Pay for a Dj Perspective

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What should I expect to pay for a DJ in my market?

The answer to this question rests solely on you and the quality of the experience you want for you and your wedding guests.

Consider these points:

     1. Your wedding will be a gathering of people who are very important to you.

     2. You will want the majority to stay for the duration of your event.

     3. Your wedding day will come only once in your lifetime and you do not get a do-over.

How much value would you place on point #2? Can you say without a doubt that the success of your event will be riding on the quality of the experience you and your guests will have?

Below is a sample list of how brides generally prioritize their planning in order.

Reception Hall, Wedding Ring, Gown, Catering, Cake, Bridal Attire, Photographer, Decorations, Flowers, Party Favors, DJ.

We ask you now to think about how you are prioritizing your budget, then go over your list and imagine how each aspect from top to bottom will contribute to the success of your event.

     *How will the food & drink contribute to the success of your event? What percentage?

     *How will the photography contribute to the success of your event? What percentage?

     *How will the decorations contribute to the success of your event? What percentage?

     *How will the flowers contribute to the success of your event? What percentage?

     *How will the party favors contribute to the success of your event? What percentage?

     *How will the Dj / Entertainment contribute to the success of your event? What percentage?

Does the DJ rank low on your percentage list? If so we ask you to imagine that it is your wedding day and the Dj is a no show. There will be no music or mics for your ceremony, no music for cocktail or dinner hour, no introductions, no mics for toasts, no first dance, no parents dances, no entertainment or dancing period. You still have food, drinks, decorations, flowers and party favors. How will those aspects keep the party going? Everyone will be hungry regardless but after the meal you still have about 3 hours to go until end time. What percentage of your guests do you think would stay? Now imagine if everything else mentioned above did not arrive to your event but the Dj did. You would be walking down the isle to music and your guests would be able to hear your vows amplified. There would also be cocktail music, dinner music, special dances, everyone would be able to hear the toasts and there would be dancing plus entertainment. (If the caterer was a no show all is not lost as there would most likely be options to order food to be delivered. Can the same be said for your entertainment?)

When you add up real world percentages, the catering, photography, decorations, flowers and party favors contribute 20% or less to the success of the event. The DJ contributes 80% or more and yet accounts for only 3% - 5% of most wedding budgets on average. If you are only budgeting 3 -5% for your Dj there is a very good chance you carry the perception that "Dj services are just a commodity. They are just providing "music", that is not difficult to do so I do not need to place a high value on it and therfore it is safe to hire the lowest bidder".

The Truth:

1. Music is a commodity. It can be bought in a store and downloaded from the internet. The companies selling the music can compete on price but no matter what the price is you still get the same product.

2. Dj's provide a service that is multi-faceted and happens to "include" playing music. A great Dj will build a relationship with you, get to know you, schedule planning meetings, do site inspections and craft the agenda around who you are. They will also help direct your event, coordinate with the other vendors, represent you well to your guests on the mic and keep your guests engaged. All of this takes time, skill, involvement and a lot of love and care.

Now for the bad news: The wedding DJ market in general is largely comprised of people who market themselves as commodities. (Which could explain why you may have had that perception in the first place) How do you spot these companies?

     *Their rates are posted on their websites.

     *They place a strong emphasis on their music library and not customer service or talent.

     *They are willing to undercut their competition to get your business.

While everyone enjoys the feeling of having people compete for their business or attention, consider again that this is your wedding we are talking about and you will not get a do-over. Are you willing to risk handing over 80% of the success of your event to a DJ who sees and markets himself as a commodity? If he does not place a high value on his own business what are the odds he will place a high value on delivering a wonderful personalized experience at your wedding?

The video below shows a news report of a bride who hired an inexpensive DJ and her very emotional reaction. We feel it speaks volumes to the points we are trying to convey...

After watching you may be thinking, "Well she did say she took all the right steps and booked a year in advance". Judging from the reality of what happened and the fee the Dj was charging, what are the odds that she saw the DJ as just a commodity? Do you think she did any research or asked for references? If she had she may have discovered this was probably standard practice for this DJ company. She handed over 80% of the success of her event to this person not knowing the importance of his role. When you consider her emotional state when describing what happened and her own words, "He ruined my wedding!", one could easily move that 80% number closer to 100%. Unfortunately she does not get a do over.

Wouldn't you have better peace of mind knowing you are handing that responsibility to someone who genuinely understands the importance of your special day, has exceptional planning, directing and music programming expertise, will get to know you and help you craft an agenda that reflects unique aspects of you? If you answered yes what kind of value would you put on this caliber of service knowing how much the success of your event is riding on this person? How much value would you place on having that kind of peace of mind?

In our market there is a very wide spectrum of pricing ranging from $300 to $2500. What we feel is important to point out is that if you are looking for someone to just play music at your wedding there is no question it is a bride's market. You will witness dj companies undercutting each other to get you to sign their contract and you end up putting your wedding at risk. If you are looking for a DJ that is going to give you next level customer service and peace of mind, it is not a bride's market as these types of Djs only make up 5% of the market.

In closing, we would also like to warn you regarding Djs who are in the 95% who claim to offer the same level of customer service as the 5% for a substantially lower price. Consider that for them to make a decent income after overhead expenses, taxes, etc, they have to do a lot of weddings, so many in fact that they will not possibly have the time and energy to give you the level of attention your wedding deserves.

"The price you pay for your entertainment is directly proportional to the quality you receive which is directly proportional to the success of your event."

"You can have a great party in a barn with the right DJ, but the wrong DJ can make even the nicest ballroom sour"

"One way to show the true value of your service is to not show up to your client's wedding... They will sue you not just for the cost of your service, they will sue you for the cost of the entire event. I do not suggest you do this but I think you get the point!"

~ Mark Ferall / DJ & Wedding Indusrty Educator.