If you’re about to shell out upwards of $800 for a DJ, you probably wanna know why it costs that much, right?
If you’re the curious type, or just appreciate transparency from service-based businesses, this post gives you an idea of what your money covers.
TL;DR - most events require 14 hours of non-billable work. DJ time (i.e. billable work) covers business costs, improvements and pays the DJ. We charge $210 p/hr.
First things first: we don't charge extra for weddings.
Secondly, the biggest value we are offering you is our time and expertise, which in turn, saves your time and ensures seamless, high-quality music coverage for your event.
Most events require ~14 hours of non-billable work (e.g. travel, emails, phone calls, client meetings, music preparation, set up equipment, pack up equipment).
Here’s a breakdown of our fees, business costs and income:
| Total (p/hr) |
Client pays | $210 |
Fixed costs of business (15%) | -$30 |
Taxes (22%) | -$45 |
DJ fees (35%) | -$75 |
Business income (28%) | $60 |
The fixed costs of our business are: website domain ($3/month), website hosting ($13/month), email hosting ($8/month), equipment insurance ($38/month), public liability insurance ($10/month), accounting ($18/month) = $92/month
Additionally, we put aside 22% of income to pay taxes.
If you require MC services and don't have a charismatic and reliable friend or family member in mind, we can provide this service, keeping it simple and classy, and ensuring your event runs on time. This costs an additional flat fee of $100 per event.
“Wait a sec… are we just paying you to indulge your vinyl collecting habits?”
No, not at all! We use our personal income from other employment for buying records.
Our business income usually covers our non-billable hours, plus business improvements with variable costs, such as equipment maintenance, equipment upgrades, marketing, and digital music purchases.
Regarding digital music files, we choose to purchase high-quality lossless audio files, rather than mp3’s. Higher quality audio = increased dynamic range and decreased listening fatigue. These audio files range in cost from $1-3 per song. We’ve gradually built our collection over the years and tend to purchase 5-10 new songs for each event, at a cost to us of ~$30.
Good luck with your planning and feel free to ask any questions about booking wedding DJs or event DJs in Adelaide, with no obligation to use our services. You can also check out what some of our satisfied clients have said about us.