Let's say that one of your recording clients refused to pay there session bill.......

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wjgypsy

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So after a long day of recording, it's over. And then the person that you was recording refused to pay there bill. How would YOU handle it? I got a thing where if they don't want to pay for there recording session, I want push them. I just want let them back into the studio and i want let them have a copy of there project. But let's say that you have already burned them a few cds and they refuse to pay. Then what would you do?


This hasn't happened to me or nothing, but i want to know what to do if it does.


zeke
 
They don't leave with the tracks/final copies unless they pay... and generally, it's a good idea to get a deposit before the session even starts.
 
Yes, get something before you go to work... Like a deposit, a credit card number or their bank account...hehe.

If I had a roofing job at your house, I'm going to want some money down... then the rest at the end of the job. At least I can cover some expenses if you back out.
 
Ok. So if i charge $15/hour, what would be a good down payment?
 
Yo Zeke:

A good down payment? A gallon of Jack Danials would be a start.

As already mentioned, you don't give them the work if they don't pay.

Life is too short to get bent out of shape by the few folks in the world who are zero.

So, protect yourself and enjoy the music.

Green Hornet :D :p :p :p :cool:
 
I don't think you should be suggesting Jack Daniels to someone Zeke's age.....not yet anyhow :)

I'd say that if you're charging $15 bucks an hour, and you're definately a little home studio, then your clients are going to be mostly kids with very little money. To somebody like that, $100 is probably a lot of money. If you're going to book 8 hour sessions, that's $120...I would get at least that much up front.

The biggest mistakes I've made in my own business dealings have been charging too little for my services. You'd be suprised at what people are willing to and expect to pay. If you charge considerably under that, then they won't take you seriously and you'll get stiffed a LOT. And what the hell can you do, take them to small claims over a hundred bucks?

Slackmaster 2000
 
I figured i'd record people for $15 an hour and then as i got better at it and made more clients, i could raise the price. is this a good idea?
 
ZEKE SAYER said:
I figured i'd record people for $15 an hour and then as i got better at it and made more clients, i could raise the price. is this a good idea?
Click to expand...
Not if that new guy down the street is getting all the gigs! :D

good luck!
 
I think you learned your lesson

At the very least--they get NOTHING to take out of the studio until the bill is paid. Until they pay for it, the recording is yours.
 
I think he meant dont give out CD's of the final mix......
 
i don't give anyone cd's of ANYTHING until they pay for everything that's been done so far. so if they want to take home a rough copy after a day of tracking, they'd better pay me for the tracking first.

if they try to guilt trip me with "we don't have money on us right now, but we promise..." i will say, as nicely as i possibly can, that it's not that i don't trust them, it's just that i have a policy that i follow and i don't want to start making any exceptions.

that has ALWAYS ended up with "okay, i totally understand, i'll just run to the bank and get your money..." :)
 
Re: Let's say that one of your recording clients refused to pay there session bill.......

ZEKE SAYER said:
So after a long day of recording, it's over. And then the person that you was recording refused to pay there bill. How would YOU handle it? I got a thing where if they don't want to pay for there recording session, I want push them. I just want let them back into the studio and i want let them have a copy of there project. But let's say that you have already burned them a few cds and they refuse to pay. Then what would you do?


This hasn't happened to me or nothing, but i want to know what to do if it does.


zeke
Click to expand...


Hey, If they won't pay they recording bill, and you haven't given them any copies yet then you have two options.

1. IF THEY GOOD, start selling there CD's without giving them money for it. If they find out you been makin money off of them then it will piss 'em off like crazy.

2. IF THEY SUCK, call somebody up and have 'em drive by they house and take out a couple windows.
 
ZEKE SAYER said:
I figured i'd record people for $15 an hour and then as i got better at it and made more clients, i could raise the price. is this a good idea?
Click to expand...

I think you should charge what you think is fair. The point is, don't mention that the price is low. Don't say, "well I'm just a guy in this spare bedroom here blah blah" ... and don't let them get away with things like not paying, just because you're a guy in a spare bedroom! :) In other words, don't feel guilty about your working conditions and ability. Act professional and always demand that you get what you deserve from the client, and they will be more willing to pay.

I've been taken advantage of several times because I often take on a relaxed "i'm not very good attitude." People take advantage of that!

You know though, if you really don't have the studio to be recording people, then maybe you shouldn't be recording them...or work for free for a while?

Slackmaster 2000
 
have you seen boogie nights? I love the scene where they are trying to talk the studio into giving them the tapes...
 
get a down payment and make them keep all their equipment guitars and drum set and amps in your facility so if they try to run you can just sell their stuff on ebay or something... oh yah dont offer someone Zekes age a gallon of jack daniels... he might not like that... BUT I WOULD :) i'm 16 and have a hard time getting hard liquor...it's strictly medicinal I SWEAR... ;)
 
I give people a 10-hour window with an introductory rate. During the first 10 hours, my rates are generally half my full rate, and if they're not satisfied, they don't have to pay. Once they get past 10, I ask for full payment for the session so far, inform them my rates are going up to full, and I never release anything untill they pay for the full amount of work I've clocked in.

If they decide not to pay, then all of their drum tracks, if they're good, get chopped up in to samples and placed within my sample library for future use at my discretion. :D Just kidding -- I haven't had anyone take me up on it yet. They always stay for the full duration.

If you do any pro-bono work, by the way, make them give you a deposit, to be returned when their work is completed. I get a lot of guys who don't feel compelled to ever finish their sessions if they're not paying for them. Tell them they don't get their deposit back untill the work is done, and they've given you something in writing that states you will be receiving a full credit on their album, or royalties or whatever the hell else you agree on in the beginning.
 
What should you do?
Startin thinkin like Suge Knight of Death Row Records (now Tha Row)
 
No, you shouldn't. That's a bunch of bullshit that shouldn't even be joked about as far as I'm concerned. It's an embarrassment to the audio community, the record industry, and it should be an embarrassment to reputable rap artists. There's a lot of very effective ways to destroy someone's music career that don't involve ruining lives in the process.
 
Assuming your clients are of age of majority, and you've gotten them to sign something acknowledging their debt to you for your services, you can call up a collection agency. They charge 30%, or thereabouts, but getting 70% of your money is better than getting none. Also, collection agencies can affect your clients credit rating, making them less appealing to other lenders (car loans, credit cards, mortgages, etc.) Many of them can even go so far as to garish your clients' wages to get your money.

Chris
 
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