Advice on my work situation

[jangoux]

Guys,

For the last 4 or 5 months, most of the clients from the place I work on disappeared and we recorded a huge total of two songs from a bunch of teenager. At the same time, the clientele on my home studio has been very nice - one album, 3 eps and a lot of one-songs in the same period. I´ve earned much more money working on my home studio, I rebuilt my name on the rock scene and people and my schedule is kinda busy up to the beginning of the year.I´ve been busting my ass to get this done and pay all my bills, and this has kinda worked.

So, today, the janitor of the place I work on called me telling me ´Ivan, be here on monday at 2pm, there will be some drum tracking´. And here comes two situations:

1) I´ve already booked a old client whose album mixing is being done since may. We scheduled the final touches on his mixes for monday, tuesday and mastering on wednesday. He and my boss dont get along very well and I am 100% sure something not nice will happen if I have to remove their booking. Like they breaking up the relationship and the client removing his album from the studio - similar things have happened before.

2) I also have some stuff booked on my home studio and I´d need to unbook them, which I dont think it is fair to both my clients and me, as they have been supporting me for the last months and I really really dont want to be known as someone who is not responsible with his agenda.

The later part will be the trickier to deal with because my boss thinks my clients are all crap and I think the opposite They pay well, are always on time, are cool guys, blah blah blah blah. However, if I stand up to what I want to do, it may upset my boss, as he loves money more than anyone I even knew.

So, what would you do if you were on my place?

 

[jangoux]

I also use his studio to record drums for MY things, so that could cause a conflict...

 

[Jarkko Mattheiszen]

Well, if you're on someone's payroll, you're on their payroll and your personal affairs shouldn't affect your day job. If you think about it, things like this are inevitable if you're juggling your home studio and a day job at a commercial studio at the same time.

If they aren't paying you a fixed salary but instead based on the amount of work they get, and they've only gotten a couple of songs for the last 5 months, you might as well quit your position (what's a position worth if there isn't any work?) and either set up a freelancer deal or find a different studio to track your stuff at.

 

[jangoux]

I get 40% from each recording. My boss says openly I am a freelancer (because he doesnt want to pay the taxes to include me on his payroll), but brazilian laws say otherwise, because I am the single AE in there for the last 4 years. It means I have all the 'rights' a regular worker would have.

What upsets me is that he tries to fuck his own clients, those that doesnt look interesting to him (the same that are good payers and can give the studio a name) if someone with more money appears.

 

[Jarkko Mattheiszen]

If he says you're a freelancer, you can easily say you aren't available at that date like any other freelancer could do. Your boss is already playing a horribly shady game, he can't afford to make a big deal out of this. Just be polite and diplomatic. If you know other freelancers in the area, suggest one or two to your boss to take care of the session instead.

 

[Strachan of D]

are you getting 40% before , the leccy bill ect gets paid or 40% of what evers left after the bills have been paid?

 

[MindMunch]

If he says you're a freelancer, you can easily say you aren't available at that date like any other freelancer could do. Your boss is already playing a horribly shady game, he can't afford to make a big deal out of this. Just be polite and diplomatic. If you know other freelancers in the area, suggest one or two to your boss to take care of the session instead.

+1

 

[DanLights]

Jarkko´s advice is definitely the most sensible action to take, unless you want to keep working at the almost dead studio for a greedy dumbass boss for the rest of your life, better to keep your home studio clients happy than your lame boos