Theoretical record contract

[ColdAsh]

I havent had any offers but i enjoy budgeting what i would do just in case (can you tell im studying acounting?)

How much is a reasonalbe advance for an LP if you already have a single that has had fairly good radio play?
I know its impossibe to give anywhere near an exact answer but its only a generalisation.
I was thinking about $95000 (thats Australian to its $47500 US) $23000 of which the band will pay out of any royalties. This includes 5 week rehearsal, 10 weeks recording, engineers and producer pay for the band during this period and $15000 for equipment purchases (eg guitars and amps ect.)
Also any ideas on average for a good deal how much does a band make per unit sold and how much do the label make per unti sold. Either as a percentage or in dollars (a CD is about $30 here)
Im sure this sounds stupid but id love to hear from anyone in the know!

 

[gec]

http://www.music-law.com/contractbasics.html

 

[Downside Studio]

Well if you were in that situation and you aren't worldfamous yet...try to keep the budget as low as possible.

it's common to believe that getting a big budget means you're getting rich while it actually means you're paying a lot of money for your own project. I have to meet the first record-company that didn't took the artists budget out of the profits first.

I see a lot of bands who are bragging how they are recording for several weeks without actually doing something than just hanging around and playing cool in the studio. They don't realise they actually pay for those lost and not lost hours themselfs.

They do have the time of their live though

 

[ColdAsh]

What size budget do you think would be needed to record a rock LP for your average alternate/rock band? Taking into account that all songs will be completed before going into the studio and there will be a bit of guitar layering and a strings on a few tracks. This would be for a band who dont have a huge experience in a studio so allow for the fact that every take wont be perfect. The studio is about US$300 a day and dont wory about money for new instruments or paying the band to eat for this period.
Cheers
ColdAsh

 

[ausrock]

Coldash,

To a degree, you get what you pay for................considering most "demo" session studios charge around $300 per day, then it may indicate the average quality you should expect from that daily budget. The higher your expectations are of the finished product, the more you should be prepared to budget.

You also have to consider the possible cost of additional studio personel, (engineers, producer, etc). If they are included in the $300......well re-read the first paragraph. Alternatively you may consider just hiring the studio, then paying for a specific producer and engineer to come and guide the whole process. And believe me, if they are people with a known track record in the industry, YOU WILL PAY.

There really are a lot of variables that will determine the cost of any recording project and the final quality obtained, not to mention that it is also likely to have some influence on the "success" potential of the recordings.

The best way to get an answer is to contact various studios and discuss the whole thing with them. BTW.........two bits of advice;.........

1.....seriously look at previous output from the studio, what success it has had, etc., etc.

2.....if you strike a deal with a studio/producer/engineer get the whole deal in writing (preferably a legally binding contract), so that what they say they will do, IS DONE. This is more important than you may realise.