Professional Courtesy: Should You Tip Your DJ?

Whenever you hear the word "professionalism", what comes to mind? Is it the execution of a task done with the highest regard to quality? Is it looking sharp and slick, even if you have to fudge a few small details? Perhaps a name or face pops into your head as an example of what you consider the epitome of professionalism, and that visage springs up anytime you hear the term.

What many people don't realize is that professionalism is truly embodied within a person who has been trained in their particular craft, and who continues to do their job with a high level of accuracy, care for detail, and proper attention to and regard for his or her client. It also means that person is willing to look for ways to improve, and will accept suggestions, feedback, and even unsolicited advice from people who may not even be in that person's profession. When it comes to choosing a DJ, it would seem obvious that you would want someone that has made being a DJ a profession, even if not their full-time job (roughly 96.89% of all DJs are part-time). Yet way too often, we at Complete Music hear stories of people who opted to go for a DJ that was a family member, or a friend of a friend, or someone who was known by someone else, and they usually chose that person because they were offered a very low price (say, $300 or less). And most of the time, those stories end up with the DJ being at worst, disastrous, but at the very least, unprofessional.

So the old adage goes, "you get what you pay for", which in the entertainment world is extremely true. And that's what DJs are -- entertainers. We may not write or record the music we play (although I've been asked more than once to play "Hava Nagila" faster . . . go figure), and we may not always craft the exact order of events at your event, but your DJ is the entertainment because HE MAKES YOUR EVENT HAPPEN. So if you hire a DJ who doesn't, won't or can't make it happen, you're likely to wind up with an event that won't be all that it could be.

When you get ready to book a DJ for your event, there are a few questions to keep in mind:
1. Do I want the event to be a success?
2. Do I want my guests to have fun?
3. Do I want people to talk about the event positively after it's all over?
4. How important is this event to me and/or my guests?
5. Is there a possibility I might book this DJ for something in the future?

I would assume everyone would answer yes to these questions, and if you're looking for entertainment for a yearly recurring event, like a school dance or a holiday party, you'd say yes to #5 as well. So with that knowledge in mind, it would seem obvious that you would want the most professional entertainer in a DJ that you could get.

So let's say you've got your DJ, and let's say you've booked Complete Music, which means you've chosen a professional entertainer as your DJ. You've planned your event and spoken with your DJ to determine what you want done and how you want things done, and the day is fast approaching. But another question is on the horizon, one that you may not know the answer to:

6. Should I tip my DJ?

A good question, and one that many people don't consider. But why wouldn't you consider tipping your DJ? As a point of argument, let's take a look at a typical wedding reception and the vendors you might deal with . . .

Wedding Planner/Event coordinator
Baker (wedding cake)
Florist
Formalwear dealer
Catering staff/Bartenders
Limousine drivers
Officiates/Ministers
Photographer/Videographer
Beautician
Entertainment (this is where we DJs come in)

That brings us to your entertainer. Again, for the sake of argument, let's assume your entertainer is a DJ. In comparison to the rest of the above listed vendors, your DJ does more for a longer period of time to make sure your event goes off well, with the exception of your Wedding Planner (a service not everyone uses and/or needs) and your Photographer and Videographer (who don't make the event happen, but rather capture on film what does happen). Take a look at it this way . . .

In the early part of the decade a large nationwide survey was taken of brides, grooms, families and guests at wedding receptions. It was reported that 81% of the guests surveyed at the wedding receptions they attended said that they remembered the entertainment at the reception more than they remembered ANYTHING ELSE. Now, that doesn't say whether the entertainment was any good . . . just that 4 out of 5 people remembered it more than anything. Now, with those kinds of odds, it makes sense that the DJ you choose would be a pretty important choice, doesn't it? And in almost every case, the cost of your DJ will be less expensive than the services provided by a photographer, videographer, or wedding planner. Given all those reasons, you really can't afford not to pay for the best DJ you can find.


Which brings us back to the question of tipping. Should you tip your DJ? Is it customary? If you do tip, how do you know how much is considered adequate? All valid questions. I did some research and found some very sound bits of advice on tipping etiquette:
- Don't tip if it's not warranted. Poor service should not rewarded.
- Tip discreetly; don't make a big show of it.
- In many circumstances, if you offer an initial tip - especially a large initial tip - you will receive better service.
- Tip above the norm or customary amount if the service was exceptionally good, or if you've been a burden to the vendor, or if you're a repeat client.
- When in doubt, tip.

In your DJ's case, if they've taken the time to go over all the details of your event with you, including the specific songs you want for specific moments during the ceremony and/or reception, and they've played them all, and if they've checked in with you throughout the event to make sure you're happy, and they ran everything smoothly, and ESPECIALLY if people complimented you on your choice of DJ and let you know how much fun they were having, then the answer is a resounding yes. Also keep in mind that of the total amount the DJ company is charging you, less than half, and in some cases less than 25% of that total goes to the DJ working with you, especially if that DJ works for a company as opposed to running their business out of their home.

Of course, if he sucks, don't tip him. Simple.



Now, there's the question of what's considered a customary amount for a tip. I'd like to tell you 2 stories that I personally experienced recently . . .

I recently handled a wedding reception on a Friday night. This was a booking for me -- the bride had seen me DJing at another event and was impressed with how I handled the crowd, so she kept my business card and called us first thing when her wedding came up. The bride & groom were in their late 40s and were expecting about 110 people at their Friday evening reception. I was informed that both of their families were the type of people that loved to go crazy and have a lot of fun, so she was hoping that I would be able to handle that kind of crowd. Not only was I able to handle the crowd, but I kept the bride and groom abreast of everything that would happen that night, I made sure I had a special song they had asked for that wasn't in our company's catalog (something I'm not required to do), I played all of their requests and as many of the guests' requests that I could, and I even played a few games and spearheaded a dance contest with the crowd. At the end of the evening the bride told me that everyone had an excellent time, that I was the best DJ they'd ever seen, and that she had received nothing but great compliments on me and my performance that evening.

The next evening I did a wedding reception for a different crowd, which was also a booking for me. The bride and groom, both in their mid-20s, had certain requests that I was able to play throughout the night. Larger in size and considerably more varied in personality, the crowd didn't seem to want to dance much, even to the songs they were requesting. In fact, after the first song, which packed the dance floor, everyone left the dance floor. So I continued doing what I could to make it easy for people to enjoy themselves -- I played requests (even if they didn't dance), played Icebreakers (audience participatory dances like the Cupid Shuffle, the Cha-Cha Slide, etc.), and even walked around during open dancing to ask people if there was anything else they'd like to dance to. Eventually, the younger crowd loosened up and began dancing to specific songs they hadn't asked for up until that point, but decided to finally ask me about late in the evening. I kept the dance floor moving as much as I could and made it fun for everyone. At the end of the night, the groom told me that everyone had an excellent time, that I was the best DJ they'd ever seen, and that he had received a large amount of compliments from everyone on my performance.

What was the difference between these two events? Simple. The first clients didn't tip me at all, and in fact DEMANDED a receipt for the payment of the balance, something we don't do because the DJ's wage for each event is contingent upon submitting any balances collected to the office that same evening. The second clients tipped me $70.00 in cash.


Why the disparity? Honestly, I believe it's because people don't think that tipping a DJ is a customary practice, or that it's even acceptable. But in contrast, look at the other services people tip for without thinking twice: limo drivers, servers and bartenders, beauticians, photographers & videographers . . . Let's be honest, the success of your reception doesn't rest on your limo driver. The people that will remember your reception fondly and tell you about how much fun they'll have won't be having fun because your hair or your gown look perfect. The great pictures and active video your photogs and videogs will be able to capture won't happen because your caterers made a great meal. It is your ENTERTAINMENT that will makes or breaks your event, hands down, every time. And 9 times out of 10, if someone leaves a wedding reception early, it's either because they're bored, or because they have another engagement to get to. But honestly, if they're having enough fun, that other engagement can wait . . . and it will.


In the end, it's common sense. If so much success of your event rests on your entertainment, then your DJ should at least be considered for a tip if their level of service warrants it. And here's one more tip on tipping: it is excellent etiquette to always tip in CASH. Including a tip in a final payment to the company via either check or credit card before going to the individual means the company has to claim a percentage off the top as a business expenditure, and if it's a credit card payment, another fee can be taken that goes to the credit card company. The remainder is then taxed before going to the individual.

So to put it all into perspective and find out whether or not you should tip, you need to revisit the first five questions from above . . .
1. Was my event a success?
2. Did my guests have fun?
3. Did people talk positively about the event to me?
4. Did the DJ make me feel like he understood how important this night was to me?
5. If I ever needed to book a DJ again, would I book this one?

And if the answer to these questions is yes, then you need to alter your sixth question to look like this:

6. HOW MUCH should I tip my DJ?


We're here to help. And no matter who you are, we appreciate both your gratitude and your generosity.

Zach W. Lorton
Complete Music DJ Service