Recording fees

[Techie93]

I am looking into possibility doing recording for few people who have express interests in recording them singing or playing instruments to add to their portfolio. I had people express to me they be willing to pay for my services. My question is what is the best way to price it? Do I charge by the hour or by the song. Like if I charge by the hour, I charge for the recording session and the post recording edits. Or do I charge by each recording? Like 1 recording of a song is a certain amount which also includes the time in editing. For example like $30 a song. Whats the best way to handle this?

 

[techieman33]

Hourly is the only way to go with this unless your just doing it to help a friend out. You never know if a song will get recorded in one take and require minimal time in post, or if it will take hours to get a good take, and hours more of work cleaning it up.

 

[Techie93]

Hourly is the only way to go with this unless your just doing it to help a friend out. You never know if a song will get recorded in one take and require minimal time in post, or if it will take hours to get a good take, and hours more of work cleaning it up.

what would you recommend charge for the hour??

 

[MNicolai]

Exhibit A for the hourly unless they're your friends. Saw something on Twitter a few days ago. Someone was propositioned to have their studio rented out. Conversation went something like this:

Dude: My band has $1600. Can we rent your studio out to record our album?
Studio: Sure.
Dude: Here's the thing -- we haven't finished writing it, but that's all the money we have so we'll have to riff a little to finish it in the studio. We need a guarantee you can do the recording, mastering, and duplication and that you'll give us a quality album for our money without going a dime above $1600.
Studio: HAHAHAHAhahahahahahaha Let me get this straight...

 

[themuzicman]

what would you recommend charge for the hour??

Whatever you think your time and skills are worth.

 

[Amiers]

If you are in the realm of 30$ a song then tell them bring beer and pizza.

Now if you have studio quality equipment and want to charge real prices then total up the cost of your equipment and go 10 15 or 20% of that for your flat fee then charge hourly your rate to do whatever work they need from you.

 

[techieman33]

what would you recommend charge for the hour??

Whatever you think your time and skills are worth.

You'll also need to charge enough to cover any wear and tear on all the equipment you'll be using.

 

[Aaron Becker]

To me, this would largely depend on the quality of recording you're doing. Is this a full blown studio with drum rooms, isolation rooms, high-end digital recorders, multiple DAWs, monitor rooms, etc? Or is this a garage setup for starting bands? That's going to largely determine the rate you change, based on quality. If it's the former, you could get away charging 1000s per hour. If it's the latter, the beer and pizza route may be best. Charge what you, your time, and your equipment are worth, and know that worth - unless this is a favor for your buddies.

 

[MNicolai]

If you're just starting out and don't have much for equipment, mix software, and don't have much experience in this realm, it's also perfectly okay to charge just enough money to buy a few more microphones or an interface or something. You just want to be careful not to sign on with anyone for more than you can deliver or end up committing yourself to longer hours on a project that hold you back from doing something that actually pays. You can't pay rent with someone else's appreciation of your work or their promise their tracks will be good for your resume.

 

[Aaron Becker]

If you're just starting out and don't have much for equipment, mix software, and don't have much experience in this realm, it's also perfectly okay to charge just enough money to buy a few more microphones or an interface or something. You just want to be careful not to sign on with anyone for more than you can deliver or end up committing yourself to longer hours on a project that hold you back from doing something that actually pays. You can't pay rent with someone else's appreciation of your work or their promise their tracks will be good for your resume.

These are all good points. Anyone starting off should know what they're getting into, and realize the work involved before biting off more than they can chew (anyone who's been around for long enough probably has learned this the hard way, maybe more than once). Good luck and happy recording!