Hi Brian,
I'd agree and disagree with you on all of what you said.
Let's start with the Jeopardy Theme allegedly by
Merv! While Mr. G took all the credit and royalties, the theme was
actually written by
Robert Emmett Dolan (1906–1972) for the movie "
Murder He Says!"
I only know this because I happened to walk into a theater it was playing in at the TCM LA Festival a few years ago. I was to be in the theater the next day and peeked in for a few minutes to evaluate setup.
It's a very odd scene where Fred MacMurray finds an old woman in bed surrounded by an eerie light and apparently dying. She has like $700,000 dollars hidden away but doesn't want to tell her family where it is - but she'll tell Fred. She asks him for a quilt she made on the chair which he gets. Before he hands it to her, she asks if he can read music (Fred was a sax player in real life). Anyway, he says yes and she directs him to read the music embroidered on the quilt. I was
floored! It was the
Jeopardy theme - note for note!
How Merv pulled that one off is a mystery unless he paid the composer or publisher (or just owned the publishing company more likely). But I have to get my hands on that film and post it somewhere.
Not dissimilar to the Johnny Carson
Tonight Show theme which is actually taken (again, note for note with some rhythmic variation) from Beethoven's
Waldstein sonata [where it modulates to E Major marked
Dolce e molto e legato.]
What were we talking about?
Oh yeah, composer pricing and such.
To some degree, you are paying for the person and people don't usually like to collaborate with people they don't like to be around. That works in two directions. not just the person doing the hiring.
I think, more importantly, you are paying for a few other things that aren't the "you" and which might help your friend of a friend who wants to be a composer or engineer.
1 -
Experience. Someone who has been around the block in a variety of projects, especially when they have had the same clients for many years, might be more desirable than someone with fewer credits, and hence, less experience. References cannot be underestimated.
2 -
Skill. Regardless of how much someone likes or isn't particularly fond of someone, if they bring extraordinary skill to a project and that skill is exactly what the project needs, that person is more likely to get the gig than someone with a smaller skill set. Experience in orchestration, conducting, audio editing, etc., is certainly more valuable than someone needing to hire out for those other activities.
3 -
Quality. How
good are you,
really!
So "how much you charge" is certainly what you think you're worth, but only if you evaluate your own worth based on both your skill and experience - not just some arbitrary number pulled out of an orifice (mouth or otherwise).
People starting out with little to no experience (which is how we all start out one way or another) should probably take whatever work they can find - even for free if they have no track record.
Those with a little experience here and there might be lucky to get their expenses covered - or not - and should look to community level projects to gain experience.
If you start to build a track record and a good record of quality work, you'll start to attract better clients, but you do have to pound the pavement a bit. Maybe a lot at first.
Once you've got a decent list of projects and you've decided that "this is for you" at some point you "take the plunge" and start working towards regional and ultimately national and international gigs. By that point, you know
exactly what you're worth and what your potential client can, or will, afford.
There is a flip side to this. There will be clients you DO NOT want to work with, yet don't want to say no to and you might "price yourself out" of the gig. Twice that I've done this, the client accepted a ridiculous fee. One I ultimately refused (horrible libretto even with a $30k fee) and one I accepted and it ended up being for a crazy lady - landing us in court! Long story, but i made some money on the deal. Contracts mean everything!
If there is a "secret" to pricing as far as I am concerned, it is this:
How long will it take me to complete the project?
-and-
What is it worth
to me to work with these people?
It's not just about fees when you're a composer.
Some projects have the potential for substantial income from broadcast and should be carefully evaluated before saying no, even when the fee and the amount of time to complete the gig is not to your liking.
Other times, the exposure and PR value is an important consideration. Even a "buyout" at a lowish figure can be very worthwhile if it will bring you national or international attention. Again, speaking as a professional, full-time composer for the last 36 years, I am
always in the process of career development.
Networking, as I'm sure you know, cannot be stressed too strongly. Interpersonal skills are critical, IMO, and in that sense I do agree with you that you are "selling yourself." What's equally as critical IMO is: How do you honestly evaluate what your public musical "self" is?
It ain't what some people think it is. Sure, if/when you become a household name, you can write your own ticket (or rather, have your agent write it for you) but until then, a brutally honest self-evaluation is the key. And be hard on yourself! Don't sugarcoat a modest accomplishment in your own mind. Play it up (honestly) in your PR, but truly knowing what your skills and experience are and are not, as well as where you fall short is, at least for me, the
only way to determine how your fee fits into the project at hand.
© 2012