Quick Sessions

[Recording Engineer]

I've been getting a rather large number of calls recently asking for nothing more than the hourly-rate. I give them a half-day-rate and a full-day-rate; figuring since it's their first and only question, I'm telling them the best rate I can do.

Most of the time, I'm fine with that because it really is a great screening tool. The problem is that on occasion, the extremely short call does go a tiny bit further with them explaining that they only need 2-3 hours max. for something. If it's just not worth my time, I can give them a rather high hourly-rate (which is still in the "standard" range at this level) to make it worth my time. But honestly, they'd be paying a total of just as much for the half-day-total, so I just don't do that. If I really do want the work, I just tell them the same hourly-rate as the full-day-hourly-rate.

I do have the time and want as much work as possible. Should I be going after this work or should I be at ease because I don't want to chase peanuts? What are you doing?

[mwerden]

I just have an hourly rate and a minimum number of hours. If it's short I can add it on to another day of work. No big deal to me.

[cgarges]

I'll take anything that comes along if I think there's a way to get something done in the time they want. Want to record four songs in six hours? Okay, cool. I recommend doing a live to 2-track thing. I can accommodate that. Four songs with a million overdubs mixed in six hours? Not gonna happen. I pretty much know my limitations at this point and can tell people what I think they can get done. Sometimes I lose a gig by telling someone they can't get something done in an incredibly small amount of time, but then they're weeding themselves out based on fairly accurate information I'm giving them. I'm fine with that.

What I did have to do a few years ago was to move my day rate to a two day minimum. Anything under two days bills at an hourly rate, which is more than my daily rate divided by ten.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC