When most people think of DJs, there are a few things that come to mind. Either they’re thinking of an old-school hip-hop DJ with a set of DJ turntables mixing and scratching, or they’re thinking of some EDM DJ that’s dropping a bomb going to a large crowd!
But how much do DJs make? No matter how you slice it, the general perception surrounding DJs is that it’s a pretty cool career path that seems like it’s much more fun than most jobs or professions out there. This isn’t even touching on the fact that you can often end up meeting famous celebrities, go to exclusive parties, or otherwise amass a very real following all of your own.
However, for all of the interest shown to DJs and the potential lifestyle that could be afforded to them, when it comes to how much money they make, suddenly things are a lot less clear and a lot murkier.
- Are DJs per night, per gig, or as part of a contractual setting?
- Do they get paid upfront, half & half, or is everything always given to them on the back-end?
- What do high-profile DJs, like Calvin Harris or Carl Cox make compared to the average or above-average DJ?
- Should you ever DJ in public for free?
In this overview, we’ll break down the general going rate for DJs and how much you can expect if you’re interested in jumping into this line of profession.
How Much Money Can DJs Make?
While numbers vary and shift based on a variety of factors, the simple answer is that the average going rate for a DJ in the USA ranges between $50 and $100 an hour. A DJ that performs for around 4 hours in these high-end areas can average between $200 and $400 per night.
These numbers become roughly halved when talking about smaller and less impressive locations.
A smaller town DJ can generally make between $30 and $60 per hour, netting upwards of $120 to $240 a night if pulling a 4-hour shift.
It should be pointed out that these numbers are strictly for standard club events. If a DJ plans to perform at a specialized or private event – like a wedding, a house party, or a rented out venue – the rates understandably increase as well.
As with the standard numbers, these can range and fluctuate based on a variety of factors. Generally, however, a DJ can expect to make between $600 and $900 for the event itself. This is usually just the base rate and doesn’t include tips or other additional fees paid out to the DJ.
However, while this does sound like DJs are rolling in the dough, this is only when looking at things from a general standpoint. As you continue reading, we’ll go more into detail surrounding how much the average DJ makes overall as well as what the salaries are for the more popular DJs around. We’ll also go over how you can make more money if you are interested in getting into the DJ space yourself.
The Average Amount A DJ Makes Will Vary
As I mentioned earlier, DJs often have a variety of factors that play into how much money they make. From the type of performance they’re doing, to their respective level of fame, to their level of fame concerning the club they are performing at, to even the number of hours working or the time of day the performance is taking place.
The number of factors that play into how much each DJ makes is too wide and varied to realistically be accounted for. However, there are generally a few key factors that play the biggest role in a DJ’s income; their hourly wage, the number of hours worked, and the type of DJ they are.
Again, keep in mind that all the above is a very general breakdown so don’t shoot the messenger here, we’re just aiming to give an overview of a subject that is quite variable.
We’ll now go into the different types of DJ performances available and how they differ from one another.
Club DJs
A “Club DJ” is the most common type of DJ out there. These DJs are paid fairly well, especially if they can line up gigs regularly at even a decently-sized club. The challenge for many DJs, however, is that, because there are so many that come into this space, one must make a name for themselves as quickly as possible if they want regular business or any chance of arguing their rates. This is especially true for cities that have a wild nightlife, like LA, NYC, or Miami. In these cases, it’s very easy for a club to get away with charging DJs next to nothing due to a large number of competitive options out there.
Again, the name of the game is hooking the audience. If a DJ manages to get the crowd interested in them and their mixes, they have a much higher chance of either getting hired on full-time or being able to more aggressively argue their rates per-hourly performance.
If you are a starting DJ that is interested in making money, you may have looked at the above overview on what DJs were charging per hour and thought, “Why would anyone not charge $100 to $200 per hour?” The reality is that, unless you manage to get clubs and venues interested in what you have to offer, they aren’t going to be interested in spending even $100 on you for the night, let alone “per hour”.
Build up an audience, master your DJ skills, and eventually, you could easily find yourself charging upwards of $200 per 3-4 hours of performing. Get even more skilled and a bigger reputation, and within a year or so, you could find yourself easily pulling $100 to $200 an hour, with the clubs themselves providing you with equipment so that you don’t have to deal with the hassle of bringing your stuff. By that time, you’ll have truly cemented yourself as a legit DJ and something all DJs should strive for.
Wedding DJs
Whereas DJs that perform in clubs do so in public settings, that isn’t the case for private DJs like DJs at weddings. We’ll go over the difference between a “Wedding DJ” and a “House Party DJ” in a bit. However, both types are very different from club DJs by their very nature.
Wedding DJs tend to charge more per event than club DJs because they are private events. That said, they also will need to bring their portable DJ equipment almost every single time. This will range from the obvious items like your laptop and controller, to even things like mics, speakers, and stands. As a result, while these gigs tend to pay more than the club gigs because you have to come out of pocket for everything (either for renting or buying the equipment) it can also be argued that these are the most expensive gigs.
Generally, if you plan to optimize your wedding DJ gigs, you’ll want to bite the bullet and purchase all of your equipment as fast and as cheaply as possible. That way, you can quickly pay off your expenses for the equipment as opposed to constantly dealing with rental fees.
House Party DJs
I said that we’d talk about House Party DJs separately from Wedding DJs and here we are. While both DJ gig types are different from club DJs, there are some big differences between gigs for house parties compared to more formal events like weddings.
Generally, house party DJ events, while similarly private like wedding gigs, can have some of the most wildly fluctuating price ranges. For some gigs, you can expect to make twice as much as you’d make for a wedding gig while at others, you’d be lucky to pull in half of what you’d make at the club. It is a crapshoot.
On average, if you’re doing a small-time house party event, a DJ can expect to make around $200 to $300 based on their overall following and how good they are. Like wedding DJ events, you’re going to need to bring your equipment, so you’ll want to make club and wedding performances your main bread and butter, while only doing house party events if you have free time in your schedule.
How To Start Making More As A DJ
Now, if you’re reading this and you’ve either started or are considering the start of becoming a DJ, it may seem a bit daunting and confusing on exactly how much you really should (and will) get paid for your services. The reality is that, at the start, you aren’t going to get a lot per gig since you’re just starting. You need to build up your skills, amass a healthy social media following, and become a crowd draw if you want to start making “Calvin Harris money”.
Still, while it will take a bit before you’re making millions, that doesn’t mean you have to take years before you can make a livable wage. Below, we’re going to go over some different tips and tricks you can immediately start implementing to help increase the amount you make per gig.
#1. Market and Brand Yourself
First, and most importantly, if you want people to know who you are, you’ve got to tell them. It may seem simple when presented that way, but you’d be amazed at just how many DJs treat their profession as a job, expecting a club or a venue to hire them for a performance “just because”.
The reality is that you’re going to need to put yourself out there. That means marketing your services and marketing them properly. Yes, fliers and posting in the local paper “could” work, but we’re in the modern era. You’re going to need to have a social media presence and you’re going to need to have followers. High-quality photos of your events, pictures of you in your best outfits performing, scenes that clearly show you as the life of the party. These are all essentials in today’s day and age, and if you think you’re going to be able to perform without them, well that’s just not realistic.
In addition to being on places like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, your actual mixes and works should similarly be posted out to the world. Yes, putting them on Spotify and SoundCloud are great places, to get people to know who you are, but interestingly so is YouTube.
Simply put, marketing yourself isn’t just being on one platform and posting once a week. Marketing is being on virtually all platforms and posting at least twice a day. If you aren’t willing to do that, especially as a beginner DJ, you’re putting yourself behind the 8-ball.
#2. Collabs
Another option that is worth considering is by collaborating with other DJs in your area. Collaborating with other DJs, either featuring them or being featured by them, instantly bumps up your perceived value. And while working with an established name does increase the number of eyes that know who you are, it isn’t a requirement when looking for a collab partner. Just the fact that you are featuring on another group’s roster is enough to build you up to anyone looking.
The one thing you want to do, however, is make sure that whomever you’re working with has either a neutral or positive reputation. Similarly, you want to have as good a reputation as possible when looking to link up with someone else.
While an established brand isn’t a requirement for collaborating, a brand that doesn’t have a negative reputation is. If the people you’re dealing with are widely regarded as being “not good”, you associating with them can have the opposite effect, especially if you’re just starting. Be careful, as, if you’ve not worked to improve your reputation, it may be difficult to team up with other people for that very reason.
#3. Be Unique
Last but not least, you’re going to want to stand out from the crowd. This is kind of like marketing yourself but on a much more personalized level. No matter what people say, an audience can instantly respond well to a unique look over the normal appearance. Dress up, stand out, give yourself an edge.
There are a few ways you can go about creating a stand-out image or DJ persona. You can just work on dressing differently than other performers when DJing. Or you can really push the boat, just look at the likes of Marshmellow and Deadmau5. It certainly worked for them!
When comfortable with your look, consider taking it further and taking more professional photos of yourself for you to use in your marketing campaigns.
Who Are The Highest-Paid DJs Of Our Time
So far, we’ve spent a lot of time going over what would be regarded as the average overall salaries of most DJs out there, starting or otherwise. As such, you may be wondering where the upper limits are to being a club DJ. For example, what are some of the heavy-hitting A-list DJs making when they perform?
When you factor in their above-market fees to perform at the club, money made from paid sponsorships, live events, appearances, and more, it isn’t out of this world for top-tier DJs to make, in excess of over 5 million dollars net profit every year. Some have managed to pull in over 10,20, enen 50 million dollars per year. It can be mind-boggling numbers!
Here are just a few of the highest-paid performing DJs of the past few years.
#1. Carl Cox
Carl Cox is arguably the highest-paid DJ in the world, pulling in an astonishing $96 million between February 2021 and February 2022, an estimated $60 million lead over his closest competition. The British superstar DJ has an estimated net worth of $275 million.
He has been wise with his DJ fees and club night profits investing into a portfolio of property holdings, stocks, and endorsement deals with CoverGirl cosmetics. He also owns several restaurants (“Fat Cox Burger” chain) in London, a Football Team (“Barbados Angels”), has launched his own brand of Vodka (Pure Wondercox – UK), and has entered the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Carl) and a fashion line called “Carl Cox Seduction”.
Carl certainly has his fingers in some very lucrative pies. Fair play. Long live the King!
#2. Calvin Harris
An A-list performer that has superseded just being a DJ, Calvin Harris has been a household name around the world since 2011.
The Scottish DJ managed to top the Forbes list of the world’s highest-paid DJs six years in a row, from 2013 up until 2018, pulling in over $50 million in a single year.
#3. Tiesto
A veteran in the DJ space, Tiesto has largely been considered one of the pioneers to the modern EDM people listen to. No, he’s not making quite as much money as some of the other people on this list from an annual income perspective. However, in terms of overall trajectory and net worth, he’s easily in the same room, if not doing better.
It’s rumored that Tiesto makes between $15 and $20 million every year, with a net worth sitting at around $150 million.
#4. Steve Aoki
Another DJ vet, like Tiesto, who’s been in the game for over 20 years now, Steve Aoki has consistently been on the Forbes list of highest-paid DJs. Pre-covid, Forbes magazine stated that, in 2019, Aoki made well over $30 million.
He’s got a legion of EDM fans that love all of his work (and with good reason) while he also is one of the most philanthropic artists out there, offering up a sizeable portion of his income to his Aoki Foundation to support organizations that focus on brain preservation and regenerative medicines.
How Much Do DJs Make: Summary
The question of “how much money do DJs make” can be answered in a ton of different ways. You can say that they make, on average, between $30 and $200 an hour. You can say that they can make upwards of $30 million. You can say that there’s no upward cap. All of these answers are technically true and they’re all technically right. The problem is that they all miss the point.
When asked “how much does a DJ make”, the correct answer is, “they make as much as the time, practice, and effort they put in”. Sprinkled with a bit of luck, of course!
If you’re willing to make DJing your passion; if you’re willing to build up your DJ skills, improve, create a persona, hustle for as many gigs as possible, feature with as many bands as possible, create a robust social media presence where everyone knows who you are and what you’re about, then you can potentially make $200, $300, even $500 an hour. It’s all about what you’re willing to do so that clubs and crowds want to see you again and again.
