So, how much does a DJ cost?
Are you looking to hire a DJ for a nightclub, bar or festival? Or for a wedding or party?
If you have been Googling for ideas on DJ prices, that's a good start. The main thing is to get value for money, but you don't want someone cheap - just because they are.
Remember, it's just as much about quality as it is about the amount you will need to pay. Depending on the type of DJ you want to hire, pricing will be totally different. Because there is a difference between wedding and club DJs, we will write a bit about both in our guide.
We hope you find the guide helpful and get a better understanding of the average DJ cost for your event.
We start off the guide with nightclub DJs. You can find the guide for wedding DJs after.
Like most things in life, when something is popular and in demand, it's will cost you more. Hiring a club DJ is no different. In fact, it's probably the most important thing to consider when booking someone for your nightclub, bar or festival.
For instance, if you're putting on an event where money is no object, you could book someone Martin Garrix. He's probably "as popular" as it gets because he is the number one DJ in the Mixmag Top 100. But he's not going to be cheap. Booking him will likely cost you around £150,000 for a set! Unless you're putting on a big festival you're probably not going to be hiring Martin Garrix any time soon...
So how much will an average DJ cost for a nightclub gig? The answer is, it will depend (again) on how popular they are. In the world of clubs DJs you will typically have three bands of pricing.
1. A local DJ who's played at a few gigs will likely cost you £50 to hire for a set.
2.A national DJ with experience playing events around the UK will probably be around £150 to £500 per gig.
3. A DJ (such as a trance producer) who plays international gigs could charge a price between £500 to £10,000 a set.
The prices above will depend on how many hours the DJs set will be. If you know the DJ, they may also play cheaper for you. Read on below to find out more on that.
The next important thing to consider is how many hours will you want the DJ to play? Because your venue probably has the sound and DJ gear set up, you don't have to worry about setup times. On average, the most common set lengths are 1, 2 and 3 hours.
Although, some of the bigger name DJs will be available to play open to close sets at your venue. This means they will start to play from when you open and finish when you close. Hence the name "open to close".
A nightclub DJ (or their agent) will typically ask for a flat rate e.g £500, but some charge per hour. Before agreeing to a flat rate you'll need to sign a contract which state the hours they're going to perform. If you do not do this you could very well end up paying extra fees you wasn't aware of. It's always best practice to confirm the working hours and inking that in the contract.
So what's next to think about? DJ agents, take a look at the next section to find out more.
If a DJ is popular and plays lots of gigs, chances are they will be part of a DJ agency. But why would this have any sort of impact on the DJs price? There's actually two very good answers for this.
The first reason is that some DJ agencies earn their money through commissions on a DJs fee. It's usually between 10% and 15%. It works in a similar way to an Estate Agent. It's in the DJ agents best interests to get as much money they can for a gig. That way they earn more commission. A good agent can really inflate a DJs price, especially if they are in demand.
The second reason is that some agencies (especially online) will charge you a commission for making a booking. This might mean you end up paying £250 to hire a DJ instead of £200. They simply add their commission on top.
Before booking a DJ through any agency, always ask what their fees or commission are. The DJs on our site are all fully commission free. So you will simply pay the price agreed with them with no added extras.
So that's agencies out of the way, which other factors are there? Next up we have booking conditions and travel costs. See you there.
If you are new to booking club DJs this may be something you might not know about. As well as the price you agree there will probably be extra costs. These will be part of the DJs rider / booking conditions and set out in their contract. So what sort of things might be included which you'll have to pay extra for?
The first thing to consider is distance and travel. If you hire a DJ from overseas you will need to pay for their flights. As well as flights you'll have to cover their hotel for the night and pick them up from the airport. Even if you're hiring someone nationally, you will most likely have to pay for their hotel. In this instance, they may factor their travel costs into their overall price. But always check to see if that's the case or not. Luckily, it's not something you have to worry about if it's a local DJ. They obviously won't have any expensive travel costs for you to cover.
The second thing to think about is DJ equipment and requested "extras". Most (if not all) popular DJs will want certain equipment they like to use for their gigs. The most commonly asked for DJ gear is the Pioneer CDJ 1000 decks and mixer. If you don't already have those at your nightclub or bar you will have to pay for the hire cost. They won't be cheap for you to hire either. In addition to equipment, you may have to pay for extras such as drinks and snacks. You probably won't have to pay for these unless it's a big name DJ, but it's good to know.
Ensure you find out exactly what's on the DJs rider before signing a contract or making a booking. We have now covered the main pricing factors for a club DJ. But is there a way to get a cheaper price? There is. Read the final section below to find out.
We all like to get a good deal don't we? So how can you pay a bit less for a DJ?
1. If you're able to provide the DJ with regular gigs at your event they will not cost as much.
2. Are you looking for a resident DJ? If you are, the DJ will most likely play for a reduced price.
3. Is your venue small? Quite a few DJs factor venue size into their pricing. If you run a small 200 capacity venue you might get the DJ for a lower fee.
Now that we have covered nightclub DJs, we move on how much does a wedding DJ cost?
Unlike club DJs, you have different things to consider when it comes to wedding DJs. Because they supply all the sound and lighting equipment it adds extra time (and costs). As such you will need to factor in equipment set up time in addition to their actual gig time. It can take hours to set up a mobile rig.
You might want some music in the background during your wedding lunch or use of a mic during the speeches. Both will naturally add extra time and thus cost you more money. Most good wedding DJs will factor in set up times for before and after the gig. This is usually around one and a half hours set up before and around one hour after. It will obviously depend on what sort of rig the DJ has to how long it takes.
One final thing to think about is what time your wedding reception finishes. You can expect to pay extra if your reception ends after 12am.
Wedding DJs will generally offer packages for customers and their reception. The higher the package, the more equipment they will bring to use. This will include sound and lighting equipment. Higher packages may include things such as bubble and haze machines. The amount of extra equipment (lights etc) will cost you more money.
Any good DJ will make sure they bring the best equipment they can. They are a vital part of a wedding reception, so it's important to create the best atmosphere possible. This is where it might just cost you more, especially of you have 200+ guests attending. So why will it cost more? Because the DJ will require more equipment to create an atmosphere.
Mobile DJ equipment is not light. It's actually really heavy. So the more equipment you have, the more people are needed to carry it all. It will also take longer to set up - and pack away again. A larger wedding reception of 200+ guests will require better equipment. Otherwise you will compromise on sound and lighting quality.
Your main question will obviously be "how much does a DJ cost?" and that's fair enough. But never compromise on good quality sound and lighting equipment. It may well ruin your reception.
Typically, mobile disco services cover certain areas. Which makes sense because it means they don't spend hours travelling to and from gigs. But the distance they end up traveling may well drive up the quote. For example, a DJ in London will be more than happy to take gigs within the M25. If they have to go further the fees will be higher because of the extra petrol they consume.
It's for this reason we would advise you to agree a price up front. Otherwise you may end up being charged extra before (or after) the gig.
Hiring a top quality DJ with years upon years of experience will naturally be more expensive. They would have played at many many gigs and deserve their extra pay. If you want to save some money you can always book a less experience disco. But the best things are worth paying for. And you only get married once, don't you?
In our final section it's all about how busy a DJs booking diary is. Someone who is solidly booked up for two years in advance will be more to hire. They may only have a few dates available, so why book those out on the cheap? They are solidly booked up for a reason. You may be able to make a saving by finding a DJ who doesn't have such a full booking list. When you enquire about their prices make sure you ask about their availability too.
Thanks for visiting our site and reading the guide to DJ prices. We hope you enjoyed reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it. If you're looking for a DJ and want to get the best price, post an advert on our site. It's totally free to advertise. You can receive price quotes and compare the best.