3 Signs You’re Being Underpaid As A DJ & 3 Solutions To The Problem

If you’re a DJ with a residency in 2022 and you’ve asked yourself, “Am I being underpaid?” then you are. What’s more, you’re not alone. Most of your colleagues have to DJ a minimum of 4 residencies per week just to cover today’s rising cost of living. Simply do the math!

Table minimums at the average club start around $250 at the low end, and go up into the thousands for more exclusive high end clubs. With the demand for DJs as high as it is, anyone with a residency (regardless of skill level) should be getting paid at least half the minimum table price per hour. This has nothing to do with greed, at least on the part of DJs, and more to do with fairness.

Venues are generating thousands of dollars HOURLY and there are two reasons for that. The alcohol served by the bartenders and the music played by the DJ. Both are equally vital aspects of club culture. So the idea that a bartender can make more in 2 hours worth of tips than a DJ can in 4 to 6 hours of rocking a dance floor, means the DJ is getting F’D in the ass with no Vaseline!

Here are 3 easy to spot signs you’re being underpaid or not valued at your residency.

1. Bartenders make more money than you: I mean, that’s pretty clear cut when the people who work the same amount of hours behind the bar as you do behind the turntables, leave the venue with more cash in their pockets than you.

2. Raises are nonexistent: if you’ve been with a venue for more than a couple of years, the nights you DJ are consistently successful and you’re scared of asking for a raise, said venue is profiting of your work and not rewarding you. That’s BS!

3. You feel like you’re in limbo: Assuming you’re the type of DJ that does ask for a raise and management keeps putting off the conversation off to tomorrow, next week or the following month, they’re stalling until you forget or stop asking.

Every problem has a solution though. If you’re a DJ and this post resonates, I encourage you to stand up for yourself.

1. Put together a convincing pitch (in writing if you have to) as to why you deserve a raise then insist on a meeting with your employer.

2. Bounce from that establishment if you continue to feel like an afterthought or undervalued. NEVER BE TOO AFRAID TO WALK AWAY FROM A SITUATION YOU FEEL UNDER APPRECIATED IN!

3. Learn how to negotiate. There are tactics you can utilize to earn the pay you deserve from prospective venues. Educate yourself on how to broker business agreements because yeah, DJing is about being creative with music, but it becomes a business once you start getting paid.
Godspeed y’all! I’m hoping to see every DJ on the planet finish 2022 financially stronger than they started it.