Near 50% of DJs stated gigs pay less post-Covid, according to a report

According to the 2024 IMS Business Report, almost half of the DJs stated it is harder to find gigs and they pay less post-Covid

The IMS Business Report 2024 was recently published in the frame of the International Music Summit. The research by Mark Mulligan and MIDiA has brought some interesting twists and turns to the music industry this year. It also reflects the fact that DJs stated everything was simpler before COVID-19.

About the report

The annual report, which focuses on the health of dance music, concluded that it is “firmly in its post-pandemic growth phase”. Among other things, the 2024 version of the research reveals that although it is well-known that live performances are the main source of income for musicians, 85 percent of respondents said they would rather spend their time making music. That’s no question, as live shows are also enjoying their best period since COVID-19, with the companies that run them reporting a 35% increase.

“There was a risk that 2023 would struggle to live up to those inflated expectations, but instead the electronic music industry grew strongly once again, with impressive growth across virtually all of its constituent parts.”, added Mark Mulligan, MD & Analyst at MIDiA Research.

The DJ reports

Although the industry seems to be recovering, and companies are reporting higher and higher profits, the main elements of the “compound”, the DJs, have said that everything is harder for them than before the pandemic. This is reflected in the survey, as 41% of respondents said it was much harder to be booked for gigs. And in the same bracket, 40% reported that gigs pay much less. And although, as mentioned earlier, it is well known that for most DJs, live shows provide the bulk of their income, still, a truly outstanding 85% said that writing music is more important than DJing. This is interesting in light of the fact that Spotify has recently launched its new royalty model. Which, although it aims to support artists, still doesn’t take away from how little revenue it generates.