Game Composers : Your Rates Thread

Hi guys,
I'd like to get as much informations as possible on rates for soundtracks

How do you do it?

Paid per songs?
Per minutes?
For the entire ost?
Depends if for mobile or console/steam?

Please give me all the informations you can, I want to learn all about it

Thanks

*Didn't know if this was the right forum because I'm only looking for composer's rates*

I generally charge per project, and I now (after dealing with flakey people) request a deposit before I start on larger or more elaborate projects- or anything that requires me booking live string players.

Best,
Shawn

www.shawnclaudejones.com

Pricing methods will vary between composers and their abilities, but for me there are a number of considerations to be made.

NOTE: The following is personal opinion, coming from the perspective of a composer who prefers to play an active role in the development of the project, not just another 'artist' with some tracks for sale online.

- Firstly, I use the following philosophy as a guide: Charge as much as it takes for you to be happy with the gig.
That statement will seem vague and unhelpful to many, but I personally consider it with every project.
If you are approached to work on a project that you don't particular care for, or the director is a bit of a jerk, then you set your price a little higher. That way, if they accept your price, then great! You get paid what you want! If they decline your offer, then you got out of doing a gig that you didn't really want. Win-win situation.
Likewise, if you see a low-budget production that you are dieing to be associated with, you'll reduce your fee until they say "you're hired!"

- 'Cost per minute of music' can work well for some, but it starts to get murky if you write for varying genres and purposes. For example, I do not value one minute of orchestral fantasy adventure music the same way I value 1 minute of a dark, 'droney' bed.
If all you write are electronic tracks, and you know that each track will require roughly the same amount of work, then you can easily come up with a pricing structure.
Cut-scene/cinematic music will often differ from a looping underscore. A theme or title music might require more consideration and time than a generic battle sequence. All of these points can make it tricky to come up with some sort of 'shelf price'.
I have used the 'per minute' pricing structure on a project once I knew it was applicable.

- Opportunities and Exposure. This is not a highly influencing aspect, but of course, we do take this into account.
Ultimately, we all want to further our careers and make a name for ourselves. Be the best we can be. So if there is potential for good exposure that you feel may lead to opportunities or have positive impact on your career, than the project will be more enticing and thus you may not feel inclined to charge as much (circumstantial). HOWEVER, if a job ad says something along the lines of "there is no pay, but the potential for big exposure!!", my blood starts to boil just a little bit. So just... don't.

- You also need to look at the prospect of future income, whether from Soundtrack sales or working on future DLC/expansions. In film and TV, the composer receives royalty payments for every time their music is broadcast. In video games, there is no such royalty, so your upfront fee will likely be the only payment you get.
If your upfront payment is not satisfying, then often a sales-based royalty will be negotiated between the composer and developer/producer/publisher.

- Lastly (for now), the budget. Some folk hate to admit it, but the project budget does play a role in determining our fee. Anybody would be mad to charge $500 to a developer who can afford to pay you $10,000. This is why pricing can be so confusing for so many. How can you justify charging two totally different prices for the same amount of work? Well, that's just the way it works I guess. Even hollywood composers will work on a small Indie production if it interests them.

I understand that this is not the answer that a lot of independent devs want to hear. Which is why a lot of new composers will opt for a standard per-minute cost, which is totally fine. But hopefully I have given a few people a better understanding of why so many composers seem tight-lipped about pricing.

In the end, it all comes down to negotiation. Most musicians/composers will know of nothing BUT negotiation. We've all been at the bottom, and know what it's like. So please, do not hesitate to approach a composer just because you think they might cost too much. In the end, we do this because we love it. It is literally enjoyable to work on a project that you appreciate. So, go on, try us.

Gosh, hopefully I haven't bored anybody too much here!

Hi Jordan,

I suggest putting a link to your music in your posts. May help inspire someone to give you an opportunity or feel confident about fowarding your name to others.

Jordan is just throwing himself out there wherever he can at an almost 'spammy' rate, consequently being irrelevant to this thread about rates and payment structures.

There are other (relevant) threads for him to share his work.