# Asking for money!



## MackComposer (Jul 7, 2013)

Hello fellow composers!
To write music for a living, I have come across the predicament that I need to make money writing music! What is the best way to make money but not ask for too much, but if it is not enough to ask for more without sounding like a rude person? What do I need to do? Set a certain rate first that my business usually would ask for? I am lost!

Thank you,
Mackenzie Neumann


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## nikolas (Jul 7, 2013)

It's something that most beginners go through (unless they are side by side with a veteran, in which case they just follow up).

you need to know a few things:

1. How much you actually need to make a living.
2. What's the general rates for what you're doing.

No.2 is easily obtained actually, but for no. 1 things are a bit more complicated. Cause not only you need to find out how much you need, but arrange in advance for the time to come when there's no gigs (all freelancers get these), check for your NI, taxes, etc, and most importantly see how much you need to work in order to make that money. Cause if you end up working 25 hours a day to make a living... well... that's impossible!

BUT you should immediately stop feeling bad for asking money! You're making a living out of it, and you're in an 'industry'. Plus you've got expenses, or you've educated yourself, or went through college, or spend tons of time, etc (not sure what you've personally done, but it doesn't make much difference). You're doing a job, and like everyone else you should get paid, what you think is right. If your rates are too high, you're not rude, you're just not yet accustomed to what you should be asking!

Good luck!


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## Frederick Russ (Jul 7, 2013)

$500 minimum per completed minute of music is standard in the industry. If you're uncomfortable asking for a standard rate, you need to ask yourself why. And when you identify that give yourself the training and practice necessary to feel okay with asking for what you're worth. It has to be worth your time to do it. The moment you set rates below what the industry is paying normally, it may be hard to shake the image of being a cheap composer who will do it for next to nothing - and this is not only disrespectful to yourself, it is also disrespectful to the industry as a whole IMO.


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## MarkS_Comp (Jul 7, 2013)

Frederick Russ @ Sun Jul 07 said:


> $500 minimum per completed minute of music is standard in the industry. If you're uncomfortable asking for a standard rate, you need to ask yourself why. And when you identify that give yourself the training and practice necessary to feel okay with asking for what you're worth. It has to be worth your time to do it. The moment you set rates below what the industry is paying normally, it may be hard to shake the image of being a cheap composer who will do it for next to nothing - and this is not only disrespectful to yourself, it is also disrespectful to the industry as a whole IMO.



+1


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## snattack (Jul 7, 2013)

Frederick Russ @ Sun Jul 07 said:


> $500 minimum per completed minute of music is standard in the industry. If you're uncomfortable asking for a standard rate, you need to ask yourself why. And when you identify that give yourself the training and practice necessary to feel okay with asking for what you're worth. It has to be worth your time to do it. The moment you set rates below what the industry is paying normally, it may be hard to shake the image of being a cheap composer who will do it for next to nothing - and this is not only disrespectful to yourself, it is also disrespectful to the industry as a whole IMO.



That's more than twice the amount the rates in Sweden (if your lucky). But then again our union only cares about contemporary composers nothing for us who orchestrate/write for media. Also the catalogue service "Epedemic sounds" have trashed the market with rates as low as 50$/minute which every major media company in the country have bought a deal with. Let's hope they won't spread to the states, that would put every quality composer out of job.


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## Daniel James (Jul 7, 2013)

Frederick Russ @ Sun Jul 07 said:


> $500 minimum per completed minute of music is standard in the industry. If you're uncomfortable asking for a standard rate, you need to ask yourself why. And when you identify that give yourself the training and practice necessary to feel okay with asking for what you're worth. It has to be worth your time to do it. The moment you set rates below what the industry is paying normally, it may be hard to shake the image of being a cheap composer who will do it for next to nothing - and this is not only disrespectful to yourself, it is also disrespectful to the industry as a whole IMO.



+1 

Totally agree here. Like others have mentioned you have to actually work out what it will cost you during production to make this work. If the score is going to take you say..6 months....you need to pay your rent/morgage, electricity, gas, food, water, petrol etc etc over that 6 month period.

Even though most of the time it really doesn't feel like we are working, this is a job and you need to think of the financial parts like that. Its got nothing to do with being rude or not, just be professional. Just think, if I am working on this for that long how much do I need to make so that firstly I can survive and secondly that I can make enough to keep my career progressing.

-DJ


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## Sasje (Jul 8, 2013)

Frederick Russ @ Sun Jul 07 said:


> $500 minimum per completed minute of music is standard in the industry. If you're uncomfortable asking for a standard rate, you need to ask yourself why. And when you identify that give yourself the training and practice necessary to feel okay with asking for what you're worth. It has to be worth your time to do it. The moment you set rates below what the industry is paying normally, it may be hard to shake the image of being a cheap composer who will do it for next to nothing - and this is not only disrespectful to yourself, it is also disrespectful to the industry as a whole IMO.



^ This!

If you don't value yourself, no-one else will.


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## sluggo (Jul 8, 2013)

I like money.


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## dinerdog (Jul 8, 2013)

This is obviously a big discussion far and wide (and always will be with creatives), and putting it in perspective was (photographer) Chase Jarvis in a recent CreativeLive discussion. He stated everything here about lowballing your price (the race the bottom and cheapening things for everyone going forward) and said that your better off doing something for 'free' rather than 'cheap'. At least someone will owe you a favor. If you do it 'cheap' you will FOREVER be the "cheap guy". They will NEVER come back to you when they have more money. When they have more money, they will simply go the more "expensive guy" who didn't compromise on price. I'm sure most here can confirm that (unless your working for a relative of best friend).


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