question about business norms

[antichef]

I'm running a small project studio that can do tracking and mixing. I'm thinking about offering outsourced mastering as a service to my clients as well - that is, instead of providing them with the mixed projects / 2buss bounces for them to take somewhere, I would instead sort of manage a rfp/bid process on their behalf.

My thought is that I would have a standard contract form for mastering that would be between my studio and the selected mastering house (I would already have a contract between my studio and the artist). Then I would provide maybe a portion of one of the mixes (both in "raw" and in "proto-mastered" form) along with the standard form agreement to a few potential mastering places and ask for price bids and/or samples of what they would do using the raw song fragment. The artist and I would select one, and we'd sign the contract - I'd pass through the cost to the artist.

I'm a transactional attorney in my day job, so I fear I may be overthinking or overplaying this, and might not get the best results for my artist clients. So I suppose I'm seeking impressions from those of you who do mastering as a business - would a structure like this be expected or not?

 

[Massive Master]

I get these a lot. On the plus side, it makes it easier on the business end. But it certainly adds that "extra step" for communication.

I'd almost suggest a "We have a regular place - we can handle this for you or you can go to them as a referral" (or they can go to wherever they like of course).

Personal note? I have no problem and issues working with the studio as a client -- The bookkeeping alone is worth it. And you get "into a groove" -- They know what you need as far as files, time, etc., and you know what they expect sonically. In any case, I'd rather have 5 active projects from one studio than 5 individual projects plus whatever the current workload might be. Not sure why - Well, paperwork - that's why. It's less chaotic with the books even with the same amount of work.

On the sample/fragment thing... I'd really just find places you're comfortable with and run with it. If the client trusts you to pick a place, pick a place (or a few) and go. "Samples" aren't the best way to pick a place anyway. It might be a decent one-time way to make sure they're "legit" to some extent, but others, I'd go as far as to say "the better facilities" don't even do "samples" as a matter of course - because they don't have to.

And on a sidenote, I'd be happy to be included in that list of facilities -- But as mentioned, you won't need to do the 'fragment' thing -- because we'd have communication and trust.

 

[bunt]

test

 

[BroKen_H]

test

No need to get testy...