How do you guys charge for lasershow services?

[gabe]

I was wondering how you all did pricing for your lasershows,

Live
pre programmed
amout of projectors
Power
Exc...

How do you do it?

[mixedgas]

I was wondering how you all did pricing for your lasershows,

Live
pre programmed
amout of projectors
Power
Exc...

How do you do it?

I'll pierce the vail to get DSLI-JON talking.

Very carefully.

Rule one, when word gets out what you charge a client, that is pretty much the maximum you can ever charge for a given setup.

Travel costs,
personel costs
equipment replacement/upgrade
hidden costs
taxes
time spent on client
The all important "folding back" of money into the business to grow the business
Rainy Day funds
music rights
custom artwork (always a PITA unless you can draw)
amortization
Business plan
and feeding back in 10-20% of your profit for advertising and upgrades.
1000$ in your pocket at all times for emergencies.

Rule two, take what you think you need to charge and double or triple it.

If you OVERCHARGE a client, never give it back, instead offer to make it up in services.

More coming.

[Retina Burn]

Charge by how many Go-Go dancers are provided for you.

[allthatwhichis]

For pre-programmed shows I charge by the length of the song or by the minute.

[kiyoukan]

As far as pricing i have talked to convention runners and found they paid over 1,000$ to have 2 "laser shows"
one was a green lumina wheel and the other a red laser Spirograph that pulsed to the music.
I thought they were retarded to pay that much for those 2 items and a dude came setup and set flick this power brick when you want them on and then left.
But i too would like to hear what the going price is on a laser show with custom frames.

[gottaluvlasers]

In the USA, you would be doing yourself and this profession a disservice if you charged a nickel under $1500 for a local (within 45 mins-1 hour) Laser show (live performance, *NO* custom programming)with a single green Laser. Now i know there are those "few and far between" low budget $750-$1000 shows that are hard to turn away. However, if this is your normal going rate for a show than you are doing something DRASTICALLY wrong and are due a bitch slap for devaluing the prefession! An average Club show with a high power green should be between $2000-$3000. With $1500 being a compromised budget discount if needed to land the show. Color should be in the randge of $3000 and up. $2500-$3500 being about the norm for a club type show. These are for live, local performances and NOT for programming and/or custom displays.

I BEG of you, *DO NOT* accept a show above your means! if you dont have legitimate equipment for a job, DONT ACCEPT IT!!!

-Marc

[dsli_jon]

..don't forget the all-important Liability-insurance, which you *want*, even if you're just a 'laser jockey' shooting Radio Shack dmx-box spirographs into the punch-bowl... maybe especially-then.. jk..

Seriously, most Corp Clients / Hotels / Party-Houses / Music Venues, and, especially Townships / Cities, etc, won't even consider hiring you, if you can't provide them Proof of Insurance - and *substantial* coverage, at-that... (at least $1M / 2M, agg..) which is gonna cost you north of $2-3K / year, min...

Never underestimate the ability of a skilled attorney to turn your * into a windsock...

cheers..
j

[masterpj]

For a pre-programmed graphics show you charge according to complexity > time > length > reusability (if it's not reusable or really only for them then you charge much higher).

I wont name prices out in public (so not on a forum).
But at least that gives you an indication what I think about when i charge.

[Bradfo69]

Yes BUT....

Not every situation is the same and not everyone is in a major metropolitan area. If someday I have the equipment, the legal paperwork, the insurance, etc., and decide to "take it on the road" to Philadelphia. I fully agree and would love nothing more to be doing this at $2000-$3,000 per weekend night. But on the other hand, if you have the venue, and clients come to you, and your equipment is stored there and can be set up in short order. Same basic setup each time. Then what?

And... what constitutes a "show". Putting a bride and grooms name and date on the wall for an hour during cocktails? Playing "Receipe For Love" or some other sappy thing on the wall just prior to the cake cutting. Or three hours of punching cues in LivePro and spinning knobs and sliders on a Novation a show? What if their entire event is less than $3000? Example....16th birthday last Friday night. 100 people. Their bill for the entire event was $2,274. They had a $300 photobooth and a $400 DJ, with cake from Walmart. When booking, they also wanted some club lighting and asked me about lasers. (I didn't do either one and, in some respects I'm glad I didn't since only 26 people showed up but, that's another story. Let's just say kids suck. A haunted house in Philly sounded like a better idea at the last minute to all these people that were supposed to come to this kids party.) You don't want to do lasers continuously so, if it becomes an added effect on half a dozen or so songs throughout the night, then what?

Trust me, I don't want to devalue the profession but, there are a lot of situations I could potentially experience where $300, $500 or $750 could be the max I might get in Newark, DE. I don't know it for a fact because I'm not quite there yet (ready and legally able to sell services) but, it's what I'm seeing right now. You and I have talked a bit about this before and even the sorority and fraternity "date nights" where lasers would be ideal have switched DJ's from the $300 one I offer to include, for their guy who charged $275 to try and save $25.

I suppose the alternative is to not offer lasers but, someday I'd like to start recouping some of this investment. And, I may only be able to do it based on what the market will bear. Again... taking it out to other venues and touring with gear is a whole different ballgame and I agree with your pricing to a degree.

[norty303]

There are other historical discussions on this forum about how much to charge, and there are a number of viewpoints raised there which probably aren't worth raising again.
Suffice to say that the 'very expensive' model doesn't work in all places, and now that the cost of ownership of solid state lasers has come down compared to the gassers, probably isn't sustainable. Certainly, there is a lower level market not catered for by the 'big boys' that can be lucrative, despite their lower total budgets for production.
Some moving heads cost as much as a moderate RGB projector, and they go out on rent for a pittance, along with an operator for the night. I don't see the laser pricing model too differently personally