Why can't I get a quote?

The most asked commonly asked question by brides to their DJ, band or entertainers. I believe this question is asked most because many brides do not know what questions to ask, prior to booking an entertainer. How many times have you booked a DJ for an event? Most young brides never have booked an entertainer.

We, entertainers, offer a variety of services to meet each clients unique needs. What are those needs? Some of the needs include the number of guest, location, length of event, size of venue, style of music, lighting, setup, design, microphones, table lighting, and much more. As you can see, depending on your needs, this is a difficult question to answer. It would be like calling a car dealer and saying, "I need a car, how much are yours?" Well the cost would depend on a lot of your preferences. If you want a used cheap car, it would not be expensive. If you wanted a high class car, it will cost you significantly more.

Image Source: http://wedding-day-bliss.com/2013/02/15/outdoor-wedding-5-ikea-lanters/

"So why can't you just tell me the cost?"

Again, it depends on what you are looking for with services. In Maine, the average cost starts at $800 for about 5-6 hours. The more hours you add to an event, the cheaper your cost. The less hours, the more you'll pay per hour. Then there are all the options and services you might be expecting when paying, let's say $800. Good DJ's will not give you a price over the phone or in an email without all the details because of this expectation. If you were to pay $800 and expect a full uplighting package and you found out on your wedding day that this only covers the music, you'd be very disappointed and frustarated with your DJ. Good DJ's have learned this lesson the hard way and will not just book on one flat fee.

How can I plan my budget if DJ's won't tell me the cost?

Good question. Below is a table of basic average cost for the State of Maine. These cost projections are only estimates. We will not honor prices posted online.

	Bronze Package	Silver Package	Gold Package	Diamond Package
Style & Look	Shabby Sheik Very Clean & Simple	Clean Look Some Dance Lighting	Adding Uplighting and Monograms	Maximum “WOW” factor
Hours Included:	4	5	6	6
Sound:	Minimal	Adds speakers and subs (125+ people)	4 Speakers up to 2 subs, very loud.	Maximum  Sound with remote speakers and sound processing
Lighting:	NONE	Dance Lights	Uplighting Dance Lighting Moving Heads Monogram Cake Table Pinspot	Uplighting Dance Lighting Moving Heads Monogram Cake Table Pinspot Individual Table Pin Spotting Gobo Breakup Projections.
Package is best for:	Simple and short events.  Family Reunions BBQ Shabby Sheik Budget Wedding	Simple Weddings up to 125 guest. Some “Wow” Factor Low Budget Weddings Small Parties Reunions	Traditional Weddings up to 175 guest. Lot’s of “Wow” Factor All Out Parties Class Reunions Sweet “16” Bat Mitzvah	Totally Astonish your guest. Maximum “Wow” Factor. This is like stepping into a movie. This package provides those amazing photo opts.
Cost:	$600-$700	$800-$1500	$2000-$3000	$3000+

What you'll want to think about prior to contacting your DJ is, "What type of wedding are you looking for? Simple or extremely elegant." Your DJ will help you in figuring the cost. Just remeber, the more the DJ does, the more you can save. DJ's are best at lighting and sound, don't trust a venue.

As you can see, the cost of DJ's is not cheap. Here is a break down of the most basic system:

Basic DJ Equipment Cost

4 Speakers $1,000 each = $4,000

Subwoofer = $750

Microphone Wireless = $450

Mixer = $800

Mixer Case = $200

Power Conditioner = $200

EQ or Maximizer = $300

Tripods = $75 each $400

Table = $50

Table Cover = $25

Cables (stereo) = $300

Total for the most basic system: $7,450

What’s not included: Music = $$$$$, Insurance, Advertising $$$ and more. As you can see even with the most basic system, you're looking at a $10,000 investment! When you rent any tool or equipment, you usually pay 10% of the cost of the product. We have yeat to factor the cost of labor. Yes, we DJ's still need to get paid; it's why we're DJing in the first place.

Hopefully this makes more sense as to why cost begin around $800. If you wanted an uplighting package with monograms and custom programmed lighting, your DJ will most likely be bringing $30,000+ of gear. The cost of $2,000 for the equipment, labor and advertising doesn't seem too bad, does it? When you talk to your DJ, think about what you want and what you need; cost is based on equipment and labor. 

New Year's Eve 2012-13

I'd like to thank Michelle Haskel for a great event on New Years Eve. The Mariner's Church was rocking and decked out for a big welcoming of 2013. This event included dance lights, moving head lights, and basic uplights. At the stroke of midnight we had a balloon drop and confetti cannons shooting confetti 25' in the air. Thank you for a great night. Here's a link to images and video. 

Getting a simple quote! Did you know?

Why can't I get a simple quote?

"Why can't I get a quick quote?" is by far the most asked question by potential clients. As DJ's we hear this all the time and are often caught between a rock and a hard place. We want to be able to offer the best service as a low cost, but often what clients seek is much more than a "Basic Package Price." Our future clients are expecting much more than speakers. As a result, we become educators of sound, light and service.

What clients often don't understand is the complexity of variables in making a quote. Granted we all want to offer something at a discount or free, but even with incentives, we still have to make a profit. Often my clients are amazed at the number of variables involved with quoting an event. The basic variables are of course sound and lighting. Many never factor for layout, time, travel, expenses, location and most importantly, the date. Why do these factors matter?

The sound variable is the most critical factor. Many people don't understand venue sound and how it affects the volume and clarity of music. As you add people to a venue, each body absorbs sound. I explain this with a bucket of water. If fill a buck of water and drop in a couple sponges and they float around, it's the same as a room with an adequate sound system. If I keep adding sponges (people to a room) eventually, I'll run out of water and not all the sponges will be equally wet. Just like sound, if you over fill a room or under drive the sound, you're left with some who hear the music and some who don't. Similar to sound is lighting.

Have you ever seen an event with one light? What happens when a guest walks in front? Ever try cooking in a kitchen with just one over head lamp? That's right, the number of people and type of lighting greatly affect the room. Sure, plain white light is crisp and clean, but it doesn't announce "Party." What is the really point of a reception? You want to have people dancing and laughing. This said, the placement of the lights chosen is also critical. 

The placement of lights with a well though out layout also affects the cost of an event. If you need to run speaker or lights to multiple locations or even rooms, then the time and expenses will increase. Careful layout will help to maximize lighting and sound, with keeping cost down. If specific layouts are needed, then it takes time to calculate, setup and add for the changes.

We DJ's enjoy what we do. I've personally DJ'd some events that were booked at 3 hours and I work 3 hours and 30 minutes. But, I've also DJ'd events with a contract of 3  hours and the event resulted in 12 plus hours. (Hard lesson learned) Our time to complete our job defiantly affects the quote. I remember a client who asked for 3 hours of service and was more than willing to pay the going rate. But, she wanted me to set up at 9:00 AM and be gone (leaving my equipment) until noon time and then begin spinning at 1:00 pm! Again, I don't mind donating some time, but waiting 4 hours is not reasonable for anyone! Personally, I charge less per hour for waiting or breaking the play time up. I'm not driving around and wasting gas, so I charge a different rate for waiting than traveling.

The cost of gas today affects every business. Gone are the days where DJ's will travel hundreds of miles at no cost for a client. Trucks, to haul the gear, not good on gas. Driving a hundred miles could cost a DJ $60 plus dollars for the trip. No charge for excessive travel could gobble up the funds. 

Traveling also can result in other expenses, tolls, food, lodging. Often these expenses are never considered when calculating an event. If I DJ past 11 PM and I'm more than one hour from my home, I require lodging. Driving a truck after working 6-12 hours at 1 in the morning is just plain dangerous. Local jobs are always preferred when they're accessible. 

 The clients location greatly affects the cost. I took on a client at a school on a local island to help some kids have a fun dance. The kids had a great time and the 3 hours of work was fun. The location was not fun. First, I had to drive across town and park in a garage. I then asked to roll all my gear to a loading dock, load it on a boat, ride to the island, unload the boat, load into another truck and then into the building. The best part was the return trip in the rain. Needless-to-say, that 3 hour job became close to 10 hours and it was only 10 miles from my home. Location also impacts access to the load in time. If your event location is on the top floor of a hotel or down a long winding unpaved path, this all takes more time.

Finally the day a client chooses for his or her event will drastically impact the cost through supply and demand. Obviously, many people want a DJ during the holidays or New Year's Eve. Looking at the date alone is not enough. We also have to look at events occurring during that time. There are many times when my services were requested during events such as festivals or fairs. The previously mentioned variables and date, add up to cost.

So why can't I just throw out a quote? In order for DJ's to make a living, we have to account for all these factors. Tell us the specific details of your plan through a free consultation and we'll give you the most accurate and reasonable quote we can.