[Dixielandjazz] DJ Getting What Musicians Always Get

[Robert S. Ringwald]

Answer to lady budgeting $250 for entertainment for her wedding.


(snip)
 best of craigslist
re: DJ for my July wedding (You're kidding, right?)
Reply to: see below
Date: 2008-04-24, 5:04PM PDT
1) You shouldn't really ask people to respond with their "experience" since
no self-respecting
professional will do a 6hr wedding for the compensation listed. What you
want to
pay is about half of what a quality service would charge for a 4 hour
package! So
no, you don't even have the right to ask about "experience" at all. You're
not wanting
to hire an experienced professional, so you shouldnt expect someone
experienced at
all!
2) A dj would not be able to "throw in another gig after yours" just because
yours
ends at 5. Look at your wedding. Its 6 hrs. long! Even assuming a 4hr.
reception
in the evening, the dj would not have time to pack up, get to the next
wedding and
set up. A wedding is an ALL-DAY JOB for a dj... not just "4 or 5 hrs of
playing music."
3) We don't WANT "fun" and "free food..." We're not there to party with you
and your
friends... We don't want charity, and don't need our intelligence insulted
by your
trying to convince us that you will be somehow "doing us a favor" by letting
us go
through your buffet line. ALL we want is to be PAID FAIRLY for professional
services
that we deliver.
4) Between meetings, paperwork, planning and preparation, loading and
unloading time,
drive time, setup and teardown, your "simple little wedding on a budget"
(yeah right....
a wedding at AHCC is NOT a "wedding on a budget!") is a 10-12 hour ordeal AT
LEAST!
Based on the $250 you are offering, the hourly rate breaks down to right
around $20/hr.
And thats supposed to cover not ONLY the dj's time, but the usage of their
equipment,
music, transportation etc...? Not even CLOSE!!! A senior cashier at Safeway
takes
home more per hour than your dj would here.
BOTTOM LINE: These "offers" by people with no understanding or appreciation
of what
a professional entertainment service provides are insulting.
YOUR BEST SOLUTION: Save your entertainment "budget" and load your
"non-offensive"
preselected music list onto an iPod and then you will be getting more along
the lines
of what you were willing to "pay" for, which isn't much at all.
(snip)