djs/promoters: whats your club situation
mesh
925 Posts
couple of questions for comparison purposes.where are you, whats it like throwing a night in your town, or djing at the clubs you dj at, what kind of deals do you set up with the owners, etc.i ask this because of a couple of reasons, but mainly because of the opening of a new bar in town. they set up a dj booth in the back, some shitty numark dj setup(so i STILL have to bring my gear) and a fairly decent(although could be improved upon) sound system. the owner wants djs in there every night, different ones so as to not get stale. he does not ever want to charge at the door, but only wants to pay djs $25 plus a bar tab. let me repeat that, $25 plus a bar tab. now, i don't know about you guys(thats why i am asking) but that shit is dumb stupid to me. i went in there to see about djing and was flabbergasted by the amount he was offering, but i told him i would do 1 night to show him what i was all about and then we could talk about future nights and money after that. at the end of my night(a friday night), in which pretty much the whole place was dancing even though there is no dance floor, i was packing my shit up when an employee, not the owner, comes up to me and gives me my little scratch. im like, what the fuck, dude couldnt come over here and give that shit to me face to face? he knew i wanted to talk to him, i think he wussed out.so yeah, i sent him an email basically saying i enjoyed the night, but couldnt do anymore at the rate he was offering. and if he wanted to do another night i would need more money. so hit me back. no reply. weaksauce. i mean, i was trying to help dude out cuz he is new in town, got a sweet new bar, and i wanted to try and get in with him early. but fuck it, i aint going back. he was trying to get me every 3rd friday. i got other gigs i could be throwin and making some scrill instead of wasting my time there. now usually at other clubs in town, we charge at the door and take the door money. sometimes we have to split it with the club, 80/20, and we get the 80. i think even that is weak, but hey... what are you gonna do.some other clubs let us come in and have no cover, and then they pay us 10-20% of the bar sales with a base minimum guarantee of a couple of hundred. i like this the best.honestly, i could give a fuck about a bar tab, but thats always a nice little icing on the cake. so, whats it like in your area?
Comments
at my main bi-monthly (twice a month) gig I charge $3 at the door. they take the first $60 dollars out to pay the sound, the bar charges an additional $1 for people under 21 which they keep. at the end of the night the door guy hands me all the money and says how much it is, i count it to double check but the door guy is really into math and his numbers are always on point. i then take tip out the door guy, the bar guy, and if it's a really good night tip out the sound too. tips ensure that the free drinks don't stop and the door guy holds the money all night...if he wanted to he could just take a tip himself so it's good to have a good relationship with him.
another place i DJ at has pretty much the same deal but they cap the bar tap at $20 or $30 depending on how the feel, and they don't accept tips. once i tried to leave the bar a $60 tip and the bartender talked me down to $20. they do serve amazing food though and i can use my bar tab on that so it's all good.
on the same topic, when people feature other DJays on their nights....nights that they may have put in years of work to get established how do they split it with the guest
i'm kinda weird when i talk about money & DJaying, i don't like to brag to people about pulling in ___ ammount of money, but when i'm talking to other DJays in my town i'm frank about which clubs are cool and which ones are shady and how much they all pay just so bars don't try to take advantage of the DJays
sayin though.
im waiting on some fellow richmonders to weigh in on it. i know a couple of fellow strutters who have played there.
the rest of the clubs arent nearly as bad. unfortunately, the one we threw the most parties at is closing down in september. booooooo.
i was in there last night seeing Mordecai and the turnout was really good considering 1) it was Tuesday and 2)he was filling in last minute so may not have promoted very much, if at all (you can correct this, Mord.)
i say this because it shows they are pulling a great crowd--even on off nights. they also just got two big positive write-ups in the main weekly rag and the times dispatch.
READ: they are making money!
so what makes this place special?
the food? they haven't even really started that as far as i know
the bar setup? pretty straightforward. but nice.
DJs 7 nights a week? Yes.
No other place in Richmond does that. And there are a lot of qualified people ready and able to fill the calender with great nights. There also seems to be a lot of clowns who tell the manager they will do it for drinks only. So he's living in some fantasy world right now--where he thinks quality DJs will go for chump change. He'll soon find out that will not work as high quality DJs like Mesh cut him off.
At the same time, success of this place could be very good for Richmond.
But that does NOT mean we should put up with this.
so why is he burning bridges right out the gate?
i know this dude from DC and he was part of a place that is very similar (Saint Ex) and was/is very successful in large part to nightly DJs.
BAN.
yeh...if he had a tight setup where i didn't have to bring my equipment i wouldn't mind less $ than most residencies.
yes
thats what im talking bout. at least for now til dude figures it out.
we'll see. let the waiting game begin........
That said, there's several weekly events out here where I *know* the DJ's not only aren't getting paid, but they have to bring their own equipment too. But I don't hate on those dudes - they've actually put together some pretty good long-running nights that I enjoy myself. Hey, if they don't mind doing it for free, why should I be salty about it?
As for myself, I'll stick with the clubs that support what I'm doing (strictly 60s-70s music and Indian parties are about as specialty as you can get) and are willing to pay me what I'm worth - and in some cases MORE than what I'm worth - just because they dig what I'm doing and realize that at least some of their customers do too.
In any case, see ya'll RVA dudes at Ipanema on Sept. 22 for another Scorpio Bros rematch.
joe,
hopefully your incident won't deter you from coming out friday. it'll be fun regardless, and the baltimore gig pays well enough to cover whole the trip so i aint sweatin it.
What do you guys typically do when it comes to tipping the bar? I work at one place that won't take my money, at the other spot I always feel like they're expecting me to tip them at the end of the night. Now I'm not exactly making big bucks at this place. I'm the one playing the dope tunes, shouldn't they be tipping me?
Oh shit it's the Monkey Man! They should certainly be
tippin' YOU bruva!
How ya livin' D!
CP
Usual deals are similar to the ones already mentioned (door: Djs/Promoter; bar: Club). However, tipping is unusual.
You're the DJ, you should have a TIP JAR for real!
b
you have to be careful with these tactics as theres a million wannabe djs who'll do it for fuck all and the bar owner'll only notice a month down the line when his customers are dwindling, he's no longer the hot new bar in town & he's on the phone to you again with a better deal but more of an uphill struggle to make the place a success,
If he's making money it sounds like a case of owner+coke+a good write up= "I can do no wrong & people are coming here cos I'm so great...etc"
i'm in th UK & i've got two weekly bar nights one gives me ??100(there's usually 2 of us do this) & free bar, the other is %10 of the bar take & free bar
and i do a monthly that costs me ??100 venue hire but i keep %100 of the door.
25 bucks is a pisstake
I DJ for a rap group, and that shits tough too. They are fair though, we straight split the money 4 ways, usually it's nothing. And these mutherfuckin' promoters flyin' us to go do shows interstate, paying for the plane tickets, but NO hotel rooms. What the fuck is that. We also got other promoters hittin' us up like "we'll give you $800, you gotta fly yourselves down and put yourselves up". Well, we're already $400 outta pocket now. Not to mention not covering taxi's to the airport, etc. I don't mind doing free gigs interstate with the hip-hop group, cuz I get to dig and catch up with hommies. But I ain't payin' for shit but my food and records from the point I leave my door to when I get back.
Anyways, fuck that $25 shit. Especially if you're a good DJ, or you've been holdin' it down in your town for a bit. People always be comin' at me with the $50 gigs, etc. I ain't having it. I think $50-75 US a hour is a good rate to work on, with a minimum of 2 hours. If they want you for less, make a standard fee of $100.
That's my deal. After travelling overseas and being treated so well and paid well, I got no time for these fucking local Australian promoters cashin' their cheques and flippin' the DJ enough for 4 happy meals at McDonalds. Fuck that. Do it for the love and all that, but not when the promoter got the latest cell phone and fancy Air Force 1's and shit...
peace.
They just opened and dude has bills to pay. i am not defending what he's offering the DJ's in any way at all, because its horrible and insulting to the talents and resources you guys have, however, i bring this up because i don't think it's been mentioned yet.
If he's running a food service he's got a lot of money dumped into equipment, whether new or inherited. A liquor license alone is a lot of money (i don't know VA, but i know PA and here people outside the cities pay upwards of $500,000 :no typo:) so dude has dropped major cash to be open and i can guarantee you he will not be turning a profit for quite a while. That's not to say he doesn't have cash rolling in from what sounds like a successful opening, but they're going to be in honeymoon mode for a minute.
That being said, it is still really a bad look to not get back or be very willing to discuss $ with someone who obviously knows what they're doing. Also, if he's in the building he should really be the one handing you the cash. Sending a random employee to pay hired entertainment shows little class on his side.
Anyway, point being, it's gonna be a while until this dude is in straight profit mode, if ever, seriously. Also, think his no cover policy will stick? i mean once business slows down after people have gotten a look at the place he's going to see every head through the door as missing $$ on weekends.
It all comes down to promoters that know their shit. Over here in my area there are no "real" clubs. There aere a few spots where you can throw a party, but nothing that would bring international guests, top music, and the according crowd on a regular basis. Ok, Maastricht is vivid, with the AGOGO promoters throwing dope parties with dj's like freddie fresh, myself, the soul jazz soundsystem, detroit grand pubahs, whomadewho etc...but other than that, it is difficult. but we don't give up. we have a new weekly night on thursday in my hometown called "blockparty" where we play everything from old school hiphop to raw funk to disco and everything inbetween. And on the weekends we do the bigger spots with more capacity. But getting paid 25$ on a weekend is just plain ridiculous. I mean, if you have to make a living of djing, then don't fuck with that shit, seriously. Also, regarding competition, it is actually fairly easy. Make your shit hot, do a good night and eventually people will show up. I mean, my town has about 300000 people which is not much and the hardcore partycrew boils down to maybe 600 with a core of maybe a 100 people. And to get even these every week is almost impossible. So if you really wanna live off that shit, then better start producing, make mixes, get your name around and try to get gigs in other cities. Keeps your head up and increases your "value" in your own spot. And fuck promoters who throw a party, 600 people show up and pay 4??? at the door and all you get is 50???, ykwis...never let them fuck you over with the money! Do contracts if people seem to be shady somehow...
Another thing is the competition due to dj's willing to play for free. I mean, then it is all about promoters and how much they value djing. I got some who throw little small, kind of "private parties" where I dj, I just have to be there, system is set up and I get my money before I start playing, they care about you and thank you for the music afterwards. That's how it should be done, because they value what you are doing. Fuck those who are just interested to get the place smashed with people because they offer a beer for 1??? and don't give a eff about the music. so yeah, basically how much do people value music, that is it...
Some people over here in East Germany have tried to set up a dj union in order to prevent price dumping. I don't think it worked out...same as with "designers"...all in all, find your spots, where you are happy and people value your stuff. Then the money should come with it naturally...
one more thing: Dj's should have free drinks! Goddamn, youre working there! I hate it when the bar owners try to charge you for drinks, this is the very definition of NAGL. I mean I have one place where I dj where it was like the dj's would get smashed all night with cuba libre and then they changed policy. understandable. but they changed it into dj's have to pay full price for alcoholic drinks. Hello? I am not djing to leave my money at the bar! So I brought my own stuff, drank two beers at the bar for the whole night (mind you, I dj there from 11-5!!) and smiled at the waitress when she gave ma a bad look for not drinking much. no tip of course
my 2,
s.d.
No tip? You gotta make a living DJ'ing and she's gotta make a living waitressing/bartending. i wouldn't really take that anger out on someone who doesn't have any control over you having to pay for drinks. Doggie, not tipping her isn't gonna get anyone to change their mind nor is it going to get you the free drinks she might be able to drop if she could....
Mind you, I am not there to pay for drinks in the first place. I am working there. She does too. She does not have to pay for drinks, so why should I? It was not about me being rude to her, but she was mad at me that I didn't drink that much, you get me? She gave me the ice grill, saying shit like "What is it that a girl always wants?", I answered "Sex?" and she was like "Pfhh, no give me the money" like really shitty, so there she had her money for my two beers. I am not there to pay for drinks, I am there to rock the place and let people have a good time. But I guess she was just going trough personal problems. The other girl who is working there is always giving me a free drink or brings me a shot of j??germeister. It's all good, I am not there to offend anybody or get mad at them. It is indeed not the waitress' fault. But still, if you work in a club, you should get free drinks, I don't understand it when this policy is active that you have to pay for your drinks. Ok, if promoters insist then give me a contigent of a certain amount, but don't make me have to pay all the drinks in the first place. NAGL!
those are good points, but it once again reflects that his priorities are out of wack. this place features DJs 7 nights a week. it's what makes them special. as such, dude needs to but some bank behind that part of his business.
i'm sure he could get some hobos in there to cook for the free food?
and hell, why not turn the bar around and let people pour their own drinks?
and to add insult to injury...he was paying me $50 for fri/sat and $25 rest of the week under the assumption that it would go up and then he decided go to $25 for every night. so lame.
i was sticking it out even after that because i still believe this place is good for the "scene" (i said what?). so i'm willing to sit in there for a few months helping out. it almost like community service. but i can't let this happen any longer.
i don't know about ya'll, but getting paid $25 is worse than not getting paid.
i always like to have someone guest with me and i break them off $omething. i would even feel embarrassed giving someone the whole darn $25...if you just sat in for an hour with me.
I have heard this isn't far off.
Shit is insulting.
Yeah, very true. It seems ass backwards to have your selling point be DJs and then screw them over more than anyone else. Does this place have a website?
Dojah, i see where you're coming from Bud, thanks for s'plaining. At least give a DJ some drink tickets!
yes. you have this featured aspect of you business and choose not to invest in it. that bad business anywhere anytime.
what else does he have? a photo booth?
Good point, but he only gets over as long as we let him.
Yeah, Dr., that's what I meant, sorry for being a bit blurry there. And hell yes, how can you promote a place selling the DJ as the main advantage and then treat them like they can be lucky to be there? Also in my town, this spot is a bit like this. And I always try to tell them, listen, it is at least a 50/50 thing with me pulling in customers cause they know I rock and the other half coming to check out the spot. They always try to put it down like "Yeah it is the spot that draws the people", but I know a lot of people that will only come when I am there and not set foot in that place when other Dj's are there. Ah, fuck it, I am just glad there is something going on anyway in this town. I need to get to Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam, and Stockholm again soon. Anyone putting me on a US gig
btw, the bar I am talking about is this one
www.monoheidi.de
check out the interior...
some folks are afraid to set a foot in there and sometimes people are very much like "I want to be seen in there" wearing their polonecks high and stuff...I don't give a eff then and when they ask for robbie williams I play some hungarian breaks just because I can in there...that's actually the good thing, the guys running it requested some unknown shit to distinguish themselves from the mainstream rest of the bars...