How Affordable Is The DJ?

by Chris Wagner, High Impact DJs  (written 6/01)

Have you ever considered how affordable the disc jockey actually is?  Many dj services sell their services based on a package price or by the hour which can often seem like a lot of money for a student dance.

But let's look at other common activities junior high and high school students can participate in on a Friday or Saturday night.

Can your hired dj service that costs as little as a $.79 taco return the best results for your school and make your dance successful and profitable?

Attendance at school dances varies from 50 to over 2000 depending on level and size of school.  So for argument's sake, let's use a figure of 300 students for the following example.

You plan an awesome dance for students and charge $6 per student netting you $1800.  The dj service cost only $200 ($.66/student) leaving you with $1600 profit excluding any decorations or refreshments.  This is a wonderful little profit for the school.  However, after the dance, you hear several complaints from students and administrators alike.  Students weren't really dancing, some lyrics were inappropriate, and the dj had to work off of only 1 cd player for the whole night because his other one broke during an NSYNC song.

For the next dance, you decide to keep the same dj because you got such a deal for the last one.  You did talk to him about music content and other concerns.  The night of the dance arrives and only 200 students show up.  You net a healthy $1200 minus the $200 ($1/student) you paid the dj and other related expenses.  You feel the event was okay, but nothing special while noting you had 100 less students attend.

So what happened?

Many schools fall victim to the cheap dj service that offers a less than adequate sound system, limited or unedited music library, poor lightshow (if any), inexperienced dj, or someone who is "just doing it on the side."

As illustrated by the above example, hiring a cheap dj service can have lasting effects on school dances.  Not only can the dance be ruined, but also the fate of future dances.  If the students weren't happy at the dance, they may not attend future dances affecting the profit level.

You can actually keep the cost down with the more students that attend.  Some area high schools have as many as 1000+ students attend their dance.  For less than $2 a student (remember, less than the cost of a video rental), you can bring a full club-style atmosphere into your gymnasium.  Only have 100 students attend a dance?  For barely the cost of a value meal at McDonald's per student you can hire a professional, quality disc jockey service.  How long would a hamburger, fries, and drink entertain on a Friday or Saturday night?

(Note:  Graph represents disc jockey price of $1000 and 500 students.)

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