Perspective on Price
Often times when I’m approached by a prospective client the first question is, “how much do you cost?” That’s a fair question, and it ought to be asked, but that must be taken into account with other factors. In the same vain that we look at tailor’s craftsmanship, caterer’s ability, and a florist’s presentation before pursing our lips to ask about cost, it’s important to consider all the factors that can make a DJ the best investment of your event.
| Advantage of Hiring a Professional DJ | |
| A Pro… | A Hobbyist… |
| SHOWS UP…EARLY | Has no reputation to protect, and are notorious for showing up late or not at all |
| Will have invested deeply in road-tested, high-quality equipment that delivers solid, reliable performance | Will have inadequate, performance-limiting equipment that was scraped together over the last couple gigs |
| Has a rich library of 50,000+ that draws on music from numerous generations, genres, nationalities, and ethnicities; the DJ will also be current and comfortable playing any of it | Has a couple thousand songs, only has a few specific genres that he/she personally listens to, and is content playing a narrow selection of songs |
| Uses high quality audio and has vetted his tracks to be free of skips, tags, etc | Uses inconsistent audio quality from questionable sources, and may be hearing tracks for the first time as it’s playing live |
| Knows the event is not about him, and conducts himself in a professional manner on the microphone, and knows how not to overdo it. | Is loud and obnoxious on the microphone |
| Exercises tact and discretion in song selection and plays tunes appropriate for the audience | Plays anything with no regard for the appropriateness given the audience; swears and innuendos are fair game |
| Never drinks alcohol when playing, as that affects performance | May drink on the job, which can lead to unsavory situations |
| Has good judgment and diplomacy in dealing with unpleasant guests and situations | Can behave unprofessionally under stress and behave aggressively towards guests; shutting of music, swearing, etc |
| Is adept at rolling with changes in the schedule | Gets confused by changes in the schedule, possibly leading to improper cues, songs, etc |
| Is an effective communicator, responds to calls and emails in a timely manner | Is hard to get a hold of, and often replies in confusing shorthand |
There are many more dimensions with such stark differences between professionals and amateurs, but I think the above paint a clear picture.
By no means do I advocate hiring the most expensive DJ, but if the price is suspiciously low, you should keep shopping around. Just as you’d find a $2 bottle of wine suspicious, take the same approach with DJ pricing. Nobody worth hiring can put the time, music research, equipment, effort, into a career paying an amateur’s wage.
In a field that has ample bad-actors, it’s hard to overlook these factors. Like so many things in life, you get what you pay for; if you pay an amateur’s price, most times that’s what you’ll get. So when booking a DJ, consider the whole value of your investment in a DJ; go with a pro!
Trackbacks & Pingbacks
[…] lower costs of operation, they can pass those savings directly on to their clients. So if you see a lower price for an independent DJ, don’t necessarily be suspect, you can still be getting all the value and […]
[…] might have a buddy who DJ’s and can assemble an awesome set for the club, but do they have a background in weddings? Do they […]
Comments are closed.