"David Morgan (MAMS)" wrote in message
...
Quite honestly, if you don't know this person very well, I would have a
nice
cordial chat with him about the amount of money you are about to put in
his
pocket and see if you can't get some slack here. Sounds like pressure to
me.

I don't like the sound of it at all.

Ten hours is an insane amount of time for one person to be expected to
perform effectively without any breaks. I also really don't like the sound
of "nights only" which suggests somebody who may be working a day job
before starting the session. Likewise the refusal to book as much time as
was requested is a red flag.

--
Bob Olhsson Audio Mastery, Nashville TN
Mastering, Audio for Picture, Mix Evaluation and Quality Control
Over 40 years making people sound better than they ever imagined!
615.385.8051 http://www.hyperback.com

I would like to thank everyone that participated in this thread. I
contacted another studio today. They seem much more approachable. I aksked
them about set-up time and they said roughly a half hour, but they're not
going to have a heart attack if it's a few minutes longer (within reason
ofcourse!!). I'm going to look at the studio on Thursday and hear some work
they did. If all goes well I'm going to book a week straight of blocks and
not worry about the time. I'll book whole days and if I get burnt I'll take
a break. I'll be comfortable and I know I'll have enough time. They
definately are more available. They said I could start anytime I wanted not
just after 5. They actually sounded like they were interested in my
buisness.
I started to think more and more about the 10 hour sessions with limited
breaks and the rushed vibe. That's not positive. I'm sure it would begin to
be negative as I'm cutting most of the tracks. The studio owner I talked to
today offered for me to meet with a few of his engineers if I wished to talk
to them to see who I wanted. I think I'll be happy. They have a lot of
really nice gear and a good attitude which makes all the difference. At this
point they could charge me for set-up, I don't care (don't tell them though,
haha).
It started out as an issue of set-up time, but I guess in reality I was
getting the wrong vibes from the 1st studio. That was what sparked me that
his attitude wasn't one I wanted to deal with.
Anyway, I appreciate all the imput and advice everyone gave. It helped me
a lot in my decision. Thanks!!

--litepipe

"hollywood_steve" wrote in message
om...
It may seem like I'm ragging on the idea, but I'm not, it
makes total sense - I just don't understand why you think it should be
free.


Well, I don't think it should be free. I didn't understand the load in
time (half hour) versus set-up time. The way you explained it makes perfect
sense and I would have no problem paying you if I was using your studio.

--litepipe

"Monte P McGuire" wrote in message
...
Sorry for the offhand snipe... after reading a bunch more of your
posts on this topic, I think I have a little more of it figured out.
I don't think the issue is about how long it takes to set up and you
just wanting more free setup time, it's really more about a general
lack of clarity of the entire process at that particular studio and
the lack of information.

This is exactly what I meant. Lack of clarity and information!! :-))

--litepipe

In article aht writes:

I guess I'm getting confused about what the issue is.....myself I'm not talking
about time spent mic'ing up the kit & the rest of the instruments...I mean
loading the stuff in.

If you're bringing in so much stuff that it takes an hour to get it
from the car into the studio, you're probably bringing in too much
stuff. If you really need an hour or more to load in and set up your
gear, you really need to work that out with the studio. If you're
bringing in a harpsicord, for instance, they'll understand. But if
you're bringing in 15 different guitars, a couple of dozen pedals, and
need an hour to get things to stop humming, some of that is probably
going to be on the clock.




--
I'm really Mike Rivers )
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me he double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

Mondoslug1 wrote:

James P. wrote:

litepipe wrote:

Hello,
I'm going into a studio for a series of sessions in May. I'm
going
into a really nice facility. I'm not new to sessions, but this time I'm
going to be doing a wide variety of guitar tracks that require different
guitar/amp/effects set-ups. I'm obviously going to be bringing a decent
ammount of gear with me and a guitar tech. My question is how much set-up
time do you allow before a session?

I've always started charging from the time the session was booked. All
the setup time is on the clock.


Session starts at 10..........he loads in at 9:30, you charge him for that 1/2
hour before 10?


He'll load in at 10 - if he gets there at 9:30 he would probably be
sitting in the car park for a while. But if he wants free load in time
then I'd charge more for my hourly rate.

Actually, when I was running a commercial studio, a large proportion of
clients chose to book a 10 hour day which was cheaper than the hourly
rate (ie 10 hours for the price of 8 and a bit).

Cheers.

James.

James P. wrote:

Mondoslug1 wrote:

James P. wrote:

litepipe wrote:

Hello,
I'm going into a studio for a series of sessions in May. I'm
going
into a really nice facility. I'm not new to sessions, but this time I'm
going to be doing a wide variety of guitar tracks that require different
guitar/amp/effects set-ups. I'm obviously going to be bringing a decent
ammount of gear with me and a guitar tech. My question is how much
set-up
time do you allow before a session?

I've always started charging from the time the session was booked. All
the setup time is on the clock.


Session starts at 10..........he loads in at 9:30, you charge him for that
1/2
hour before 10?


He'll load in at 10 - if he gets there at 9:30 he would probably be
sitting in the car park for a while. But if he wants free load in time
then I'd charge more for my hourly rate.


Free enterprise I guess ... goodun for you.

In article writes:

Why do you feel that every minute of studio time is supposed to be
spent tracking? Getting the studio set up for your session (both your
guitars and their recording equipment) is part of your session and is
on your dime. If maintaining your mellow is important to you, just
make sure to budget one hour at the start of every session for that
purpose. It may seem like I'm ragging on the idea, but I'm not, it
makes total sense - I just don't understand why you think it should be
free.

After reading several postings, I get the sense that he doesn't expect
that every minute he pays for has to have tape running, but that he's
feeling rushed by the engineer and that's what makes him
uncomfortable. I also sense that he's never actually been to the
studio he's thinking about recording in, nor met the engineer in
person (though that's just a guess). I like the suggestion that he
make an appointment, at the engineer's convenience, to come over, look
around, and discuss the session. If the engineer wants to charge him
an hour to do that, they're too busy and he should look elsewhere. If,
on the other hand, when the engineer makes time for him, he's really a
nice guy, that's a good sign.


--
I'm really Mike Rivers )
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me he double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

In article @adelphia.net writes:

I would like to thank everyone that participated in this thread. I
contacted another studio today. They seem much more approachable.

I'm going to look at the studio on Thursday and hear some work
they did.

They actually sounded like they were interested in my
buisness.

Those are all good signs. If their gear, facilities, and engineering
doesn't suck, you should do pretty well there.


--
I'm really Mike Rivers )
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me he double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

"Mike Rivers" wrote in message
news:znr1080741358k@trad...

After reading several postings, I get the sense that he doesn't expect
that every minute he pays for has to have tape running, but that he's
feeling rushed by the engineer and that's what makes him
uncomfortable.

This is correct.

I also sense that he's never actually been to the
studio he's thinking about recording in, nor met the engineer in
person (though that's just a guess). I like the suggestion that he
make an appointment, at the engineer's convenience, to come over, look
around, and discuss the session.

I did go to the studio to check it out. Lot's of nice gear. He was o.k.
when I was there. Not overly friendly. A little short and he didn't appear
to be that busy. He didn't play me any of his work (and I forgot to ask). I
was in and out of there pretty quickly. I got a few questions in which he
answered, but you know how it is when you're rushed, you always forget a few
things.

--litepipe

I'm with Joe Egan on this- the clock starts at the time the session is
scheduled for. I don't fool around- I go straight to work. If it takes the
artists two hours to figure out which amp he wants to use, that's fine- he's
paying for it.


old studio joke: how do you get them to pay you more for studio time? have
lots and lots of hand percussion stuff around. they'll spend hours just
trying things out.

paul tumolo wrote:

I'm with Joe Egan on this- the clock starts at the time the session is
scheduled for. I don't fool around- I go straight to work. If it takes the
artists two hours to figure out which amp he wants to use, that's fine- he's
paying for it.

Yeah but do you charge the client while he or cartage is carrying in their
stuff the 1/2 hour before the time the "session is
scheduled for"

I start the clock when I start placing microphones.

My current studio is very small and theis requires a little more diligence and
planning than if I had a larger facility.

Two extra cases in the room and nobody can walk around, so setup is of gear is
off the clock.Usually takes no more than 45 minutes.
Richard H. Kuschel
"I canna change the law of physics."-----Scotty

In article aht writes:

Yeah but do you charge the client while he or cartage is carrying in their
stuff the 1/2 hour before the time the "session is
scheduled for"

It depends. If it's an all day session, no. If it's a two hour
session and not a regular client, probably. If it's a regular client,
it's whatever he wants within reason, and he'll know if he's being
unreasonable.

Any studio with fixed rates for everything will find themselves
unpopular or screwed some time. You gotta be flexible.



--
I'm really Mike Rivers )
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me he double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

"litepipe" l_itepipe no spam @adelphia.net wrote in message
...

Now, I know they probably get a lot of kids in their wasting time
for an hour set-up, but I'm an experienced pro musician who is paying a
good
rate (high for where I am) for the sessions. I don't mind paying, I just
want to know what's fair for set-up. Thanks!!

Setup is used for getting equipment into the facility. Getting sounds is
part of the cost of studio time. Prepare to pay for your exactitude!

If you know what your sounds are then have them notated so that your tech is
setting up the next amp/guitar setup while you are laying down tracks.
Optimize your spent time and you'll keep your costs down. But don't ask the
facility to cut you a break because a tube may have worked it's way loose,
or you need an extra hour to have your guitars acclimate to the environment.

--
-----------

Roger W. Norman
SirMusic Studio



Hello,
I'm going into a studio for a series of sessions in May. I'm
going
into a really nice facility. I'm not new to sessions, but this time I'm
going to be doing a wide variety of guitar tracks that require different
guitar/amp/effects set-ups. I'm obviously going to be bringing a decent
ammount of gear with me and a guitar tech. My question is how much set-up
time do you allow before a session? This guy seems to think a half hour is
more than enough and thought anything more is ridiculous. That seems a
little rushed to me even with a guitar tech. I wanted to be able to get
all
my guitars out and on the rack tuned ready to go before I hit a note. Now,
I
don't expect to take 2 hours to set up. I did however expect an hour to
set-up and get my head together.

--litepipe

"litepipe" l_itepipe no spam @adelphia.net wrote in message
...
I do understand this and I'm not trying to get extra or waste their
time.
The studio only books one session per day so there isn't anyone that could
using the time if I take a few minutes to get set up. Plus, I booked big
blocks of time.

Again, then it's up to you to work efficiently, not worry about what you're
being charged. If you book 32 hours and you get done in 24, you saved
money. If you booked 32 and take 35, then there's another day that they
can't book another group for a day's billing. Just work efficiently. Be
warmed up, get the amps in and turned on as quickly as possible, guitar
cases open to acclimate, start tuning the fiirst opened guitar when the last
one gets opened, have documentation on your sounds and be ready to play when
the clock starts ticking. What else CAN you do? If you want to relax, it's
on your dime. Hell, I'm sure the engineer doesn't mind getting paid to take
a nap! g But it's your work ethic that saves you money in the studio,
nothing else.

--
-----------

Roger W. Norman
SirMusic Studio

What do you do when you play live? Call a break because you have to get
your head right? Or do you just put your years of playing experience into
effect and get on with the job? I work with tons of really good musicians
and I have only one thing to say. They perform, whether it be in the studio
or in live performance, and they don't complain nor take time to get their
heads wrapped around a tune or anything. They simply get to work and do the
tune. If you actually take the time to think about what it is that you may
be performing, whether to recording or in live performance, the rest of the
band is already gone by you.

And if you want some load-in tips, then just figure it this way. Make
certain that everything you take doesn't require LUGGING, but rather is
easily moved, even if the initial expense seems somewhat more than you're
willing to pay. It's worth it in the long run, and you're able to move in
efficiently without untoward wear and tear on your body for hauling
equipment like a kid rather than moving it like a thinking person. If it
doesn't need to be carried, why carry it?

The point being that one simply books the time and does the job. If part of
the job is to allow yourself recovery time from lugging equipment, then you
pay for it. If you're booking large blocks of time then at some point
you're going to be paying money to someone else while you eat lunch, you
know. Hell, an 8 hour day here gets you lunch, cooked by me. But you're
still paying for the lunch break! g Hopefully the end product is what
matters and it makes the expense worth the effort.

--
-----------

Roger W. Norman
SirMusic Studio


"litepipe" l_itepipe no spam @adelphia.net wrote in message
...

"EganMedia" wrote in message
...
I don't mind paying, I just
want to know what's fair for set-up.

What's fair is whatever you're willing to pay. I start the clock at the

time
the session is booked. I bust my ass during setup (and usually a half
an
hour
prior) and I charge for it. If you wante to come into my studio and get
your
head together for an hour or two, that would be fine by me. It's your
nickel.

I'm sure you do work hard. I have no problem with that. What I mean by
getting my head together is not having to freak because I'm pressured to
instantly record. I don't want to feel like I need to run to get going
because they don't think my buisness is worth a few extra set-up minutes.
I'm also not sure what is exactly meant by set-up time...Does that mean
as
soon as I pull up in the car and bring in my first guitar I'm on the
clock?
So I have a half hour to lug my gear from the front of the building to an
elevator, up the elevator, carry it into the studio and get it set-up and
ready to go in a half hour? I'm sorry. but I don't think that's fair. Now,
if the clock starts running from the time all my gear is in the studio,
fine. I can be ready to go in a half hour no prob.

--litepipe

"EricK" wrote in message
...
Policies will vary from studio to studio and market to market. A half
hour to an hour seems fair. If you know the studios policy going in, and
you are still willing to work there, accept it. If there is another
studio in the area that is more forgiving, go to that studio.

Actually, when I go to another studio (and yes, there have been times) I
simply start their clock at the time I booked the date. I don't worry about
setup time because I know it's going to happen anyway and it's just part of
the process. But then I don't have any qualms about paying musicians their
due when they show for a project and something else cancels it. I just
simply pay the money. They earned it whether they played or not, as long as
they committed and showed. So the same goes for whatever time you take in a
studio. Best to figure if you book for 8 hours than you don't move in
earlier than the start time, and you're out by the end. Hopefully what
comes inbetween is worth the effort. If not, learn from it and move on to
the next session.

--
-----------

Roger W. Norman
SirMusic Studio



litepipe wrote:
I'm also not sure what is exactly meant by set-up time...Does that
mean as
soon as I pull up in the car and bring in my first guitar I'm on the
clock?
So I have a half hour to lug my gear from the front of the building to
an
elevator, up the elevator, carry it into the studio and get it set-up
and
ready to go in a half hour? I'm sorry. but I don't think that's fair.
Now,
if the clock starts running from the time all my gear is in the studio,
fine. I can be ready to go in a half hour no prob.


Consider this analogy: If you are moving into an apartment on April 1st,
your rent is due on April 1st for the entire month. You wouldn't
expect the landlord to start charging rent only when you finally get
around to arranging your living room. No, rent starts April 1st. Now you
can take this even further. The first is on Thursday, but you won't be
able to move until Saturday the 3rd. Do you expect to only have to pay
for a partial month? No. Some landlords will give you a break in those
situations, some won't. But if you really want that apartment, you will
pay for those 2 days you aren't living there. This really isn't any
different than your studio set-up time issue.

eric
--
www.Raw-Tracks.com

"paul tumolo" wrote in message
...
I'm with Joe Egan on this- the clock starts at the time the session is
scheduled for. I don't fool around- I go straight to work. If it takes the
artists two hours to figure out which amp he wants to use, that's fine-
he's
paying for it.


old studio joke: how do you get them to pay you more for studio time? have
lots and lots of hand percussion stuff around. they'll spend hours just
trying things out.

Shhhh! Don't let the secret out! :-)

"Mike Rivers" wrote in message
news:znr1080825586k@trad...

In article
aht writes:

Yeah but do you charge the client while he or cartage is carrying in
their
stuff the 1/2 hour before the time the "session is
scheduled for"

It depends. If it's an all day session, no. If it's a two hour
session and not a regular client, probably. If it's a regular client,
it's whatever he wants within reason, and he'll know if he's being
unreasonable.

Any studio with fixed rates for everything will find themselves
unpopular or screwed some time. You gotta be flexible.

I agree, you also don't want to herd them in and out like cattle. It's not
good to make them feel like they are being charged for every second, even
though you need to be paid for your time. You can find other ways to make
sure you are compensated, and a little freebie every now and then makes a
client feel special and that they are important to you. It goes a long way.
People would be surprised how far a board mix of a tune after the session
time has run out will go. Most clients are really impressed that you took
time to help them out (after all, a great deal of them are looking up to you
and see you as being in a position of authority, when they feel like you
believe in thier project they see you as being on their team so to speak.)
Although you will have a few that will take advantage of that, you can
usually spot the problem clients pretty quickly)

In article ,
Roger W. Norman wrote:

Make certain that everything you take doesn't require LUGGING

Heh. These guitar players think they have it so tough (says the piano player!)

"litepipe" l_itepipe no spam @adelphia.net wrote in message

The mood is a very important factor. I obviously want to feel the studio
is
on my side.

The studio ISN'T on your side, one way or the other. They are there to
facilitate your recording, thus the idea of a recording facility. They can
do their job with aplomb, usually not interfering with your work at all, but
it's not something that is on your side or not. If you had a direct
competitor would you expect them to NOT be on their side?

Or you can take the bent that by them doing their job the best they can,
THEY ARE on your side, because having you comfortable and able to perform
your parts and get the results you wish means you'll think of them the next
time you want to record. That's really the idea of any facility. To have
repeat clients. Anything less means that they will constantly have to be
looking for new clients, and since it's pretty much a limited market, they
best be doing their job so that you WANT to come back. If "on your side"
matches having you consider coming back, then that's definitely their idea.
If you want more "on your side" than you best bring your own entourage! g
And hey, sometimes that works. Bringing your own producer, bringing your
own engineer, whatever makes it work for you. If someone wants my studio
without me involved, they still have that option. How then would my studio
be on their side? Simply by the fact that I'd like the repeat business.

--
-----------

Roger W. Norman
SirMusic Studio

Give that man a cigar!

--
-----------

Roger W. Norman
SirMusic Studio


"Steve King" wrote in message
...
"David Morgan (MAMS)" wrote in message
...

"Romeo Rondeau" wrote in
message ...

"David Morgan (MAMS)" wrote in message
...

OTOH, if the client is set up quickly, I won't keep
him waiting... too long.

Sheeit! Dave must have his coffee time :-)


No pressure, baby.... just heartburn.

I've stayed out of this up til now, because it has been a long time since
I
operated a service studio business. I'm surprised that so many of you are
as liberal with the free set-up time as you are. When I had the
responsibility of rent, and lease payments, and payroll, I booked time at
fair rates. What a client booked was his, the rest was mine. You try to
schedule so that there's a half hour between sessions to clean up, reset
the
equipment. That half hour was available for client load in. As soon as
the
engineer stops schmoozing and starts setting mics, the clock started.
After
all that's the time when the engineer, the producer, and the musicians get
into sync and the structure of the session evolves. Engineers who can do
that up front are working just as hard as when they are tweaking EQ. No
reason any client should resent being charged for that.

Steve King

Setup is used for getting equipment into the facility. Getting sounds is
part of the cost of studio time. Prepare to pay for your exactitude!

If you know what your sounds are then have them notated so that your tech
is
setting up the next amp/guitar setup while you are laying down tracks.
Optimize your spent time and you'll keep your costs down. But don't ask
the
facility to cut you a break because a tube may have worked it's way loose,
or you need an extra hour to have your guitars acclimate to the
environment.

I usually give an hour and I tell the client that is their time. I make
coffee, check my e-mail, etc. I will walk out every 15 minutes or so to
check on them and make sure everything is going well. After 45 minutes, most
people are ready to mike up. I can mike up the entire band in 15 minutes if
everything is cool. Mexican bands will take longer because of all the
keyboards and DI's, but they let me do my job and don't get ever ask me what
mike I'm using and why and all that garb. If a band (usually only one player
does this) is gonna get picky about the miking and experiment, etc., it's no
sweat because the time starts on the hour regardless. I never have to do
more than 15 minutes of setup myself that I don't get paid for. They get
plenty of time to set up, I don't have to babysit them too much, all is
well.

Mike R. wrote:

In article
writes:

Yeah but do you charge the client while he or cartage is carrying in their
stuff the 1/2 hour before the time the "session is
scheduled for"

It depends. If it's an all day session, no. If it's a two hour
session and not a regular client, probably.

I guess I was just thinking a 3 hour session.


If it's a regular client,
it's whatever he wants within reason, and he'll know if he's being
unreasonable.

Any studio with fixed rates for everything will find themselves
unpopular or screwed some time. You gotta be flexible.



--
I'm really Mike Rivers )
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me he double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

I start the clock when the session time of booked for. If someone comes in
early I let them in and they can set up. If I'm not doing anything I'll
start setting up, especially if its a large section
--Lou Gimenez
The Music Lab
2" 24track w all the Goodies
www.musiclabnyc.com



From: (Richard Kuschel)
Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com
Newsgroups: rec.audio.pro
Date: 01 Apr 2004 14:24:06 GMT
Subject: Studio Set-Up Time

I start the clock when I start placing microphones.

My current studio is very small and theis requires a little more diligence and
planning than if I had a larger facility.

Two extra cases in the room and nobody can walk around, so setup is of gear is
off the clock.Usually takes no more than 45 minutes.
Richard H. Kuschel
"I canna change the law of physics."-----Scotty

Romeo Rondeau" wrote in message
...
I usually give an hour and I tell the client that is their time. I make
coffee, check my e-mail, etc. I will walk out every 15 minutes or so to
check on them and make sure everything is going well. After 45 minutes,
most
people are ready to mike up. I can mike up the entire band in 15 minutes
if
everything is cool. Mexican bands will take longer because of all the
keyboards and DI's, but they let me do my job and don't get ever ask me
what
mike I'm using and why and all that garb. If a band (usually only one
player
does this) is gonna get picky about the miking and experiment, etc., it's
no
sweat because the time starts on the hour regardless. I never have to do
more than 15 minutes of setup myself that I don't get paid for. They get
plenty of time to set up, I don't have to babysit them too much, all is
well.

Well, what I preach is different than what I do, but I know the guys I work
with since I've been working with them for 8 years or so now, mostly (the
typical local jazz guys). A new group usually gets some time, and I'm a
little lackidasical about being a time monster, but it's different for each
group only because there are more things to take into consideration and
policy isn't always a hard and concrete rule. What I do when I go to
another studio is based on what their policies are, and that's it.

Then again, it depends on just what hat you're wearing when a group comes in
the door. If it's a demo job with newbies I'll work with them and help, and
if I've got a day free and they wanted 3 hours, I'll give it to them if I
like what they are trying to do. We can't just make it so cut and dried
that all things equal THIS or THAT. And if a group of jazz players want to
come in and spend 5 hours and take up 8, as long as it was fun, I don't
really have a problem with that because I don't have such stringent
requirements to get people in and out like some type of cookie cutter
studio. It's the same reason I charge $50 per song when I lay down tracks
for someone else (there have been other circumstances apply). If I'm not on
the top of my piano or guitar playing on a particular day because of my
wrists, then it doesn't hurt the client because they are paying for an end
product.

So all the hard and fast rules can't possibly work all the time unless one
simply has a commercial facility and no interest in the music other than
getting the job done right and out the door with smiling clients. Once you
interject the concept of support of a musician's musical direction or
whatever, all bets are off, as are all studio charges in terms of absolutes.
--
-----------

Roger W. Norman
SirMusic Studio


"

james" wrote in message
newsAXac.18892$Q45.5445@fed1read02... In article
,

Heh. These guitar players think they have it so tough (says the piano
player!)

Piano player? Try B3 player, or being a sound guy! g

--
-----------

Roger W. Norman
SirMusic Studio


"

In article ,
Roger W. Norman wrote:

Heh. These guitar players think they have it so tough (says the piano
player!)

Piano player? Try B3 player

Yeah, yeah, I know. My hammond has been in retirement for quite a long
time, and I really don't miss it. ("Just" an M-100 and a 145). The
effort in moving that damn thing cost me a lot of playing opportunities
back in the day.

Any studio with fixed rates for everything will find themselves
unpopular or screwed some time. You gotta be flexible.

The key is in timing your flexibilty. Rather than lure a band in by reducing
the rate, I offer particularly good cliens a percentage off the bill at the end
of the project. They're expecting to pay X dollars, and I hand them an invoice
subtotaled for that amount with a very clearly marked DISCOUNT at the bottom.
This is a great way to send clients away happy. It also preserves your right
to not offer discounts to everyone. At some point, I'd like to add a PITA fee
as well.


Joe Egan
EMP
Colchester, VT
www.eganmedia.com

jeez - you guys are tough when i have a big enough setup, i'll be there 2
hours ahead of time to make sure that five minutes after the session start
time, we're recording... depending on the situation, i might bill for the
second hour - have impressed many good clients with this practice

when i have a big enough setup, i'll be there 2
hours ahead of time to make sure that five minutes after the session start
time, we're recording...

More likely, when you have a "big enough setup" you'll be neck-deep in
generating new business, speaking with bankers and insurance people, dealing
with payroll and tax issues, and trying to return a few phone calls in the two
hours prior to any given session. There is a lot to be done when you have a
commercial facility. If you have a regular day job, and are recording bands on
weekends in a private studio for not much money, you might not have the
overhead and commitments that prohibit you from giving away two hours before
each session.


depending on the situation, i might bill for the
second hour - have impressed many good clients with this practice.

Even grade school kids know you can buy friends. A better business plan is to
offer value for the money you clients spend. You shouldn't have to work for
free to impress them. Do a good job and make sure that feel they got their
money's worth. That'll impress them more than free setup time.





Joe Egan
EMP
Colchester, VT
www.eganmedia.com

On 02 Apr 2004 13:44:47 GMT, (EganMedia) wrote:

They're expecting to pay X dollars, and I hand them an invoice
subtotaled for that amount with a very clearly marked DISCOUNT at the bottom.
This is a great way to send clients away happy. It also preserves your right
to not offer discounts to everyone. At some point, I'd like to add a PITA fee
as well.

This will be my latest strategy with a client I've done many years of
work for. I have raised my rates after god knows how many years as I
have quite touring (my day job) and put my irons in the studio fire. I
will send the invoice for the latest project out at the new rate then
right in the discount since they never asked my prices and expected it
would be the same. I never mentioned the increase and they are whining
about the time it's taken to master a couple of compilation albums.