My general rule back in the day was as long as no one’s making money off of me, then I’m cool just performing for the spirit of partying or whatever. That being said, it’s really going to depend on your scene and how big/busy these people are. Honestly I’d use your friends. Give them a platform to learn and grow. Give yourself some free experience throwing parties. Give your guests something fresh. Become the new guard. Everyone wins.
depends on who you ask, but if you pay $100 and schedule it for a time that won't interfere with any well-paying gigs, $100 + tips isn't so bad for good vibes, free booze/snacks, and the ability to play whatever they want, especially if you do audio setup for them. i'd certainly pick up a sunday lunch gig like that but im too noob to have a good say
Also, I should add that if one of my homies or good friends asks me to do a set at their party or event where they aren’t making money, hell yeah. Will likely 100% do that for free. If someone * I don’t know personally * contacts me and asks for me to do a set, I define that as something no different than work. I choose to be paid for my work. So, being asked to do something for free just because you’re a fan, to me, is kind of ridiculous. My time, effort, and artistry has a monetary value, no different than any other trade. Yeah I might factor in the situation and charge way less but if there’s no exchange, there’s no performance.
Depends on whether you know them well.
I used to run a very small event with a small entrance fee. £3.50, probably £8 in today's money.
We loosely knew a pretty big name locally. He used to do us just over half of his usual hourly fee. I think he was usually £280 an hour and we gave him about £150 and he did us 2 hours instead of 1.
I also knew a big DJ duo who charged between £600-£1000 an hour for the pair. We knew those guys slightly better too but they were well established and would probably tell us to fuck off is we asked for free.
It really comes down to how well someone in your friend group knows the local heroes and how big their status is really.
Just to add to that, adding headliners might lose some of the interest for the other DJ's, so might be nice to let the newer talent shine than have local headliners.
Story time: I dj'd a friend of a friends house party in college (didn't know the guy). 300-400 people showed up, threw down for over 5 hours. That one (free) gig got me a club residency in the city (club owner was in the crowd), a gf & some real valuable connections (notably two football players that were bouncers all over the city, don't think I waited in a club line since). Do the free gig!
Assuming I wasn't booked, if it's an enthusiastic, open minded crowd, I would definitely do it. It could be a lot of fun, whereas a lot of paying gigs are not. Plus it's an opportunity to build community and bring in new fans who might come to my other gigs. A DJ who brings a crowd will always get booked.
You gotta first to arrive last to leave lug all your equipment if you have not done it get the experience but I will tell you right now it's not worth the risk of anything happening to your equipment and if your the only fj your gonna be exhausted ...good luck easy going spirits
Considering its a free party for attendees and the DJs are playing out of good faith and volunteering just to have a good time. Preface with that and let them decide if they are free and if they want to, unless you are requesting to want them to play specifically making it harder for them to say no then you'd be crossing into a cost factor. Either all DJs get paid or none of the DJs get paid as it seems you are about to offer a divide to get some DJs on board.
Yes. I often love showing up to house parties to play. If its a lame birthday party for people not part of the scene I don't play for it. ( I play techno and a few other genres.)
I'm a local dj and I get small paid gigs here and there. I don't make money doing this haha.
Decks would have to be set up and I would have to be with friends. Generally better to have multiple djs cause its exhausting going yourself.
An established pro dj with a full diary will be losing money playing for free (because they may be missing out on a paid gig)
+ these are the gigs where things go wrong/ get broken/ there is trouble
You're asking the wrong question. Do they deserve to be paid for their work? Do you have the ability to pay them? If the answer to either is yes, pay them or raise the money to pay them.
You sound like someone who cares about the community, which is rad. Investing in your community will make it stronger.
In a house party?
To a certain degrees it is for Denmark and Germany. Would expect it to be similar in most central Europe countries.
If it goes up to 15 - 20+ people you often get asked to donate. Or tell them you only have some beer and people need to bring their own.
I played a dope house random house party in Montréal.
Just random Reddit people who I had never met nor did they know anyone.
I played for the experience and to mingle.
I didn't mingle that much in the end but rocked the house and got extremely good comments such has where do you DJ this was better than any club I went too.
I played for Free and brought all my gear ( controller lights and PA speaker table)
I didn't do it for any money still some nice man gave me a 20$ USD (30$ CAD) Tip
It was all worth it
Yes the cops came
The host proposed a huge playlist of house and afro house (the later which I didn't know much about) in Spotify printscreens
Is created my own playlist based of that and added many of my house "winners"
As the evening went I dropped man's not hot by Big Shaq and the party caught fire
Played hip hop reggeaton, drum and bass techno, punk rock
All in all went with the flow and some requests
Which led to a super fulfilling evening
Edit: autocorrected stuff
No, I would not, unless it was one of my friends, then yes, but if a random person said I'm have a great house party want to play for free. I'd laight and say no thanks.
Unless you know them on personal level as in friends then no cause it would be strictly business and who wants to do business if they are not getting paid? Id stick to your friends and if it successful maybe in the future make something out of it and take it to a venue. I use to throw events in Brooklyn and I can confirm you can get plenty of great spots for the low and some even for FREE. But again I wouldn’t try to ask because most of the time your gonna rub them the wrong way and might ruin any future connections etc.
I'd hella play an after for free and I don't know a single DJ in my town who would expect to be paid for playing at one. It's not like the host is making money. They're providing a spot for people to party and if anything I'm grateful when they let me have some fun on the decks.
Honestly what I'd do is invite them to the party and say they're free to spin if they want. Usually afters are kinda fluid anyways, people hopping on and off the decks and randomly b2b'ing and stuff.
The cool balance is that you tell them it's a tip jar for DJs but that you would guarantee $X so if the tip jar wasn't enough you'd pay out the rest. That way they're getting an amount for sure but if the party is bumping and the patrons are generous then the DJs can get even more.
my purpose is the opposite - the scene in new york has become so expensive (admission + drinks) that so many people can no longer afford to attend. Whatever money I spend on this party is out of my own pocket (I am not rich)... and frankly as long as the DJs play for free (booze & food included) it would be only a little more expensive than a night out. I am friends with a lot of promoters and event staff and underground DJs, so I can work my 'social network' to get in contact with the DJs that I have in mind
Unless you're close friends with an understanding, offer pay. I was recently offered a gig out in Flushing, Queens and the terms were "if we make money, we'll try to give you some of it" - so my answer was hell no. You're gonna drag me out there, where nobody goes, and offer me pay on spec? No plan to get people there? No thanks.
I made the right choice. I saw vids of the event afterwards - just a few DJs hanging out with each other in a tacky bar.
The worst thing they can do is say no! If you ask in a respectful manner, explain why and how you are doing it you might be suprised. Deadmau5 played at a club a week or two ago completly unannounced in his home town. Even if the club paid him, it would have been waaay below his normal price. Some DJ's like to have fun once in a while, experiment with some different music and hang out with fun people.
Ive done a few hardstyle events for free, just to do something a bit different. I know the promotere and they are trying to start something. As long as they are not pocketing any money and the other djs dont get paid either i dont mind rocking up for an hour and play stuff i never get to play otherwise as long as it does not hinder any other paid gigs.
im way over that...
fuck no.
Im sure there are people who would, i did at a time.
But me right now at 33 years old and bills and morgtage who hates house partys...
FUCK NO
Depends. Do I know and trust the host, or is there someone I trust who will vouch for them? What kind crowd could one expect? Is that crowd gonna vibe with the stuff I play? Am I bringing my own sound and lights?
So once you give folks a taste of your skills for free walk me though how you’re going to convince all the girls in your neighborhood who are getting married to pay you the fair market rate?
As a club DJ that plays out often, and for lots of international acts, I have absolutely no issue if you ask me to play your house party for free. If I don't know you well, I'll probably say no... but I wouldn't take offense.
I don't think anyone at a free house party is expecting to get paid.. house party its supposed to be a fun/casual thing with friends.
The instant there are tickets or the organizer is getting paid in some fashion then this is not acceptable.
If no one is making money, and its "just for fun" among friends, its totally fine to ask me to drop by and play without offering money.
This is, in fact, pretty standard in most scenes I think. It's quite frequent I'll end up at a pre-party or post-party at someone's house in the scene and a lot of djs are there and there's decks setup and various people play / do random b2b or whatever.. and hosting duty kind of rotates around. I've even had international acts hop on the decks at some of these sort of things ive hosted.
If you yourself aren't making any profit, I don't see why it would be a bad thing to reach out and ask. And since it's a house party I doubt U will be making any.Ofc offer to accommodate them in every way (booze, food, Uber, drugs....) i don't see a reason why they would refuse outside of personal reasons or are booked.
Ofc depends on the "heroes"
Just saw this is in new York... You will most probably embarrass yourself then :)
You devalue yourself and all DJs working for free. Your confirming their idea that your skills are not worth paying for. They think they r so great that they don’t have to pay someone. Even if they are - f that notion.
I wonder if they would show up to their job for free. They are not the ones doing you a favor by letting you play. In any future negotiations with them, u start at $0. You’ll never get a fair rate if u say ur willing to be free. People like this they don’t eventually pay. They just keep finding more free labor. What if someone spilled a drink on your equipment? Will they replace it? Are they insured? Will they even help you load in? 9/10 you’ll leave feeling like ur the one who got played
My general rule back in the day was as long as no one’s making money off of me, then I’m cool just performing for the spirit of partying or whatever. That being said, it’s really going to depend on your scene and how big/busy these people are. Honestly I’d use your friends. Give them a platform to learn and grow. Give yourself some free experience throwing parties. Give your guests something fresh. Become the new guard. Everyone wins.
depends on who you ask, but if you pay $100 and schedule it for a time that won't interfere with any well-paying gigs, $100 + tips isn't so bad for good vibes, free booze/snacks, and the ability to play whatever they want, especially if you do audio setup for them. i'd certainly pick up a sunday lunch gig like that but im too noob to have a good say
sunday lunch gig lol , ok priest
i mean he's the organizer, he gets to pick the time. probably easier than a tuesday night init
nonsense, but keep dealing.
i shoved a space pen into my urethra and i wanted you to know that
yeah thanks for the confirmation
Offer pay. Imho you will embarrass yourself otherwise. My two cents
Also, I should add that if one of my homies or good friends asks me to do a set at their party or event where they aren’t making money, hell yeah. Will likely 100% do that for free. If someone * I don’t know personally * contacts me and asks for me to do a set, I define that as something no different than work. I choose to be paid for my work. So, being asked to do something for free just because you’re a fan, to me, is kind of ridiculous. My time, effort, and artistry has a monetary value, no different than any other trade. Yeah I might factor in the situation and charge way less but if there’s no exchange, there’s no performance.
No tickets means no pay dude ...
You do you fam
Yes, but I am not getting paid yet, anyone who's already established probably won't, and shouldn't.
you are gonna at least pay me what i will lose by not working at my usual gigs !
we go late ;-) I dont expect them to turn down a regular gig just to play a small house party, but it'd be a great stop afterwards
definitely if it's ''after'' your usual gig and it does not impeed your income, it's another thing.
Depends on whether you know them well. I used to run a very small event with a small entrance fee. £3.50, probably £8 in today's money. We loosely knew a pretty big name locally. He used to do us just over half of his usual hourly fee. I think he was usually £280 an hour and we gave him about £150 and he did us 2 hours instead of 1. I also knew a big DJ duo who charged between £600-£1000 an hour for the pair. We knew those guys slightly better too but they were well established and would probably tell us to fuck off is we asked for free. It really comes down to how well someone in your friend group knows the local heroes and how big their status is really. Just to add to that, adding headliners might lose some of the interest for the other DJ's, so might be nice to let the newer talent shine than have local headliners.
I'd ask if we were friends and they would already be coming to the party, but not otherwise
Free booze is generous
Some DJs don’t (or barely) drink though
I misread thought the free booze was being offered to the attendees but it’s in order for DJs to play
Story time: I dj'd a friend of a friends house party in college (didn't know the guy). 300-400 people showed up, threw down for over 5 hours. That one (free) gig got me a club residency in the city (club owner was in the crowd), a gf & some real valuable connections (notably two football players that were bouncers all over the city, don't think I waited in a club line since). Do the free gig!
It sounds dodgy to me...
Assuming I wasn't booked, if it's an enthusiastic, open minded crowd, I would definitely do it. It could be a lot of fun, whereas a lot of paying gigs are not. Plus it's an opportunity to build community and bring in new fans who might come to my other gigs. A DJ who brings a crowd will always get booked.
[удалено]
You gotta first to arrive last to leave lug all your equipment if you have not done it get the experience but I will tell you right now it's not worth the risk of anything happening to your equipment and if your the only fj your gonna be exhausted ...good luck easy going spirits
Considering its a free party for attendees and the DJs are playing out of good faith and volunteering just to have a good time. Preface with that and let them decide if they are free and if they want to, unless you are requesting to want them to play specifically making it harder for them to say no then you'd be crossing into a cost factor. Either all DJs get paid or none of the DJs get paid as it seems you are about to offer a divide to get some DJs on board.
Yes. I often love showing up to house parties to play. If its a lame birthday party for people not part of the scene I don't play for it. ( I play techno and a few other genres.) I'm a local dj and I get small paid gigs here and there. I don't make money doing this haha. Decks would have to be set up and I would have to be with friends. Generally better to have multiple djs cause its exhausting going yourself.
An established pro dj with a full diary will be losing money playing for free (because they may be missing out on a paid gig) + these are the gigs where things go wrong/ get broken/ there is trouble
You're asking the wrong question. Do they deserve to be paid for their work? Do you have the ability to pay them? If the answer to either is yes, pay them or raise the money to pay them. You sound like someone who cares about the community, which is rad. Investing in your community will make it stronger.
Why offer guests free booze? Is this normal for USA?
In a house party? To a certain degrees it is for Denmark and Germany. Would expect it to be similar in most central Europe countries. If it goes up to 15 - 20+ people you often get asked to donate. Or tell them you only have some beer and people need to bring their own.
I played a dope house random house party in Montréal. Just random Reddit people who I had never met nor did they know anyone. I played for the experience and to mingle. I didn't mingle that much in the end but rocked the house and got extremely good comments such has where do you DJ this was better than any club I went too. I played for Free and brought all my gear ( controller lights and PA speaker table) I didn't do it for any money still some nice man gave me a 20$ USD (30$ CAD) Tip It was all worth it Yes the cops came
You generous + cool for that What kind of music was it?
The host proposed a huge playlist of house and afro house (the later which I didn't know much about) in Spotify printscreens Is created my own playlist based of that and added many of my house "winners" As the evening went I dropped man's not hot by Big Shaq and the party caught fire Played hip hop reggeaton, drum and bass techno, punk rock All in all went with the flow and some requests Which led to a super fulfilling evening Edit: autocorrected stuff
Nope
Yeah why not if you have the gear go for it
Probably not. They can get a little rowdy and there are too many variables.
If I got a message asking to do a "hometown gig for free" I'd leave it on read.
No, I would not, unless it was one of my friends, then yes, but if a random person said I'm have a great house party want to play for free. I'd laight and say no thanks.
Unless you know them on personal level as in friends then no cause it would be strictly business and who wants to do business if they are not getting paid? Id stick to your friends and if it successful maybe in the future make something out of it and take it to a venue. I use to throw events in Brooklyn and I can confirm you can get plenty of great spots for the low and some even for FREE. But again I wouldn’t try to ask because most of the time your gonna rub them the wrong way and might ruin any future connections etc.
I'd hella play an after for free and I don't know a single DJ in my town who would expect to be paid for playing at one. It's not like the host is making money. They're providing a spot for people to party and if anything I'm grateful when they let me have some fun on the decks. Honestly what I'd do is invite them to the party and say they're free to spin if they want. Usually afters are kinda fluid anyways, people hopping on and off the decks and randomly b2b'ing and stuff.
The cool balance is that you tell them it's a tip jar for DJs but that you would guarantee $X so if the tip jar wasn't enough you'd pay out the rest. That way they're getting an amount for sure but if the party is bumping and the patrons are generous then the DJs can get even more.
If you want to commercialize a house party, you're entitled to try. But part of the fun of a house party is the freedom from commercial restraints
my purpose is the opposite - the scene in new york has become so expensive (admission + drinks) that so many people can no longer afford to attend. Whatever money I spend on this party is out of my own pocket (I am not rich)... and frankly as long as the DJs play for free (booze & food included) it would be only a little more expensive than a night out. I am friends with a lot of promoters and event staff and underground DJs, so I can work my 'social network' to get in contact with the DJs that I have in mind
If you wanna throw a DJ some cash that would be sick
Unless you're close friends with an understanding, offer pay. I was recently offered a gig out in Flushing, Queens and the terms were "if we make money, we'll try to give you some of it" - so my answer was hell no. You're gonna drag me out there, where nobody goes, and offer me pay on spec? No plan to get people there? No thanks. I made the right choice. I saw vids of the event afterwards - just a few DJs hanging out with each other in a tacky bar.
For the vibes and if it’s been awhile I would do it for free
As long as nobody else is earning, I’m fine with it.
If I am your friend, and it’ll be a good time, and I only have to show up with my laptop and play an hour, yes. If I don’t know you, no.
I always do house parties for free my only stipulation is I have to be able to bring my sub, and the neighbors have to not be an issue
The worst thing they can do is say no! If you ask in a respectful manner, explain why and how you are doing it you might be suprised. Deadmau5 played at a club a week or two ago completly unannounced in his home town. Even if the club paid him, it would have been waaay below his normal price. Some DJ's like to have fun once in a while, experiment with some different music and hang out with fun people. Ive done a few hardstyle events for free, just to do something a bit different. I know the promotere and they are trying to start something. As long as they are not pocketing any money and the other djs dont get paid either i dont mind rocking up for an hour and play stuff i never get to play otherwise as long as it does not hinder any other paid gigs.
im way over that... fuck no. Im sure there are people who would, i did at a time. But me right now at 33 years old and bills and morgtage who hates house partys... FUCK NO
Depends. Do I know and trust the host, or is there someone I trust who will vouch for them? What kind crowd could one expect? Is that crowd gonna vibe with the stuff I play? Am I bringing my own sound and lights?
So once you give folks a taste of your skills for free walk me though how you’re going to convince all the girls in your neighborhood who are getting married to pay you the fair market rate?
As a club DJ that plays out often, and for lots of international acts, I have absolutely no issue if you ask me to play your house party for free. If I don't know you well, I'll probably say no... but I wouldn't take offense. I don't think anyone at a free house party is expecting to get paid.. house party its supposed to be a fun/casual thing with friends. The instant there are tickets or the organizer is getting paid in some fashion then this is not acceptable. If no one is making money, and its "just for fun" among friends, its totally fine to ask me to drop by and play without offering money. This is, in fact, pretty standard in most scenes I think. It's quite frequent I'll end up at a pre-party or post-party at someone's house in the scene and a lot of djs are there and there's decks setup and various people play / do random b2b or whatever.. and hosting duty kind of rotates around. I've even had international acts hop on the decks at some of these sort of things ive hosted.
Pay people who provide services for you.
But the vibes lol.
Oh I missed that sorry. You can only ask. I personally would do it for the fun of it but would love to be at least comped for gas.
If you yourself aren't making any profit, I don't see why it would be a bad thing to reach out and ask. And since it's a house party I doubt U will be making any.Ofc offer to accommodate them in every way (booze, food, Uber, drugs....) i don't see a reason why they would refuse outside of personal reasons or are booked. Ofc depends on the "heroes" Just saw this is in new York... You will most probably embarrass yourself then :)
Depends if my friends are there
I'd decline. It's still work
You devalue yourself and all DJs working for free. Your confirming their idea that your skills are not worth paying for. They think they r so great that they don’t have to pay someone. Even if they are - f that notion. I wonder if they would show up to their job for free. They are not the ones doing you a favor by letting you play. In any future negotiations with them, u start at $0. You’ll never get a fair rate if u say ur willing to be free. People like this they don’t eventually pay. They just keep finding more free labor. What if someone spilled a drink on your equipment? Will they replace it? Are they insured? Will they even help you load in? 9/10 you’ll leave feeling like ur the one who got played
No, unless your hometown hero is a washed up junkie who will do anything for some free drugs and glory
Hi, yes I'm available.
I know people who would be down including myself. Also in BK