How much does it really cost to make a pop song

[sinewavealex]

http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2011/07/05/137530847/how-much-does-it-cost-to-make-a-hit-song

Nothing really shocking about that article, but still an interesting read. The salaries for the audio engineering guys made me go "whoa".

 

[Leon--]

very interesting man,USA pays more money in audio engineering from the europeans because i think they understand that in order to sell a product you HAVE TO make it sound/look good.that's why they pay for money in the music/film industry and also photography.

 

[Jarkko Mattheiszen]

Keep in mind that in a production like this the engineers in question are the real top dogs of the business. There are only a handful of people in the business that can charge sums like that for a single release.

 

[timislegend]

^ actually, no.

you can be a newcomer and charge the same fees... people do it all the time. many of them actually get paid more (in many cases) and probably have only worked on two or three other titles prior to the big stomp.

right place, at the right time is the name of the game in the states.

 

[egan.]

You may be right but I know 30 guys toiling away in LA right now who want your guide to charging $10k a mix.

 

[Empathy]

You may be right but I know 30 guys toiling away in LA right now who want your guide to charging $10k a mix.

And that's why you never have a static fee attached anywhere on your website. Charge what the customer can afford, while maintaining a minimum standard. Glorious capitalism!

 

[Chryst Krispies]

Well her label is doing it right, cause this bitch is fucking everywhere. I officially don't like her.

 

[timislegend]

You may be right but I know 30 guys toiling away in LA right now who want your guide to charging $10k a mix.

there is no guide ...simply; charge as much as you can.

 

[Brandon E.]

Well her label is doing it right, cause this bitch is fucking everywhere. I officially don't like her.

 

[Jarkko Mattheiszen]

^ actually, no.

you can be a newcomer and charge the same fees... people do it all the time. many of them actually get paid more (in many cases) and probably have only worked on two or three other titles prior to the big stomp.

right place, at the right time is the name of the game in the states.

Ok, I'm completely aware I might be wrong here, but AFAIK nowadays you can get most of the top tier mixing engineers for around 3-5K a song. The rates have come down a LOT, and from what I've gathered, five-figure song rates are about as common as a pop starlette who hasn't flashed her cootch in the public.

 

[Jarkko Mattheiszen]

For example, the track in question was mixed by Manny, who in my eyes is definitely at the very top of the game, and he has a little more than a couple of prior releases under his belt

 

[timislegend]

five figure rates are extremely common (in the states)... example: nice studio = (approx) 1k/day (x4 days - at the least) + mixing/mastering fees = about 10k

you are right though... the cost has gone down substantially.

 

[Jarkko Mattheiszen]

Yeah, I didn't include studio rental, I assumed a mixer working out his/her own place and I was talking only about the mixing or mastering, not both Count that out, and it's in the 3-5k range for the engineer.

 

[DeclanWhite]

this is where i want to be eventually to be honest.

 

[olif8]

They wrote the lyrics to "Man Down" in about 12 minutes, Daniels says.

Really?!?

I didn't mean to end his life
I know it wasn't right
I can't even sleep at night
Can't get it off my mind
I need to get out of sight
Before I end up behind bars

Rum pa pa pum
Rum pa pa pum
Rum pa pa pum
Man down
Rum pa pa pum
Rum pa pa pum
Rum pa pa pum
Man down

No fucking shit.

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

I fucking hate onomonopia in songs. It's fucking lazy filler.

 

[AboutBlank]

After the "Song-Rollout" everything looks like fawkn peanuts

 

[Ermz]

Haha I love reading those articles. It's like 'here guys, here's an encapsulation of everything wrong with the music scene'.

 

[Harry Hughes]

Haha I love reading those articles. It's like 'here guys, here's an encapsulation of everything wrong with the music scene'.

Pretty much.
Also of interest, someone said this in the comments section :

"The tragedy is, after all that frantic effort, the end product is worse than a crappy jingle, with absolutely no musical value or real talent required or involved.
Ask Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson........."

hmmm

 

[Ermz]

The more I read it the more it feels like the 'top tier' of the music industry is an elitist circle jerk much like most corporate power-player meetings and congregations of heads of state. The one thing they have in common is that nothing grounded/beneficial ever seems to come of them.

I disagree that no talent is required to execute this stuff though. I think there's plenty of talent involved - it's just wasted on an end product that's only marginally more than entirely regurgitated and worthless.