Disco DJ Remuneration

[originalbigm]

Some of these DJ’s were literally working seven days a week, 12 hours and not getting paid and when they did get paid it was like $20-50 dollars a night and on top of that they had to buy their own records."

I was re-reading Bernies great interview with the legendary David Mancuso and this passage brought back memories of my first DJ job. In 1972 my first club paid me the princely some of $10.00/night for 3 nights each night about 5 hours. Equates to $2.00 an hour but the bonus was the owner paid for the records.My second club a year later was for a windfall of $20.00 a night for 5 nights.I think the that like most DJ's of the day the money was secondary.Our love of playing the music and the club crowd and atmosphere was the driving force behind us.:P I'd be interested to hear from some of the other DJ's here old or recent as to how much they got paid.

[Bernie]

Brian,
Thanks. Compare that with today where a DJ friend of mine out on the west coast makes at least $1,000-2,000.. +expenses to spin for one hour! I kid you not-one hour.

[originalbigm]

Brian,
Thanks. Compare that with today where a DJ friend of mine out on the west coast makes at least $1,000-2,000.. +expenses to spin for one hour! I kid you not-one hour.

:o :o :o Unbelievable

[QUINNY]

This is a topic that I raised some 2 years ago. From memory, it didn't get that many replies and I got the impression that the ex DJs were reluctant to discuss earnings.

As for myself, I have no such reticence.

When I DJ'd at my first club in '72 we were paid the princely sum of $4.50 - $6.50 per night, but the club did allow the rota of DJs (3 of us who shared the work, doubling up on busy nights) anything up to $25 a week with which to buy records for the club. I was also doing the odd mobile gig at between $12 - $35 per night. As I was the only jock with a view to becoming full time I used to spend virtually all my wages on records, so that I had my own collection. BTW: A pint of beer cost about $0.35 and from memory 7" records were about $1.15, imports about $1.90, maybe more.

In my second DJ residency I went to marbella, Spain and earned 12,000 pesetas a month (about $90) and had to pay for everything out of it, except for my drinks when working. Not easy, especially in a town where a small beer cost $0.70 and I was expected to spend money at local bars to drum up business.

I then moved to Mallorca where I earned something like 15,000 pesetas ($120) per month in my first season, 22,500 ($180)in my second and 30,000 ($240) in my third, with records supplied and an apartment thrown in free gratis, so a much better deal. Plus, here in Mallorca living expenses were much less than Marbella. However, I still bought records on a weekly basis to keep my collection going and splurged out on a whole heap at the end of each season.

Back in Blighty in '78, I landed a job that paid about $27.50 - $35 per night and was working 4 or 5 nights a week. Had to buy all my own records.

Then I was in the West End of London 3-4 days a week at about $160 average with the odd gig in Southampton at $30-$35. 12" records were $3 - $3.50, with imports being approximately $5.00-$5.50. The train to London cost me about $23 each week, but living accommodation was provided in London.

After that in '81 I had a lean time working for an average of about $90 - $120 a week, working in Southampton.

In '82/'83 I had a residency that paid me $85 per night with an average 3 or 4 nights per week.

From '84 to '87 I worked for the same company in different venues and earned about $250 per week on average.

Hardly good money after expenses (except maybe in '82/83), but it did allow me to work at a job I really enjoyed and felt comfortable doing and I amassed a whole heap of records (at full retail price less 10% DJ discount :D ).

[nrgbeat]

I used to think the club supplied the records for their dj's to play.

If the dj had to supply their own that would get expensive.

[K-Bee]

Brian,
Thanks. Compare that with today where a DJ friend of mine out on the west coast makes at least $1,000-2,000.. +expenses to spin for one hour! I kid you not-one hour.

Definete proof that DJ's are the stars of today. I wonder how much Joey Negro/Dave Lee, Kenny Dope or Dimitri From Paris charge for a night of spinning?? Surely, these guys must laugh all the way to the bank.

[QUINNY]

Guess the other ex DJs around here were too drunk or too stoned to remember how much they were paid. :lol: :lol: :lol:
Ya know I'm just joshin' fellas, don't ya?

[DoctorDisco]

Too stoned? Too drunk? Gee, I can't remember 'cause I have a short term/long term memory problem.

Seems to me I remember getting $20 a night and I know the records were furnished at all the clubs I worked for. Of course, one must remember this was Oklahoma in 1975-6-7, and wages are lower here than either coast.

Later I got paid more, but I don't remember how much more (see short term/long term memory problem). I made the best money with my own mobile unit, $ 400 dollars for a three hour show.

In the clubs I generally worked 6 nights a week, so that $20 a night was about $120 a week or $ 480 a month, yeah that was about right. I believe I paid $100 a month for an apartment near the club area.

Wow, now it sounds like I would starve to death, but I would probably be surprised what that is in TODAY'S dollars.

Several guys I hung with were DJs in clubs and were leasing new cars at the time with their earnings. I was more conservative and drove older luxury cars I could pick up cheap.

[JohnnyEckhardt]

I can't believe what DJs get paid these days. It's almost obscene. Not only do they get paid well but the status they achieve really blows me away as well. I clearly remember in the late 70s and through most of the 80s that even though there were several DJs that drew a crowd, for the most part, we were all looked at as sort of quirky to say the least but nothing near the superstar status that some have today. It was great to fill a room and keep everybody movin' but some of these DJstoday are filling stadiums and arenas everywhere they go....and it's not just a guest spot here and there, they are doing world tours. Incredible! And true, there are some that are damned good DJs. these days though, they have so many toys to play with in the booth and things to help them out. I'd be really curious to hear some of them if they had only a stack of vinyl, two 1200s and a Bozak mixer...and nothing more. the DJ booths of today compared to those we worked in is like the difference between looking under the hood of your 69 Ford with a standard V8 and looking under the hood of a new car. What the hell is all of that stuff?! And to think what a breakthrough it was when Technics came out with their 1200s...the luxury of accurate pitch control was heaven sent. Now the stuff they have will adjust the pitch for you, match the beats and even do the mix for you as well as things that will change the tempo but keep the pitch and vice versa...not to mention being able to throw any song into a seemless loop allowing you to mix out of it at your leisure. (how many times I can remember having only 15-20 seconds left of a song and still undecided about what to mix out of it with).
As far as pay goes and hours worked.....wen I was at Greg's Blue Dot , I was making about $50 a shift....before taxes. I bought my own music as well. For quite a while my schedule was Tuesday nights, off Wed. but had to go in to do the sound for the live entertainment on wednesdays, I also worked Thurs. night, Friday night, often Saturday morn 6am, Saturday night, 6am sunday morning (every sunday) and then drag all my recoords over to Studio One to work Sunday nights there. I can't even imagine pulling hours like that now.There's just no way. It would kill me, After that, I pretty much made the same amount (between $40 & $50 a shift) everywhere I worked...except for parties...then it was a little more. nothing compared to what these guys are making today...and they only spin for about an hour or two. I guess we laid all the ground work to make that possible for these guys...at least that's how I feel a lot of times.

[originalbigm]

(how many times I can remember having only 15-20 seconds left of a song and still undecided about what to mix out of it with).

:lol: :lol: :lol: Oh yeah! Remember those times well.Usually could save myself by thowing on a slow groove if enough time had elapsed since the last one

[buckaroo]

:)
These stories are great!

Keep 'em comin'

[markydefad]

Bobby Viteritti made DJ history in San Francisco (circa 1979-1980) when he was making $1,000 an evening at Trocadero. He moved on to Dreamland where he made much more, or so we're led to believe.

[QUINNY]

At the moment I'm having dreams (a rare event in itself as normally I rarely remember having any) where I'm the DJ in a disco and I keep on looking frantically for a good record to play after the current one, but all the records are in the wrong order, back to front, rubbish or unknown to me......so I keep on making bad choices.
Yeah, I'm feeling a little unsettled and lacking confidence at the moment.

I tried to avoid making my choice for next disc with only seconds to go, but it used to happen and frighten the life out of me. Hence the near nightmares above that come back to haunt me.

[Bernie]

Quinny,
Sounds like you and Bobby Viteritti have a lot in common. Read...
http://www.discomusic.com/people-more/53_0_11_0_C/

[QUINNY]

Bernie: If only. Me nobody, him somebody.

[JohnnyEckhardt]

I'll never forget the first night I played at Probe in L.A.
I'll start by saying that as much fun as it was to do guest spots at different clubs, it wasn't always fun trying to adjust to a different sound system, room acoustics etc. ....So....here it is...my first night at Probe. I've got my records set up , slugging down a cocktail and it's 5 minutes until the doors open.
I was a little nervous as always with a new room which is bad enough....but damned if I didn't stoop down to pick a record out of one of my crates and upon standing back up, the cord to my headphones got caught under my foot and as I stood up it ripped those wires right out of my headphones. Can we talk about panic!? Fortunately for me...I only lived about two blocks away from Probe at the time so I had a friend run to my house and grab me another pair....and needless to say , my first two or three songs, I made sure they had cold endings.......the rest of the night (once I got some more headphones) went real well......whew!

[markydefad]

Johhny,

What years did you play at Probe? I danced there for a period of time. It was always kinda disappointing after the Troc in SF--but this was 1984. Everything had changed. This was the time everyone was dying. :cry:

Probe had no morning music. They just stopped playing records and turned the lights on. Get out!!! Go to Greg's Blue Dot!!!

I did enjoy a few of the "Rockers" dances Probe attempted around 1986. That worked a few times...then fell off. they brought a DJ down from SF (Larry Larue from The End-Up as I recall). Tried the Club 1970s on Sunday nights a couple times--but that seemed geared to the straights. So I stopped going. I remember they mixed Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" into Donna Summer's "Love To Love You Baby"!!!!! :lol:

My main memory of Probe is everything cranked up @ +5 on the 1200s....typical song "TWO OF HEARTS" by Stacey Q sounding like a hyperactive chipmunk for the "speed
queens" :oops: :oops:

[JohnnyEckhardt]

I was the head DJ at Greg's Bluedot from 1980 (when they opened) until 1984. I was the DJ every Sunday morning for the first four years they were opened. (I think in that time, I only missed about 2 or 3 Sunday morns) I also spun most Friday and Saturday nights (as well as tues, thurs and often monday...they worked the hell out of me there....but I loved every minute of it) I played at Probe several times during that time period.

[dj phillip esparza]

hi johnny,
i love reading your disco tales in los angeles.i was born in silverlake 1970.a lot of friends of my parents came by our house before and after hitting clubs like circus disco,studio one,peanut barrel,probe.which i too became a dj.most memorable moment being at the probe circa 1989 with dj billy limbo playing d.s. i feel love the p.c remix then going into a.s. knock on wood.it's funny now i got to play at all the clubs my parents partied at.like a.d.(probe)silverdollar(akbar)club lingerie,lava lounge,the factory(studio one) and the detour.i had a few chances to play at the spike but i was too scared.my last stint was at the old coast :oops: i mean the gold coast in boystown 2002-2004.that place was funny because i was the youngest dj there playing old underground disco on vinyl while the veterans like dj steve spain(he has been playing their since the opening(1980) playing pop/house remixes on cd downloaded from the internet.would you know the name of that bathhouse above the now akbar?i beleive the bar then(downstairs was called the silverdollar. here is a great link to some clubs in l.a. circa 1980 www.hyperactivemedia.com/5am
i am now living orlando where i have open for dj anthony evans @ www.parliamenthouse.com and soon www.freedomresortandspa.com
http://profiles.yahoo.com/djphillipesparza2001