It would be really nice, when sitting down to compose a custom score for somebody, to be able to just do whatever you pleased. No restrictions. Well, when you’re doing custom work, restrictions, constrictions, whatever you want to call them, do exist and there is no getting around them. The question is, what are they and how do you deal with them? Are there some that are beyond your control to the point where concessions will have to be made? In this article, I’m going to cover a few of the constrictions that you’ll find when composing royalty free music and how best to handle them. Hopefully, what follows will be of some use to you.
Before you ever sit down to write one note of music, the first constriction you’re going to have to deal with is your client’s budget. Not everybody is made out of money. Some clients will have very limited budgets. Now, there are quite a few ways to deal with these. The best way to illustrate this is with an example.
John Doe needs a Celtic soundtrack for a 10 minute video. Your normal rates are about $100 for each minute of music created. You make a quote to the client of $1,000. Your client tells you that they are only budgeted for $500. What do you do?
You have several options that I can think of off the top of my head. I have no doubt that there will be more.
1) You can take the job for $500. As a new writer, this may actually be your best option in order to build your reputation.
2) You can suggest to your client to take 5 minutes of music and either cut the video to 5 minutes or sprinkle the 5 minutes of music throughout the 10 minute video.
3) You can cut down on your production time for the music by maybe leaving out some instrumentation that you would normally put in and simplify the arrangement. You need to make your client aware that this will be a stripped down arrangement in advance.
4) You can turn down the job.
After you have finally ironed out the details of the project the next constriction that you’re going to have to deal with is the video itself. As I pointed out in another article, certain types of videos lend to certain styles of music. Trying to go against the grain will, more times than not, lead to a poor product, especially in the eyes of the client if they’re expecting a certain kind of sound in their video.
While the constriction of the type of music comes into play, this also brings up the problem of how this music is going to be recreated. Do you have all the VSTs that you’ll need in order to duplicate the sound that you’ll need?
For example, just recently I decided to do a country western series. Unfortunately, missing from my arsenal was a good slide guitar and pedal steel guitar. There was no way I was going to pull this series off so I had no choice but to go out and get these two instruments. Ran me about $150.
When you’re in the business of creating music for people, you’re going to run into times when you’re going to need things that you don’t already have. You need to be willing to continue to invest in your business if it’s going to be successful.
After you’ve gotten the details of the track down, then there is the constriction of time. Oh my, how I wish there were more hours in the day.
Every client is going to have different requirements in regard to time. Some will need their project within a week while others can wait months for it if need be. It’s best you find this out when you take the deal. The last thing you want is to agree to a project that can’t possibly be completed in the time required.
So what about scheduling? Remember, you’re probably going to have more than one client if you’re successful at all. How often do you accept jobs? Do you work on just one at a time or is it possible to take on multiple clients?
Personally, I will never take on more than one client at a time. My goal is to make THAT client as happy as possible. I can’t do that if my efforts aren’t concentrated on that one project. You’ll have to decide what’s best for you. Just remember, there are only 24 hours in a day and you can’t promise work that can’t possibly be delivered in the time frame required if you take on too much. That’s the best way to damage your reputation.
After scheduling is worked out, the next thing you have to deal with (yes, it happens) is changes in the client’s needs or if the client isn’t happy with the work that’s been done.
Like it or not, your client probably has a certain kind of music in mind for their video. If what they hear from the finished product doesn’t match their expectations, they’re not going to be happy and they’re going to request a rewrite. You have to decide, and let them know up front, how many rewrites you’ll allow.
Here is how I handle this. I allow an unlimited number of rewrites but reserve the right to terminate the project if I see that it’s not going anywhere. You’ll get a pretty good feel for this when your client has just rejected your fifth draft that this is probably a lost cause. Eventually, you need to cut rope and take the loss of time and income.
And you’re going to run into other things along the way that might only pop up once in a blue moon. How you handle them will contribute to the success or failure of your business.
Creating royalty free music is an exciting career. Each day can be different. Each day can be an adventure. So my advice to you is simple.
Enjoy the ride.
For The Love Of Music,
Steven “Wags” Wagenheim