How Much Should A DJ Charge For 4 Hours? (Answered)

DJing can be a tough gig, but one of the hardest parts is establishing prices for your work that will help you earn some cash but remain competitive amongst other DJs around.

If you’re a DJ trying to find out how much to charge for a few hours’ work or events, then you’re in the right place as we’ll be giving you some advice on what you should charge for your work.

How much you should charge for 4 hours of work will depend on how much experience you have. If you’re a hobbyist DJ or only just starting in the industry, you should realistically only charge $200-300 for 4 hours of work.

However, if you’re an experienced DJ who does the job full time and is highly regarded in the industry, you could charge up to around $2,000 for 4 hours of work.

However, if you’re required to travel to the place you’re DJing, then you can consider upping your prices to cover the cost of your expenses for that trip.

If you’re DJing at a nightclub, then it may not be ideal for traveling home in the middle of the night, so you could add the cost of your hotel on top of your DJing fee.

You may want to make your prices lower or higher for certain days of the week. For example, there’s a high demand for DJs on weekends due to clubs, parties, and events, so you’ll be able to charge more. 

Ensure you consider the time it takes to set up and close down for your work to prevent any clients potentially trying to underpay you for your time. Don’t book contracts by the hour and only do rates for 3-4 hours, so you’ll get a decent amount of money for each job you do.

You’ll be able to charge for the hour for any time beyond your contracted hours, of which many DJs will charge $50 to $200. 

Don’t sell yourself short when it comes to your work. If you’re a DJ who brings a whole lighting display for your work and is in charge of the music, you can charge more for the additional equipment you will bring along. 

How Much Should A DJ Charge For A Wedding

Depending on your skills and level, you can charge anywhere from $400 for a wedding to over $3,000 if you’re a professional and in-demand DJ.

If you’re a basic DJ who only plans to play songs one after another at a wedding, make the usual wedding announcements and also hype up the crowd when good songs come on, then you’ll probably only be able to charge $900 as a maximum fee.

However, if you provide a customizable experience for your clients, bring your own light show display, and offer a bespoke DJing performance, you can charge up to $3,000 for your services.

As A DJ, you’ll be more in demand during peak wedding season from May through to October and will be able to charge higher prices for your DJ services as more couples will be desperate to secure a DJ for their big day.

However, don’t take advantage of this as if you charge beyond where your expertise and skills lie. You’ll have some complaints from clients about your lack of experience. 

If you are traveling far to DJ at a wedding, then make sure to factor in the cost of travel and expenses (gas, taxis, hotel, food) into your fees; otherwise, you could end up selling yourself short. 

Suppose a client tries to book you at the last minute for a wedding, but you have another wedding already booked the following day somewhere far away. In that case, you could offer your services at a higher rate for the inconvenience of having to rush around to your next gig. 

If you’re still really struggling to know how much you should charge to DJ at a wedding, then we’d recommend looking up other DJs in your area or other DJing companies that offer this service and see what their prices are.

Many won’t publicly list their prices, but others may, and this will help you gauge whether you should base your prices lower or higher. If there is lots of competition in your area, you may want to go for a slightly lower charge to make your services more competitive and entice more clients.

Alternatively, you could be upfront and ask other DJs how much they charge for DJing at a wedding. Some may be open to discussion with you and happy to help, but don’t be surprised if others are standoffish and refuse to discuss their prices with a competitor DJ.