Salary
Average Salary: $38,200
Expected Lifetime Earnings: $1,595,000
You're not doing it for the money, are you? Really? You aren't the free spirit type, who just wants to spread good energy to the masses? That's what we thought. Okay this is how much you can make:
Radio DJing earns just about $10 an hour (source) while events like wedding and private parties can pay anywhere from $500 to $2,500 a pop. At the height of your career, when you're super famous (and we mean like most-famous-in-the-galaxy-famous), you could pull down upwards of six figures. Don't get too excited, though, because just about no one gets to that point. The average is only $33,975 a year (source).
One of the best ways to put some Benjamins in your Ben Shermans, some tinsel in your Timberlands, some lettuce in your Louis V wallet...is to compete. First prize for the biggest online DJ competition is an all-expenses paid trip to London for The DMC World DJ Finals and about $10,000 in equipment.
There are awards which bring infamy and smaller competitions at the World Music Contest in Florida, the International Dance Music Awards, DJ Mag poll awards, with prizes like guest sets, exposure, full-time gigs, and, sadly, not much cash. Do it because you love it.