# need DJ advice/sound system/tech help



## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

My daughter's elementary school keeps hiring DJ's for the school dances. There are few DJ's in the area willing to play only 2 hours, so we have had the same one for 3 years. She charges $200 for 2 hours, which I find exorbitant. With all the money the school has spent on her, I believe they could have bought an adequate stereo system by now, many times over. 
Dances are in the school gym...standard sized gym. I have old, but very kick @ss speakers I am willing to donate to the school, as I know speakers are usually the mostly costly item. What do DJ's USE nowadays?? Are they burning CD's? Using MP3's? What equipment would the school need to buy, and at about what price? Hell, I can burn some party CD's and use a good quality BOOM BOX and save a bundle instead of hiring a DJ... it kills me to blow all that money. The money the kids raise on the dance's bake sale covers the cost of the DJ..that's nuts! That money should go towards the school. 

Hellpp meeeeeeeeeeeeeee....


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## trishaanne (Aug 20, 2005)

I haven't had kids in school in a LONG time, but as a former DJ (early 90's) there's a bit more to a school dance than just playing music. I ended up doing alot of school dances because noone else wanted to deal with the kids. Elementary school dances are tough. You need someone to motivate the kids to dance, to read the crowd, to bring along activities, special dances, etc. The price is actually pretty fair...back when I was doing it the rate was $275 for 2 hours. The DJ we use for our Halloween party gives us a cut rate price of $500...about $1,000 less than they usually get for 4 hours. You could talk to your school...maybe if they get the equipment they can find a high school kid to run it and act as DJ.


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## stagehand1975 (Feb 22, 2010)

Most djs now are using mostly mp3s these days. 200 for 2 hours is actualy less than the average rate. Out here most are charging 150 an hour. One service advertises 350 for 3 hours. The equipment can get really expensive. And if a dj is still using cds, they get ecpensive. My smallest speakers were $600 each used. And the subs that I would take with them were $1500 each. However the equipment that I have being all self powered is typicaly more expensive than an average djs system. My cd/mp3 player was $1000. Mixer about $300. And don't forget all the cables and lights and trailer to haul it around in. 

The world of free ileagaly downloaded music gave birth to a lot of djs. However even a store bought cd can't be played by a dj leagaly. So a proper dj has paid for rights to replay the music they carry. A proper dj will also have insurence, as some places require it. 

So it can be a very expesive business. 
There is one service up here that charges 650 for a basic 4 hour wedding.


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## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

Holy crap! Thanks for the info. Alrighty then...now that I think about it, she does have the kids doing special dances...ok ok..I will shut my mouth. But can I still grumble??


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## trishaanne (Aug 20, 2005)

Grumble away Deb. The DJ's out here get anywhere from $1,500-$2,500 for a 4 or 5 hour wedding!!!!!


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

Grumble away, but go and listen too, see what he or she does, and see if you can do the same thing, keep track of the timing on stuff. 
The DJ's rate is actually pretty good, but if you can do it for less, go for it.
I think you may be surprised at the amount of work and hardware that goes into these things. The cost on the long cables alone can be $100, and they tend to get damaged with the foot traffic and curious hands. Keep in mind that between setup, performance and tear down and then carting it all back home or to a storage unit is a day long process. 
You might see if your cable TV gets those music channels, they tend to follow a theme and age group so they can give you a premixed patch of music in the genre of your choice. If you still have a VHS deck, you can record a lot of hours of music in stereo on one tape. It's basically a self contained reel to reel recorder that can be done pretty easily, and then be played through a stereo or PA system.
You might see what the rent is on a PA system to hook your stuff up to. Couldn't hurt to look!
The cost on DJ setups is not just the hours of being there, it's the setup, travel and storage costs, and those parts remain the same whether they play for 15 minutes or a 8 hour gig.


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