Even by the 1960s, there was precious little music to be heard on the radio, no books about DJing and no specialist publications (the first was Ben Cree's Radio & DJ Monthly, in the mid 1970s, followed by Tony Prince's Disco Mix Club in the eigties, which began as a tape distribution service.

 

DJ training courses only existed in the USA; in Europe DJs had to learn the ropes 'at the knee' of other DJs. Now there are many excellent DJ Training Schools, some much better than most!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Describes over 130 radio station formats in the UK and US and describes how radio programming developed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to DJ Properly Includes everything you will ever need to know, from illustrated tutorials on mixing techniques and styles, digital mixing, tips on buying the right equipment and records, advice from superstar DJs aplenty, plus how to make your own tracks and how to throw the best party. Now all you need is to get out of your bedroom and do it!  CLICK HERE for details.

 

 

This is the next step up where DJs begin to get noticed, either thanks to their style, getting the music right, or more likely, having the right contacts.  Press coverage helps a lot, getting your name known by the right agents will get you some good work, but probably not reliable or regularly enough to rely on as a full time job.

 

Gigs: These are beiginning to pay anywhere from  £350–£2000 per gig,  depending on how well you have been able to develop your name, your overall profile and how big the clubs are that you are now playing in.  Obviously, the smaller size clubs cant afford to pay a DJ too much - it all boils down to what the club can get back , which is invariably going to be on the wet sales - the bar take.  You should however now being working at least twice each weekend.

Income -   £50,000 a year

 

Expenses: At this level the club owner or the promoter will probbably be picking up your bar tab and the costs of your appearing - transport and accomodation.  Your fee for the gig should therefore be all profit, but you may be having to pay an agent.Youi need to figure on 10%  or even 20% of fees.

 

Music costs   £50 a week    £2500 a year

Extras:    smaller label might sign you up for mixing, + £5,000

 

WARNING.  

 

 

  

 

 

This is really the new or fledgling DJs who have honed and practiced their skills in the bedroom and maybe a few on local radio stations.  They may have done a bit of night promoting or perhaps are playing a regular night at the back of a wine bar.  At least word gets around. You're pulling in a reguilar stream of punters.  

 

You often play some gigs for free, as it is the best way to  get the exposure, as well as expertise.   probably making around £125  a night and playing just a couple of times each weekend.

 

£120 x 50 sets a year = £6,000 a year

 

Expenses: Like most local DJs, you probably have to buy your own drinks, and at many venues that can be quite expensive, although if you don't have far to travel, the transport costs may be small.   Perhaps the biggest area of outlay is music as you need to keep your set content up to scratch. 

 

Don't forget to add something for your clothing, it is tax deductible and looking the part will help you fit in to the venue better and raise your credibility.

 

- £40  per week for drinks and taxis

- £10 per week for  miscellaneous

- £25 per week on records or downloads

 

Agent's Fees -  Nil (just yet). You should be able to negotiate these gigs direct yourself with the venue managers.

 

 

 

 

This takes your career up a notch where you get gigs at festivals and events all over the place. Sadly, they are all some distance from home and you might find that you soon living out of a suitcase or a van and having to fight off groupies and all kinds of invitations and solicitations. The better known you get, the more gigs you get.  Better known DJs are now commanding fees of between £2,000 and £5,000 a show and you should be appearing at maybe four gigs a week.

£3,000 x 150 sets a year = £450,000

 

Expenses: Your agent will probably have got promoters to arrange your air fares,and hotels.  Make sure they also have someone get you a work permit or visa where necessary.

Budget  to have  extra travel fund  £10,000

 

Manager:  Allow for 25% for your team but that should include a PA.

Extra help at really big gigs.  £50,000

 

Miscellaneous.    You need to be making your own music  to  get really well known internationally and that means investing in some studio time, and possibly extra equipment. You could have big hits too which could give you a very useful extra stream of income from sales, downloads and from media royalties - both radio and TV play. If your tracks are really good and you can get them placed, there could be extra income from film use or TV commercials. 

Royalties  £20,000

Commercials £10,000

COSTS  studio & kit hire   £5,000

Superstar DJs can fill huge stadiums and their agents and managers  refuse gigs, to stop them burning out. The fees then go up as the workload goes down, but your health should improve quite a bit by this stage!  This is the time that you can benefit from the care and attention you have put into your brand, and extend it out into lots of other avenues, where you will get paid simply from lending your name to concepts, products and ideas. 

 

The real superstar DJs earn from £5m to £20 million a year.  Calvin Harris has grossed over around $50 million in each of the last five years. 

Gigs:   The gigs are now huge and they have to be so the promoter can afford to pay you. But with fees from £10k to £25k just for a couple of hours at the big festivals, you only need work one night a week at the top fee level of say £25,000 to pull in £1.25m a year.

                       £ 1,250,000

 

EXPENSES:  The promoter will be happy to stump up for all your travel and other expenses and your riders should certainly have more pampering than just a free drinks tab. 

MANAGER.   Your entourage has probably grown quite a bit by now. most superstar DJs will have added their own publicity people, plus Social Media experts and all manner of hangers on.  The best of these don't come cheap but they will help you get even more income and be well worth the amount they will cost you, around  £100,000.

EXTRAS: Product endorsement revenue can be very lucrative, the fees are always very negotiiable.  

 

Sponsorship & endorsements £500,000

One Nighters £250,000

+Record Sales  £100,000

 

 

The figures below are approximate and are offered just as to a guide of the kind of figures you might expect to earn in each of the four strata of the DJ world.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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