How much should a DJ charge for a wedding, a party, a corporate event?
A working DJ in New York or LA runs about $1,300 for a full event; $800 starting out, $1,800 when the name books the room.
Weddings pay the most because the stakes are the highest and the night is longest. Corporate is next. Bar and club nights pay the least and build the name.
By the kind of night
- Wedding: $1,500 to $4,000
- Corporate or private party: $800 to $2,500
- Bar or club night: $300 to $1,000
The lines that make the difference
- Extra hour: $150 to $400
- Lighting and sound package: $300 to $1,000
- Travel past an hour: at cost plus the time
- MC duties: quote them; it is a second job on the same night
Put the extra hour in the contract before the night. The one that gets argued is the one nobody priced.
Deposits and the kill fee
Half up front holds the date. If they cancel inside 30 days, the deposit stays; you turned down that night for them. Say it plainly on the quote and nobody is surprised.
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Written by Austin Bailey, RostrLab. Numbers are the same formula as the calculators on this site and inside Creator OS and Company OS. Not legal advice; for a contract that matters, have a lawyer read it too.