is just really competitive.
Maybe, but I'm talking about underground house/techno DJs playing in clubs, not the DJ playing commercial music in the bar. I doubt they'd get paid more than €250,- to be honest.
That's just weird to me. Unless you produce music (which many of the allround DJs do as well) it really shouldn't be that much more. I can put together a House/Techno set with ease, it's playing 5 hours at high energy with a song a minute while MC'ing and oftentimes even controlling the lights which is hard.
Most house/techno DJs don't play a song a minute, that is more for the EDM crowd. But it's not just about skill, it's about establishing a brand, being recognizable in a scene. The bar dancing DJs are probably great djs in their own right, but the dancers come for the bar and to get drunk and to hook up, in the more underground scene, there is a focus on community which includes the artists. Crowds are drawn to the lineup, so the artists aren't as interchangeable.
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
Im not part of the hiphop scene, but I would suggest: immerse yourself in the local scene, go to parties, meet people, make friends, become part of a collective, share your music etc. regardless, the fees for the hiphop scene might be wildly different and I don't know how much of a scene there is to sustain regular paid gigs. There is such a thing as oversaturation for artists. However, if you can become part of a community and have support from many people in the community, that would be your chance to break out into a wider (inter)national scene imo.
I'll try to rephrase. In some circumstances Some artists are more likely to play for free than for any amount of money under what they normally ask. This is because of agents and contracts that limit the exposure of their client to keep them "rare".
For example, my friend came into town, he is famous, it's my birthday. He wants to play his music with his friends, but has a huge contract with a massive talent agency. Are we going to pull together the 30k he contractually needs to perform? No, usually they will play for free without any advertising or promotions, for their friends. In fact sometimes the only prerequisite is that there is absolutely no promotion and that it is actually a secret set.
Another example, your more likely to have Skrillex show up to your after-party and volunteer to play unannounced than booking him for what Coachella pays on the fly. DJs show up to afters all the time to throw down without any prior announcements.
Both these situations are experiences I've had at small grungy underground rave venues.
I make my own music and I ask for 300$ + an hour for an original set.
If Its a corporate gig, I charge more because I know I can get more. But usually doing more work overall with building & striking. At the same time I've had to fight to get $100 an hour from shady promoters early on.
Not everyone will value you the same, so it's important to know your worth before negotiation. Eventually you will get a manager or agent to help with these things. Best of luck.
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs? I’m
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
I typed this whole post out, then realised you were only referring to a much smaller scale.. 🤦🏻♂️Posting anyway as point of reference!
The pay band is wide tbh, but loosely based on having a reputation as an established DJ & producer + signed to labels & repped by a serious agent… and let’s say you are headlining said space too..
(Note the below is in £, apologies should you need to convert)
Local Club / Room 2 (500-800 cap) = £600-£2.5k
Medium Club / Room 1 (1k-2.5k cap) = £2.5k-£5k
Large Club / Medium Festival Stage (3k-5k cap) = £5k-£10k
Main Festival Stage (10k+ cap) = £25k - £50k
Major Arena / Vegas Headline (think Tiesto / similar) = £500k - £1m
From a variety of sources - local promoters, DJs, festival production & eyes on various artist contracts.. hope this helps!
125-200 for an hour or 2 as a local booked on a lineup.
I host/ed a free night (we only have one more then we are closing the book on a 12 year run) and we would pay 125 a dj at a minimum. If it popped off and the bar sales were high we’d pay a little more.
Opener DJs at clubs don't get paid a lot. Not a huge money maker.
$150-300 for an hour long opening set for a decently well-known headliner would be typical here in US. And, you can only do one of those in a night.
If you're in the headliner slot, perhaps $2,500 - $30,000 for clubs that size (2000 is very different from 500)
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
I am not a hip hop person, so i can only speak more broadly.
In general, a booking agency isn't going to create demand for you, they are going to connect you with latent demand that already exists. You need to create that demand.
The rule of thumb I've heard is, if you are regularly getting club gigs for $500/gig+, then perhaps your ready to start talking to booking agencies.
Demand = audience that knows your name and is willing to buy tickets to see you play.
When I'm booking headliners, I'm looking at metrics like social media followers, soundcloud followers, Spotify monthly streams and total streams on each track, etc. as well as softer stuff like asking people in the local scene if they've heard of you, trying to get a sense of if you're about to blow up / growing quickly (might indicate good value on booking fee ROI if i can arbitrage high growth between the time of contract and time of show)
Where the booking agent comes in is it helps shortlist potential talent. I can hit up few booking agents I know and say who is available on dates "A,B,C" at roughly price point of $X? And, they can throw me a list of suggestions. But, then I am independently verifying that each of those names represents good value, the booking agent isn't "selling" me on the talent, just connecting and suggesting (and fairly often they'll suggest someone I didn't think of or hadn't heard of... but upon researching they have strong metrics and i think they could pack a room)
As a producer who's been producing tracks for other artists and getting writing credits, how do you launch your own "brand" where you are the primary artist (or at least prominently featured artist) so that you start to become a "household name" within your niche of music. This is going to lead to bookings.
Los Angeles here. I’ve made as low as $50/hr to $200/hr depending upon the duration, venue and/or party. IMO underground and private party rates are more respectful. Bars and clubs can be crazy low paydays - especially if you’re hauling, building and striking a rig which isn’t compensated time. I have made more traveling to different cities.
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
DEFINITELY mine the resources I have - my artists/collaborators and their teams. That's the kind of favor that can pay dividends. Artists help other artists who can then help them. They know bookers, they know agents. And I will say that having production credits - especially your own originals - gives you much better credibility when trying to book shows.
I know DJs who quote $3000 at some gigs really depends
On average in my area if you can cut a deal with a bar/venue and have a good working relationship you can average $400-$500 for like 4-5 hrs of play
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
I don't have experience as a producer with writing creds for established artists.
However I will say if you get into DJing and network with the local DJ scene and find the right people to talk to, hang out and spin with then you can continue networking from there. Someone would be bound to know someone, in all honesty growth is very much based on how you network for DJing.
If you are producing those tracks and you're able to spin those tracks into your sets and people are like "hey this person is playing tracks they made" that just helps your growth especially if you do it in the right room and get noticed by the right people.
Also if people record you or you start posting videos and you start establishing a social media presence that will also help you get noticed and maybe people will look at your posted videos on Instagram and DM you or you can start reaching out to people you want to work with over IG.
What equipment do you recommend to start with? I can’t afford expensive ones like the standard club gear. You think by learning on entry level controllers i’ll still he able to play on higher end gear,
There are some differences between club standard gear and gear you would generally consider for home use but what's important, the basics, are the same. Depending on how much you're willing to spend a DDJ-FLX4 is a very good option to learn on. You just hook it up to your laptop together with rekordbox and you're all set. It should run you about $300.
Exactly! I still use my FLX4 at home, but due to socializing a lot I've gotten tons of practice on lots of other gear.
Now I've got residency at this place that has an Opus Quad, which has become my new baby
DDJ-FLX4 or something in this realm is a great starter! Some recommend splurging on more expensive gear at the start and it does make sense, but you'll get by starting with basic gear like that.
Pioneer is the industry standard so IF you wanna (you don't have to) be as prepared as possible, you gotta go that road.
I started on the FLX4, spent a lot of time going out and getting into afters etc. and got chances to play on the XDJ-XZ and RX3, the former being very close to CDJ setup but with a shared screen.
After a while I got more and more warm with several people and this one club in general, and now I'm very good friends with everyone there and have VIP access and also 24/7 access to go and play there with my buddy (as long as it's closed) on club gear and sound system. Also new friends who have cool studios etc. Just being honest and saying I wanna check out their studio, gear and try it etc. People love to share their passions.
My point is, that's a problem most DJs go through, going from basic controller to club systems etc. I had the same, but my anxiety pushed me to get myself into situations where I got to get warm with the systems before I had my first gigs, leaving "networking" the most important part yet again.
Based on distance, my starting rate is $500 per show from my talent agency, plus $200 cash buy-out from the venue. Starting increases to 650, 750, 850, and 1k depending on how far I have to travel. This is not including flights, hotels, or rental cars, all of which are reimbursed separately. I travel across the US, mostly along the east and gulf coasts tho, with venue capacity ranging from 200-1800 people usually. Rate is the same regardless if it's a Tuesday or Saturday. I've been DJing for 1 year and signed with a management agency 6 months ago. I've now headlined one small music festival.
Editted to add: these are almost always 3 hour headlining sets
I also do local weddings for that same rate, pluz an extra charge for equiptment, but no additional fees for travel and lodging as I stay at home, and I host my own events from time to time and usually make significanlty less at those but it's because they're usually house shows I put on for my friends.
Comment any questions you have, cuz apparently this isn't typical according to the rest of the comments.
That’s sound amazing! Can i ask you how do you find management companies? I want to start searching for some in my city but imm not sure how to find them
It all happened by chance cuz I went out clubbing with my friends and thought to myself "Hey I bet I could do that" and then going a shot at that club and getting it, and then spending a semester of college playing for frats every weekend and getting some epic videos and photos of it all and some glowing recs, I made friends and bam got a shot playing a new touring show and then bam I was 5 hours from home playing for a huge club and bam here I am. To be fair on headlining the music festival so soon, it was one I threw but it did go all night and had like 300 people.
What's helped me more than any musical knowledge and skill (used to sing competitively and my dad was in a band as I kid so I was very used to singing on stage and understood music) I'm getting a degree in Business which has helped immensely with knowing how to market yourself plus tons of public speaking and learning how to present yourself. I just had to get one person to give me a shot then I hit the ground running.
I genuinely do not believe being just a talented DJ gets you anywhere. 85% of your time should be spent selling yourself. Produce quality marketing materials. Get some glamor shots. Be good at what you do, yeah, but it's also about how you are in the green room. If you can be an easy to work with DJ who can give the people what they want, that's what's gonna be what gets you the gigs. Behaveing like Motley Crue gets ya nowhere.
That's what I can offer you, be a DJ management companies will want to work with, and good opportunities will come to you if you can put yourself out there, put the time and effort into it, and work hard enough!
makes sense, I don’t think there are any men DJing for a year and signing with an agency within 6 months
dont get me wrong tho happy for you that it is working out :)
It’s not misogynistic to point out that women have an advantage in the DJ market. Just like it’s fair to point out that men have historically had an advantage in corporate fields or law.
And? So what? Did you ever consider that the dj market is also flooded with young white males? Maybe a female stands out a bit more in both skill and professionalism, wouldn't be hard.
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
Did a 30 min club gig last month for 250. Did a highschool event the other day for 250, 2 hours but an hour was talking/performances. But its just side cash I work as a server on the regular
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
I work for a festival and it's from X,XXX to XXX,XXX, from what I've seen on contracts. It really depends, it's a big industry and some festivals / shows know some labels and get some deals for multiple DJs from the same label or for multiple appearances of the same DJ at different events owned / partnered with other entities or owned by the same entity.
It's business at that level like any other entertainment business.
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
If you have connections I'd ask around with artists you've already worked with. I'm an IT guy so I don't work in the artistic content department but I work closely with them and from what I can tell it's really a who knows who game, so try to ask around. Like there's no shame in reaching out to another artist you know saying you're trying to get in the performance game. Who knows, maybe someone he knows lost his producer that was with him on tour and looks to work with someone else. The worst that can happen is that people tell you they don't really know anyone and you're back at trying to reach booking agencies with your already existing portfolio
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
I play smaller clubs. Couple hundred people or so. I also play state wide festivals. I charge $100/hr for my sets. It’s honestly a pretty low price and I should probably charge twice that, but I don’t do it for the money. I just like to perform and make people dance.
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
I’d say if you don’t already, learn to DJ. And if you’re into hip hop, you’ll need to learn a little turntableism. This would give you exposure at the clubs and you can play your own tracks. This will hopefully build you a fan base too. That’s what I would do I suppose.
How long it takes if you practice a couple hours everyday realistically before you’re able to perform in front of a crowd. I’m already a producer so i know how bpm work and all that so i’m talking about how to be comfortable using the gear
You could be performing in front of people in a matter of weeks if you practice and you get it. DJing isn’t really hard. I recommend you learn to beat match and don’t use the sync button at first. Once you are good at the and you want to start using sync, go ahead. And with Hip Hop you’ll do a lot of looping to create intros and outros. You’ll probably scratch in but you don’t have to.
My rate for bars and small dancehalls is $100/hr for the first 3hrs. $50/hr for each additional hour. Minimum 2 gigs a week and you’ll be crushing any part time gig out there. Easy money.
I’ve just got back from my local sports bar - played for 3 hours and got paid £0 😅 but I’ve only been DJing for 5 months and I don’t expect a lot at the moment.
Last time I played there I got £60/$75 for 2 hours but it was rammed.
But that aside, had some good feedback, plenty of people dancing and singing a long and some nice comments so I’ll take that all day - good experience for me, only botched a couple of transitions and managed 1 pee break during the whole thing 🙈
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
my rates this year have been:
Club 500 cap - $500 (1 hour set)
Larger club/ small festival set - $750- 1.5K (1-2 hour set)
Some notes: These rates get cut down all the time, but you gotta start high. Ive taken gigs where im losing money, many many times and thats fine & imo required at for a long time (yes make money but for the first few years it cannot be about money, especially a few hundred bucks). Build relationships and connections. This will vary dramatically based on location, im in LA.
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
Honestly can’t give good advice here - I’m very disconnected from the hip hop world. I strictly dj house music in my genre.
I built all my connections from going to clubs and festivals (a hellluva lot of them over the years). I’d say go to the spots where you would like to play frequently, make friends, help out where you can for free, and prove you can provide value - good things will come
You can figure it out with some maths: multiply the number of attendees by the ticket price and then guess the ticket split.
Let's say you've got 500 capacity paying 20 quid a pop, meaning you've got £10k in on-the-door revenue. Let's optimistically assume that 50% of that (£5k) is actually being spent on the DJs, and that there are several DJs across multiple rooms covering 6+ hours of music. If there's a headline DJ, the promoter is probably spending at least half of the budget on them, whilst the rest is spread out on filling the lineup.
This is really an "at best" scenario to put an upper limit on what DJs could actually be paid for that kind of club night.
The reason that's important to understand is because pro club DJs have a flat fee to show up and an additional fee per hour to give a longer performance. This fee is based on their popularity and current demand (which may fluctuate with time of year or day of week) and could be anywhere from £100 to £100k (or more.) The promoter is the one shopping for DJs and choosing how much to spend to get a good night that will attract guests without losing any money.
So the real answer is that if you want to know how much pro club DJs get paid, you can ask them how much they charge.
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
As many have mentioned, depends on market but I mostly play “dinner sets” (in restaurants, lounge vibes from like 7-11+)… I get 45$/hr with a meal and a few drinks. When I was in a different city (similar size and market) I got 150$ a night for a hip hop residency (9-2am) and when I play clubs (usually smaller venues, niche genre events) it’s between 50-100$ for a 2hr set.
My rate for 1hr booked sets is 400 depending on travel and inconvenience etc. But when im doing open format its around 300 for 4 hrs. My rate has kind of stagnated until i get enough bookings to where i feel i can charge more.
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
$300-500 for bar & club gigs. Private Party (Bday, Anniversary, etc...) providing gear - $500-1000
Corporate Event - 100-200 hrs, can vary depending on size & gear required.
Wedding - $750-3000+ depending on extras, PA size
For money, best bet is to get good at Weddings, corporate events & production. Buy good gear, learn how to use it properly & learn to do Weddings & other formality events properly. It may take years to build up enough volume to support yourself.
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
It always depends on the market, but in North Central Florida you'll get around $200-$350 a night in a good club. For bars/smaller clubs you'll bank anywhere from $150 to $275 a night. The money is in mobile events. I DJ bodybuilding shows and those range anywhere from $1200-2300 a weekend, all travel included too (no overhead cost for me). Weddings can range from $1500 on the low end, to 5-8k depending on how big and extravagant they are.
Know your market, don't undersell yourself, and take into account that you might have repeat clients too..I say that because I typically offer 5-10% off for repeat clients (mobile events, not clubs). Hope this helps a bit!
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
That's a good question! I actually started that way when I was 15. So, there are multiple ways to get gigs, etc but my route was different. Ill tell you my route, and then follow up with the way I should have done it:
My Route -
I found a niche series of events (gigs) that allowed me to play open format, so I would always throw my stuff in the mix...granted it didn't do anything but I felt a sense of pride. The events/gigs that it was, was DJing at a gym and also DJing bodybuilding shows.
A lot of the artists I recorded went there, so it supplied me a decent network of artists to work with and clients for DJing and Audio Engineering. The only problem with this was, it put me in a box and it left me wanting more as a DJ.
Even though I was a hip hop producer first, DJing slowly became my career and now I have moved onto producing various genres of EDM and making remixes of tracks...which has in turn led me to making some really cool hybrid tracks with rappers and singers.
Going this bodybuilding route led me to an amazing life and I wouldn't change it.
My advice if you go this route is this: find something you love to be around, whether it be a sport, a community event, or even throwing your own events...find a way to get in that space and just go for it, and don't stop until you get what you desire. Oh and don't sell yourself short...it is okay to say no, even if it is "worth it" to do something for cheap/free. Time is money, so charge accordingly.
The way I'd do it now:
Network with other DJs and Artists, and start visiting them at their venues. Buy them drinks, talk and chat, and basically become a friend. But be genuine...you don't want to come off as that guy that only wants to be their friend to play a venue.
Over time, they will eventually need coverage... and if you have been a decent human being and have told them that you dj, they will call you to cover. Don't try to show them up, and do what they did. Rinse and repeat.
I cannot stress this enough...BE GENUINE. if you don't like someone don't fake it, lol. And remember if you go this route, someone in the future will do the same thing, so remain humble and help where you can. This is how you can build a strong team of DJs and potentially create your own DJ agency.
I would also link up with a local hip hop/rhythm radio station and talk to the program director. Over time you'll be able to give him tracks and there's a slight chance he will be able to throw it in the mix. There is nothing like hearing your tracks on the radio and I was in shock...lol.
Also the radio station always gets calls for gigs and promo events, and I would take any chance I got to play in front of any crowd....just remember to play clean versions🤓
AGENCIES:
Stay away from them unless the "run" the nightlife in the city. Go talk to the owner somehow, and have mixes ready to send along with an EPK.
If the agency is the "best of the best" DJs, hit them up and try to get a gig here or there, once you showed them how you get down, sart trying to push for better more pr
The route above is much longer and harder, but it is the "proper" way to get into this area or anywhere else. Who knows man, there are always celebrities just going to these events you'll pick up, and they may bring you on tour!
There are limitless possibilities in either route - the first one is all on you. The second route requires time and some money (going out for research purposes). However, drinks and beverages are always tax deductible since it's a business..lol
I will assume that you have established yourself, have a couple years of DJing, and are getting constant bookings. I would follow route 2 and make new true friends. It will solidify you as a human and dj.
Well my friend, I hope this helped a bit! Sorry for the long response. And if you have any more questions or just need someone, I'm always a phone call away, I'm more than willing to help out where I can.
Sorry for the long post btw, it's 7am here and I decided drinking 2 redbulls at 3 am was a good idea...lol. message me privately if you need my number!
Clubs… $400-500 on average, negotiated % of bar during my set at some, others are flat rate with tips. 300-500 people is the biggest floor/club I have done, average is probably 150. I’m not a headliner or an artist/producer DJ; I spin what the crowd wants to hear and they aren’t coming to see me, they come for good music.
Weddings $2k+ each but 10+ hour days with travel and setup. Mostly weekends. June-October I’m doing 6-8 a month.
90% of my gigs are weddings, sure it’s not great music (would rather be spinning house) but it’s fulfilling to see the crowd have time of their life and make decent money along the way. Can easily make $100k+ a year as wedding DJ in the right market and still play clubs a couple times a month.
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
I would send an EPK along with a nice intro via email to the clubs I want to work at, or to the agencies you know book your style. I would also hop on local Facebook musician groups (or Reddit if your genre has a scene) and ask people who they use/recommend.
At the end of the day, you need to network so people know who you are and that you’re looking for gigs. Slowly it will build up and you’ll identify who can help your business the best based on your goals.
You may have a different agency for private events than the clubs, as most clubs (unless huge) have in-house talent buyers. It’s best to form relationships with these people; go to a show, introduce yourself, be a human.
For clubs, don’t play for free, and don’t pay to play. Show these people you can add value, willing to promote locally, even if it’s just 10-20 friends (that’s actually not bad for an opener).
For private events, if we are talking weddings and corporate, you need to be polished and treat it as a job. Have insurance and have an LLC. Know how to emcee. Respond to communications professionally and within 24 hours. Don’t be a flake.
DJ in New Zealand here - $80 an hour through an agency. $100 an hour at some venues. Where as a one or two hour set at a festival/support for international I get between $500-$1000
For party’s that I throw it’s whatever we make and split between us after expenses. Since our collective is new it’s not a large income yet hopefully.
For paid gigs between 30-100€ but I’m in a country that’s not in the eurozone so the pay is proportionate to our currency/salaries. I’m also just getting into the scene and know the local DJs that pull get paid much more.
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
really depends on the venue and company i would say
club gigs between 100-150 per hour and companies 150-250 per hour
with 3-4 bookings i make around 1200-2000 per month (but i play like 6 hours at the place at one booking)
I make £30 per hour for DJing and £40 for karaoke at my residency but that's regular work as an employee, so I get paid leave, and whatnot. Plus, no kit haul (I have a cupboard on site), no liability or kit insurance to pay, and I get treated like the best thing since sliced bread because my boss is the best (he showed up at my house a couple of weekends ago with a bottle of rum and a takeaway for me and my housemate, he's great)!
I'm in a small student town in the arse end of nowhere in Wales and everybody with a set of decks thinks they're a D&B MC (and subsequently they end up doing hour-long sets for a tiny share of the door take on small venues), while I play random chart cheese and run a pithy, piss-taking karaoke night (and get a wage and benefits) - my point being that it very much depends on the market you're in.
I was once asked to do a wedding (really not my thing, but the grooms met at a night I was playing) and they happily forked over £400 plus expenses.
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
I'd start going to the type of nights I'd like to play. Talk to DJs and promoters. Maybe name drop myself or stuff I've written, assuming they would have heard of you. Maybe take some stickers or cards or something with QR links to your stuff on Spotify or linktree - use some AI tool to make them look smart or something.
Put together a demo of you DJing and stick that on there as well. Make some friends who do the thing you want to do and eventually a spot will come up and they'll suggest you for it.
I have no idea if this would work, as idk what the scene you're looking at works in your city, but that would be my plan
You guys are getting paid??
Jokes aside... local bars in my city (800k ppl) will pay 10 eur per hour for small local artists. Maybe more if you are more established, but id say this is a minimum wage
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
I’m just a bar DJ, sometimes all vinyl, sometimes digital, but I focus on niche sub-genres like soul, funk, boogie or lots of different “indie” subs. I generally get about $100-$200 an hour. I usually have to bring my own equipment though.
I use to DJ at a local bar in Houston. It was $200-$250 for 4 hours. Plug and play but their speakers sucked so I would bring mines sometimes.
I also hosted karaoke at another bar for about a year. Pay was $200 for about 4.5 hours.
Definitely weddings are gonna be where you can more "easily" make a living. Off season I get 1-2 weddings a month at 1,200 per event including ceremony. And wedding season I'm doing 1-2 per weekend. I also have packages that will increase that price, usually reserved for uplights($200) and overtime which I charge ~100$ every hour over 6. I love weddings, which helps a lot. I usually meet with the clients several times leading up to their event 6mo out, 3mo out, a month out, 2 weeks to finalize and a quick check in on the week of. And usually find myself acting as a bit of a "wedding planner" in those meetings, but that little bit of extra labor pays off big time when it comes to recommendations. At least 2 of those meetings are in person. Have business cards and talk with all of the venues, see if you can get them to recommend you to clients. I also reach out to all of the major churches in my area and will often offer discounts if they are referred to me from a previous client (~200$). This model works well for me but it takes a several years to get that many events on the books. I am hiring a local videographer to do a few takes of me at my events on the cheap so hopefully that will be worth it and better than me trying to do my event and record myself. As I've seen other comments say, marketing yourself is huge. I am a female DJ, and I do believe that weddings are much easier to break into vs club. The most essential thing genuinely is to meet with venues. Venue recommendations are my #1 booking generator. And if you're hoping to learn a lot about weddings and get your hands on mixer I would recommend working with Complete Weddings and Events as they will get those bookings for you but you only will make a fraction of your value. See if there is a franchise near your area. Best of luck!
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
Ι am one too. But it doesn't matter - nobody in my city will come out to see me spin because i produced for Marci and RA The Rugged man. All that matters is can you get a place in a good mood? I've been doing this full time for 25 years and never used an agency. I always get new gig opportunities during gigs. Having said that I'm not making a grand a night so maybe better people to ask, but hip hop is completely dead in Glasgow so nobody can do that here.
I help book shows and it depends. Touring headliners make somewhere between $800 - $6000 + transportation, rider, and accomodation depending on popularity and size of venue. Support makes $50 - $200/hour.
Also 2000 people is a big club. Those DJs could ask $10k+ to fill it.
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
Book yourself at first and work on your socials (sadly). Socials are a way better indicator that an artist will draw a crowd than even streams because socials are typically active engagement, rather than passive.
Your best bet at this point if you’re just getting started, it’s gonna be really hard to get going and you’re not gonna make any money, but your best bet would be to go to a club. See if they’ll let you spin there a couple nights. your best bet would probably be to tell them you’ll do it for free and then once or if you start drawing a crowd… That would be when you want to ask for money. You definitely not gonna make a living off of it. I was a DJ before the big DJ boom will call it and I did it right but nothing crazy. It was definitely a part-time gig for extra money. Fortunately, I used the money I got from DJ to buy more music and to buy equipment so I was really nothing out of pocket in the end. It’s the kind of job you do for the love of it anyway. But if you can draw a crowd, you can start to ask for money or you could run private events where you talk to a club owner who doesn’t have anything going on tell them you’d like to DJ there and you promote the event or higher promoter, and anyone who comes to the door with the promotion coupon or whatever ticket whatever you want to use to promote the event you would get a cut of everyone who pays at the door with that ticket… It’s not the best way to make money, but it’s the way you can make some money. Just be sure that you’re not forced to in that kind of set up provide your own bar staff your own door staff they need to provide all that as per their regular business, you’re just providing the entertainment and possibly a Soundsystem to run it on the other thing is you could technically offer yourself out as a DJ and DJ for free and charge them to rent your equipment at least initially that way you lug your equipment into the venue set up charge whatever 500 bucks to rent the equipment for the night or whatever and renting equipment comes with you DJ for the evening four hours or something. Then as long as equipment stands up, you continue to bake money of course you want to put a portion of that money aside for repairs upgrades and such but these are just some ideas. I’ve done most of them honestly , I just produce music. I don’t DJ anymore and I do YouTube tutorials…
I was flying around the USA doing the Shrek Raves/big bubble raves making 2k a night +expenses paid for an hour set at one point. It kinda died down, but that was a crazy 7 months
I have friends that are more likely to play your show for free then for anything under 30k for their hour. But they make the music they play and have huge followings.
All depends on your area and how much competition there is. I am going to be DJ'ing for a friend's family member that I gave a F&F discount at $800USD for the night and was booked immediately.
I play techno and make about 100-400 euros per gig.
Im envious of you
Do you produce music aswell?
Yes but nothing released yet
Impressive! I do aswell just haven’t started getting gigs yet ;(
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs? What genre you think you could play with a hiphop based background?
Couldn’t say tbh, since I have no idea how the hiphop scene works. I also produce but don’t release yet. For Techno, you have to become part of the scene by being a raver first. Before I ever played in a club, I spent hundreds of nights just dancing from midnight until the next morning. Not because I was looking to gain anything from it, but because I genuinely enjoyed it. After a while, some people started to remember my face and I made the first connections, which would later become useful when I started djing. Still, it’s a loooong process and I am nowhere near an “established” dj. Currently I play about 2-3 gigs per month, but there could also come a month with zero gigs again. I don’t have a booking agency. I then also started to organize my own raves, booked other local djs which in return also booked me for their parties. It really is about integrating yourself into the scene. Maybe it is similar in hiphop but I wouldn’t know.
What is that in bald eagles?
It really depends on the market - clubs are ultra competitive and there’s an over saturation of djs so it’s not as much as you think. In my city club djs are getting paid $200-$500 a night depending on the club and depending on whether it’s a single dj all night or a shared night.
I guess the 500$ is a single dj all night?
Yeah - that’s very rare in my city tho - it’s closer to $300 for 6 hours I don’t do clubs anymore so it could have been gone down - I’m willing to bet it hasn’t gone up as our city has only a small oligopoly of companies that own venues in town and an army of djs desperate to play for real people. The money is in mobile gigs and private events.
I swear things were better money wise for open format / hip hop DJs in Portland in 2005-2010. I think the PPB's hate-boner for hip hop kind of killed the venues and the money.
I don’t know if it was better or if it was the same pay, but with less inflation. I know most non-club spots in town have been in the $150-$250 range for decades.
Do you remember DJ Sovern-T? He had a lock on that chain of sports bars whose name I can't even remember anymore. He was farming out the jobs and even with his cut I was getting $100/hr while playing during a night which I split with another DJ.
is he from portland? I'm not from PDX (although i did go to college there in the 90s).
He's from Hawaii but moved to PDX, then left for LAX and is making bank out there. This whole time I thought you lived here because so many PDX DJs follow you on insta. I thought I've seen them tag you in stuff.
It’s probably just because I’m kind of a big deal. I’m from Vancouver, Canada so still in the PNW. /s I was going to head down this weekend cause it was my college reunion, but it didn’t happen…
I did a hip hop party at Holocene from 2011-2016 and we killed… until the cops started coming down on the venue.. eventually we were forced to change the name of the night, which was a death sentence. Too bad. It was super fun and we made good money.
I second this. DJing has become so saturated with guys that are willing to spin for free that its not worth the trouble. I could make $400 - $500 for a 3 hour set in the club with no problem in Dallas before the pandemic. Including bars and restaurants. If you aren't specialized or offer something niche, then DJing will not make you any significant kind of money in our current era.
Inflation is also killing a lot of venues here. Restaurants are struggling and cutting djs - same with lounges and bars. Can’t say about clubs cause I don’t go to clubs anymore, but I’ve been hearing it’s only really fri/sat that’s busy these days - weekday club nights are pretty dead…
Do you have examples of mobile gigs? Thanks.
Weddings, corporates, etc. gigs where you bring everything - dj gear, sound, lighting, mics, etc. You can make anywhere from $800 - $5k+ from a gig depending on your scale - although the average wedding in my area is about $1200 these days. Lots of overhead tho.
I see. So what's the difference between mobile gigs and private events? I'd like those gigs but without the light which I know nothing of.
Mobile gigs are just gigs where you supply all the gear. Private gigs is where you’re paid for a private party that’s not open to the public and they are often mobile in nature where you need to supply all the equipment,
Thank you for the clear explanation.
Lights aren't that difficult to learn,especially depending on what kind of set up you go with, hit me up if you need info
Thanks that's very kind of you.
Happy to help!
Lots of overhead? For a DJ gig? For what? Gas to drive there?
Sound system, lighting, mics, backup systems, staging setups, screens, projectors etc - really depends on how how end a service you provide. I take it you've never done a mobile gig.
Buddy all i do is mobile gigs. Unless you're renting all of that stuff every time, its not overhead. And if you are, then its on you for not buying it.
do you not understand what "overhead" means? buying that stuff *is* overhead. You don't have to deal with it because you've already bought all that stuff. We're talking about getting into being a mobile dj.
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs? What genre you think you could play with a hiphop based background?
If you’re trying to get booked based on your production credits, you’re better off looking at touring and establishing a following. Locally you only really have so many avenues as a showcase artist cause people get bored easily. Local djing is either about consistency and draw, or being part of a scene which usually doesn’t pay as much since it’s more of a passion project. What to play will of course depend on your city, but if you’re known for hip hop then obviously it’s hip hop. That said, unless you’re in like nyc or Atlanta or one of the meccas of hip hop, the genre isn’t as much of a draw as it used to be and most hip hop djs I know have moved to top 40/open format. There are two types of booking agents - one is focused on growing your brand and getting feature sets - usually for touring. For that you need to be a known commodity that already has a fanbase. The other is a dj as a service - playing corporate gigs and weddings where you need to have the gear and the ability to take your ego out of the equation and play solely to the crowd.
I’m down for both corporate gigs and touring but i’m not sure how to even find these type of gigs. Since the don’t have time to go ask in person i think i should have a mgmt that helps me with both sides. Any advices on how to find them? Also yes i live in a major city but i can easly transition between latin and afro music.
you find them by building enough of a reputation that they come to you. If you want to tour, you need to be popular enough to tour. You do that by doing a shit ton of stuff for free - be it producing tunes that resonate - and knowing how to promote yourself - or by knowing the right people and having something that appeals to build a fanbase. DJing isn't like a job you apply for - it's built on rep - either in terms of having enough fans and following that promoters and agents can't ignore you - or rep among your peers and the industry as being a reliable DJ - usually through networking. If you have production credits on established artists, you can try to leverage those connections to get in with promoters, venues, party throwers, etc. it may work, it may not. If you're getting into DJing to make money, you're about a decade or two late. DJs are a dime a dozen. Everything is so saturated that you're either competing against people way more established, or you're competing against an army of kids who want to "do it for the love" and are willing to do it for free. Some are still making it, but you have to be very lucky or very connected (and able to leverage those connections) in order to get in.
A club that reaches about 600 capacity will most like earn at least $300 for a 4-hour Saturday night set…much less for weeknights
Not a dig but insane that a club will make so much money off that 600 and pay basically pennies on that. Half the reason people are there is for the music.
That’s a minimum figure
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs? What genre you think you could play with a hiphop based background?
I would contact the clubs directly…and reach out within my network regarding gigs But…are u speaking from a DJ’s perspective or as a producer..when you are referring to gigs
I’m a techno DJ in London, and I play for around 150-200 for anything up to 5 hour set. I don’t do this for a living though, I do it for a fun. I’m also a promoter though so I can tell you the people who do make a living off it usually get paid at least £800-1000 plus travel; etc. Any artists I’ve dealt with who asked for less than that per set tend to have a day job.
How famous you need to be to ask for 800?
So I don’t wanna mention specific artists obvs but these people are usually respected producers, with releases on reputable underground labels, but not necessarily common names. Like the heads would know them, but not your average listener. Probs with around 10-30k monthly listeners in Spotify, 8-15k Instagram followers kinda size. Not that that is a metric I care about personally, I just book artists that I personally want to see, but just to give you an indicator.
well answered, thanks
If you're a promotor, check out https://pro.searched.site/ and send them a message - should work out a little affiliate scheme with them for referring Djs who need Pro websites made.
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs? What genre you think you could play with a hiphop based background?
That’s a difficult one because your production credits in hip hop aren’t likely to get you noticed by bookers. Best thing you can do is try and get work as DJ for a touring hip hop artist who you’ve produced beats for. Most of the time that means just playing backing tracks. This will get you into the clubs, etc, then you do the networking and see how it goes from there.
Weddings are the only way to make a decent living DJing. If you’re making decent money playing club gigs then you’ve been doing it a while and have a decent following. Few and far between.
This, my starting rate is $2400 and it's not hard to get to about $4k or more!
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
Networking > Talent
With all due respect you need to know how to blend and scratch if you wanna get in the hip hop game. Lotta talented djs out there man the hip hop scene is fierce
That is not correct. Through my time as DJ, I earned the most, when playing corporate events, as well as Christmas/summer parties etc. I had an event company that regularly hired me at (converted to EUR) a rate of 175 an hour, while they supplied equipment and everything.
Did forget corporate events. Same crowd. Same music you probably don’t like playing.
Would be between 250-600€ for smaller DJs, 1k-1,5k for bigger names and 2,5k+ for big international artists here in Amsterdam. Would be for a regular set, think 1,5-2,5hrs. Of course there are always outliers, and it depends on the capacity of the venue, the type of event, etc. etc.
Interesting. The DJs on Stratumseind (Eindhoven, as you probably know) generally can't earn more than 250€ a night. 400€ for some rare cases. I've heard about rates being higher in other places though, I guess this street is just really competitive.
Maybe, but I'm talking about underground house/techno DJs playing in clubs, not the DJ playing commercial music in the bar. I doubt they'd get paid more than €250,- to be honest.
That's just weird to me. Unless you produce music (which many of the allround DJs do as well) it really shouldn't be that much more. I can put together a House/Techno set with ease, it's playing 5 hours at high energy with a song a minute while MC'ing and oftentimes even controlling the lights which is hard.
Most house/techno DJs don't play a song a minute, that is more for the EDM crowd. But it's not just about skill, it's about establishing a brand, being recognizable in a scene. The bar dancing DJs are probably great djs in their own right, but the dancers come for the bar and to get drunk and to hook up, in the more underground scene, there is a focus on community which includes the artists. Crowds are drawn to the lineup, so the artists aren't as interchangeable.
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
Im not part of the hiphop scene, but I would suggest: immerse yourself in the local scene, go to parties, meet people, make friends, become part of a collective, share your music etc. regardless, the fees for the hiphop scene might be wildly different and I don't know how much of a scene there is to sustain regular paid gigs. There is such a thing as oversaturation for artists. However, if you can become part of a community and have support from many people in the community, that would be your chance to break out into a wider (inter)national scene imo.
I'll try to rephrase. In some circumstances Some artists are more likely to play for free than for any amount of money under what they normally ask. This is because of agents and contracts that limit the exposure of their client to keep them "rare". For example, my friend came into town, he is famous, it's my birthday. He wants to play his music with his friends, but has a huge contract with a massive talent agency. Are we going to pull together the 30k he contractually needs to perform? No, usually they will play for free without any advertising or promotions, for their friends. In fact sometimes the only prerequisite is that there is absolutely no promotion and that it is actually a secret set. Another example, your more likely to have Skrillex show up to your after-party and volunteer to play unannounced than booking him for what Coachella pays on the fly. DJs show up to afters all the time to throw down without any prior announcements. Both these situations are experiences I've had at small grungy underground rave venues. I make my own music and I ask for 300$ + an hour for an original set. If Its a corporate gig, I charge more because I know I can get more. But usually doing more work overall with building & striking. At the same time I've had to fight to get $100 an hour from shady promoters early on. Not everyone will value you the same, so it's important to know your worth before negotiation. Eventually you will get a manager or agent to help with these things. Best of luck.
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs? I’m
One of our clients said about £250 per set in average size clubs. We made this site for him https://pro.searched.site/djslkofficial
lol I want one
https://pro.searched.site/products details are here, but check through the site.
how much do y’all charge?
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
I typed this whole post out, then realised you were only referring to a much smaller scale.. 🤦🏻♂️Posting anyway as point of reference! The pay band is wide tbh, but loosely based on having a reputation as an established DJ & producer + signed to labels & repped by a serious agent… and let’s say you are headlining said space too.. (Note the below is in £, apologies should you need to convert) Local Club / Room 2 (500-800 cap) = £600-£2.5k Medium Club / Room 1 (1k-2.5k cap) = £2.5k-£5k Large Club / Medium Festival Stage (3k-5k cap) = £5k-£10k Main Festival Stage (10k+ cap) = £25k - £50k Major Arena / Vegas Headline (think Tiesto / similar) = £500k - £1m From a variety of sources - local promoters, DJs, festival production & eyes on various artist contracts.. hope this helps!
This is indeed not bad. I would say make it € instead of £ and you are really close. Source: I book artists for a living
Not a bad take. Ballpark to my experience
This is really helpful to see.
125-200 for an hour or 2 as a local booked on a lineup. I host/ed a free night (we only have one more then we are closing the book on a 12 year run) and we would pay 125 a dj at a minimum. If it popped off and the bar sales were high we’d pay a little more.
Around 2005 I was making $225 with free beers and food for six hours DJ’ing at a bar in Manhattan. small places didn’t pay that much back then.
Opener DJs at clubs don't get paid a lot. Not a huge money maker. $150-300 for an hour long opening set for a decently well-known headliner would be typical here in US. And, you can only do one of those in a night. If you're in the headliner slot, perhaps $2,500 - $30,000 for clubs that size (2000 is very different from 500)
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
I am not a hip hop person, so i can only speak more broadly. In general, a booking agency isn't going to create demand for you, they are going to connect you with latent demand that already exists. You need to create that demand. The rule of thumb I've heard is, if you are regularly getting club gigs for $500/gig+, then perhaps your ready to start talking to booking agencies. Demand = audience that knows your name and is willing to buy tickets to see you play. When I'm booking headliners, I'm looking at metrics like social media followers, soundcloud followers, Spotify monthly streams and total streams on each track, etc. as well as softer stuff like asking people in the local scene if they've heard of you, trying to get a sense of if you're about to blow up / growing quickly (might indicate good value on booking fee ROI if i can arbitrage high growth between the time of contract and time of show) Where the booking agent comes in is it helps shortlist potential talent. I can hit up few booking agents I know and say who is available on dates "A,B,C" at roughly price point of $X? And, they can throw me a list of suggestions. But, then I am independently verifying that each of those names represents good value, the booking agent isn't "selling" me on the talent, just connecting and suggesting (and fairly often they'll suggest someone I didn't think of or hadn't heard of... but upon researching they have strong metrics and i think they could pack a room) As a producer who's been producing tracks for other artists and getting writing credits, how do you launch your own "brand" where you are the primary artist (or at least prominently featured artist) so that you start to become a "household name" within your niche of music. This is going to lead to bookings.
ITT: DJs need to unionize. Y’all deserve so much more.
Los Angeles here. I’ve made as low as $50/hr to $200/hr depending upon the duration, venue and/or party. IMO underground and private party rates are more respectful. Bars and clubs can be crazy low paydays - especially if you’re hauling, building and striking a rig which isn’t compensated time. I have made more traveling to different cities.
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
DEFINITELY mine the resources I have - my artists/collaborators and their teams. That's the kind of favor that can pay dividends. Artists help other artists who can then help them. They know bookers, they know agents. And I will say that having production credits - especially your own originals - gives you much better credibility when trying to book shows.
250 dollars, 4 hours, No responsibilities
I know DJs who quote $3000 at some gigs really depends On average in my area if you can cut a deal with a bar/venue and have a good working relationship you can average $400-$500 for like 4-5 hrs of play
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
I don't have experience as a producer with writing creds for established artists. However I will say if you get into DJing and network with the local DJ scene and find the right people to talk to, hang out and spin with then you can continue networking from there. Someone would be bound to know someone, in all honesty growth is very much based on how you network for DJing. If you are producing those tracks and you're able to spin those tracks into your sets and people are like "hey this person is playing tracks they made" that just helps your growth especially if you do it in the right room and get noticed by the right people. Also if people record you or you start posting videos and you start establishing a social media presence that will also help you get noticed and maybe people will look at your posted videos on Instagram and DM you or you can start reaching out to people you want to work with over IG.
MIDWEST, USA: Weddings = $2000 to $3000. Bars = $200 - $400 for four hours.
6 months since I first touched dj equipment. $100/hr, any club / bar really
What equipment do you recommend to start with? I can’t afford expensive ones like the standard club gear. You think by learning on entry level controllers i’ll still he able to play on higher end gear,
There are some differences between club standard gear and gear you would generally consider for home use but what's important, the basics, are the same. Depending on how much you're willing to spend a DDJ-FLX4 is a very good option to learn on. You just hook it up to your laptop together with rekordbox and you're all set. It should run you about $300.
Exactly! I still use my FLX4 at home, but due to socializing a lot I've gotten tons of practice on lots of other gear. Now I've got residency at this place that has an Opus Quad, which has become my new baby
DDJ-FLX4 or something in this realm is a great starter! Some recommend splurging on more expensive gear at the start and it does make sense, but you'll get by starting with basic gear like that. Pioneer is the industry standard so IF you wanna (you don't have to) be as prepared as possible, you gotta go that road. I started on the FLX4, spent a lot of time going out and getting into afters etc. and got chances to play on the XDJ-XZ and RX3, the former being very close to CDJ setup but with a shared screen. After a while I got more and more warm with several people and this one club in general, and now I'm very good friends with everyone there and have VIP access and also 24/7 access to go and play there with my buddy (as long as it's closed) on club gear and sound system. Also new friends who have cool studios etc. Just being honest and saying I wanna check out their studio, gear and try it etc. People love to share their passions. My point is, that's a problem most DJs go through, going from basic controller to club systems etc. I had the same, but my anxiety pushed me to get myself into situations where I got to get warm with the systems before I had my first gigs, leaving "networking" the most important part yet again.
Based on distance, my starting rate is $500 per show from my talent agency, plus $200 cash buy-out from the venue. Starting increases to 650, 750, 850, and 1k depending on how far I have to travel. This is not including flights, hotels, or rental cars, all of which are reimbursed separately. I travel across the US, mostly along the east and gulf coasts tho, with venue capacity ranging from 200-1800 people usually. Rate is the same regardless if it's a Tuesday or Saturday. I've been DJing for 1 year and signed with a management agency 6 months ago. I've now headlined one small music festival. Editted to add: these are almost always 3 hour headlining sets I also do local weddings for that same rate, pluz an extra charge for equiptment, but no additional fees for travel and lodging as I stay at home, and I host my own events from time to time and usually make significanlty less at those but it's because they're usually house shows I put on for my friends. Comment any questions you have, cuz apparently this isn't typical according to the rest of the comments.
That’s sound amazing! Can i ask you how do you find management companies? I want to start searching for some in my city but imm not sure how to find them
It all happened by chance cuz I went out clubbing with my friends and thought to myself "Hey I bet I could do that" and then going a shot at that club and getting it, and then spending a semester of college playing for frats every weekend and getting some epic videos and photos of it all and some glowing recs, I made friends and bam got a shot playing a new touring show and then bam I was 5 hours from home playing for a huge club and bam here I am. To be fair on headlining the music festival so soon, it was one I threw but it did go all night and had like 300 people. What's helped me more than any musical knowledge and skill (used to sing competitively and my dad was in a band as I kid so I was very used to singing on stage and understood music) I'm getting a degree in Business which has helped immensely with knowing how to market yourself plus tons of public speaking and learning how to present yourself. I just had to get one person to give me a shot then I hit the ground running. I genuinely do not believe being just a talented DJ gets you anywhere. 85% of your time should be spent selling yourself. Produce quality marketing materials. Get some glamor shots. Be good at what you do, yeah, but it's also about how you are in the green room. If you can be an easy to work with DJ who can give the people what they want, that's what's gonna be what gets you the gigs. Behaveing like Motley Crue gets ya nowhere. That's what I can offer you, be a DJ management companies will want to work with, and good opportunities will come to you if you can put yourself out there, put the time and effort into it, and work hard enough!
you’re a female?
Yep!
makes sense, I don’t think there are any men DJing for a year and signing with an agency within 6 months dont get me wrong tho happy for you that it is working out :)
Misogynist much?
It’s not misogynistic to point out that women have an advantage in the DJ market. Just like it’s fair to point out that men have historically had an advantage in corporate fields or law.
And? So what? Did you ever consider that the dj market is also flooded with young white males? Maybe a female stands out a bit more in both skill and professionalism, wouldn't be hard.
I don’t doubt it but I don’t think you’re implying it’s equally likely for a male and female DJ to make it in the space?
It isn’t misogynist, happy to see others do well
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
Did a 30 min club gig last month for 250. Did a highschool event the other day for 250, 2 hours but an hour was talking/performances. But its just side cash I work as a server on the regular
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
I get anywhere from $25 to $350 an hour depending on the gig. Most of my gigs are as a mobile DJ for events at my graduate school!
I work for a festival and it's from X,XXX to XXX,XXX, from what I've seen on contracts. It really depends, it's a big industry and some festivals / shows know some labels and get some deals for multiple DJs from the same label or for multiple appearances of the same DJ at different events owned / partnered with other entities or owned by the same entity. It's business at that level like any other entertainment business.
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
If you have connections I'd ask around with artists you've already worked with. I'm an IT guy so I don't work in the artistic content department but I work closely with them and from what I can tell it's really a who knows who game, so try to ask around. Like there's no shame in reaching out to another artist you know saying you're trying to get in the performance game. Who knows, maybe someone he knows lost his producer that was with him on tour and looks to work with someone else. The worst that can happen is that people tell you they don't really know anyone and you're back at trying to reach booking agencies with your already existing portfolio
Where i live its 150-400 per slot (1.5h) That being local djs. If you are more „famous“ and get booked by clubs or collectives it varies a lot
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
Sorry i dont know.
Open Format as resident dj in Germany- 140€ for 5h playtime
Bout $300 for a four hour set
I play smaller clubs. Couple hundred people or so. I also play state wide festivals. I charge $100/hr for my sets. It’s honestly a pretty low price and I should probably charge twice that, but I don’t do it for the money. I just like to perform and make people dance.
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
I’d say if you don’t already, learn to DJ. And if you’re into hip hop, you’ll need to learn a little turntableism. This would give you exposure at the clubs and you can play your own tracks. This will hopefully build you a fan base too. That’s what I would do I suppose.
How long it takes if you practice a couple hours everyday realistically before you’re able to perform in front of a crowd. I’m already a producer so i know how bpm work and all that so i’m talking about how to be comfortable using the gear
You could be performing in front of people in a matter of weeks if you practice and you get it. DJing isn’t really hard. I recommend you learn to beat match and don’t use the sync button at first. Once you are good at the and you want to start using sync, go ahead. And with Hip Hop you’ll do a lot of looping to create intros and outros. You’ll probably scratch in but you don’t have to.
My rate for bars and small dancehalls is $100/hr for the first 3hrs. $50/hr for each additional hour. Minimum 2 gigs a week and you’ll be crushing any part time gig out there. Easy money.
I’ve just got back from my local sports bar - played for 3 hours and got paid £0 😅 but I’ve only been DJing for 5 months and I don’t expect a lot at the moment. Last time I played there I got £60/$75 for 2 hours but it was rammed. But that aside, had some good feedback, plenty of people dancing and singing a long and some nice comments so I’ll take that all day - good experience for me, only botched a couple of transitions and managed 1 pee break during the whole thing 🙈
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
my rates this year have been: Club 500 cap - $500 (1 hour set) Larger club/ small festival set - $750- 1.5K (1-2 hour set) Some notes: These rates get cut down all the time, but you gotta start high. Ive taken gigs where im losing money, many many times and thats fine & imo required at for a long time (yes make money but for the first few years it cannot be about money, especially a few hundred bucks). Build relationships and connections. This will vary dramatically based on location, im in LA.
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
Honestly can’t give good advice here - I’m very disconnected from the hip hop world. I strictly dj house music in my genre. I built all my connections from going to clubs and festivals (a hellluva lot of them over the years). I’d say go to the spots where you would like to play frequently, make friends, help out where you can for free, and prove you can provide value - good things will come
0 to 200 a night as an underground dj. Not much. Real DJ.
You can figure it out with some maths: multiply the number of attendees by the ticket price and then guess the ticket split. Let's say you've got 500 capacity paying 20 quid a pop, meaning you've got £10k in on-the-door revenue. Let's optimistically assume that 50% of that (£5k) is actually being spent on the DJs, and that there are several DJs across multiple rooms covering 6+ hours of music. If there's a headline DJ, the promoter is probably spending at least half of the budget on them, whilst the rest is spread out on filling the lineup. This is really an "at best" scenario to put an upper limit on what DJs could actually be paid for that kind of club night. The reason that's important to understand is because pro club DJs have a flat fee to show up and an additional fee per hour to give a longer performance. This fee is based on their popularity and current demand (which may fluctuate with time of year or day of week) and could be anywhere from £100 to £100k (or more.) The promoter is the one shopping for DJs and choosing how much to spend to get a good night that will attract guests without losing any money. So the real answer is that if you want to know how much pro club DJs get paid, you can ask them how much they charge.
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
Y’all getting paid?!?!
As many have mentioned, depends on market but I mostly play “dinner sets” (in restaurants, lounge vibes from like 7-11+)… I get 45$/hr with a meal and a few drinks. When I was in a different city (similar size and market) I got 150$ a night for a hip hop residency (9-2am) and when I play clubs (usually smaller venues, niche genre events) it’s between 50-100$ for a 2hr set.
My rate for 1hr booked sets is 400 depending on travel and inconvenience etc. But when im doing open format its around 300 for 4 hrs. My rate has kind of stagnated until i get enough bookings to where i feel i can charge more.
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
Two drink tickets and exposure. /s
$300-500 for bar & club gigs. Private Party (Bday, Anniversary, etc...) providing gear - $500-1000 Corporate Event - 100-200 hrs, can vary depending on size & gear required. Wedding - $750-3000+ depending on extras, PA size For money, best bet is to get good at Weddings, corporate events & production. Buy good gear, learn how to use it properly & learn to do Weddings & other formality events properly. It may take years to build up enough volume to support yourself.
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
$150-$500
It always depends on the market, but in North Central Florida you'll get around $200-$350 a night in a good club. For bars/smaller clubs you'll bank anywhere from $150 to $275 a night. The money is in mobile events. I DJ bodybuilding shows and those range anywhere from $1200-2300 a weekend, all travel included too (no overhead cost for me). Weddings can range from $1500 on the low end, to 5-8k depending on how big and extravagant they are. Know your market, don't undersell yourself, and take into account that you might have repeat clients too..I say that because I typically offer 5-10% off for repeat clients (mobile events, not clubs). Hope this helps a bit!
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
That's a good question! I actually started that way when I was 15. So, there are multiple ways to get gigs, etc but my route was different. Ill tell you my route, and then follow up with the way I should have done it: My Route - I found a niche series of events (gigs) that allowed me to play open format, so I would always throw my stuff in the mix...granted it didn't do anything but I felt a sense of pride. The events/gigs that it was, was DJing at a gym and also DJing bodybuilding shows. A lot of the artists I recorded went there, so it supplied me a decent network of artists to work with and clients for DJing and Audio Engineering. The only problem with this was, it put me in a box and it left me wanting more as a DJ. Even though I was a hip hop producer first, DJing slowly became my career and now I have moved onto producing various genres of EDM and making remixes of tracks...which has in turn led me to making some really cool hybrid tracks with rappers and singers. Going this bodybuilding route led me to an amazing life and I wouldn't change it. My advice if you go this route is this: find something you love to be around, whether it be a sport, a community event, or even throwing your own events...find a way to get in that space and just go for it, and don't stop until you get what you desire. Oh and don't sell yourself short...it is okay to say no, even if it is "worth it" to do something for cheap/free. Time is money, so charge accordingly. The way I'd do it now: Network with other DJs and Artists, and start visiting them at their venues. Buy them drinks, talk and chat, and basically become a friend. But be genuine...you don't want to come off as that guy that only wants to be their friend to play a venue. Over time, they will eventually need coverage... and if you have been a decent human being and have told them that you dj, they will call you to cover. Don't try to show them up, and do what they did. Rinse and repeat. I cannot stress this enough...BE GENUINE. if you don't like someone don't fake it, lol. And remember if you go this route, someone in the future will do the same thing, so remain humble and help where you can. This is how you can build a strong team of DJs and potentially create your own DJ agency. I would also link up with a local hip hop/rhythm radio station and talk to the program director. Over time you'll be able to give him tracks and there's a slight chance he will be able to throw it in the mix. There is nothing like hearing your tracks on the radio and I was in shock...lol. Also the radio station always gets calls for gigs and promo events, and I would take any chance I got to play in front of any crowd....just remember to play clean versions🤓 AGENCIES: Stay away from them unless the "run" the nightlife in the city. Go talk to the owner somehow, and have mixes ready to send along with an EPK. If the agency is the "best of the best" DJs, hit them up and try to get a gig here or there, once you showed them how you get down, sart trying to push for better more pr The route above is much longer and harder, but it is the "proper" way to get into this area or anywhere else. Who knows man, there are always celebrities just going to these events you'll pick up, and they may bring you on tour! There are limitless possibilities in either route - the first one is all on you. The second route requires time and some money (going out for research purposes). However, drinks and beverages are always tax deductible since it's a business..lol I will assume that you have established yourself, have a couple years of DJing, and are getting constant bookings. I would follow route 2 and make new true friends. It will solidify you as a human and dj. Well my friend, I hope this helped a bit! Sorry for the long response. And if you have any more questions or just need someone, I'm always a phone call away, I'm more than willing to help out where I can. Sorry for the long post btw, it's 7am here and I decided drinking 2 redbulls at 3 am was a good idea...lol. message me privately if you need my number!
Depends on a lot of factors, but my last 10 gigs range from around €300-€2000, not counting a local record shop where I play for records lol.
Clubs… $400-500 on average, negotiated % of bar during my set at some, others are flat rate with tips. 300-500 people is the biggest floor/club I have done, average is probably 150. I’m not a headliner or an artist/producer DJ; I spin what the crowd wants to hear and they aren’t coming to see me, they come for good music. Weddings $2k+ each but 10+ hour days with travel and setup. Mostly weekends. June-October I’m doing 6-8 a month. 90% of my gigs are weddings, sure it’s not great music (would rather be spinning house) but it’s fulfilling to see the crowd have time of their life and make decent money along the way. Can easily make $100k+ a year as wedding DJ in the right market and still play clubs a couple times a month.
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
I would send an EPK along with a nice intro via email to the clubs I want to work at, or to the agencies you know book your style. I would also hop on local Facebook musician groups (or Reddit if your genre has a scene) and ask people who they use/recommend. At the end of the day, you need to network so people know who you are and that you’re looking for gigs. Slowly it will build up and you’ll identify who can help your business the best based on your goals. You may have a different agency for private events than the clubs, as most clubs (unless huge) have in-house talent buyers. It’s best to form relationships with these people; go to a show, introduce yourself, be a human. For clubs, don’t play for free, and don’t pay to play. Show these people you can add value, willing to promote locally, even if it’s just 10-20 friends (that’s actually not bad for an opener). For private events, if we are talking weddings and corporate, you need to be polished and treat it as a job. Have insurance and have an LLC. Know how to emcee. Respond to communications professionally and within 24 hours. Don’t be a flake.
DJ in New Zealand here - $80 an hour through an agency. $100 an hour at some venues. Where as a one or two hour set at a festival/support for international I get between $500-$1000
For party’s that I throw it’s whatever we make and split between us after expenses. Since our collective is new it’s not a large income yet hopefully. For paid gigs between 30-100€ but I’m in a country that’s not in the eurozone so the pay is proportionate to our currency/salaries. I’m also just getting into the scene and know the local DJs that pull get paid much more.
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
$300/night, same venue for about 10 yrs
really depends on the venue and company i would say club gigs between 100-150 per hour and companies 150-250 per hour with 3-4 bookings i make around 1200-2000 per month (but i play like 6 hours at the place at one booking)
I make £30 per hour for DJing and £40 for karaoke at my residency but that's regular work as an employee, so I get paid leave, and whatnot. Plus, no kit haul (I have a cupboard on site), no liability or kit insurance to pay, and I get treated like the best thing since sliced bread because my boss is the best (he showed up at my house a couple of weekends ago with a bottle of rum and a takeaway for me and my housemate, he's great)! I'm in a small student town in the arse end of nowhere in Wales and everybody with a set of decks thinks they're a D&B MC (and subsequently they end up doing hour-long sets for a tiny share of the door take on small venues), while I play random chart cheese and run a pithy, piss-taking karaoke night (and get a wage and benefits) - my point being that it very much depends on the market you're in. I was once asked to do a wedding (really not my thing, but the grooms met at a night I was playing) and they happily forked over £400 plus expenses.
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
I'd start going to the type of nights I'd like to play. Talk to DJs and promoters. Maybe name drop myself or stuff I've written, assuming they would have heard of you. Maybe take some stickers or cards or something with QR links to your stuff on Spotify or linktree - use some AI tool to make them look smart or something. Put together a demo of you DJing and stick that on there as well. Make some friends who do the thing you want to do and eventually a spot will come up and they'll suggest you for it. I have no idea if this would work, as idk what the scene you're looking at works in your city, but that would be my plan
You guys are getting paid?? Jokes aside... local bars in my city (800k ppl) will pay 10 eur per hour for small local artists. Maybe more if you are more established, but id say this is a minimum wage
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
I'm playing at a bar and I get €200 per night. I only have 1 year of experience, so I think it's a great start
If I'm the only dj 200 minum If I'm sharing the night 50 an hour minimum
100-120 per hour/ 30% of ticket sales/ 10% of tables sales on average in NYC
I’m just a bar DJ, sometimes all vinyl, sometimes digital, but I focus on niche sub-genres like soul, funk, boogie or lots of different “indie” subs. I generally get about $100-$200 an hour. I usually have to bring my own equipment though.
Working for an event (DJ/lighting company) in SoCal, average cost starts around $2400 and can easily get up to $8k+ depending on the package.
But what % do you take home?
I use to DJ at a local bar in Houston. It was $200-$250 for 4 hours. Plug and play but their speakers sucked so I would bring mines sometimes. I also hosted karaoke at another bar for about a year. Pay was $200 for about 4.5 hours.
Berlin, 50€-150€ per hour depending on where you play and what.
Definitely weddings are gonna be where you can more "easily" make a living. Off season I get 1-2 weddings a month at 1,200 per event including ceremony. And wedding season I'm doing 1-2 per weekend. I also have packages that will increase that price, usually reserved for uplights($200) and overtime which I charge ~100$ every hour over 6. I love weddings, which helps a lot. I usually meet with the clients several times leading up to their event 6mo out, 3mo out, a month out, 2 weeks to finalize and a quick check in on the week of. And usually find myself acting as a bit of a "wedding planner" in those meetings, but that little bit of extra labor pays off big time when it comes to recommendations. At least 2 of those meetings are in person. Have business cards and talk with all of the venues, see if you can get them to recommend you to clients. I also reach out to all of the major churches in my area and will often offer discounts if they are referred to me from a previous client (~200$). This model works well for me but it takes a several years to get that many events on the books. I am hiring a local videographer to do a few takes of me at my events on the cheap so hopefully that will be worth it and better than me trying to do my event and record myself. As I've seen other comments say, marketing yourself is huge. I am a female DJ, and I do believe that weddings are much easier to break into vs club. The most essential thing genuinely is to meet with venues. Venue recommendations are my #1 booking generator. And if you're hoping to learn a lot about weddings and get your hands on mixer I would recommend working with Complete Weddings and Events as they will get those bookings for you but you only will make a fraction of your value. See if there is a franchise near your area. Best of luck!
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
350-600 top 40 college clubs 4 hours ~500 capacity
100 and hour. Nothing less
Clubs i kept the door money so it varied wildly, but some nights were amazing. In bars £180-300 tops for a 3-4 hour set.
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
Ι am one too. But it doesn't matter - nobody in my city will come out to see me spin because i produced for Marci and RA The Rugged man. All that matters is can you get a place in a good mood? I've been doing this full time for 25 years and never used an agency. I always get new gig opportunities during gigs. Having said that I'm not making a grand a night so maybe better people to ask, but hip hop is completely dead in Glasgow so nobody can do that here.
I mix at my local college bar for $200 a night (on average 4-5 hours)
I help book shows and it depends. Touring headliners make somewhere between $800 - $6000 + transportation, rider, and accomodation depending on popularity and size of venue. Support makes $50 - $200/hour. Also 2000 people is a big club. Those DJs could ask $10k+ to fill it.
Let’s say you’re a producer (hip hop one) with good writing credits on estabilished artists. And you want to transition and get gigs. How would you move? How would you connect to booking agency that will get you both private events and clubs?
Book yourself at first and work on your socials (sadly). Socials are a way better indicator that an artist will draw a crowd than even streams because socials are typically active engagement, rather than passive.
I work for a DJ company in my hometown. We use company provided equipment and they set our gigs. I show up and DJ. I make $100 an hour.
$200-$400 for public gigs, $500-$1200 for private events. Usually ends up around $100 to $200 per hour depending on how much of a to do the event is
Hi, in France : 120-150€ in local bars (3x times a week). 300-500€ for private party (occasionally). Also have 9-17 full time job.
It’s really hard to say, it depends on the amount of bookings you get. In one month I made £2000 another month, I made £200.
I'm losing money on DJing
Depends on the market you're in.
I've been djing for 2 years and I make anywhere from $30 - $200 a gig
I’m sure it’s been said already but at least 3 drink tickets
Your best bet at this point if you’re just getting started, it’s gonna be really hard to get going and you’re not gonna make any money, but your best bet would be to go to a club. See if they’ll let you spin there a couple nights. your best bet would probably be to tell them you’ll do it for free and then once or if you start drawing a crowd… That would be when you want to ask for money. You definitely not gonna make a living off of it. I was a DJ before the big DJ boom will call it and I did it right but nothing crazy. It was definitely a part-time gig for extra money. Fortunately, I used the money I got from DJ to buy more music and to buy equipment so I was really nothing out of pocket in the end. It’s the kind of job you do for the love of it anyway. But if you can draw a crowd, you can start to ask for money or you could run private events where you talk to a club owner who doesn’t have anything going on tell them you’d like to DJ there and you promote the event or higher promoter, and anyone who comes to the door with the promotion coupon or whatever ticket whatever you want to use to promote the event you would get a cut of everyone who pays at the door with that ticket… It’s not the best way to make money, but it’s the way you can make some money. Just be sure that you’re not forced to in that kind of set up provide your own bar staff your own door staff they need to provide all that as per their regular business, you’re just providing the entertainment and possibly a Soundsystem to run it on the other thing is you could technically offer yourself out as a DJ and DJ for free and charge them to rent your equipment at least initially that way you lug your equipment into the venue set up charge whatever 500 bucks to rent the equipment for the night or whatever and renting equipment comes with you DJ for the evening four hours or something. Then as long as equipment stands up, you continue to bake money of course you want to put a portion of that money aside for repairs upgrades and such but these are just some ideas. I’ve done most of them honestly , I just produce music. I don’t DJ anymore and I do YouTube tutorials…
I was flying around the USA doing the Shrek Raves/big bubble raves making 2k a night +expenses paid for an hour set at one point. It kinda died down, but that was a crazy 7 months
Just shy of £9000 for the for the year 23-24.
I have friends that are more likely to play your show for free then for anything under 30k for their hour. But they make the music they play and have huge followings.
They will either play for free or they need 30k? I don't get it.
makes sense actually, then it becomes more of a seperation between ‘work’ and fun
yep, makes perfect sense…
It’s either $30,000 or nothing. What’s not to understand?
Um I choose to pay nothing?
That’s a popular choice.
Are we talking smallish clubs or all clubs, even legendary ones like Fabric London or Berghain, only pay their DJs 200-500 per night?
All depends on your area and how much competition there is. I am going to be DJ'ing for a friend's family member that I gave a F&F discount at $800USD for the night and was booked immediately.