What

[baker_]

I meant to call this thread something else....oops - however ---



I had a small battle in my mind regarding where I should post this question. I went with the Newbie forum obviously.

I am just finishing up my humble studio's first album for one of my clients. I am really excited about it and love seeing the results of my labor come to fruition (or at least anticipating so).

I am going over the pay logs of my client so he can determine how much of the album's profits will go directly back to him (since he paid for all of the recording/mixing himself) before he distributes the rest out to the other band members. While going over these figures I asked myself a question that I am now forwarding to you - other recording enthusiasts/studio owners:

How much does an unsigned band pay to record an entire 10 song album?


I know it's a very general question with many different factors (studio's rate, hours spent recording, type of music, type of equipment the studio has...) but any estimations would be great. Other related questions would be:
How many hours does recording a full pop/rock band's album usually take? (bass, guitar, piano, drums, electronically programmed drum loops, two vocalists - to be exact)

By the way, the client has already paid, I just wanted to compare what I've received for the project to other studio's results. So if anyone can respond with something like "I recorded a project that took - - hours and charged $ - - per hour/song/mix which totaled - -....and such" that would be awesome.

I know this can potentially be a very delicate topic that may be prying into personal business beliefs/practices/what-have-you's, but I truly don't intend to invade anyone's business or business plans or to create any competitive discomfort.



Thank you

Thanks!

[dualflip]

Well i use different aproaches, when recording, i usually state my daily rate (you have to think how much you think a day of your work is worth), and if they are using my studio, ill also state the daily rate for the studio. So thats one approach, the other approach is the "package" or "bundle" approach where you charge a total amount of money which will be for the entire project regardless of the duration (although you have to tell the band the maximum allowed duration, after that youll charge another fee, depending on how much extra days you are spending).

When mixing i usually charge by song, or again, i can also make a bundle. Its really up to you, but ill say that your daily rate/song shouldnt be lower than 200dlls. It depends on your experience and how much work have you done (and to whom), also on the client you are working for, if you really want to work with certain band that doesnt have much money, asking for 1000 dlls a song will be guarantee that you wont be working with them. So, it depends..

[mikeh]

Most studios have an hourly rate and often will offer a block of time which reduces the hourly rate (but locks the client in for a longer period - thus assuring the studio is booked). Someimes the rate includes the engineer (most of us serve as both studio owners & engineers) but some studios seperate th studio time from the engineering time. Often the rate to mix and/or master is different than the rate to track.

How much for a 10 song CD? It depends on a lot of things (the goindg rate in any market, how many other studios are in the area, the level of gear in the studio, the ability or reputation of the owner/engineer, etc.) I normally calculate each song takes 10 hours - so a ten song CD would be 100 hours (so I would normally indicate to the client the cost will be about 100 x whatever rate I charge as an example 100 x $25 = $2,500). I prefer to charge a time and material base vs. a flat project rate (since I've lost my butt a couple times on project rates that ran waaaay over - mostly because the artist did not have their act together)

If the client wants outside services (mastering, duplication, cover art, etc.) I will either arrange it (I then act as a "general contractor) with a 15% mark-up - or I simply offer the client the names of facilities and let them work out the details. Candidly, I prefer to simply track and mix, had the client a disk/DAT etc. and let them work out the rest - getting stuck in the middle if they don't like the artwork, etc is a pain in the ass that is not worth the 15%.

In my local region, I've seen CD projects (recorded in different local "demo" studios) range from $2000-$3000 up to maybe $6000 (it all depends on the reputation of the studio, the type of gear, etc.). This only reflects basic tracking, mixing and limited mastering.

Hope that helps

[baker_]

Thank you both for the replies. You've been really helpful.
I was considering quoting the entire project for the future, but I think I'll stick with my hourly/block rates.

Basically i was just curious. Thanks again!