What's the going rate for writing a custom song?

[kevinmathie]

I've been asked to create a bid on how much I would charge to write a series of songs for a live theatre production. It's a corporate-type thing that will be playing in schools, and is geared for kids.

The whole program will be about 45-minutes long. I'm not exactly sure how many songs that means, since the script isn't written yet. But, I'll estimate it's about 8-10 short songs. (If there's one thing I've learned from doing kids' theatre over the past 20 years, it's keep the songs peppy and short!)

I'll probably be the sole composer, but will co-write the lyrics with someone. So, what is the going-rate for writing a song? For this bid, I'll only need to know the going rate for the writing itself. The recorded production of the song will be a separate charge.

Also, how much do you multiply this price for a "buy-out"? I seem to remember that multiplying the price by 10 was sort of a standard buy-out rate, but is that still the case?

Thanks for your advice!
Kevin

[mojobone]

Congrats on the gig, Kevin, but I couldn't begin to advise you on this; it's a very specialized segment of an already-specialized market. (my theater experience is pretty much limited to performing, though I can swing a hammer and build/design sets, among other things-makeup, costumes, pit band, lighting design, stage managing, etc., though mostly on a local/volunteer basis)

[AndyKotz]

Hi Kevin...

If you don't get the definitive answer you seek... I suggest calculating how much time a project like this will take and determine an hourly figure you're comfortable with. Then use that as your starting point. Be fair to yourself. It may require you to commit to doing something you may not want to do all the time so make it financially worth the effort but at the same time, something within everyone's budget. That's the tricky part.

Once you know what your talents are worth to you (a realistic dollar figure for your talents compared to the everyday workforce or alternative lifestyle... i.e; a cook, a truck driver, a bricklayer, etc!)... then you can approach it with dignity and confidence that at least you're content with what you're getting... Good luck to you. -- AK

P.S: I charge $700 a track for the music composed, programmed, performed, produced, engineered, and mixed by me. If it requires outside help (such as vocalists, instrumentalists, etc.) there are additional charges to secure and compensate those services. Then I make sure it is understood (through contract) that I retain my rights as composer and publisher, etc...

[mojobone]

I'll take a stab at the thought process; is the corporation local, regional, national or international? What's the scale of the production? How many performances in how large a geographic area? How many performers in the company? Will they travel or will the organizers mount a new production in each location? If you can find the answers to these questions, you'll know a lot more about their budget.

[coachdebra]

Other questions for you - is it work-for-hire or will you own the copyright? If it's work-for-hire - and it's a one time fee, that's one kind of deal. If it's a licensing arrangement - you write the songs for their project but hold on to the rights, you may negotiate a smaller fee up front with licensing based on performances.

[suzdoyle]

Here are a couple of links that might help:

GUIDE TO COMMISSIONING MUSIC
And from "Meet the Composer", a guide to Commisioning Music:
http://www.meetthecomposer.org/resources.htm

FILM & TV MUSIC SALARY AND RATE SURVEY
http://www.gmostore.com/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=13

(hope they're still current)

Last project I had to give a bid on, I figured out how many hours it would take and charged $100/ hour for songs I keep the rights to use elsewhere. For exclusive songs, I would charge them a buyout price of of 5x or 10x that. If I like 'em and think their project is super cool and really want to write for them regardless of $$$, I just make up a figure. (Oopsie. Probably shouldn't admit that !!!)

Hope this helps!
Suz

P.S. I'm in the Pacific Northwest, and probably am not competitive with "big city" pricing . . .