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Topic: What to charge for session work? |
Nathan Guilford
From:
Oklahoma City
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Posted 21 Jul 2014 3:31 am |
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I need some advice, folks. I've never been a studio musician, just played live gigs. Now I've been approached to do some recording for a project. What and how should I structure pay? I know that I'd have to compete with "online" players too. What do y'all do? Charge per song, hour, or by the session? Any advice from the experienced is helpful. Thanks
_________________
'02 Carter S-12 uni
‘76 MSA D-12
www.toothbrushers.com |
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Lane Gray
From:
Topeka, KS
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Posted 21 Jul 2014 3:57 am
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Per song is kinda normal outside of the big recording cities. Unknown and newer players often get $25-30 a song, and once you get known, you can get more.
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects |
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Peter Nylund
From:
Finland
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Posted 21 Jul 2014 5:45 am
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| Lane Gray wrote: |
| Per song is kinda normal outside of the big recording cities. Unknown and newer players often get $25-30 a song, and once you get known, you can get more. |
Sounds awful low to me?? I wouldn't even tune my guitar for that.
_________________
I know my playing is a bit pitchy, but at least my tone sucks |
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Lane Gray
From:
Topeka, KS
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Posted 21 Jul 2014 5:54 am
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Yeah, but you can get higher quicker if they know you. But you're gonna have to be pretty well known to get much more than double. (And remember, we have cheaper energy prices and a slightly lower cost of living)
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects |
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Dick Wood
From:
Springtown Texas, USA
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Posted 21 Jul 2014 6:21 am
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I played on a few sessions lately and got paid $100 for one song and $150 for two songs.
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Cops aren't paid much so I steel at night. |
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Tom Gorr
From:
Three Hills, Alberta
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Posted 21 Jul 2014 7:15 am
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The difficulty is that a well done song probably costs a minimum of 1000 for the writer to get it recorded, and a whole lot more to pay the session musicians involved who make their investment in the singer's project more as a labor of love than anything. The likelihood of the songwriter getting their money back is low, or alternatively would take a few years of cd sales at gigs to make back the investment cost.
I've concluded my time and musical ideas and energy are better spent developing a band with friends, in a situation where everyone is prepared to reciprocate on each other's projects. If that context doesn't exist, the situation is of limited interest to me, but I can imagine scenarios that would be ok. Like if the song has #1 hit written all over it...haha.
A nashville session artist probably has a very different strategy. |
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Herb Steiner
From:
Spicewood TX 78669
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Posted 21 Jul 2014 7:58 am
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I consider myself a tradesman, and so I charge $75 per hour or fraction thereof, with a $100 minimum. The hour starts 15 minutes (allowance for setup time) after I arrive at the studio at the appointed hour. So the first hour is $100 regardless, 2 hours $150, 3 hours $225, etc. If I'm there for 90 minutes, it's $137.50.
Here's why: I don't want to get to the studio and wait for two hours while the engineer gets a drum sound or the guitarist finishes his overdubs. If the artist doesn't have his stuff together and dilly-dallies in the studio, it costs them. But if we knock out 3 songs in one hour, it's to their benefit. My work is almost exclusively overdub sessions.
There are occasionally exceptions, such as a trade-off of favors, a brother-in-law/friendship deal, etc. Often I'm asked "how much per song," and so I tell them $100 per, but that I ask for $75/hour or fraction thereof in wait time, if I don't start at the appointed hour.
_________________
My rig: Infinity and Telonics.
Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg? |
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Jason Duguay
From:
Massachusetts, USA
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Posted 21 Jul 2014 10:00 am
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| I'm sure every location and market is different but as someone who has run a professional recording studio for the last decade, Herb nailed my booking experiences 100%. People who bring in online work usually get charged around $50 a tune. |
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Pete Burak
From:
Portland, OR USA
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Posted 21 Jul 2014 11:20 am
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What are the offering you?
Just curious.
Pete |
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Herb Steiner
From:
Spicewood TX 78669
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Posted 21 Jul 2014 11:40 am
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| Tom Gorr wrote: |
... The likelihood of the songwriter getting their money back is low, or alternatively would take a few years of cd sales at gigs to make back the investment cost.
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This of course depends on who the artist is, what's their position in the regional marketplace, etc., as to how much time it would take to recoup the investment in recording.
For steel players, what having your own CDs does accomplish, especially for lesser known pickers, is to establish credibility with an audience, similar to playing steel shows. Steel guitar albums are of this nature if the player wants to sell course material, for example. Rarely do steel albums make money; it's like "vanity press" publications. But people have to hear you or see something that says "my stuff is worth investing in" before they lay out their bucks. FWIW, I've earned far more with my course material, dollar-wise, than I've garnered with my 3 CDs, though I'm certainly proud of them.
_________________
My rig: Infinity and Telonics.
Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg? |
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Bill Sinclair
From:
Waynesboro, PA, USA
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Posted 21 Jul 2014 1:32 pm
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| When I lived in Nashville in the 80's & 90's, I seem to recall that the going rate for an overdubbed musician on a "demo" was about $35/song. For a vanity record or independent recording, $50-$75/song. For a major label release, $100-$200/song depending on the label and your ranking as a player. Since everything has gone up except musician's pay, I'd expect that's fairly current. Hopefully some players with more current/extensive experience will chime in. I was a pretty low-on-the-totem pole harmonica & sax player but I did usually enjoy studio work when I could get it. Sometimes it was a thrilling creative process and other times it was a grueling headache. Hope your experience is an enjoyable one. |
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Nathan Guilford
From:
Oklahoma City
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Posted 21 Jul 2014 8:27 pm thanks all
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thanks for the advice. I'm a real newbie at this and certainly want the work. So I'll definitely go low the first few times. Good experience and exposure, right? They didn't offer a figure. Just asked what I got per session. The thing that I worry most about is low-balling good gigs away from established players. But I guess those are the breaks?
_________________
'02 Carter S-12 uni
‘76 MSA D-12
www.toothbrushers.com |
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John De Maille
From:
On a Mountain in Upstate Halcottsville, N.Y.
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Posted 21 Jul 2014 9:21 pm
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| Back in the 80's, early 90"s, when I was in demand, I charged $75.00 a song. No one complained of the price, since the steel was a hot commodity then and I was selling a service. I was told by a few colleagues, that, that fee was a tad high, but, nobody ever haggled me about my price. Most of the cuts only took one take, so, I didn't waste anyone's money or studio time. I felt that I was justified in my scale since I would never know where any tune might go or how much the songwriter might make on a tune, eventually. Of course, today's fares are different, I guess. I've been out of the recording business for a while now and do very little of it. If you're a good steel player and can make the grade don't cut yourself short. If I was a beginner today and wanted to get my foot in the door, I'd probably charge anywhere from $35 to $50 a song, but, I'd be negotiable about it. If you're out of line with your pricing, you'll soon find out. I hope this helped a little bit. |
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Bill L. Wilson
From:
Oklahoma, USA
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Posted 21 Jul 2014 11:03 pm The Sessions.
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| Nathan, I moved to Okla. in the '80's to be a session musician, but found out fairly quick that there really were some great players in OKC. If you can get your foot in the door, play well, and be easy to work with, you will do fine. I'm a way better steel player now than I was back then, but I'm old and cranky. So even though I'll play for free, I still don't get any sessions, cause I'm to hard to get along with. So keep your good attitude, work to please the producer, the artist, and the song, charge what you think is fair and enjoy. |
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