Advice on getting clients as a freelancer

[Random3]

Hey guys, wanted to ask some advice about getting clients. I have worked on a ton of originals/covers by myself and mixed a fair amount of material from outside clients for free in order to improve and expand my skills. I have also just completed a Masters in Music Production. I am at the point where really I want to be charging, but I haven't actually had a paying client yet. I feel my work is at the level where I could be making some money, so maybe I am looking in the wrong places or maybe I am making some other fundamental mistake. Here is a link to my recently completed album for my Masters, which indicates the highest quality of work I am capable of: https://charliemunro.bandcamp.com

I am not really asking how much you would value the quality of my album, I am more asking how much I should ask for when mixing/mastering, as well as ways to find clients. Thanks in advance.

 

[Melb_shredder]

* Go to gigs/ chat to people, network
* Approach/ poach bands. If you're excited to work with them, they'll be excited to work with you
* Adequate social media spread, about 80% of my work comes through there lately
* Promotion/ magazine ads/ internet spots (if feasible $$$)
* If you don't have much of a resume, offer good deals. It sucks at the start, but if you can make those first few projects impressive and memorable enough, then it'll start the avalanche for you
* Don't stop being relevant. That to me is most important. People are still sticklers for when things 'LOOK' great. If they see lots of activity from you, they'll most likely be a slight bit more interest in you. People tend to look over the quiet ones when there's a louder group standing right next to them.

 

[Jarkko Mattheiszen]

I have worked on a ton of originals/covers by myself and mixed a fair amount of material from outside clients for free in order to improve and expand my skills.

Stop. At first you'll be the dude who does a crappy job for free, then you'll be the dude who does a decent job for free and eventually you'll be the dude who does amazing work for free, but in the end, you'll always be the dude who works for free. The more you get the word around, the harder it'll be to start charging.

It's cool to practice with your friends' stuff and help them out, we've all done that and it's all good, but if you're offering your services without getting compensated it'll start playing against you. On a side note, if you work with a band you don't know and they're not paying, they'll be more tempted to take advantage of you.

Make friends with local bands, know your worth, help them out by cutting them good deals, and never ever ever lowball yourself. Not everyone can get great tones, and if you feel you have what it takes and other people like the results, you gotta be proud of your skills!

 

[Random3]

Stop. At first you'll be the dude who does a crappy job for free, then you'll be the dude who does a decent job for free and eventually you'll be the dude who does amazing work for free, but in the end, you'll always be the dude who works for free. The more you get the word around, the harder it'll be to start charging.

This is kinda the problem, I stopped working for free months ago and haven't had any more work since then, all I have been able to do is record my own material and mix practice stems.

I am trying to find a recording studio to work at, either for experience or paid work, but very few have even got back to me and none of them have any opportunities for me.

 

[Jarkko Mattheiszen]

This is kinda the problem, I stopped working for free months ago and haven't had any more work since then, all I have been able to do is record my own material and mix practice stems.

Don't worry. It's an incredibly tough industry. With a lot of the actual studios closing down and a plethora of up-and-coming engineers working with little to no overhead, work is sparse and the competition is ruthless. Keep practicing, keep networking and stay realistic. In short: work your ass off.

I am trying to find a recording studio to work at, either for experience or paid work, but very few have even got back to me and none of them have any opportunities for me.

The way things are right now (and have been for some years), studios won't be hiring a new engineer who a) doesn't have a convincing production discography under his belt b) can't guarantee bringing in a decent flow of clients of his own. If you want to work in a real studio, you pretty much have two choices:

1) Lock-outs. Rent the studio for your personal use to work with your own clients. Try to get a deal working graveyard shifts or at times that are otherwise slow. You might be able to negotiate lower rates that way.

2) Take the old school route and intern without getting paid. Ok, in theory this goes against the "don't work for free" advice, but in practice, you're getting paid in ways other than money. You'll start by making coffee and cleaning toilets, but you'll learn a fuck-ton more than you ever would working on your own or browsing internet forums. Chances are you'll get yelled at, too, but a couple of years later you'll fondle the memory of getting your ego hurt as one of the best lessons you ever got. And if you're truly good enough, you'll quickly advance to fetching lunch orders, then setting up mic stands, then actually micing up, then editing and so on and so on, and at one point or another you just might get to sit behind the console to work with bands on your own.

In any case, good luck, man!

 

[Ermz]

The first years are the hardest in many ways. You're trying very hard to stand out from the pack, but so often not given the raw ingredients you need to get there. Try to aim for a good balance of saturating the scene with quantity of work versus quality. You're not going to be pulling out Triple-A releases with most local bands, so be realistic, but try to make a good impression on the scene all the same. Word of mouth and networking are the basis of your work, after all.

You can't continue working for free - that just defeats the point. That being said, you need to be realistic about how the market values your services. Unless you're offering something exemplary, unique or your name is a drawcard unto itself, you're essentially just playing the price game. Try to get work with some friends' bands to begin with, as that can be a good kick starter. Be mindful of where you're headed, and if you don't like the kind of clientele you're cultivating CHANGE something. If you don't want to do el-cheapo day demos day in and out, don't position yourself to be the sort of person who does that. It may mean larger dry spells, but it tends to pay off down the track as you become known more for the quality of your work as opposed to your rates.

I've never had to be overly proactive in sourcing bands, but if you're more of a 'go-getter' please be wary of the bands you approach and what you say to them. It's very easy to go to artists which already have strong working relationships with other engineers, and you'll be labelled as 'that guy'. It's something which can come back and bite you in unforeseen ways down the track, so be ambitious but also be respectful, and don't attempt to step on others on your way up. Sociopathy is for big business and politics, our industry is so small, comparatively, and we need to help each other out as much as possible in order to have any chance of succeeding as a collective.

If all goes well for you, in a matter of years it becomes more an issue of fielding through all the offers and managing your schedule (which is another set of hassles unto itself) rather than having to proactively hunt work. That being said, you need to stay somewhat relevant and make sure you're releasing work on a semi-regular basis so that people don't forget you exist. It's a very fickle industry and you sometimes need to remind people you're still there!

 

[HCL]

1) Be part of the music scene where you live
2) Be visible, liked and respected
3) Be better at what you do than anyone else your peers know
4) Profit

Online presence helps but your competition is immense. Word of mouth reinforced by having a site or even a facebook with your work on it is the biggest deal.

 

[HCL]

It's very easy to go to artists which already have strong working relationships with other engineers, and you'll be labelled as 'that guy'.

This, if you just go to gigs and such to pimp your business out it's incredibly transparent and people don't like it. I'm by no means pro at this point but bands that I work with often say a big part of coming to me is knowing that I get their music, I can relate to them as musicians and I'm easy to get on with. If you just go to gigs on business you won't get any of that rapport and musicians will view you far more cynically. Creative businesses are different to other business in that respect.

Keep the fuck up with music, I cannot emphasise this enough. Don't become one of those out of touch guys who think they're hot shit. There are too many engineers on this forum who are stuck in the mid 2000s and I can't help but think that year on year they're going to be missing out on more and more work. This part shouldn't be hard, if you love music you'll probably be constantly seeking it out anyway. Similarly, don't limit yourself to one style, it's not enough to sustain yourself on. Go record hardcore bands, rock bands, ska bands, indie bands. You'll become infinitely better as an engineer for it.

Anyway if you live in Cardiff there's a ridiculous scene in South Wales/Bristol for heavier music, go be part of it and you'll get work and you can branch out from there.

 

[Melb_shredder]

This, if you just go to gigs and such to pimp your business out it's incredibly transparent and people don't like it. I'm by no means pro at this point but bands that I work with often say a big part of coming to me is knowing that I get their music, I can relate to them as musicians and I'm easy to get on with. If you just go to gigs on business you won't get any of that rapport and musicians will view you far more cynically. Creative businesses are different to other business in that respect.

Keep the fuck up with music, I cannot emphasise this enough. Don't become one of those out of touch guys who think they're hot shit. There are too many engineers on this forum who are stuck in the mid 2000s and I can't help but think that year on year they're going to be missing out on more and more work. This part shouldn't be hard, if you love music you'll probably be constantly seeking it out anyway. Similarly, don't limit yourself to one style, it's not enough to sustain yourself on. Go record hardcore bands, rock bands, ska bands, indie bands. You'll become infinitely better as an engineer for it.

Anyway if you live in Cardiff there's a ridiculous scene in South Wales/Bristol for heavier music, go be part of it and you'll get work and you can branch out from there.

2 good points there, especially about not locking yourself to 1 genre/ style. That's been a huge one for keeping me interested in this job.

I never go to a gig with business in mind, but sometimes I see a band I just go HOLY CRAP I'd love to work with them and I'll happily approach them. At least for me, I've been luckily enough to end up working with most of them at one point or another which is great.

But I guess that goes with the whole staying relevant/ in the loop etc. It's almost the same as being in a band play the RIGHT gigs, talk to the right people, make the in roads yada yada. And as time goes, if your work is starting to stand out/ show noticeable quality, then people are going to seek YOU out etc

 

[Random3]

Thanks for the feedback guys!

I really would like to intern in a studio however it is proving difficult to find one. I have emailed maybe 50 studios with links to my work and expressing interest in either employment or experience, and only maybe 5 have got back to me to say that they do not have any available positions.

I am going to try talking to some local bands about potentially working with them in future. Apart from that I guess I need to just keep practicing mixing at home!

 

[Terminus]

I do monthly mastering jobs for 2 electronic record labels, I suppose you'd call me their in-house mastering engineer. No idea how I managed to get the gigs other than those guys hearing random soundcloud stuff I posted on a forum. I guess the electronic music business is somewhat different than the metal music in terms of how the production side of things are done, though. I don't make a living off of it but I do ok from it. If the metal thing isn't bringing in clients, maybe try branching out into other genres.

 

[schwinginbatman]

I do monthly mastering jobs for 2 electronic record labels, I suppose you'd call me their in-house mastering engineer. No idea how I managed to get the gigs other than those guys hearing random soundcloud stuff I posted on a forum. I guess the electronic music business is somewhat different than the metal music in terms of how the production side of things are done, though. I don't make a living off of it but I do ok from it. If the metal thing isn't bringing in clients, maybe try branching out into other genres.

Always a good idea to branch out into other genres. Opens up the amount of work you can get, and you can get away from many of the problems that plague metal at the level you'd be recording at.

This has been a good thread. I'm looking to get back into recording and mixing. I've spent the past year and a half or so focused more on playing shows, and settling into a new band that's real busy.