digital masters (raw tracks)

[Kyle]

I'm curious...

How many of you guys give your clients some kind of digital masters (Raw tracks, not mixes) once they pay the bill? Do you burn them to DVD, if they didn't purchase their own hard drive?

If you store a copy of the masters, how much do you charge the client if they want an additional copy of those tracks at a later date?

A friend of mine is trying to get some of his raw tracks from an engineer for a session that he recorded a few years ago (he never received these raw tracks at the end of his session) Now the engineer is charging him 100 dollars to post the raw files of one song to his server so I can download them for a remix.

I've always received raw tracks once my bills are paid and/or given the masters to the client if I'm on the opposite end of the transaction.

I've never been in this position, anyone else?
What would you expect to pay for your master tracks?

[cgarges]

What would you expect to pay for your master tracks?

Whatever was discussed at the time of the session.

Something like this was just discussed recently.
http://messageboard.tapeop.com/viewtopic.php?t=44932

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[@?,*???&?]

$25 an hour for back-up- always. I discuss this prior to starting a project with the client so there are no 'surprise' charges.

When the project is finished and onces it's been mastered, I burn 2 sets of CDRs preferably to 2 kinds of media.

[MoreSpaceEcho]

Now the engineer is charging him 100 dollars to post the raw files of one song to his server so I can download them for a remix.

100 bucks seems kinda steep, but posting all the files for a song seems to me like it'd take forever and would take up a ton of space. for me it'd be a lot easier to just burn a dvd and use Ye Olde Postal Service.

[drumsound]

I charge $20 per DVD and don't keep back-ups.

[Jeff White]

I really think that the client should (since if I was a client I would):

1) Supply a hard drive in an external enclosure that will hold the whole multi-track project once it is completed. DVDRs are so 2005.
2) Pay for all individual tracks to be bounced as zeroed out mono audio files through the insert plug-in chains used for achiving a sound during the mix. This then provides the client with tracks for re-mixing at a later date that are compatable with other systems. They don't have to worry about having the Waves Diamond bundle 5 yrs and 3000 miles from the original sessions.

I've had clients that are only interested in a CD as the end fruit of their labors. I guess that they regard the multi-tracks as a means to an end. I convince them to take them, as I am not a multi-track librarian.

Jeff

[Johnny B]

1) Supply a hard drive in an external enclosure that will hold the whole multi-track project once it is completed. DVDRs are so 2005.

DVDRs last longer in storage than hard drives. If hard drives don't get used, they die. Plus DVDRs are cheaper and take up less space. If it was my recording, that's what I'd be asking for.

[river]

I always offer raw tracks to the client (they did pay for them, after all), and always archive a set myself.

[bewarethanatos]

We always give clients the DVDRs with the RAW tracks (all the tracks before they were altered with plug-ins, or run through outboard compressors or whatever) free of charge. We then make ourselves a copy of the raw track DVDR's, and also keep the session files and tracks (including plug-ins and sub'd tracks) on the back-up HDD.

[jakerock]

1) Supply a hard drive in an external enclosure that will hold the whole multi-track project once it is completed. DVDRs are so 2005.

DVDRs last longer in storage than hard drives. If hard drives don't get used, they die. Plus DVDRs are cheaper and take up less space. If it was my recording, that's what I'd be asking for.

Not arguing, but just wondering how you know this about DVDR shelf life?
I recently heard an interview on AudioNowcast with a couple of NASA people who are in charge of backing up the data from space missions, and they said that DVDR's have about 5 years to live...
Just wondering what the truth is on this subject.

Thanks, Jason

[Cellotron]

I make DVD-R backs up of all session files for clients at $50 a pop (to cover my time of creating them) - or if it is an attended session and the client has brought their own extrernal hard drive in I'll do a dump to it with them just covering the studio time it takes to do the transfer. If the client wants an FTP transfer instead I just do a $30 charge to cover the time it takes for me to set this up on my server.

While I do make backups regularly so I can have access to jobs in case a revision or extra master copies are requested, I still don't allow myself to be held liable for having data available once the job has been finished and completely approved - so I'd prefer having the client's access to these easy in case they want them for the future.

As far as maintaining an archive of digital files for long term future use:
* redundancy and use of multiple formats is key to longevity. The more copies and the more formats (i.e. at this point best bet is going to both DVD-R / hard drive) you use the much better likelihood you have for being able to open them at a date in the future
* keeping files uncompressed and/or not using any proprietary formats for data archiving over multiple discs also allows for greater ease of opening files at a later date.
* adhering to AES / NARAS recommendations for digital audio file archiving means using wav format (with optinally a BWF file extension for any metadata such as time stamps).
* in order to maintain any archive for future use be well prepared to have to migrate files to a new format approximately every 10 years. (i.e. it's really heading to past the time for me to get off my bum and transfer a pile of DAT's I still have sitting on the shelves over to wav files)

Best regards,
Steve Berson

[KyleHale]

Photographers usually don't give the negatives to their clients(in some cases), only positive prints because they own the rights to the negatives. In the same regard, you own the rights to what you record, so it is up to you whether or not you want to give or sell them the original wav files. Personally, I give it to clients free of charge because I'm scared I may loose my backups and not have the DVD years from now!

[jakerock]

Photographers usually don't give the negatives to their clients(in some cases), only positive prints because they own the rights to the negatives. In the same regard, you own the rights to what you record, so it is up to you whether or not you want to give or sell them the original wav files. Personally, I give it to clients free of charge because I'm scared I may loose my backups and not have the DVD years from now!

Yeah, I keep DVD's of everything, but would rather it be THEIR responsibility...

As far as "owning" the wav files... Ownership need defining here...

I have a big folder full of multitracked drum performances, mostly my own, but at times I will grab a particularly good one from a clients session to use for demoing or whatever...
I would never assume that those performances "belonged to me" as far as being able to keep them and use them on a release...

Am I wrong about that?

[KyleHale]

Recording labels own the rights to a percentage of individuals songs and studios own the rights to a percentage of the recordings, look at any record contract. That's what percentages are for. As far as using them, you would probably need to be in mutual agreement with the client that you could use the tracks as long as you give credit to the person who played the track.

[jakerock]

Hmm...
I dont make my clients sign anything, and im not sure that they would agree to the idea of my ownership of this type of thing.
I would LOVE to be able to use some of the drumtracks in my library for my own releases... I think the only way I could feel good about that is to ask / get them to sign something, and pay for the performance. I really dont think I can use this stuff legally or morally without prior agreeement... And I mean prior to the recording session beginning.

What do you think???
Jake