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[Jasmine]

Hey guys! I've recently hit a couple of snags, gig wise, and I have been wondering what some of you feel towards a particular matter.

I have recently lost a couple of game gigs due to pricing.

In the end, it seems that I am charging too much, when I truly do believe that what I am charging is fair, or, better yet, what they are willing to pay, in exchange for quality, is highly unequal.

For example:

1. I was contacted by a developer to work on a visual novel that would need 15 tracks, ranging from 2 - 3 minutes to 30 seconds. Their intended budget for the soundtrack was 1.5k, while also expecting to keep the rights to the music and sell the soundtrack.  I didn't think that was an equivalent barter and my alternatives weren't a hit (which included lowering my price, but demanding either residual from the game or soundtrack rights).

2. I recently took a job for a game where I am basically charging 1/3 less than what I have set myself up to work for. The developer is used to stock assets, and I was more than certain that my initial pricing point would have him back out.

Do many of you edit your price depending on the developer's budget, or do some of you simply stand firm in your pricing? I feel like we would want to stand firm to prove that our product is worth it, but I am also starting to believe that, depending on the project, we are going to have to budge. But yet, I feel as though a project run by a developer who has sights for the music tends to have funding that reflects how important music is to them. If that is the type of person I would want to write for, then my price point should exemplify that.

[Michael Klier]

Do many of you edit your price depending on the developer's budget, or do some of you simply stand firm in your pricing?

I've calculated my hourly rate, based on a standard 40h week that I'd need to earn to cover all my monthly expenses (we all know we work way more hours than that, but that doesn't mean you should calculate like that ). If you're doing this fulltime you should do this too.

This way you have a solid reference point for your negotiations. If I come across a project that I'm really hyped about but where the client is on a low budget I might go as low as this "minimun" (but keep rights for re-distribution etc.), which essentially would mean no guaranteed net profit on my end. I would never go lower. Because then I would be the one paying to work on it. And that I simply can't afford. Every client should be able to acknowledge that.

Sometimes, when you're short on work, which can happen at any time, it's hard to turn down projects because of this. But in the long run you're not doing yourself a favor by charging below your "minimum". If you end up to make a returning client out of such a project you'll have a difficult time negotiating for a higher rate next time around.

In short, if the time needed and money offered don't add up and are below what you're worth (and what makes sense) - either don't do it or try to negotiate and make a counter offer what you'd be willing/able to do for the amount offered. If the client really wants you because of your unique style there's a good chance that there's some wiggle room in this regard.

There will always be people who will charge lower (or even work for free). Loosing gigs because of that sucks, but it shouldn't force you to devalue yourself (honestly, I'd rather took up a side job if things would get tough than selling myself short of my minimum for my own psyches sake ).

[Breakdown Epiphanies]

If the project is a small indie and I believe in the game, I am fond of charging a lower rate and then arranging for the OST to be sold on steam and the composer receiving the profits from that. It gets us as composers deeply invested in the project and it is an interesting risk reward situation.

I was contacted by a developer to work on a visual novel that would need 15 tracks, ranging from 2 - 3 minutes to 30 seconds. Their intended budget for the soundtrack was 1.5k, while also expecting to keep the rights to the music and sell the soundtrack.  I didn't think that was an equivalent barter and my alternatives weren't a hit (which included lowering my price, but demanding either residual from the game or soundtrack rights).

This I find pretty disgusting by the developer. Proposing a payment that isn't even covering your costs and then wanting you to seize your rights to the music... what a terrible arrangement.

[Jasmine]

Sometimes, when you're short on work, which can happen at any time, it's hard to turn down projects because of this. But in the long run you're not doing yourself a favor by charging below your "minimum".

This is what happened. I hear all this talk about musicians (art in general) being undervalued and I start freaking out that I'll scare potential clients away, rather than believing my work is worth the price I value it at.

This I find pretty disgusting by the developer. Proposing a payment that isn't even covering your costs and then wanting you to seize your rights to the music... what a terrible arrangement.

Yeah, I was quite scared when I learned of the conditions. I wrote them an e-mail stating how none of it was fair to the composer. I didn't come off as nasty or rude (I hope), but I wanted them to know that they were doing the composer (because there were a few others who were bartering, too) a huge disservice.

[Michael Klier]

This is what happened. I hear all this talk about musicians (art in general) being undervalued and I start freaking out that I'll scare potential clients away, rather than believing my work is worth the price I value it at.

Believing in your own value is very important. Especially since most creatives, no matter the field, suffer from impostor syndrome in one way or another . If you're not believing in yourself in the first place why should a potential client?

[Kyle Preston]

Gotta agree with everyone else here Jasmine, your first example is a huge bummer; I'm not sure how full time you are right now (or how dependent you are on composing as your income).  Unless the work is for a big budget project, I have no idea why developers would want an interest in soundtrack rights. Revenue share on the music I could maybe understand, but there's no reliable income from soundtrack sales and it feels to me like the author(s) might be scared the project won't sell as well as they hope, so their plan is to recoup through soundtrack sales? Which is really silly.

I don't really believe in disgraceful/shame numbers; it's YOUR time, nobody else's, charge what you need to charge so that it is worth it for you to take on the project. If you have to walk away, then you should; starting a project on terms you hate is going to make you like music less and the whole process might feel like indentured servitude, which will make you not want to do it anymore. Imho this is a terrifying scenario and I avoid it like the plague. 

If the project is a small indie and I believe in the game, I am fond of charging a lower rate and then arranging for the OST to be sold on steam and the composer receiving the profits from that. It gets us as composers deeply invested in the project and it is an interesting risk reward situation.

This is pretty much what I do.  It's good to be flexible for devs and it helps force me to only accept projects that I'm genuinely interested in.

[Breakdown Epiphanies]

If you have to walk away, then you should; starting a project on terms you hate is going to make you like music less and the whole process might feel like indentured servitude, which will make you not want to do it anymore. Imho this is a terrifying scenario and I avoid it like the plague.

I absolutely agree with Kyle here. Keeping the fun and passion alive through a carreer is hard enough without working for inconsiderate devs that are almost comically underestimating your value.

[Jasmine]

Hey Kyle. Right now, I work two part-times, but I have it to where music makes up a nice portion of the bills. I have precautions set in place in case this were to arise (i.e. little to no work), but I'd still like to work hard and make music an avenue for revenue. I think I took a bite out of desperation, despite what my gut, mind, and heart were telling me.

[Kole]

It's critical that no matter what the final Agreement & negotiated Rate looks like, that both you & the developer are perfectly satisfied. If you feel less valued, or if they feel as if they're overpaying for what they're receiving, then it only leads to resentment which can not only poison the business relationship, but the music as well (which ultimately does no favor for the game or your career).

With that said, it's great to know what you expect to get paid (or what rights to negotiate/retain in an Agreement) at every level: Indie Mobile, Indie PC, Midsize, AAA, etc. Compromising & negotiating are natural though, so it's perfectly understandable that some developers or publishers would need different things. Flexibility is quite important & if it's for a project you really want to work on, then you'll figure out a way to make it work so each party is happy. However, know your value & what you bring to the table; be confident in your abilities & don't undermine your art.