Mobile recording people please help

[sonare]

If someone calls and your gut says "have nothing to do with this person"-- LISTEN to it and don't accept the gig. OTOH I have not ever heard of this happening. My Atlanta clients are all in nice areas.

For payment questions it depends on who the client is-- if unknown then payment (or at least most of it) up front. For CD packages cashflow is primary so it's deposit (refundable only in certain circumstances), big check when I arrive for sessions and big check before CDs are ordered. Ideally such a job can be turned around in 3 weeks-- less if necessary.

Rich

[thebrince]

cool thanks. do you go alone to your gigs or do you always have a companion with you?
sometimes gut instincts can be wrong though, bad things may end up happening or good things can happen eve when you have bad feelings. I'm sorry I'm being so negative feeling. just recently i put out an add on crags list, i had an unknown rap artist contact me (i tried researching his name, email and phone number,nothing showed up) and i spoke with him over the phone, i hope this doesn't come off as being racist or anything but he didn't sound too professional and the way he was talking just gave me really bad vibes like if he was to do something like that.

[John Willett]

Originally Posted by thebrince

I need your advice. What safety procedures do you follow when you do a mobile recording gig? My fear is going to someone's place to record them and then they rob me of my gear.
also, when do you make your clients pay you? right before you start recording or after the whole process is done?
any advice helps
Thank you

Insure your equipment.

Have public liability insurance.

If a new client, get a deposit and payment in full before you hand over anything.

[RobAnderson]

I'd be a little nervous too about someone who called me off of Craigslist for this kind of thing. If you are just starting out, perhaps you are better off targeting your clients personally, getting gigs and collaborators of your own choosing, rather than the other way 'round.

If I do get calls from someone I don't know, I'll usually ask how they heard of me, but frankly that's pretty rare. Regardless, I almost always try to meet with someone before the gig, and check out the venue where it's going to happen.

Not sure what area you're from. Insurance will protect your gear, but it won't protect you. I've been in some pretty seedy places all alone in the wee hours of the morning loading some expensive equipment into my car, and it's not always the most comfortable feeling.

Having a trusted assistant or an intern with you can be especially nice in these situations - the work gets done faster, and you are not completely alone.

[sonare]

Having insurance can be an ironic comfort with deductables of $500-1000. IMO take the $ and hire an assistant. Going after rappers seems like wishful thinking since most will want the "bling" of a studio. Are you sure you wouldn't end up wishing you had turned it down? You really need to decide what segment of the musical universe you want to target FIRST and come up with a strategy to reach them. The normal location clients are usually the ones who lay it all down in o e pass-- bands, choral, audition material. Having some gear and then wanting customers in any genre whether you know it or not is a bad recipe.

[John Suitcase]

Trust your gut, avoid any situation that might be too uncomfortable for you. Insurance is good, for sure. You can get an intern easily enough, surely there's a community college or something your area with an audio program. I get calls all the time from kids looking to intern.

[boojum]

When in doubt, don't.

[sonare]

Should have typed "not a GOOD recipe"

[John Willett]

Originally Posted by sonare

Having insurance can be an ironic comfort with deductables of $500-1000. IMO take the $ and hire an assistant.

An assistant is extremely expensive - not in what you pay him/her, but in the legally required insurances and other legally required items.

I looked into it and an assistant is just not wort the hassle. Unless you are doing it all the time, an assistant is just far too expensive and can cost more than you earn.

[sonare]

We in the US do not have the "nanny state" looking over our shoulder and are free from the Health and Safety (and other) red tape. Here intelligent, motivated folk can be found (and hired by the day) who gain real-world experience at no expense to them.

Risk? Possibly-- but not from the government. They are contract labor.

Rich

[Accurate]

I really hope you didn't go to craigslist guy's house. In case you haven't heard, a lot of people use CL for various sorts of crime. Every time I've posted gear for sale there I always get a few shady inquiries from people with fake names.

[Rolo 46]

Originally Posted by John Willett

An assistant is extremely expensive - not in what you pay him/her, but in the legally required insurances and other legally required items.

I looked into it and an assistant is just not wort the hassle. Unless you are doing it all the time, an assistant is just far too expensive and can cost more than you earn.

I am still inundated with pleas for work from assistants.
I retired 5 yrs ago
Lots of people want experience.