It’s an investment that a lot of clients feel confident about because it means that I will deliver exactly what they’re expecting, or more. They can either pay someone a lower rate for a decent product, or step it up for a timeless product.

Oh, and ditto on the DAW management complaint. Interns are a huge help when it comes to pre-mixing and organization of sessions!

This method seems to work for a lot of younger clients who record at home and have a modest budget

When you have rent to cover and nothing on your plate in terms of references or a portfolio, charging very low, package rates can give dubious musicians the incentive to go for it. Too much uncertainty makes them nervous (and believe me, from being on both sides of the fence now I’m well aware of how much though the majority of musicians put into this kind of expense), and since your entire business setup is shrouded in uncertainty when you start out you have to sort of make up for it.

Down the line, hourly rates (especially for tracking) are simply the best to work with. It’s fair pay, and makes the work you put in seem more worthwhile. There’s nothing more frustrating when you’re working with a package deal than a musician who’s dithering, doing too many takes, simply asking for too much.

The catch is that even once you’ve established yourself and your business, artists on a tight budget, or those who are completely new to the world of recording are terrified of the hourly rate. In pre-production meetings I bring it up and watch their smiles turn into disappointed frowns. At that point I like to whip out the hybrid deal — a package rate including limited tracking hours, and a steep hourly rate that kicks in once said tracking hours are used up. This benefits both parties, the artist feels they have a chance to get their project done on budget, and the engineer has a safety valve built in should the artist decide they want to embellish upon their original plan (which so far, ALWAYS happens).

Records are almost always the same way. Even when you think you’ve got a grip on the artist’ talent, ability and readiness levels, there’s still the whole qualitative end of things. How solid is your level of value alignment with the client? Is your notion of ‘good’ the same as yours? Is their ‘good’ your ‘good enough’? Naturally, the inverse could be true, too.

This can lead to serious issues when trying to manage the relationship with your client.

Now – if you’re super into an artist and you really want the work, bid for the entire record. But make sure that you can really live with the trade of your time vs. the paycheck. If I know I can count on a client to keep me busy for three weeks, I’m more than happy to lower my day rate. But if I’m coming in for three hours, you better believe you’ll be paying premium.

Anyone working for fifteen bucks an hour needs a lesson in business. That is, unless they are content making minimum wage. All in all, be able to explain your value to your prospective customers – if they don’t get it, the relationship is likely doomed to fail anyway.

J.

The studio environment is built on value, each artist (who should be treated individually), is an experience. Charging per song, like Rob mentioned, is great for some clients. Those who are interested in keeping takes that are imperfect or “raw” are great for this approach (generally speaking). The ones who are more interested in a more specifically arranged, layered product may appreciate an hourly approach, as they have prepared for it.

It’s an interesting balance we have to find, as engineers, to make these differentiations for the artists, but that’s what makes it fun! Deciding how the pricing structure breaks down is all a part of that fun; it’s all about everyone in the room enjoying the process.

Advertising yourself is an important entrepreneurial skill, but it’s more important to understand your clients’ needs. For us, in the music industry, everyone needs to feel like someone understands their art, like in any art form. Let us, as engineers, understand our musicians.

Thanks to everyone for their insightful responses,

Brandon