Freelancers - Computer Software Fees

[djyojoe]

Question for the freelancers out there.
How many of you have spent your own money on computer programs to make you a more desirable Freelancer? Tool in the tool box kind of way.

And with that, do you charge a fee for use of such computer programs?

If any of you own software like Protools, Playback Pro, Qlab, Pro Presenter, etc that just happen to travel with you on your laptop to gigs with unintended use. Then you find a use for it to make your job easier, do you end up charging for the use of it and what do you typically charge for its use?

 

[Footer]

I wrap it into the cost of doing business. My day rate is higher then most of the area but people know what they are getting. If it means I need to drag out my SMAART rig to get something right then that is what it means. This tools are just that... more tools. You don't charge a client more because you used your wrench. I know corporate videos guys who charge 2k-3k a day... but they bring everything but the projector and screen. It all depends. I prefer to charge more and not nickle and dime a client.

 

[themuzicman]

Question for the freelancers out there.
How many of you have spent your own money on computer programs to make you a more desirable Freelancer? Tool in the tool box kind of way.

And with that, do you charge a fee for use of such computer programs?

If any of you own software like Protools, Playback Pro, Qlab, Pro Presenter, etc that just happen to travel with you on your laptop to gigs with unintended use. Then you find a use for it to make your job easier, do you end up charging for the use of it and what do you typically charge for its use?

The cost of my personal investment never falls upon my employer. I own Omnigraffle Pro, Vectorworks, AutoCAD for Mac, and FileMaker that gets me through my paperwork that the theaters need from me in order to do my job as either a production person or a designer. I own a copy of Smaart that lets me tune my room when I am a designer and when I am an engineer. I own a copy of QLab Pro that I use to pre-program my shows before I go into a theater.

If I didn't use any of these programs, I wouldn't have employment - or I wouldn't be working as efficiently as I am. I also have zero reason to charge an employer for any of them, as it is part of my job to generate paperwork in some fashion and I chose to use FileMaker and Omnigraffle for that. I have Vectorworks and AutoCAD as a personal choice because I like to work better with whatever the rest of the production is using - I could just use one. I use Smaart because while people say your ears are the best thing, that is a total lie when you have access to an FFT and having phase coherence is cool too. I can't charge the theater for my personal use of QLab Pro because it is my job to design, if I walk into a theater and don't have a design, why did they hire me? QLab that is actually in use during the show falls to the venue to provide, whether it be a rental machine from a shop or a venue machine with an in-house license, I don't care I just make sure it is provided for me.

The theaters and employers I work for never get access to my personal software, so why would I charge them for it? On the flip side, I work as the head of audio at a few large venues where I frequently reimburse designers for basic things - supplies, taxi rides, basic perishables, recording studio time - if a designer was to try and charge me for software they needed to do their job I would laugh them out of the building and deny their reimbursement.

 

[Morte615]

Most times it is the cost of doing business and like any overhead should be factored into your fees. But my usual deciding factor is in who uses the software.
If the software is used only by me, and not asked for specifically in the contract (ie wanting auto cad specific documents, instead of being ok with just a. Dxf file ) then I take the cost on me.
But if the software is going to be used by the client as well (ie the Qlab example above, if it's used for show as well as programming ) I will either add the entire cost, or a portion if it's something I'm going to stretch over multiple Productions to the final bill.

 

[Dionysus]

As Morte said I think if you are using it or may use it, its just a cost of doing business. If you can't afford the expensive software there are cheap and free alternatives to most software.
There is a thread where I mentioned several free CAD alternatives (most work exactly the same as and are compatible with AutoCAD), there is stuff like Multiplay instead of QLab, etc.

However if you are letting the client use it and such its more of a "rental". Renting out the computer with software could be separate to your personal fee. However that would have to be sorted out and agreed upon in advance. Don't go adding on fees to charge the client during the event without their knowledge. You won't stay in business long doing that.