10 Reasons Your DJ Might Charge More Money

How much should you be paying for a quality DJ service at your event? Sure, some DJ's only charge a few hundred dollars for a wedding. They think earning some money is better than none; undercut the competition, keep costs very low, and win the job. On the other hand, the best-of-the-best in America charge well over $2,000 for a wedding event.

So what's the difference? A lot of things contribute to a solid price quoting process. Take these 10 factors into consideration:

1. What professional experience and style do they have?  And not just as a DJ, but also in other related professional fields? Perhaps the DJ has put in years or decades as a creator, organizer, coordinator, manager, artist, or public speaker. All this helps bring value to your event. If your DJ cannot speak in front of an audience of 100+ people on a topic of their choice, then do they have the confidence to speak out, lead, and inspire  the crowd you're inviting out to celebrate your big day? To add appropriate comments on the fly? Change the dance song on the fly? Can they handle a wedding or corporate event with delicate sensitivity to the bride and groom as well as to a CEO at a corporate event? Or are they better fitted for a wild, young adult party?
2. Does the DJ have a good website with samples of their resume? Reviews? Photos? Videos? These will give you a great indication of what you're getting. Websites are so easy to build DIY from scratch these days that I would say if they don't have a decent website, then they probably don't have enough creative expression and confidence to build you an amazing live event experience. A good and current website also means they are putting their time into their craft. 
3. What special options or talents are they offering? MC Service? Event planning and consultation? A big, beautiful uplighting scene? A GOBO light? Mesmerizing dance floor lighting? A subscription to a DJ music service? Everything they offer takes time and talent to setup, teardown, maintain and store when not being used, load into a van, trailer, etc. If they're taking on-site song requests, then the bigger the event the more requests to receive. This will require making even more decisions on the fly. The more skills they have at doing it all, the more they ask in fees.  If their quote is very detailed with options, then they're ultimately putting your best interest in mind to tailor fit an experience for you. 
4. What equipment are they bringing to your event? Cheap stuff they found at a garage sale? Or middle to high-end equipment that comes highly rated? What frequency spectrum can they cover with clarity? Some DJ's come with a great bottom end you can really feel. I love that! But it costs quite of bit of money to produce. Further, I'm at events all the time where there is terrible high-end frequencies. It makes hearing voices or lyrics much harder to understand. They need a good ear to make their equipment sound great. And don't forget, if they have decent equipment they need to have insurance to cover damage to that equipment. 
5. How much room/venue space can they fill with good quality sound? Especially with all of your guests in the room absorbing sound waves? A PA system that sounds absolutely great in a living room with 2-5 people will sound terrible in a banquet hall with 250 people. (And if they can fill a good size space, then that means all the more people they may have to interact with who come up asking for song requests, asking questions about their rig, potentially straining their playlist and itinerary. Most people never think of this aspect of being a professional DJ.) 
6. Who has spent time mentoring your DJ? What formal training or apprenticing have they done? How many YouTube videos are they watching to get better? What other DJs are they networking with to get better or seek advice? Furthermore, who are they training up? A great DJ has others who can learn the trade and be a back-up if something unanticipated happens.
7. What plans do they have for developing their business to the next level? That takes money to plan for the future and bring it to reality. If you payment barely covers their time, what about the payments they may be making for equipment, vehicle, storage or even a office-studio space to operate out of? Plus, their business needs a percentage of gross revenue for accidents, upgrades, software subscriptions, or whatever. 
8. How much time and money are they putting into your event? Usually, whatever time length your event is, you can multiply that by 2 or 3 when you add in travel, setup/teardown, loading/unloading, planning, meetings, phone calls, emails, research, and other professional activities that add value to you. If they're good enough to be doing this service full-time, then they cannot afford to just charge $400 for a wedding that takes 15-25 hours of their time. Remember, they are also giving up a precious night away from their own family or friends to work and serve at your event. 
9. Are they putting valuable content on websites like The Knot, WeddingWire, GigMasters, Thumbtack, and especially social media sites? Such sites certainly build value as you decide who to hire. Are they using an advertising agency, local bridal shows or magazines, mailers, etc.? All of these cost money to advertise and get in front of prospective buyers. Some DJs spend a good percentage of their budget on advertising to build their business and their brand. They're hungry and motivated to offer a valuable service to the world. 
10. And don't forget a professional DJ should pay taxes at the end of the day. The state will tax them, the city, and obviously Uncle Sam IRS. They're not just pocketing all of your money and making 100% profit from their fees. It's much more complicated to run a real business, be a real professional, and succeed in a dog-eat-dog world. If they're cheating on paying taxes, then should you really support them with your business? Nobody enjoys paying taxes, but it's necessary. Some solo entrepreneurs do get away with avoiding taxes. If you're not being charged an additional 5 or 7% tax on top of your price quote, then an honest DJ is taking it out of their fees. 

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This list in not exhaustive. But you get the idea. At the end of the day, you will have to take time for your due diligence and investigation, and set up a budget you can live with.

If you're in the market for a wedding DJ, please look at our page www.micdropDJ.com/weddingDJ or our home page for social media links, etc. We would love to partner with you at your event! 

​-Nate / DJ MicDrop