THE DJ IS FREE – this is something I saw on FaceBook a couple of months ago. Unfortunately I don’t have the original authors details to credit them, I apologise to them for this. The version I saw was a repost from another page and there was no credit given. If you wrote it and see this please contact me – I’d love to credit you or remove if you are unhappy with my repost.
Like the writer, I get calls and emails all the time asking “How much”. I know it’s one of the only questions people think to ask but there is more, way more, to think about.
I receive calls every month asking. “How much does it cost for a DJ?”
As a professional Entertainer, Master of Ceremonies, Event Coordinator and Disc Jockey, I resist the temptation to make a snappy comeback. But once, just once, I thought it would be fun if the conversation went a little something like this:
Caller: “Hi, I’m calling to find out how much a DJ costs”
Me: “Just a DJ? They’re free.”
Caller: “Free? You mean it costs nothing at all?”
Me: “Sure! Well, you may have to feed him. Come on over and get him!”
Caller: “Huh? Don’t you come to me?” Me: “Well, I guess we could put him in a taxi, but I have to charge you for that.”
Caller: “That’s fine. It’s for a party next month. Do you have enough speakers and stuff for 200 people?”
Me: “SPEAKERS! Well, now you’re gonna have to spend some money! Speakers and equipment cost extra. We’re gonna need a truck because the taxi won’t haul our equipment. You said you wanted just a DJ!”
Caller: “Well, I need somebody to like, you know, set it up, and play the music and all that.”
Me: “MUSIC! You want music, too? We gotta charge you for that, too! Music isn’t free, you know!”
Caller: “Well, yeah, I guess there’s copyrights and all that. Oh, and do you have some cool lights to make it exciting and all?”
Me: “WOW! Speakers, music, and lights, that’s gonna add up. We have all the latest lighting: intelligent lights, color changing lights.
Caller: “That’s cool! We want all of that. And could the DJ like, make some announcements, and get everybody up dancing and having a good time, maybe do some games and contests, and do a photo montage for us?”
Me: “Well, that will require a microphone and someone with some experience. He needs to have a thorough knowledge of all different kinds of music, and know how to read a crowd and respond with exactly what they like. It costs more if you need somebody like that.”
Caller: “That’s great. So how much will this cost me?”
Me: “Well, that depends. Where and when is your party?”
Caller: “Why does that matter? Don’t you just have one set fee?”
Me: “No, of course not. Everybody wants the most popular dates. We usually end up turning away six customers on a popular Saturday and almost never book a Tuesday. Due to simple supply and demand, I can offer you a lower price on slow days, (Mon-Thur) but must charge more on the most popular dates. Just like the airlines and popular vacation spots.”
Caller: “Wow, I never thought of that, but I guess that makes sense. I suppose it matters where it is, too?”
Me: “Right, we need to factor in travel time, and perhaps overnight lodging. We need to know if the banquet room is on the ground floor, or if it is accessible by elevator or ramps. We need to know how much time and how many staff members will be needed to set up and break down equipment. And we need to know if the venue has special requirements, such as requiring a certificate of insurance and proof of business license or if they have special time constraints and that sort of thing.”
Caller: “Sounds complicated. All this for just a DJ?”
Me: “No, the DJ is free, remember? All the rest is what you pay for a professional entertainment job.”
Caller: “Ok, that sounds good, I’ll take it.”
Me: “Would you like an Experienced and Talented DJ with that? Because that will cost a lot more……”
That piece really resonated with me. I often play games with telesales calls, you know the “I’m calling from BT to let you know your internet connection is to terminated”. Unfortunately I don’t think I’m not brave enough to try this script when I get a “how much is a DJ’ call! Again, credit to the author for a well thought out post.
I have many more many examples of people putting “stuff” ahead of actual services. Probably the one that winds me up the most is potential clients who will happily spend more on a twinkly dance floor that than the DJ to fill it. How about book a dance floor and the DJ is free – I don’t think so!
