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Negotiating Price with DJ

herr0254herr0254 member
First Comment
in Minnesota-Minneapolis and St. Paul
We have found a DJ that we really like, but unfortunately he is out of our price range. He has confirmed that he is negotiable on price so I want to respond with an offer, but I don't want to insult him. 

His unlimited rate + reception is $2750. This cost includes all the equiptment plus planning with him starting when we book with him. He prides himself as a Master of Ceremonies, not just a DJ that gets asigned to you from a big wedding entertainment company. He will also work with anyone giving speeches to ensure that they go smoothy and deliver their message as they desire. When we met with him we really felt like he would give us EXACTLY the reception that we wanted. 

Any suggestions? Would offering $1700 be acceptable?

Thanks in advance! 
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Re: Negotiating Price with DJ

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    sndietzsndietz
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I signed with one of the "big entertainment companies"--Midwest Sound--and I am getting 6 hours of music (with lights, plus three extras) for $500.  

    The price to me seems a little high...a lot high actually.  On the other hand, I wish I would have explored private DJs.  I started filling out their online planner, and I get to pick songs from a list (not a very good list in my opinion) and then do 30 "custom" songs that are not on the list.  I feel a little like I am boxed into a corner.  I'm hoping they will be more accommodating once I actually meet with the DJ in a few months.  

    My advice on negotiating with your DJ is to actually look into some other DJs and their prices.  If you want a recommendation, try http://spectrumsoundandlight.com/spectrum2.swf
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    AshP12AshP12
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    To the OP, just wanted to mention that a week after I told Midwest I had contracted with a different company (they were offering the same price, I just felt like I connected with them better), Midwest sent me a letter offering me all the same unlimited servies for $395. That really ticked me off, cuz in my opinion, if they could've gone lower they should have been up front about it when I asked, not just because I already went with the competitor. In any case, I would recommend calling and pushing them a bit to see if you can get their price down since I know they're willing to lower it in some cases.
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    jentabersonjentaberson
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I believe that you are looking at Bill Herman. One of my cousins had him, while he did engage the crowd, he actually had someone else doing the music. It felt like he spent a lot of time talking on the microphone, and not enough time just playing music. Also he didn't have any lighting. I think that while it is nice that he said he would work with your price, I think if you make an offer that is that low you might risk insulting him.
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    aligrossaligross member
    First Comment First Anniversary
    edited December 2011
    Okay, I think you are just feeling boxed in because you didn't ask questions. We had midwest sound and lights and paid $495 which was the cheapest cost we had found for such an amazing company. We LOVED them at our wedding. By filling out their online planner you are just giving them an idea of what you want. I sent them a list of songs that were requested and they were all played. Also just remember you don't actually meet your DJ until your wedding day. They will call the week of your wedding to introduce themselves and go through a bunch of stuff with you. I would suggest calling them and chatting with them regarding your concerns. That is the only way that a company is going to know your concerns!
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    MaggieandJakeMaggieandJake member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Comment
    edited December 2011
    OMG, when I read those prices, I just about fell.out.of.my.seat. That is an insane amount of money to pay for a DJ IMO.  Granted, I didn't have the BEST experience with our DJ, but he did do all of the things you mention for a minuscule fraction of the price (and had we gotten the DJ we were supposed to have-which due to an emergency, he had to set us up with his back up-we would have been more than ok). 

     We got 6 hours of music (which was plenty of time for us), he played good music,had a light show, MCed each event/transition, etc. for only $250. The only real issue we had was a few requested songs weren't available and he was a bit rude to me, but we had a packed dance floor and lots of fun none-the-less.  I realize that we went with a smaller company and in part, got what we paid for, but even if we had been given a little bit more than what we received service-wise, I would have never paid more than $500-$600.

    In regards to your offer, your suggested price is giving yourself a pretty deep 40% discount. Personally, I wouldn't suggest offering a price less than 80%-85% ($2200-$2330) of the required cost.  I should also point out that by negotiating a lower price, you also have to be willing to lose some of the services that he offers.
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    sndietzsndietz
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    edited December 2011
    Thanks Ali, you just made me feel better!  I am fairly confident they will be able to address all my concerns.  I went with them because so many people have experiences like yours!
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    khornbachkhornbach
    First Comment
    edited December 2011

    That's a HUGE price for a DJ. We had a live 17 piece swing band, and they cost roughly that much, so that seems insane to me. I would look around and do some price comparison.

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    sndietzsndietz
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    P.S.  For some reason, it looks like I started this thread, but I didn't! 
    herr0254 asked the initial question, my post showed up before hers for some reason.  Please address her concern!
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    jentabersonjentaberson
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I think thats what happened is some kind of glitch, and it looks like the post order got a little messed up. We had Midwest Sound for our DJ and Uplighting and paid $1500 for everything. They absolutely were worth every penny. I believe their pricing is based on your date and how full they are. We looked at a few companies when we were planning. Most of them (bellagala, Instant, addagio) were fairly close to Midwest's price. Neon-Express was a lot less, but they didn't have a real office, and I felt like entertainment was too important to just have some guy working out of his house.
    Of the larger companies, they all seemed to offer the same thing, but in the end we chose Midwest because they weren't as pushy.
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    jennipea382jennipea382 member
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    edited December 2011
    My DJ is $475 because he is matching the price for the in house DJ at our venue. His normal price I think is around $700 which he was going to give us a discount on anyways (he's a friend). I highly recommend stclouddj.com because I've been to formals DJed by two of the DJs and they are awesome! I'm sure they would work with you on price if that's still too much, they are willing to travel, and they will definitely work with you on a playlist. Just had to pimp them out a bit :-)
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    gettingmarriedin2011gettingmarriedin2011 member
    First Comment
    I think that presenting competative quotes to the DJ and see how he reacts is reasonable to do.  I have heard many dj's will discount friday and sunday weddings heavily.
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