How many gigs until I can start getting paid?

Agree with U31. I think it’s OK to play once to “show what you can do”, but you should get free drinks even then, and charge from gig 2 onwards.

You should already ask. Just bear in mind two things:

1) Is the promoter making any money on this event? Many gigs I’ve done for free simply because I wanted to play what I see as the “cool” music. In the end, I’d see the promoter take losses, which is why it never bothered me. I’ve been more adamant on getting paid when I have to play music I’m not into or I know the promoter will make money.

2) Can the promoter, manager, or owner easily replace you with a kid who will play for free? It’s been the biggest complaint of many experienced DJs. The kid on a pirated software with pirated music who will play for nothing (or next to it). Even in many cases the undercutter DJ isn’t on illegal software or music. In the end, a professional DJ would just walk away from cheapos who take advantage of hungry DJs, but if you need the exposure that spot gives, then you might just have to suck it up and look for other “rewards” out of the freebie, like self-promotion and branding.

Sent from my ThinkPad Tablet using Tapatalk

If you have a gig for someone else then your best friend you should be paid from day1 IMO.

I can not believe that someone would work for free…..

Now that is the million dollar question!

It is true that asking nothing for a job that someone would get paid to do, creates a lot of complaints, unhealthy antagonism, reduction of the salaries and so more. Unfortunately, due to digital-technological evolution and due to strict economic status of many societies things have changed a lot. Nowadays, I can name a LOT of professions that once were paid very good and now someone will be offering to do the same (or at least with sub-quality) for free.

Post production – music for advertising, etc etc – once you needed to hire a complete studio and a producer, now most small companies just download sample libraries and make their own jingles for free.

Think advertising itself – once on TV and very pricey now via the internet, it can become free (forum spamming anyone?)

Think car repairs – parts replacement – one you needed a technician, now you just Google your problem and a million solutions together with illustrated guides on how to replace the faulty part

Think electronics repairs – same as above

Graphics – photography – animation – logo creation….and the list goes on. DJing is not the only proffesion being affected by this phenomenon.

Surely it is unfair for the proffesional DJs to try to compete (salary wise) with a kid with pirated software who asks for nothing – but IMO its a situation that it is not going to change – just like piracy. Sitting there just complaining about the kids who steal your job reminds me of the “big 4” record companies complaining about piracy while they continued to overcharge vinyls and CDs. They deserved what they got in my humble opinion for being unable to predict situations and act accordingly (subscription-based music sales anyone?)

On the scope of these facts, both the parties need to re-consider.
On one side, the beginner who charges nothing needs to re-consider, needs to think that if he establishes himself as “the guy who asks no or little money” will never get paid. On the other side, the proffesional who overcharged based on the assumption that noone could substitute him, should reconsider the amount of money asked.

Personally what I try to do is close a “win – win” deal with the promoter or bar-club Im playing – in simple words, i take into consideration how much money the place owner will make, how much money the promoter-party organiser will make and charge accordingly – as D-Jam already metnioned, if they are not going to pay me the amount I ask, then I consider doing it for less or even free only if the gig is going to promote me in any way to more audience and if its going to help my branding – bio. As people already said, knowing what the resident DJs get paid and what guest DJs get paid in your area helps your decision.

There have been nights, where the amount of money earned (by the organiser-owner) was so little that I ended up getting nothing but free drinks, declining to be paid with a ridicilously small amount (“nevermind, keep the money, it was a cool night, thanks, goodnight”.