What to charge for studio work?

Bill Miller · Post by **Bill Miller** » 30 Aug 2007 4:56 am

I've been approached to do some recording at a small local studio which is just getting started. The owner wants to know how much money I would expect and frankly I have no idea what to ask. I have no recording experience except for a little freebie project a few years ago. I'm also no star player but I would like to give this a shot and maybe come up with some usable tracks. Should I ask an hourly rate or maybe just so much per track...? How much pay could one expect at an entry level like this?

Josh Jones · Post by **Josh Jones** » 30 Aug 2007 9:44 am

Most of my experience falls in the live performance field, but I have done a few recording sessions over the last few years and have been paid both hourly and by the song before. I personally like being paid by the song because I can usually complete the steel guitar part on a song in well under an hour. Usually in just one or two takes. As far as what to charge, that could depend on a lot of factors. How far do you have to drive to get to the studio? Expenses? etc.... if I'm only doing 1 song, I usually charge about $50.00 per song and that covers my expenses and time. But if I am recording several songs while I am there, I usually quote a set price that is much lower. I am really not as concerned about the money as I am the love of playing steel guitar. The nice thing about recording, is you have something to show for your work after you are done that you can share with people for years to come. Good Luck in whatever you decide to do.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 30 Aug 2007 10:02 am

Let your conscience be your guide. You don't want to charge the same for a 6-8 song session that you have to drive 50 miles for as you do for 1 or 2 songs when the studio's close by. I'd say a $75 minimum to maybe a $250 maximum. Charge less, and they'll just take advantage of you. Charge more, and you won't get very many calls.

Stephan Franck · Post by **Stephan Franck** » 30 Aug 2007 10:14 am

Just to give you some perspective, in L.A., you can get great experienced players for $80 a track who will get it done in a couple of takes.

David Collins · Post by **David Collins** » 30 Aug 2007 10:48 am

Bill,

For whatever this is worth, I do a limited amount of recording in a privately owned studio, owned and run by a family business. It is approximately 8 miles from my home.

All of the recording, at least so far, has been on radio and tv advertising spots for various businesses, including my own. (My Day Job). So I've been on both sides of the board, so to speak.

I am paid $60.00 (US) for each "track". Meaning that if I do pedal steel, dobro and bass on an ad, that's 3 tracks, or $180.00

I am paid for each finished track, even if it gets mixed or edited out by the business (advertisement) owner, who always has say so over the "final mix".

I have not done any recording on any albums, cds, etc. however the studio owner is looking at a TV documentary soundtrack, and I may end up involved in it. That would be neat!

Hope that this is helpful, and good luck.

Tim Bridges · Post by **Tim Bridges** » 30 Aug 2007 11:21 am

I remeber when I got started in business quite a few years ago. If it wasn't for friends that helped me, strangers that gave me an opprtunity and the grace of God, we'd never made it. Sometimes goodwill can go a long way. IF you play for a living, then by all means support your family and/or yourself. But, if you play as a hobby and/or don't need the money, sometimes what we sew, we might reap ten fold. Sounds like steel isn't the way you make your living. You might gain more from experience than money could ever buy.

Just food for thought.

Bill Miller · Post by **Bill Miller** » 30 Aug 2007 12:14 pm

Thanks for the perspective thus far. I'd definitely prefer to undercharge rather than overcharge. For one thing the type of projects I'd be working on would probably be the "vanity" type recordings that no one will be making a lot of money with. Like Donny says though, I don't want to do it for free because people will take advantage. Maybe I'll ask for $50 minimum and from there base anything more on how much time is involved.

Post by **b0b** » 30 Aug 2007 1:06 pm

I charge $100 cash for anything, provided that it's something I actually want to do. Makes it simple.

Tommy R. Butler · Post by **Tommy R. Butler** » 30 Aug 2007 3:16 pm

Depends on how bad you wanna record, get your name out there, have something to show off, ect... Now if you are into it for the money then yeah $100 min

Paddy Long · Post by **Paddy Long** » 30 Aug 2007 3:32 pm

I always charge per track, per instrument. If I double on the same track with steel and dobro, thats 2 tracks I charge for. I don't charge for local expenses like gas etc, but if I get a call out of town then the studio pays for all my expenses such as accommodation and air travel/gas etc.

Have fun.

Jim Harper · Post by **Jim Harper** » 30 Aug 2007 5:42 pm

Bill we live down here in Okla and i get 50.00 mim,but after that i get 30.00 a song and i am usually done with each song in 15-20 minute,s so on a session i did not long ago i played on 4 song,s and i got 120.00. I really enjoyed it==Jim Harper

Herbie Meeks · Post by **Herbie Meeks** » 30 Aug 2007 8:06 pm

Bill
I live 30 miles from the nearest studio, They do call me occasionally, and pay my expenses, usually only a couple tracks, and 50 bucks. and more if I toss in a fiddle. I'm not depending on music to buy groceries these days, retired, so I really enjoy meeting new musicians/vocalists, And like one of the above replys, they could hire a much better Steeler than I , but I think I can hold my own with the Fiddle. and as always, hoping a new artist will score some attention out there, with a good song

If you are really new at this, the experience will be worth much more than the pay

HM

Bill Miller · Post by **Bill Miller** » 31 Aug 2007 4:21 am

And like one of the above replys, they could hire a much better Steeler than I

Herbie, that's one way I've got them over a barrel.

I'm not much of a steeler but I'm the only steeler for literally hundreds of miles around.

Terry Wood · Post by **Terry Wood** » 31 Aug 2007 8:36 am

Well, I usually charge around $30 a song to record, but that is with usually a minumum of 3-4 songs to play on. However, I do not have to travel very far to record.

I think that the $30 to $50 price range is reasonable for recording but it also depends on how far one has to travel and how many hoops you have to jump through. If I lived elsewhere I would possibly charge more.

Over the years I have recorded with some great people and studios but probably like alot of others there were a few sessions that didn't work out well. I find that whomever is in charge of recording and hte mixing has alot to do with the sound one gets. I have became critical over the years with recording and I will not just record any place these days. I want my steel guitar to sound right on the recording.

An experience, I want to share with you. I played on a very dear friend's CD a few years back at Branson, MO. The recording engineer crucified my steel playing and ultimately lied to my friend, and even got me totally erased off the project. That one I never forgot about it. I played some really neat things on those songs and he, the recording engineer got ot all erased. That guy wasn't a very competant musican and in truth a lousy guitarist, tried to emulate the steel guitar on his 6 string electric. I have heard guys who could, but he sure couldn't.

Beware of engineers, the mixing and charge or they will take advantage of you.

Hope this helps and May GOD bless!

Terry Wood
14 strings + 14 pedals = Steel Fun!

Stan Paxton · Post by **Stan Paxton** » 31 Aug 2007 9:54 am

You said that right, Terry. I'm not a pro, and don't do much except promo's, demo's and sometimes do-it-yourself projects. But the experience I have had that is frustrating, after the engineer did a great job of making me sound real good, the producer at mix time says take the steel out here and out there, and keep it down over there, etc etc. So, go figure. But, it's still fun to do.......

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 31 Aug 2007 11:52 am

You charge cheap, they will never pay you more than that.

$50 a song is giving your talent away.

Low budget stuff at least $100 a song or $50 an hour with a 3 hour min. If you charge them $50 with no hourly charge they will beat you up for 2 or 3 hours to get one track out of you.

More songs you might make them a day rate of $500-750 and they get to beat you up all day for that.

Major recording stuff...charge what the union rate is. That is what they have to pay anyway.

Bill Miller · Post by **Bill Miller** » 1 Sep 2007 8:45 am

I know what you mean Bill. I'm not going to do this for free but the guy who opened this studio is a one man show and he's just getting underway. He's been doing the 'in-house' sound at a local bar we play and he seems to know what he's doing. I'm hoping that if I can in on the ground floor it will be a great learning experience and who knows? ...could lead to something else. At this point I'm real short on credentials so there's not much to lose but a bit of time.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 1 Sep 2007 9:50 am

You charge what the market will pay. I'm sure a customer is going to pay more for Buddy Emmons than for me...

To play with someone like Emmylou Harris, for instance, it would be a matter of how much I would pay them to sit in on the session !

Other Musician: "How much for last night's gig?"
Steel Guitarist: "$25 an hour."
Other Musician: "That's not very much."
Steel Guitarist: "It's all I could afford..."

The one thing that becomes apparent from what others have submitted is that it takes a lot of sessions to pay your mortgage and keep you fed ! You have to be very famous indeed to become wealthy playing steel guitar.

I think I'll have to keep my day job...