# Pay rate for composing music for corporate videos



## dcoscina (Jul 18, 2015)

Hi All. I just finished scoring a 2 minute ad for a video production house and they loved what I did and would like to use me on future projects. The first one I did was an agreed upon set rate for composing and production of music. It was a wee bit low but my friend works as an editor there and I was willing to cut them a break for the first one. However, because their client loved what I did with their video, they would like to retain my services moving forward and my friend agrees I should be paid more for future projects. Only thing is, it's been quite a while since I had paying composing gigs and even when I did, it was a lump sum for an entire film. Should I charge by the length of the music required , and hourly rate, or what? They are asking my rates and I've looked up Socan and Canadian Film Composers Union but they don't seem that applicable. 

I don't want to gouge this company as they are small but I also don't want to undervalue my music. Any suggestions would be appreciated


----------



## sleepy hollow (Jul 18, 2015)

Don't make things overly complicated. I know, sometimes it can feel like a decision that is very hard to make.

1. Think about how much money you want to have.
2. Tell them.



dcoscina said:


> I don't want to gouge this company as they are small but I also don't want to undervalue my music.


Sounds good to me. Last project you've done for them was cool? Do another one for them.


dcoscina said:


> set rate





dcoscina said:


> It was a wee bit low


You need to up your rate a wee bit.


dcoscina said:


> my friend agrees I should be paid more for future projects


Be careful with that. Is your friend talking to the guy who's paying you? If so, then good for you. If not, then what your friend thinks/says has no meaning. (no offense, btw)


----------



## RiffWraith (Jul 18, 2015)

Loaded Q - there is no one correct answer anyone can give you.

Is this for TV? Local, or national? Or web only? What are the terms? In perp, or for 6 mos.... a year... two...? I know you just did a 2 min spot, but how long are the spots that you will be doing in the future? Is it one ad buy (one spot one length), or two ad buys (one spot two lengths), or .... ? All of these things are factors.

I have seen briefs for as low as 1k for a :30 6-month local TV spot. I have also seen briefs for as high as 50k for a :60 in perp* nat'l TV spot. Tho, with that #, it's generally all-inclusive, and not just the composer fee.

One of the things you can do, is find out how long they need the spot to run for, give them a #, and then if they come back and want the spot to run for longer (which is basically a "renew" of the license), they have to pay you x-dollars more.

I think you were kinda looking for an exact # to give them, but it's really impossible to do that, with all of the variables in play.

Cheers.

*not commonplace


----------



## chillbot (Jul 18, 2015)

sleepy hollow said:


> Don't make things overly complicated. I know, sometimes it can feel like a decision that is very hard to make.
> 
> 1. Think about how much money you want to have.
> 2. Tell them.



This works. Or:

1. How long is it going to take you?
2. What is your time worth?
3. Multiply #1 and #2
4. Double it.
5. Tell them.

"Corporate videos" in your title throws me a bit, not sure if we're thinking of the same thing... I wouldn't expect to be paid as much for these. The "corporate videos" I've done are in-house and not for distribution. A two minute video hopefully only takes 1/2 day, maybe a full day if there are a lot of notes or changes, I've charged anywhere from $500 to $1,000 for something like this with no potential backend.


----------



## dcoscina (Jul 18, 2015)

Thanks guys- I knew I would get some really good feedback here. This helps quite a bit.
The corporate vid is for a hearing aid company and is in house. I agreed to let them use my music for 2 years. It took me half a day and an hour for re writes (basically just taking out some instruments and re mixing).


----------



## Matt Hawken (Jul 18, 2015)

Firstly, congrats on the gig!

The above advice is true. You set the value for your music. I know that's not very helpful but there really are people selling their music from $0 to $50,000 per minute. You know how long it takes you to produce the standard of music that you do. You can derive an hourly rate from that.

Your value is determined by how in demand you are. This company like your stuff, therefore you are in demand. That's a great place to be! You're probably worth more than you think you are. And even a small video production company is probably richer than you think!

But I would have an honest conversation with them. Be open about how you need to survive, be confident in your music and your value. Don't go in with the idea that you're trying to outsmart them, or they're trying to rip you off. Be friends, because friends look after friends.


----------



## soundslikejoe (Jul 20, 2015)

I do this... too often. 

The question is a bit impossible to answer... "How much is a house?" See what I mean. Corporate video is like that. It's not about how much a house could potential cost. It's about how much they want to spend (or can spend) on buying a house. 

Music is only part of the skill needed for this gig. Things like business, pricing, accounting, promotion, et al... are just as important as "good music". Unfortunately there are far fewer bullet proof answers because it's different for every set of clients, and for every city, and for every composer. 

How much do I charge? As much as I can for that particular gig. The reason isn't profit. It's because I want to make the best music possible... and the larger budget for music production is able to produce better music. Whenever a client wants to know "how much music costs" just ask them "how much does a house cost" and tell them you have a range of options for their budget.... then ask what they want to spend.


----------

