Game Music: How Much Does It Cost
Author
Anyone know the going rate for a game tune? If I wanted to sell music to game developers I''d like to know how much to ask.
As a developer myself I know how much I''d pay for music but I''d like to know what other people would want or be willing to pay for an exclusive licence to use the tune (not the copyright).
Mark
Cornutopia Games
http://www.cornutopia.net
Bytten Independent Games Magazine
http://www.bytten.com
A good standard is about 190-300$ per minute of music
All depends on the individual/company...
If its a liscense it would be a bit lower though...
[edited by - jaevin on September 14, 2003 7:34:08 AM]
All depends on the individual/company...
If its a liscense it would be a bit lower though...
[edited by - jaevin on September 14, 2003 7:34:08 AM]
quote:Original post by Jaevin
A good standard is about 190-300$ per minute of music
If your looking to sell it to developers on here then thats a rediculusly(!) high price to pay!
[edited by - SpreeTree on September 14, 2003 7:37:29 AM]
Author
I agree. Post a 'music wanted' ad here, and you'll get some good quality tunes with no price tag... offer $100 for a landslide of music.
Mark
[edited by - Mark Sheeky on September 14, 2003 4:04:45 PM]
Mark
[edited by - Mark Sheeky on September 14, 2003 4:04:45 PM]
Believe it or not, That is the LOW end of a standard pricing spectrum.
Indies should liscence good music if they cant afford to rightfully buy it out.
Theres nothing wrong with having competitive prices, but selling your self WAY too low should be discouraged IMO.
Indies should liscence good music if they cant afford to rightfully buy it out.
Theres nothing wrong with having competitive prices, but selling your self WAY too low should be discouraged IMO.
This is still a low price to pay, even 190 - 300... If - your suggesting to give the copyrights to the developer, that entitles them to make a heap out of your work, millions even. And you get 190 bucks :-) dont blow it all on beer!
The standard rate in america I hear is about $250-300 a minute !!starting out!! (copyright), any composer with some experience should be looking at charging around $900-1000 a minute for full-copyright, and approximately 10% of that for licensed music.
It''s true that there are far more tools available to the everyday composer now to make musical realisations, but that doesn''t mean you have to sell your creativity cheap.
Film composers charge a heap to start with, we''re talking hundreds of thousands just to get them to sign the deal, before playing a note. You pay for the creativity and not the tools used, not everyone can make something great even with the full and latest setup, and most composers who advertise for free here, generally propose to work in one style and form anyway, because it''s what they enjoy (understandably).
I don''t want to get into any rage about prices, and I''m not suggesting you could get $200-300$ for your work here on gamedev forums, but if you approach any major company, this should be your ball park figure starting out, don''t sink on it. since your talking about exclusive licensing, I would suggest a figure like $100-150 starting out for licensing.
I know they''ll be guys on here doing it for free, they''re always will be, but hey listen, remember what this fee is paying for, it''s paying for you to get newer, better and more equipment, you just cant do that if you sell yourself cheap can you?
How can someone expect to pay you $30 a minute and work for them for a month, only for a hundred new plugins, new libs, computer upgrades, sound card upgrades, mixer upgrade, software upgrades, synths, guitars, microphones, studio costs, studio updates, electricity / house bills - and you take less than minimum wage :-)
Take it easy guys, hope this helps.
The standard rate in america I hear is about $250-300 a minute !!starting out!! (copyright), any composer with some experience should be looking at charging around $900-1000 a minute for full-copyright, and approximately 10% of that for licensed music.
It''s true that there are far more tools available to the everyday composer now to make musical realisations, but that doesn''t mean you have to sell your creativity cheap.
Film composers charge a heap to start with, we''re talking hundreds of thousands just to get them to sign the deal, before playing a note. You pay for the creativity and not the tools used, not everyone can make something great even with the full and latest setup, and most composers who advertise for free here, generally propose to work in one style and form anyway, because it''s what they enjoy (understandably).
I don''t want to get into any rage about prices, and I''m not suggesting you could get $200-300$ for your work here on gamedev forums, but if you approach any major company, this should be your ball park figure starting out, don''t sink on it. since your talking about exclusive licensing, I would suggest a figure like $100-150 starting out for licensing.
I know they''ll be guys on here doing it for free, they''re always will be, but hey listen, remember what this fee is paying for, it''s paying for you to get newer, better and more equipment, you just cant do that if you sell yourself cheap can you?
How can someone expect to pay you $30 a minute and work for them for a month, only for a hundred new plugins, new libs, computer upgrades, sound card upgrades, mixer upgrade, software upgrades, synths, guitars, microphones, studio costs, studio updates, electricity / house bills - and you take less than minimum wage :-)
Take it easy guys, hope this helps.
just a side thought regarding this, to maybe give you some perspective.
While its not directly related, I deal with a lot of music producers and rap groups and whatnot in my line of work, and I know that if a rapper wants to buy a "beat" (aka music)from a producer, they usually sell between $1,000 and $20,000 per song AND the producer still retains his cut if the album sells.
Might put some perspective on the sale of music.
While its not directly related, I deal with a lot of music producers and rap groups and whatnot in my line of work, and I know that if a rapper wants to buy a "beat" (aka music)from a producer, they usually sell between $1,000 and $20,000 per song AND the producer still retains his cut if the album sells.
Might put some perspective on the sale of music.
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