Funky House DJ | Paul Velocity

Apr202009

DJing Abroad

DJing abroad is one of the coolest things you will ever do. I love it and am happy to cancel most plans to go and play in another country. I think I like travelling a lot too and also the change of scenery. If you have ever DJ’d in a country different to where you live you will know where I am coming from. If you have never done it before there are a few things that you need to have a think about.

A little while ago, I received an email from a DJ colleague of mine. She was excited about gearing up to go and play abroad and she came to me for a bit of advice. I thought it would be helpful to share this advice with you and offer up the same information that I gave to her.

Information given is based on a UK DJ playing in a foreign country and is from my own experiences so it may not be to the exact letter of the law.

Do I need a work permit to DJ abroad?
No. As long as you are going to a country within the EU, you will be fine - no work permit needed. Check your passport is up to date and it is not expiring any time soon. If you travel to the US, they like you to have at least three months left on your current passport.

Is it wrong to charge a higher rate for DJing abroad?
Yes it is cheeky to bump up the price. When I take international bookings, I tell them upfront they need to pay my travel, my hotel and transfers, then I add my regular UK fee on top. I don’t take advantage of others simply from a moral point of view. I beleive that if I start taking advantage in this way, karma will bit me on the ass and someone along the way will take advantage of me.

How much should I charge?
Depends how many people the management think your name on the flyer can bring in. Whenever I price a night, I always ask for the venue capacity as well. Your price should reflect your ability to entertain, but also be in proportion to the number of people coming through the door. Whatever works for you I guess. By charging a sensbile amount you will only get booked by sensible promoters. Those booking you on a budget probably haven’t got much experience or reputation.

If my flights and accommodation are being paid for, can I ask for a +1?
I beleive it is wrong to ask to add a travelling buddy to go with you. They are booking you as a DJ to come and play a set, not for you to bring your entourage as well. I would never ask the management for a +1 on the flights and hotel. I might ask for a +1 for entry to venue and buy an extra flight ticket myself plus upgrade the hotel room myself out of my own pocket, but I wouldn’t expect the venue to pay for it.

I’m a single girl travelling to a foreign land by myself, will I be ok?
Probably. Hell, I don’t know. Depends which shady part of town you are travelling to. Take a friend with you if you need to and make sure you have ample travel insurance in case you get mugged. Sorry, but it does happen.

What else do I need to know?
Get the promoter to book your flights for you. DON’T pay for these yourself and add it to the invoice. If everything falls through at the last minute or there is a problem with payment, or the venue is unreachable by phone anymore, at least you havent shelled out for flights from your own pocket too.

Always collect your money on the night in cash, or have it paid to you in advance by cheque or Paypal. Always take an invoice with you as well as places like to have a receipt for the money they have paid.

Also make sure you get yourself a dj contract.

Feb072009

DJ Contracts and Why They Are So Important

I’ve been doing the whole DJ thing for well over 10 years now and I’ve played across a variety of venues for many different promoters - some of who I know and some who I have never met before. But one thing I have come to learn over the years is to always protect yourself with a contract no matter how well you know the promoter.

Don’t be scared by thinking all this legal stuff is beyond you becasue all a contract does is promise to the promoter that you will turn up on time and it promises you the DJ that you will get paid your agreed fee. It’s pretty much a guarantee betwen DJ and promoter that helps to protect both parties involved.

Among other things a contract will do the following things:

• Makes you look more professional
• Ensures you get paid
• Establishes some ground rules in case things go wrong
• Re-assures the promoter

Contracts are important because sometimes you might fall ill, you might have to book travel expenses in advance, the promoter is slow at paying you, even the event itself can get cancelled at short notice. I myself have even turned up to play a venue only to find that the doors were closed and the event was cancelled. I had not been notified of this and I was extremely pissed off. Unfortunately, I had no contract in place to protect me and to this day I am still owed money. I got proper stiched up. The booking was for a friend of a friend and ever since I have had to sadly stop working with them on principle. This is one of the main reasons why it is so important to get a contract established and put in place from the start - no matter how well you know the promoter, even if the booking is for your best friend.

It’s not difficult to set up a DJ contract. In fact, below you will find a link to the very same contract template that I use to send out to each and every promoter. Simply download it, change the details to be your own and get the promoter to sign the contract before the event takes place.

It’s usually a good idea to get the signed copy of the contract in your hand as early as possible, but as a rule I now don’t even unpack my gear unless the signed contract is in my hand. I played a boat party a few years back and was stood at the dock where I got the contract signed before I would even step on the boat.

For further help with protecting yourself, you should get yourself signed up to the Musician’s Union if you live in the UK. It will cost you about £10 per month but it is useful for two main reasons.

Firstly, you will get Limited Liability Insurance included as part of your subscription. This is important in case you do something stupid like drop a speaker on someone, or blow up all the venues amps. Terms and conditions apply, but the short of it is that Limited Liability Insurance will pay out for you if anything serious happens. Imagine if that dropped speaker broke someones leg and they sued you for medical expenses. Unlikely I know, but how many of us are paying £10 a week for car insurance right now? Limited Liability Insurance has become pretty much a standard for professional working DJs, again it offers re-assurance to the promoter that you are serious about your profession, plus if you purchase Limited Liability Insurance elsewhere, this can cost from £500 upwards. So from joining the Musicians Union you get it a bit cheaper too.

Secondly, if the promoter that booked you fails to pay up in time, you can report them to the Musicians Union who will then help you to chase up your outstanding invoice. Sending your debtor a letter from an official organisation definitely has a lot more gusto behind it.

Download my DJ contract (PDF 62Kb), change the details to be your own and start using it today. I promise you now, there will be at least one time in the future where you will be glad of it.