Recording Charge

[kevindahl]

My apologies if this is in the wrong forum.

A friend, not close and more of an acquaintance, would like me to record some bass tracks to a few songs. He is a great guitar player and I love his songs. He asked me to give him a price I would think would be fair. I think I would have to travel to the studio he will be using. I haven't heard the tracks yet so I have no idea how much time it will take.

I am thinking 150 to 200 per track. What do you all think? This would include travel time to the studio as well as long as it takes for me to record the tracks.

I did one of his albums 20 years ago and he was always complimentary of my playing.

 

[Bass Viking]

Without having heard the tracks it's hard to say. Is he going to send them to you beforehand or will you be hearing them for the first time at the studio?

 

[kevindahl]

Send them to me before and probably give me 2 weeks to get them down

Without having heard the tracks it's hard to say. Is he going to send them to you beforehand or will you be hearing them for the first time at the studio?

 

[Bass Viking]

My conundrum would be whether to charge an hourly rate or a flat rate per song (as you're doing). If the latter you should factor home practice time into your fee. I don't know how complex his music is but $150 to $200 sounds reasonable to me.

I'm glad to hear he's paying you. There are plenty of people out there who would expect you to do it for free!

 

[ArtechnikA]

Send them to me before and probably give me 2 weeks to get them down

I suppose there's something to be said for tracking live in studio, but I'd probably be selling the idea of recording the tracks in your studio and saving all the travel expense.

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

I think it's a reasonable price. While recording the tracks on your own at your place is not a bad idea, I much prefer having an engineer and the producer/artist next to me, and I'm an audio engineer myself. Live feedback, and focusing on playing only speeds up things, and they won't ask you to re-record a part later IMO/IME.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

$200 is too low if you have to travel somewhere. And why the studio? For what he needs, you could probably track this in your bedroom with a DI and provide stellar result. Mostly sounds like a gift project if you go beyond that effort.

 

[mrcbass]

I couldn't begin to provide you with a value - never been paid for studio work.

I'd propose:
1. Figure out what your hourly worth is to you.
2. Listen to the tracks.
3. Based on it's complexity each song will need different time frames to prep. "I'll need an hour to lock down that song, but 20 hours to do this one."
4. Calculate your hourly rate for each song and you have your prep cost line item.
5. How long to round trip travel and how far? Add a travel line item.
6. Will you be recording with others or isolated? I'd be tempted to go with an hourly rate for recording if it's a group recording - there's no telling how many retakes you need if with others. You should know yourself well enough to know how well you execute recording. Isolated, I'm typically a "1 take with a couple of punch ins" kind of guy so an hour per song would be generous for me. (I shouldn't be asked to record live with a group where I can't punch in later by myself.) Estimate your recording time, calculate and provide a recording line item.

I think I'd provide the 3 line item bid (totaled) and show your prep time work if he asks how you got to there. Again, I don't know and I don't know what league you're in, but $150-200 per song seems like a big ask for what reads to be a fairly small time artist (no offense intended to anyone).

 

[kevindahl]

I couldn't begin to provide you with a value - never been paid for studio work.

I'd propose:
1. Figure out what your hourly worth is to you.
2. Listen to the tracks.
3. Based on it's complexity each song will need different time frames to prep. "I'll need an hour to lock down that song, but 20 hours to do this one."
4. Calculate your hourly rate for each song and you have your prep cost line item.
5. How long to round trip travel and how far? Add a travel line item.
6. Will you be recording with others or isolated? I'd be tempted to go with an hourly rate for recording if it's a group recording - there's no telling how many retakes you need if with others. You should know yourself well enough to know how well you execute recording. Isolated, I'm typically a "1 take with a couple of punch ins" kind of guy so an hour per song would be generous for me. (I shouldn't be asked to record live with a group where I can't punch in later by myself.) Estimate your recording time, calculate and provide a recording line item.

I think I'd provide the 3 line item bid (totaled) and show your prep time work if he asks how you got to there. Again, I don't know and I don't know what league you're in, but $150-200 per song seems like a big ask for what reads to be a fairly small time artist (no offense intended to anyone).

Thanks for your input.

I do not know the exact details of how the recording process will go. ie if I will be recording with a drummer live or recording to the permanent beds. Travel time would be up to an hour each way from my house I think. Driving to the studio he will be using is not a big deal for me. I am like you, my prep will be good so I don't imagine that it will be more than a couple of takes. I do love his music, it's hard rock with great melodies. He does appreciate a busier bass line if the song calls for it so it's nice to know that I'm just not thumping out eighth notes.

No offense taken to the small time artist. He is not famous but is certainly no amateur either. He has toured with some fairly big names, not that it matters at all.

In reality I would have done it for free but he had graciously offered to pay me.

 

[mrcbass]

In reality I would have done it for free but he had graciously offered to pay me.

Then let him pay you what he thinks you're worth. For the most part, if I respected someone who asked me to cut some tracks, I'd feel the same as you. Let him determine the value.

Edit: Give him an idea of how many hours you expect to spend prepping, so he has an idea of your effort.

 

[51PRI]

...A friend...would like me to record some bass tracks to a few songs. He is a great guitar player and I love his songs. He asked me to give him a price...I am thinking 150 to 200 per track. What do you all think?....

That's probably fair. I was getting $100 a song 15 years ago.

 

[pepj]

I'd give him a day rate. If he is a friend that's mates rates and I'd also factor in how commercial the whole deal is.

 

[Pocket Dave]

My recordings have been in-studio, either OG or large home studios, usually live with a drummer in iso. If it's for a friend or someone who hires me for other work, it's 50/hr, 3 hrs minimum pay. If it's someone who hires me for a lot of other work, I've done it for $100/3 hours, 50/hour OT.

For anyone else, 75/hr, 3 hours min.

On the other end of the spectrum is a friend who produces jingles for some large international consumer product companies, playing/programming all the instruments, and charges 2,500 - 3,000 per jingle.

 

[mambo4]

I did one of his albums 20 years ago

$1 in 2000 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $1.77 in 2023
Charge 177% what you did
or double the original fee (you have more talent now)

 

[TheArchitect]

My apologies if this is in the wrong forum.

A friend, not close and more of an acquaintance, would like me to record some bass tracks to a few songs. He is a great guitar player and I love his songs. He asked me to give him a price I would think would be fair. I think I would have to travel to the studio he will be using. I haven't heard the tracks yet so I have no idea how much time it will take.

I am thinking 150 to 200 per track. What do you all think? This would include travel time to the studio as well as long as it takes for me to record the tracks.

I did one of his albums 20 years ago and he was always complimentary of my playing.

Hourly rate. Otherwise you might be there weeks for $200 while they figure out what they want