What should I charge??

  • Thread starter Thread starter elenore19
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elenore19

elenore19

Slowing becoming un-noob.
I know that this is probably the wrong forum to be putting this in, but I didn't know which one to put this in.

So I have my own backyard studio and someone came up to me wondering if they could use it and have me be the engineer guy or whatever. I'm wondering what I should charge him and his band per hour. I've only been recording for about 2/3 months right now. I'm still VERY new. But I've gotten some decent quality things recorded, at least they sound good to me. I was thinking maybe $10/hour. Any suggestions would be great, thanks:D


-Elliot
 
Maybe you could do it for free, and use it as free experience/practice.

But if you're confident that you're good enough to be charging, then I guess $10/hr seems fair.

Maybe let him hear some of the songs you've recorded/mixed and negotiate a price.
 
danny.guitar said:
Maybe you could do it for free, and use it as free experience/practice.

But if you're confident that you're good enough to be charging, then I guess $10/hr seems fair.

Maybe let him hear some of the songs you've recorded/mixed and negotiate a price.
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Yeah, I was thinking about doing it for free, but my parents are against that seeing as them recording isn't only using me, but the studio space, which costs money to heat. But yeah, my mom was saying 20, and I was just like, screw that. And yeah, I'll probably end up doing $5/hr or something. I don't have anything on the internet, and I don't have too many things that are finished, just one song by my band and other things of my own I've fooled around with. Thanks for the help though, I'll try and get a song on the net.


-Elliot
 
elenore19 said:
Yeah, I was thinking about doing it for free, but my parents are against that seeing as them recording isn't only using me, but the studio space, which costs money to heat. But yeah, my mom was saying 20, and I was just like, screw that. And yeah, I'll probably end up doing $5/hr or something. I don't have anything on the internet, and I don't have too many things that are finished, just one song by my band and other things of my own I've fooled around with. Thanks for the help though, I'll try and get a song on the net.


-Elliot
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I'd speak to the guys. Talk them through it, get some ideas of what sound they want and what they expect. maybe give them the first session free. Also, I've noticed that the quality of a song will depend on the quality of the musicians; it might be worth sitting in on a jamming session and seeing what they're capable of. I think charging soem kinf of fee is fine; I recorded a friends band, and it turned out infinetely better than their studio time (Pretty sure they got ripped off).
 
I would either say that the studio itself would be $20/hr, and for your services free. That depends on if you got some decent equipment though. That would be your best bet, cause if your not charging for your studio itself, it could turn out to be "I'll bring my own engineer" thing, and then your shit out of luck lol. Plus like they say, it'll give you experience. Many studios around here throw in the engineer for free along with the booked hours. Mastering engineers though, you gotta pay for those... Maybe you can charge them to "master" their product, or mix it down properly. Just my 2 cents
 
Giving away services for free is kind of degrading in this day and age. Maybe not in the times of slavery in the South on the plantations ... but in this day and age, you can do better.

I mean, I'm all for internships and the like ... where you exchange your labor; i.e. coffee, bagel and lunch-fetching skills in exchange for an education by a mentor. Particularly if the payoff is potentially high; like in a computer engineering field or similar.

But to give your services away just for the sake of your own personal practice is pretty debasing. You might as well call Mark Foley and see if he needs another Page. You're not really getting much out of it ... but the band really is.

What you should do, at the very least, is call around and get yourself some "estimates" on daily rates for practice / rehearsal space. At the VERY LEAST, you should be charging something comparable to what it would cost to rent out rehearsal space for a similar amount of time. Because in the end, if the recordings suck (which they probably will -- remember, you're a beginner) ... the band at least got themselves some valuable rehearsal time at your expense.

But don't do the pro-bono thing ... for your own sake. Remember, at the end of the day, when you go to McDonalds for a value meal, the people who cleaned the bathrooms and prepared your shake made considerably more than you just did tracking that band. When you come to that realization and it really hits you ... it would probably be a good idea to go stick your head in that toilet and suffocate yourself and just get it over with.

.
 
chessrock said:
Giving away services for free is kind of degrading in this day and age. Maybe not in the times of slavery in the South on the plantations ... but in this day and age, you can do better.

I mean, I'm all for internships and the like ... where you exchange your labor; i.e. coffee, bagel and lunch-fetching skills in exchange for an education by a mentor. Particularly if the payoff is potentially high; like in a computer engineering field or similar.

But to give your services away just for the sake of your own personal practice is pretty debasing. You might as well call Mark Foley and see if he needs another Page. You're not really getting much out of it ... but the band really is.

What you should do, at the very least, is call around and get yourself some "estimates" on daily rates for practice / rehearsal space. At the VERY LEAST, you should be charging something comparable to what it would cost to rent out rehearsal space for a similar amount of time. Because in the end, if the recordings suck (which they probably will -- remember, you're a beginner) ... the band at least got themselves some valuable rehearsal time at your expense.

But don't do the pro-bono thing ... for your own sake. Remember, at the end of the day, when you go to McDonalds for a value meal, the people who cleaned the bathrooms and prepared your shake made considerably more than you just did tracking that band. When you come to that realization and it really hits you ... it would probably be a good idea to go stick your head in that toilet and suffocate yourself and just get it over with.

.
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wouldn't that mean, that he "should" be charging $40/hr for rehearsal time, and then around $75-150/hr for studio time, and then $50/hr for his services as a beginner?? With idk what kind of equipment he has, but I doubt it's multi-million studio in his back yard...
 
chessrock said:
Giving away services for free is kind of degrading in this day and age. Maybe not in the times of slavery in the South on the plantations ... but in this day and age, you can do better.

I mean, I'm all for internships and the like ... where you exchange your labor; i.e. coffee, bagel and lunch-fetching skills in exchange for an education by a mentor. Particularly if the payoff is potentially high; like in a computer engineering field or similar.

But to give your services away just for the sake of your own personal practice is pretty debasing. You might as well call Mark Foley and see if he needs another Page. You're not really getting much out of it ... but the band really is.

What you should do, at the very least, is call around and get yourself some "estimates" on daily rates for practice / rehearsal space. At the VERY LEAST, you should be charging something comparable to what it would cost to rent out rehearsal space for a similar amount of time. Because in the end, if the recordings suck (which they probably will -- remember, you're a beginner) ... the band at least got themselves some valuable rehearsal time at your expense.

But don't do the pro-bono thing ... for your own sake. Remember, at the end of the day, when you go to McDonalds for a value meal, the people who cleaned the bathrooms and prepared your shake made considerably more than you just did tracking that band. When you come to that realization and it really hits you ... it would probably be a good idea to go stick your head in that toilet and suffocate yourself and just get it over with.

.
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I agree w/ chess on this, and this topic comes up w/ friends of mine "you're good at what you do, don't sell yourself short". I am by no means ready (in my mind) to charge for my "services", but when I do charge for my "services" I will charge competitive rates for my type of gear and level of experience. If someone wants to make use of my gear and space I will charge competitive rates for the use of my equipment and space especially if they bring in their own engineer, I would only be there to answer questions about my equipment and make sure they don't walk out w/ or break my gear, but if they want me to engineer their session they'll pay for the space and equipment but not my time... even tho I have a day job I still have to pay the bills and maintain or upgrade equipment. It's a win/win situation, You'll get valuable learning experience of working w/ a band and the whole recording process plus get paid for the use of your equipment and they will get a product that they will hopefully be happy with and spread your name around. *side note (I will never charge less than what I make at my regular job tho)
 
Dude, just do whatever you feel like. If you feel like charging, then go for it - negotiate a price that both can agree on. But just think of it from their perspective. How much would you be willing to pay someone who only has a couple months of experience?? Not a whole lot, huh?

And if you dont want to charge, then dont.

If you're more worried about your mom's concern of heating/electric bills, then I'd say $5 per would be an ample amount. Then just tell the band that you're not charging for your services, just covering the "operating cost."
 
I by no means have excellent quality recordings but i recorded my friends demo for free. I was generous about it but then at the end after like 30 hours of tracking , they paid me. I mean I wouldnt be rich if i kept up at that pace. I made approximately 2 dollars an hour. I'm just saying , free for experience is never a bad option cause youll figure things out along the way. Possibly if you do it on your own for free ... the musicians will find it somewhere in their pulsating little hearts to throw you some cash for your hard work. :)
 
free for experience is never a bad option
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fuck that noise

unless it's me asking a friend to come over and bang around for a while so i can test some new gear or something, nobody gets a freebie. ever.

every hour i spend on the recording clock is a potential hour of overtime at my "real" job...time = money, and if you're using mine, then you're gonna pay for it - at least a little bit
 
i charge 20 bucks and have 10k worth of equipment. who cares.

edit: 20 bucks PER SONG, I meant.
 
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I will do projects free for close friends. If I consider someone my friend their money is no good. I don't need their money and would rather show my friendship by helping out. There are other people that I charge $35 an hour for studio time. I guess it depends on my relationship with whom is wanting the use of my gear and expertise. Call me an idiot if you want but I am loyal to my friends and hope I always will be.
 
Erockrazor said:
I by no means have excellent quality recordings but i recorded my friends demo for free. I was generous about it but then at the end after like 30 hours of tracking , they paid me. I mean I wouldnt be rich if i kept up at that pace. I made approximately 2 dollars an hour. I'm just saying , free for experience is never a bad option cause youll figure things out along the way. Possibly if you do it on your own for free ... the musicians will find it somewhere in their pulsating little hearts to throw you some cash for your hard work. :)
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When you start relying on a group's sympathy for compensation, you end up hanging yourself. I'm owed $250 right now, the band has done well based off of my recordings, got signed to a small, local label... and has not found it in their little hearts to pay me what's due. I had a good streak without being screwed over, but you take that for granted and you'll end up being their bitch. If someone comes in wanting to do one quick song, with a live setup, it's alright to be a little loose with the pricing. But when you put a lot of time into something, quality aside (to some extent), push for at least minimum wage. Besides, people don't trust anything that's free, but you thrown a discounted price at them and they'll jump with glee.
 
this is an intresting topic......not that i feel comeled to offer my "services" limited as they are to anyone....but i noticed that a few folks on here are giving advice about this and have nothing in audio or visual media to back it up with......

i wonder how many people here acually record anything on their own or at all for that matter.

new thread in the making........stay tuned
 
In your position of very limited experience, you may want to consider charging a set fee for the recording rather than an hourly rate right now. You haven't mentioned your equipment, but I'm assuming it's a modest equipment list. You feel you have a talent for doing this, but no experience. One thing that experience brings is work flow, and recording clients are very sensitive to watching the studio clock ticking away while they're waiting for the engineer to do anything. A set fee in this case takes the pressure off and lets everyone just think about the music and the process.
If this session goes well, you'll want to use it to play for future would be clients (make that part of the agreement), so putting extra time into this is an investment into marketing. Don't do the math and worry about what you end up making per hour...... that's for another day. Just come up with a number that works for everyone, give Mom her cut for the electricity, and make a great recording to start your reputation and work samples.
Have fun!
 
As the great mixerman once said, only paraphrased:
"when you're starting out, you're charging for your time. once you get establised, you're charging for your mixing skills. once you get famous, you're charging for your name".

you are charging for your time. you're not charging for the room or your gear--i say this under the assumption that like most "beginners" you're running "beginner level gear", and that the room is probably nothing to write home about.

and as a beginner, you are definitely not charging for your ears or skills.

be fair and do the work for free beer or some other sort of "barter". that's what i did when i started out. the first few sessions i did, i did in exchange for a couple 4-packs of Guiness. these days it's a bit different. but when I was running studio projects mics and preamps and a whopping total of 2 tracks, i felt bad charging anything AT ALL for the time.

put yourself in the shoes of the client. there's NOTHING more depressing than paying a chunk hard earned money to some dude who's running a bunch of low-end gear in a spare bedroom with inexperienced ears and getting a cd that sounds like it.

starting out really low served me well--i've got a decent little collection of folks who've recorded and been very happy with their results (and the bang for the buck), and the studio has grown considerably as a result. now i charge a bit more than "beer" and the clients don't seem to mind b/c the quality has *really* improved.


cheers,
wade
 
If you really are a beginner and do not have a lot of equipment and/or experience, I would cahrge between $10 and $15 an hour. $20 just seems too high unless you have some experience and a good investment in your studio (meaniung no less than $10k or so). If you get better and start doing good work, in a timely fashion and increasing your equipment list, then I would bump to somewhere between $20 and $30 an hour. Once you get established and reputable and increase your equipment even more... then I would consider going $35-$100 or so an hour based on your market in your area, and your competition. Pricing yourself inappropriately really does bad things for the industry as a whole. It may not make sense to you now, but if you continue to do this and/or want to do this in the future, than you will later learn how to appreciate what I just told you:)
 
mrface2112 said:
put yourself in the shoes of the client. there's NOTHING more depressing than paying a chunk hard earned money to some dude who's running a bunch of low-end gear in a spare bedroom with inexperienced ears and getting a cd that sounds like it.
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If this happens to you, it is not the person who did the recording who is at fault. 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. Plus, that inexperienced guy will probably get you a full album at their quality level for $200 or $250 dollars at $10 an hour. That really is not that out of line.
 
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