Every music and audio production job is completely different so I cannot give an upfront price. Jobs I am commissioned for can vary from several hours to several months so the best thing is to get in touch and let me know about your project. Music and audio production can be (and often should be) very labour intensive because of the detail and dedication that’s needed to produce professional, radio-ready output. Be wary of quotes that offer very fast deliveries and surprisingly low prices as you’re very likely to be disappointed by the quality of the output. Professional music and audio production requires years of practice, education, training and experience. My quotes are highly competitive because I am a freelancer without the overheads of commercial studios but they will also be realistic based on the demands of the work at hand. Before hiring me for your project please do let me know everything about it. Contact me at martinjohnmusic@gmail.com to get the ball rolling.
Hourly rate or fixed price?
I can work either at a fixed price or hourly rate. Whatever suits you. My hourly rate is currently £20 per hour. A fixed price we can agree beforehand. As an example, a 3 minute pop song with ‘standard’ instrumentation (e.g. drums, bass, guitars, keys, vocals) can take anywhere between 10-20 hours of production depending on a few factors. A fixed rate means you know exactly what to budget for. An hourly rate gives you more control over the output as I’ll log all the work completed and you can be keep adding to the creative process with your ideas and input. Either way works well for me, so I really don’t mind.
Payment plans
I usually take payments in one of four ways and I’m happy to work whichever way works best for your project:
- Full payment upfront: this usually makes sense when I am being hired for a set number of consecutive days or weeks by an individual client. For example, if I am being hired to exclusively work on your project for a specific time and set aside all other freelancing commitments.
- Deposit upfront, the rest on delivery: this makes sense for bigger labour intensive projects (e.g. an album, film post-production or large sound design jobs). I prefer 50% upfront and 50% on delivery but I’m happy to negotiate the split.
- Milestones: this is my preferred option for bigger projects because payment is made in stages once each stage of work is completed. I will create a bespoke payment schedule based on different stages of work that will be completed (e.g. for an album the milestones could be a) drafts of all songs b) music production c) vocal recording d) mixing e) mastering). Then payment will be due either once each milestone is reached or before the next is started.
- Weekly or monthly invoices: this makes sense of regular long term freelancing work for established companies or organisations. I will keep a log of all work completed and invoice at the end of the week or month.
How I take payments
I can take payments through bank transfer, PayPal or through a no-fee agency who will hold the money until you release the funds (this will mean that you will have to fund the project in advance). I am happy to go with whatever works best for you.
So please do get in touch. Let me know as much about your project as possible and I can give you a quote. Email me at martinjohnmusic@gmail.com or contact me here.
