**How Much To Charge??

[gangsterusa]

I am a composer and I have been asked by an area Ad Agency to compose and record commercials, jingles etc. and provide them with the finished master quality audio for their projects. Can anyone tell me what would be a fair price per hour to charge for this service?

[JMAC]

It all depends on the extent of the material they need and the budget they have to work with.

If they just want background music a fair price may be between $500 - $1000. If they want jingles, voice overs, and a written ad you may be able to charge $2000 - $10,000 dollars.

A good rule of thumb here would be to find out as much information as you can on what they are looking for before you present anything (and waste your time). Then negotiate a fee.

Maybe you tell them you'll create several "takes" on a project and if they like a certain style you'll go back and refine that or polish it to their liking. Maybe have a small fee up front for the original "takes", and then the balance when the finished product is done (25% is customary upfront).

Keep track of your time on the whole project and then figure out what your hours are worth to you. Finding out what they are used to paying is good too because that will give you an idea on whether you want to take the job or not.

Good luck!!

[Ernest828]

I`m so glad this question came up because I`m having the same dilemma. I am in the process of writing a proposal in which the artist wants to record about an hours worth of classical music with piano and voice. This project would require approxiamately 120 hours of work from tracking through editing to mixing and mastering.

Obviously, I do not want to lose the client with an overly priced quote but what exactly is fair? I`ve never been asked to do a project of this nature from start to finish so... a little advice would be appreciated.

The details are as follows:

Tracking will be done at a Concert Hall in Queens, New York. During tracking I will act as the co producer/co engineer.
We are recording for 4 days, 4 hour sessions each day. (I will be present 5 hours each day)

After all the tracks are completed, the tapes will come back to my studio where the artist and myself will go through the takes and sort the good from the bad.

After "take evaluations", tracks will be dunped into the DAW and edited, cut, sliced, etc... (In the past this has averaged 7 hours per song.)

Mixing will take about 2 hours for each piece.
Then I will master the entire project. (About 8 hours for the entire project)

How much do I charge for the entire project?

I live in NYC and studios here range from $30 - $300 an hour so... I own and run a VERY high end project studio.

Any comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Peace,
Ernest

[JMAC]

If you really want to maintain this customers business lay some of your cards on the deck and ask the same from him.

You may want to spend some time explaining what is involved in doing a recording like this (the amount of time you'll be investing when doing the project plus the expense of owning the equipment).

Then ask your client what they feel is a fair price for this type of service & quality. Try to nail down what they are wanting to spend on the project. Don't give them a price until you know what they are wanting to pay. Unless they are clueless and then you can give them "ball park" figures. You will have a good idea on what the cost will be already.

The key here is trying to match your service with what your customer's needs are. Nicely explain to them that for high quality engineering and mastering you need a lot of time to devote to the project. Unfortunately time is really what we bill on, and that kind of time could be expensive.

If they aren't wanting to spend that kind of money then you look at shaving time someplace to compensate. Maybe you don't spend as much time mastering, or you shave time engineering.

If they are a customer who would draw business to you (maybe by their name) then you may want to consider doing the project for what they want to spend with an agreement from them to advertise that they recorded with your company.

The key to most business deals like this is really just keeping communication open about the costs involved. If you know it's going to cost you about $200 to get your tires replaced on your car then when they charge you $210 w/ tax you're not going to be all that surprised, and will probably go back and get tires there again.

However if you are led to believe it's going to be $200 dollars and they hit you with a bill of $350 with hidden charges you're going to be upset, and probably won't return to buy tires again.

It's really that simple. Try not to overcomplicate things or short yourself and time. If you short yourself long enough you won't be in business very long. If you over complicate things it could be too confusing for your customer, and you won't be in business long that way either.

Well that's my two cents. Good luck on your project.!!

[Ernest828]

JMAC,
Part of the problem lies with the fact that my potential client lives in Germany and we have yet to speak with each other. I am talking with a friend right now who knows her as well. i guess i should take out the "middle man" and go directly to the source. You`re advice is simple yet it feels right. Honesty is the only way to run a legit business.

Thanks alot!
Ernest

[JMAC]

My background is in sales (about 10 years), and I've had to negotiate for a living for a while now. Every situation is a bit different, and some can be real tricky when you work back end deals.

It really comes down to good communication and honest business practices. If you love what you are doing and are good at it there is no reason not to charge a fair price for your work.

Of course the end result (finished product) is going to be the ultimate factor on whether people will buy your services. They don't mind paying big bucks for quality.

Here is a book title I recommend if you want to learn more about business and marketing. It's called "The Marketing Game" by Eric Schulz. Good stuff! Check it out on Amazon.

Good luck and protect those ears you only get one set!

[Ernest828]

Excellent, thanks alot!
Ernest