Something must be done...

**itajeN** · 03-23-2011, 12:56 PM

It's cause everyone wants to be a DJ here, cause they think it's a life of fame and poontang.

**djproben** · 03-23-2011, 01:33 PM

It's probably the guy's attempt to get a first gig. Seriously, have you ever played any gig for 6 hours? Add karaoke to that, add that it's maybe a wedding or bar mitzvah, add that it's in Dallas; the guy is gonna want to shoot himself after hour 3. I'd want more money than that just to show up to that party for 6 hours without working!

And I don't know how we can assume that the guy isn't paying for music or equipment or whatever. It's possible that he is wealthy enough not to care and just wants the exposure. I played a lot of free gigs when I was starting out (hell, I still do free gigs now and then, though I'm a lot more selective about them). For a while I was playing 2-3 hour sets at an Indian restaurant where nobody danced and I got paid in saag paneer; at the time I was just happy for the exposure.

**Chilly** · 03-23-2011, 01:50 PM

Here's the thing Jay...as a person who has been doing this for 14 years, I get asked by people all the time who are starting out "what should I do to get gigs?"

The answer is: Don't charge what I charge. I have a history, a brand, a reputation, whatever...I've been this for a long time. You are new and are just starting out. Hell, just for the experience you shouldn't even TAKE money...try to get free drinks or something.

...Just some of my thoughts...

**wrong chris** · 03-23-2011, 01:50 PM

10$ for 50 mcnuggets in the united states?

**nem0nic** · 03-23-2011, 02:07 PM

I'm not sure how this Craigslist ad is a problem. If the guy is good, and he's willing to haul his shit out for $100 a night and deliver a decent product, then more power to him. If he sucks and is your typical undercutter, then he won't work more than once for a given venue and those gigs open back up.

There isn't a DJ union to regulate prices (OK, there actually is, but they're powerless). If you find that you're consistently losing gigs because of price, you might be pricing yourself out of your local market. If there are undercutters out there that are making it hard for you to make a decent living, you might look into how they're able to do what they do so cheaply and fight them with their own tools. You might also go the other way and see how much you can differentiate yourself from them with higher end services.

**jdog667jkt** · 03-23-2011, 02:11 PM

This is an interesting topic actually. I've got a gig as opener (I think it'll be about 1-1.5 hours) at a club in Toronto in a few weeks and I was wondering about payment. How much would you guys expect to be paid for something like that?