What should I charge??

  • Thread starter Thread starter elenore19
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xstatic said:
The fault really lies with the client who agreed to pay for a service without having any idea of how that service might turn out.
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you sir, are 100% correct.

however, the client probably would NOT see it that way. they'd see it as "i spent $_X_ for this POS cd." and we ALL know how fast word of mouth travels in musician circles--not to mention how fast things get out of hand.

in the end you have what started out as "buyer beware" has turned into "don't do business with _X_ person/studio b/c they charge too much for a crappy sounding product". no one wants that.

that's why i advise "beginners" who are into doing this for friends (and want to turn their bedroom studio into a money making venture) to NOT charge money at the start. even if the cd comes out sucking just as bad, there won't be any bad feelings b/c no money's changed hands. money has the power to ruin everything.

IMO it's better to have the good publicity for your studio and have no money than it is to have a couple hundred $$ and have a bad reputation around town. the good rep will serve you a LOT better in the end.

as always, YMMV


cheers,
wade
 
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I just came across this thread, and have been asking myself the same question about prices. I was hoping you guys might tell me where my experience level falls, and what might be a reasonable rate to charge for bands. I've got a decent stock of equipment - enough to track a band simultaneously (RME 9652DSP/Sonar 5PE/etc), and just thought I'd see what your opinions were.

You can find the song at www.journeyon.net - look in the bottom right corner, hit play, and go forward one track. It's called "ikon". (Yes, it's intentionally spelled that way). This song was actually written for the church's easter service, so that's why it's on their site.

This is a recording done very quickly, and also admittedly has some issues, primarily relating to timing. There are also some weird phasing sounds on his vocal that were due to a glitch (now fixed) in Sonar. I'm more interested in what you guys think of the recording quality, the production (timing aside), etc. Pick apart the recording if you feel like it.

James (the guy who's singing) plays guitar and keys, I played bass and drums, and did all of the engineering, mixing, mastering, etc. It's also worthwhile to note that James only had lyrics and guitar parts. I did a lot of the arranging, and the bass and drum parts are mine.

Thanks :) ~Jon
 
This may have been mentioned already, but you could try per project bases

x number of songs = Y amount of $$$ just put a hour time cap on it and when they go over that it's 20-50$ an hour. Basically like overtime.

First project I did, 5 songs for $375 took about 30 hours. They paid $100 up front for deposit. Project before that I spent 10 hours recording drums. They never paid a deposit, band broke up 2 weeks later....

Always get paid on the sole basis of working for free drives down the market. Especially after not only you but everyone else that's invested in recording gear not only for hobby but to pay bills. Why would someone go pay $50 an hour when they can record with you for free. Even when you should be getting paid for your time, everyone suffers.

I always like working by the project that way if you as the engineer run into problems, the band doesn't feel gypted. Also no one feels pressured to get everything right away.
 
killmachine said:
Why would someone go pay $50 an hour when they can record with you for free.
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Simple.

Lets go back to the main reason (as stated earlier) why someone would be inclined to do it for free: Inexperience, along with sub-par gear. Now I dont know about you, but I sure as hell wouldnt blow $50/hr on a place like that... Shit, after 2 hours, youve just "bought" half the guys gear.

With the $50/hr place, you'll get a final product that is a whole hell of a lot more professional than the free place. Someone who goes to the $50/hr place is serious about his/her music, and actually cares about what the final mix sounds like. Wheras the person who goes to the free place probably just wants to hear what their song sounds like in a cd player -- regardless of audio quality.
 
I started letting in bands a few months ago and did some free stuff for friends. My name is kind of getting out now and I'm just kind of talking with the bands and making deals - sometimes I get a little money and some gear, sometimes I just charge a flat rate. It's working out pretty good and I'm getting more "clients" just by word of mouth. I don't make a lot by doing it this way, but all the money just goes back to the studio and lets me keep my paycheck for food and stuff (ie: i don't have to starve myself for gear as often).
 
whjr15 said:
Simple.

Lets go back to the main reason (as stated earlier) why someone would be inclined to do it for free: Inexperience, along with sub-par gear. Now I dont know about you, but I sure as hell wouldnt blow $50/hr on a place like that... Shit, after 2 hours, youve just "bought" half the guys gear.

With the $50/hr place, you'll get a final product that is a whole hell of a lot more professional than the free place. Someone who goes to the $50/hr place is serious about his/her music, and actually cares about what the final mix sounds like. Wheras the person who goes to the free place probably just wants to hear what their song sounds like in a cd player -- regardless of audio quality.
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I agree, and Chess, to say the kid wouldn't be gaining anything by doing it for free is a ridiculous statement. If I hadn't started out doing work for free I still wouldn't be recording anyone to this day. He needs experience and IMO this is the best way to get it. I get the feelling some engineer's assholes get all puckered when some noob comes on and mentions doing freebies for experience, and not because it's degrading to the noob but because their studio may be losing business because of it. Doing free work here recently scored me 5 new paying bands. 5 bands that I would've never recorded had I not offered them some free time, and yes ALL of them returned after the free time.
 
jonnyc said:
5 bands that I would've never recorded had I not offered them some free time, and yes ALL of them returned after the free time.
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see, that's EXACTLY what i'm talkin bout! :D

it's like being a crack dealer.....the first one's free, the next one you've gotta pay for. :p


cheers,
wade
 
I started charging from the first projoect I ever did. I made the mistake of charging per song with no time cap. In the end though, the band got what they paid for. It certainly was not great, but they got what they expected. The little bit of money that I made helped me to pay bills and expand my audio toolbox a little. As a result, the next band came out a little better, and I got paid a little more. Novice or not, do not underestimate the importance of receiving something for the time, effort, stress and equipment that you put into a project. Word of mouth will never hurt you if you provide the best service you possibly can for a price reflective of the service you provided. If any band has a problem with what they got for $10 and hour, than that band was going to be a pain in the ass no matter what.
 
after reading some of this i'm thinking maybe I should charge a little more, or maybe I suck and $20 per song is good enough :confused: . Here's an example of some of my stuff. What do you guys think is a fair price on a per song basis?

www.myspace.com/wildhoganrecords

I want a fixed price because sometimes I take an insane amount of time mixing (like 10-15hrs per song if i'm having trouble :eek: ).
 
My point fellas was that obviously the guy charging $50 an hour has a good reason to be charging $50 an hour. The charging nothing is obviously in the learning stages or in the gear lacking stages.

However, as I've found out alot of people just don't care what the final result is when it comes down to it in the end. These high school kids saving there allowance and part time job money is often an overiding factor. Also as experience does pave the way. 1 project to test gear should be all you need to get at least something.
 
Well, let me just say this. If you do decide to record for free, please don't ever come on here complaining about not being able to afford something;)
 
jonnyc said:
I get the feelling some engineer's assholes get all puckered when some noob comes on and mentions doing freebies for experience, and not because it's degrading to the noob but because their studio may be losing business because of it.
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Yea, I'm really fucking scared about losing out on business to dome dickwad clear across the country who's mom has to give him permission to track in his back yard. :D :D

Doing free work here recently scored me 5 new paying bands. 5 bands that I would've never recorded had I not offered them some free time, and yes ALL of them returned after the free time.
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Probably because they can't afford a real engineer, I'm guessing. Don't kid yourself. They'll bolt and forget who you are if/when they actually make some real money or have an "important" project in the future. You've already positioned yourself as "the free guy." That's what you are in their mind. I realize this is a course thing of me to say, but I just think it's extremely important that people out there understand this. I just think it's irresponsible -- as well as degrading to the profession -- to recommend to others that they do free work.

Like I said in a previous post ... I think it's bad under any circumstance, in any creative field. Not just audio engineering. I'd feel the same way if you were designing someone's web site for free, or acting in a comercial without pay. Internships -- those are a totally different thing, and that's not at all what I'm talking about.
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I'm going to have to agree that you should be getting paid. I don't give a shit if you're using your sound blaster, 2 channel behringer mixer, and nady mics. If the band could do better on their own, they would'nt be talking to you. Your service has some value.

Example:

I used to help out immediate family and very close friends with computer problems for free. No problem there. I liked helping them out.........until every fucking joe I don't know was asking me to fix his shit for free. Hell even the people I give a shit about were trying to take advantage before long (still are). A 5 minute fix turns into a 2 hour tune up and computer lesson. My rule now is if it takes longer than 10 minutes, I'm charging $50 for my time and you're dropping it off and picking it up. If that does'nt suit you, seek help else where.

Don't be the fucking go-to-for-free guy. If you want to do a couple of projects for free because YOU have issues with the value of your service, make sure that you really will be getting something out of it. Don't record shitty bands for free. What's the point? Are you trying to learn how to polish turds or make good recordings? If a cd sounds like shit, alot people can't tell if it's because of a shitty recording, bad musicianship, or both. Chances are, you'll catch the blame either way.

If you do decide to record a couple of bands for free, consider working out a deal with those clients. They have to keep their mouths shut about getting a free service and send in X number of potential clients BEFORE the free service is provided. At the very least, you will be getting some awareness of your service out to potential clients.

Just my $0.02
 
Charge $100/day and if it comes out like crap forgive the debt. This way you don't have somebody spending all day trying to punch in one word and putting down a boat load of tracks that are only going to give you a head-ache anyway. If the recording comes out good, you get some cash. If the recording sounds like garbage, you don't lose a friend and you don't lose reputation (as much).
 
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