cost of a DJ

anmhi02 · 25-03-2014 1:24pm #1

Hi all....does anyone have any idea how much a dj after the Band would cost. The bands said they could do it for 300.......bit much in my opinion seeing as its only for an hour and a half. Our could anyone recommend one for the athy area.

Thanks all :-)

Milly33 · 25-03-2014 1:45pm

Beware of what is coming!!.. €300 actually seems like a decant price and handy since they will be set up all ready to go just make sure you try and go see them first to see if you like them as a dj. Think it depends what kind of DJ you want can go from €200 - €1,000

unclebill98 · 25-03-2014 2:59pm

IMHO, a band member doing DJ should be priced from 200+.

Plenty of band's do it and it not a sign of a bad DJ.

clint_silver · 25-03-2014 5:18pm

I know some guys that will do after band DJ for 200 and some that wont do it for less than 400 but 300 is about the going rate.

Price is no guarantee of quality though, so try and hear him play first. Question him on all aspects of what he does to see are you comfortable with him and he's worthy of it.

sweetie · 25-03-2014 5:51pm

anmhi02 wrote: »

Hi all....does anyone have any idea how much a dj after the Band would cost. The bands said they could do it for 300.......bit much in my opinion seeing as its only for an hour and a half. Our could anyone recommend one for the athy area.

Thanks all :-)

Are the band doing it themselves (discount for using the same PA?) or is it someone they recommend that has to come down install a seperate (but equally powerful) PA and then dj because that's still a nights work to be there and ready to go when the band are finished. Setting up a professional PA and lights, waiting to play (this can vary so much) and breaking down/packing up make it more than 90 mins work. Compare it to how much the band are charging for their ~120 mins work and then decide. As Clint says meeting someone and doing your homework will pay off.

tbeans · 01-04-2014 12:48pm

Just booked ours and it cost €300 but we were quoted cheaper rates if we booked with the band but the band we ended up booking didn't have that option which was fine...

He told me that he will set up the same time as the band so as to waste no time to get started after the band finished plus that will also allow him to see what songs the bands have played so as to not overlap.

clint_silver · 01-04-2014 5:17pm

ezmusicdj wrote: »

I'm a Kildare based DJ 200 is the after the band price anyone asking for more must think it's still 2006.

I dont understand this comment, are you saying DJs should have lowered what they're worth by 2/3s since 2006?

A very quick review of those Dj sites that I could find that published their after band prices, I just took the top 4-5 that I googled. So although you may charge 200 which youre completely entitled to do, its misleading to say the going rate is anything less than what the average is which you can see below.

Im sure if I kept clicking I would have found some for 200 and some for 400, but the below are enough to prove the point.

http://www.advancedjs.ie/After_band_page.htm
250-350

http://www.stardjs.ie/weddings.htm
350

http://www.irishweddingdj.com/products/products.html
350

http://madhattermusicentertainment.com/wedding-dj/
250 with expenses

Hoffmans · 03-04-2014 9:20pm

My sisters was 150€ from south east DJs
Had the place hopping after the band , and was very accommodating with requests, I think they cover right up to laois... pm if you need the number I can get it from the sis...

berrecka · 08-04-2014 12:12pm

We are having a DJ only. He will be playing from around 8pm to around 2am (he is flexible on an earlier start and a later finish, depending on how the day ends up running). He is an awesome DJ who I have been dancing to in nightclubs since I was a student, and who often features in Irish music festivals. He is extremely professional, and really knows how to read the crowds and keep people on their feet. A lot of my boyfriends friends are also DJs and he is happy to let them join him on the decks, or to take over for a while. He is charging us €300.

Now all I have to do is figure out how to keep the guitars hidden from my Dad until the DJ stops playing and the singsong begins!

Aislingtherese · 10-04-2014 5:21pm

Hi Berrecka
Could you PM me his name? I am also only having a DJ and looking for someone from in or around 8pm to 1am ish. Thanks!

Mobile Dj · 15-04-2014 11:48pm

Missed this thread til now,

€250 would be the average for a tax compliant DJ.

Most agencies I know are legit and VAT registered.

So from this amount you would take 23% VAT. that would bring it closer to €200.

Then deduct expenses followed by income tax on any profits made.

Anyone charging lower than €200 are more than likely not declaring the income to revenue.

Big issue at the moment for people trying to operate legitimately in the entertainment industry is the black market.

The €250 is not all for the one event, it also goes towards the upkeep of equipment and operating costs in the same way any business operates.

Could go on all night on this but it really is down to whether you support the black market or you support legitimate entertainers.

clint_silver · 16-04-2014 12:58am

Mobile Dj wrote: »

Missed this thread til now,

€250 would be the average for a tax compliant DJ.

Most agencies I know are legit and VAT registered.

So from this amount you would take 23% VAT. that would bring it closer to €200.

Then deduct expenses followed by income tax on any profits made.

Anyone charging lower than €200 are more than likely not declaring the income to revenue.

Big issue at the moment for people trying to operate legitimately in the entertainment industry is the black market.

The €250 is not all for the one event, it also goes towards the upkeep of equipment and operating costs in the same way any business operates.

Could go on all night on this but it really is down to whether you support the black market or you support legitimate entertainers.

That's just crap. Whether any vendor pays tax is nothing to do with customer. What if he charges 400 and isn't paying tax. Customer not to know.

And an agency charging 250 post band? Name one. Unless their providing equipment and he's just a button pusher getting 150e of the 250e on a package deal with the hotel of which personally I know 2 guys doing. You get what you pay for there.

Mobile Dj · 16-04-2014 12:25pm

clint_silver wrote: »

That's just crap. Whether any vendor pays tax is nothing to do with customer. What if he charges 400 and isn't paying tax. Customer not to know.

And an agency charging 250 post band? Name one. Unless their providing equipment and he's just a button pusher getting 150e of the 250e on a package deal with the hotel of which personally I know 2 guys doing. You get what you pay for there.

Agree customer does not know if dj is tax compliant.. but a low fee is a good indicator ....anyone with a .ie domain name has to provide the company reg number to obtain the .ie website domain. this to me would be a good indication that the DJ is tax compliant along with the fact they have a VAT number.

.com .net and some other domains do not need the company reg number so not a solid indication of tax compliance.

I know and work number of "agencies" (including one of the above you mentioned)who pay the DJ the full amount as they are more a dj network than an agency.

Yes I agree that I know of the "€100 deposit" which really is the agencies commission on the event and the Dj gets the balance on the night which is his full payment.

I have counted 6 Djs that I know on my town, that are not legit and have no problems telling me that they are not.. wrong but that's the world we live in..

After band DJ fee at the moment €200 - €275 any higher would be down to adding travel and amount of additional equipment used.

clint_silver · 16-04-2014 1:19pm

In general, I do get what youre saying but a few clarifications.

dont need a vat number to get a .ie domain , as long as you use the correct category when registering all you need is headed paper.

Although its debatable, in my experience a web presence as a marketing tool shows no less confidence with .com address than a .ie and as a .ie has traditionally been more expensive, would incur more overhead.

dont need a vat number to be tax compliant, additional income to PAYE declarations suffice. theres a little box for it on revenue.ie when you submit returns each october for the previous year. (Im well familiar with it

)

There will always be people that are not tax compliant with a cash driven industry (same could be said for dress makers, photographers, busses..etc). Unless a customer asks for a receipt, they wont be sure. even then, they still wont know. Best not to think about it and worry about yourself. If youre that concerned about it, report them.

Id never tell anyone to book someone based on price alone. Always, always, always go and view. Judge after that whether the price they charge is worth it.

Mobile Dj · 16-04-2014 4:03pm

clint_silver wrote: »

In general, I do get what youre saying but a few clarifications.

dont need a vat number to get a .ie domain , as long as you use the correct category when registering all you need is headed paper.

Although its debatable, in my experience a web presence as a marketing tool shows no less confidence with .com address than a .ie and as a .ie has traditionally been more expensive, would incur more overhead.

dont need a vat number to be tax compliant, additional income to PAYE declarations suffice. theres a little box for it on revenue.ie when you submit returns each october for the previous year. (Im well familiar with it )

There will always be people that are not tax compliant with a cash driven industry (same could be said for dress makers, photographers, busses..etc). Unless a customer asks for a receipt, they wont be sure. even then, they still wont know. Best not to think about it and worry about yourself. If youre that concerned about it, report them.

Id never tell anyone to book someone based on price alone. Always, always, always go and view. Judge after that whether the price they charge is worth it.

Over the years DJs seem to fight among themselves..ESPECIALLY the legit ones..?

"Along with a vat number" as an good indication was the quote, Vat reg only comes into play when gross hits around 37,000 and although is is a service you have to charge or absorb 23% not 13.5%

You need as far as I know a company reg number for a .ie domain, you get this when registering as a sole trader with https://www.cro.ie

You also submit a letter on headed paper outlining your claim to the name.

So on your last point not to worry about it, funny one; when you get told that they have gone with the band for €200 or bands free dj in some cases or they have sourced a cheaper DJ at a fee you just cannot match.

The Black market is thriving and thankfully revenue are starting to catch up on these people.

I am charging from €200 to €275 at the moment which I think is fair, considering experience and equipment used, complete with back up on site.

Original poster says 1.5 hours but really it is additional time spent on event
Travel, set up with band,gig, take down then travel home. which time wise would be 7pm - 4.30am.

clint_silver · 16-04-2014 6:08pm

Ive made this point on here a few times before that the gross of 37k is rarely hit by cover musicians in Ireland and anytime someone says "well, I need a vat receipt," theyre wrong, you do not have to be registered for VAT and you can still be compliant for reasons I stated earlier. I had this cleared by my local tax office when I started.

If you were hitting an average of 250 a night gross, you'd have to do 148 weddings a year to get near that so unless youve got a residency deal with a hotel youre not going to get near 37k.

an average year for a busy DJ would see 80-100 gigs Even allowing for an average ratio of 30 full nights and 50 after bands, youre still never getting 37k so I just dont see why you would register for the complications of VAT unless the DJing was part of a sub business.

Trust me on this, you dont need a VAT no. for a .ie domain. you used to, you dont in recent years. I work day time at IT, theres enough categories to register without needing one.

https://www.iedr.ie/quick-guide-to-registrations-policy/

Anyway, Im not fighting with the principles of what your saying, I just dispute your figures.

cost of a DJ

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