Question for music composers

[amiller]

Pardon my ignorance on this. Hoping someone can shed a little light for me here.

How do you guys/gals quote for your jobs? What are some standard ways of preparing one for different types of jobs such as Documentary, trailer, TV Commercial, radio, film etc...

Do the clients expect to see a broken out invoice, or is it usually a flat quote as in: It's for a :30 sec local TV commercial with "X, Y, and Z" instrumentation so it will cost "x" much.

If it's broken out, how exactly might that be done and do you include the usage/license rights in a contract with it?

I need to educate myself in this area and if anyone is willing to share some of their knowledge and/or invoices with me (sans actual pricing) that might be beneficial.

Thanks!

[Sonsey@mac.com]

Originally Posted by amiller

Pardon my ignorance on this. Hoping someone can shed a little light for me here.

How do you guys/gals quote for your jobs? What are some standard ways of preparing one for different types of jobs such as Documentary, trailer, TV Commercial, radio, film etc...

Most of my are gigs are "We've got $X for music, can you do it?" so that part is pretty easy. When I DO have to quote I base it on my estimation of how long it will take (which I've gotten quite good at - if you're starting, add at least 50% to your guess - trust me on this) multiplied by an hourly rate. I then multiply that figure by a licensing factor based on the usage (In house, Web, Local, National, Distribution, etc). All these factors are variable depending on your geography so I can't give you specifics. The producer and I then haggle from there.

Do the clients expect to see a broken out invoice, or is it usually a flat quote as in: It's for a :30 sec local TV commercial with "X, Y, and Z" instrumentation so it will cost "x" much.

Depends on the client. For simple commercials and corporates, an "All in" quote is usually fine. For TV and Film it depends on the show, the producer and where the money comes from (some investors want to see everything, some could care less)

If it's broken out, how exactly might that be done and do you include the usage/license rights in a contract with it?

I always include Rights Usage in my quotes upfront - just to prevent any nasty surprises later on (there never have been, but...). IF you're doing a breakout, be sure to account for EVERYTHING - Your time, studio time (even if it's your personal studio), equipment needs/rental/usage if appropriate, Musician Costs, buyouts. Basically if $$$ are being spent on it, notate it!

I need to educate myself in this area and if anyone is willing to share some of their knowledge and/or invoices with me (sans actual pricing) that might be beneficial.

Thanks!

The best education is doing it! In my experience very few gigs are won on the WAY the quote is written, but on the bottom line, and on the relationship you have with the producer/director. Provided that you check your spelling and grammer, and don't write it in crayon, it will hold up just as well as the next person's.

Unless of course you're quoting Government jobs... that's a whole 'nother story...

Hope some of this helps.

[soundfx]

Sonsey's got great info. I can only say that all of my work, which has only been national broadcast (so I can't speak to web or local), is very informal contract-wise and is always 1 price on an "all-in" type of invoice. Any "quotes' are done via phone or e-mail and sometimes depend on the budget set forth and sometimes its a quote I deliver verbally. The rate varies depending on the nature of the work and the length. If its for something like a fast food chain, then its a total buy-out (for me, at least), but if its wrap-around packaging for programming, then it goes through BMI regardless. The thing is, my clients are almost always word-of-mouth references and are usually post-production clients already. That certainly helps.

[drBill]

Originally Posted by Sonsey@mac.com

Most of my are gigs are "We've got $X for music, can you do it?" so that part is pretty easy.

thumbsupthumbsup

OP - Breaking out quotes is only asking for disaster. They don't need to know, and if they DO know, it only leads to..."why do you need money for hard drives? or ??? Can't you just use the ones you already have?" It's a loosing battle.

Single price, all in. That's pretty much how everything is going these days.

[amiller]

That's all great info guys. Thanks very much! This isn't for me as a composer, but I have recently partnered with one and just wanted to due a little due diligence in making sure we were going to be billing in a way that our clients who have worked with other audio houses with composers might expect.
Since I haven't really invoiced for that type of work before... Well, like I said good info. Appreciated!