It is too hard to offer a cost not knowing what you need. In most large/mid size cities a good demo singer normally costs about $100 per song (since the vocal is soooo important when selling a song - that is one area where you should not cut corners).
Session players can cost from $50 to $100 per song - although you may be able to pay less. Session work has dried up so much that some players will work cheaper. I have a very good knowledge of what players make in the clubs and in sessions in my area and I often talk to a player and say something like - "I know you make $70 for a 4 hour club gig - $50 for a 2 hour session is more than fair". Keep in mind - you can find people ceaper (maybe even for free) but - a good player can hit parts faster than an average player - and when the studio clock is ticking, fast is important. I try to pay by the song, say $50 per song (and have them learn the parts in advance from a scratch demo).
If you plan to use a demo studio, it may be about $25 per hour. So it's best to have the player's rehearse in advance (if possible). I would rather pay guys to rehearse in my basement rather than rehearsh in a studio - and pay $25 per hour to be there. If you have the general parts already recorded - and simply need people to play the parts better than you can - they may be willing to take a CD and learn the parts in advance as part of a flat session fee.
If you find people who you trust and who provide quality performance - do whatever it takes to keep them. I often slip certain singers an extra $20 or $50 here and there to make sure they know I try to treat them right.
When I record songs at my studio I also warn people that it will take longer than they expect. Setting up mics and getting sounds takes time, mixing takes time, etc. I normally anticipate at least 5 hours of studio time per song (I actually allow a total of 10 hours when I budget my own songs).
So as an example:
$125 - 5 hrs studio time at $25
$100 - Vocalist - flat fee for one song
$150 - Guitar, bass & drums - 3 musicians at a flat $50 each for one song
$ 50 - Guitar overdubs
$400 for one song - which may be on the low end (assuming the players know thiere parts, in advance, for no extra charge).
This is why so many people try to learn several instruments and set up home demo studios. The down side to that is the quality of the final product may suufer from whatever limitations each of us (as home recorders/musicians) may have.
I know one song writer who holds down a part time job (in addition to his full time job) just so he can afford the $5,000-$10,000 he spends every year preparing demos (in a good year he recovers about 50% of his costs from publishing deals, etc). He keeps trying - and I believe some day he may get lucky (I do many things for him at discounted rates - so if he does get lucky - maybe, he'll throw me a bone or two).
The ads that suggest a full demo for $200 are indeed normally scams. They often put the same music out over and over (gives us your lyrics and we'll produce a song). When publishers hear the fully "produced" song they can tell immediately that it came from one of these "chop shops" because they's heard the same melody and production dozens of times.
Make sure you think your stuff is good enough to spend money on. Good luck!!!
