CHRISDABASS Posted November 23, 2008 Share Posted November 23, 2008 as the topic description says i got my first paid session job today!! its a whole album of pop/electro songs for a guy in the old US of A! (i cant really mention who it is yet) he sends me 2 versions of each track over the internet, one with "guide bass" and one with no bass at all. I then do my bit and send it back to him! it seems pretty straight forward really! it just seems strange that someone wants to pay me for doing something i love! he also mentioned a US tour!!!!! now that would be crazy!!!! so back to the question! how much do you get paid for session work? cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alun Posted November 23, 2008 Share Posted November 23, 2008 [quote name='CHRISDABASS' post='334738' date='Nov 23 2008, 10:12 AM']as the topic description says i got my first paid session job today!! its a whole album of pop/electro songs for a guy in the old US of A! (i cant really mention who it is yet) he sends me 2 versions of each track over the internet, one with "guide bass" and one with no bass at all. I then do my bit and send it back to him! it seems pretty straight forward really! it just seems strange that someone wants to pay me for doing something i love! he also mentioned a US tour!!!!! now that would be crazy!!!! so back to the question! how much do you get paid for session work? cheers[/quote] One bit of advice I would suggest is, whatever amount you decide on, make sure it's clear WHEN you'll get paid. I've done a few of these projects and find that producers do vary a little on their expectations of when you might like to get paid As long as everyone's clear about their expectations, it saves awkwardness later on. Sounds like a fun project though - enjoy Cheers Alun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowdown Posted November 23, 2008 Share Posted November 23, 2008 (edited) [quote name='CHRISDABASS' date='Nov 23 2008, 10:12 AM' post='334738'] so back to the question! how much do you get paid for session work? Is this a blanket question, or just advise for the project you are doing? Union rate in the Uk for 3 hour session.including all the extras is under £150.00 [ Just Bass gtr only] Goes up if the session runs over. Then again depends on what it is being used for, Broadcast / cds / Dvds etc. Then there is Tv Rates, another thing all together. There is no real guidline for internet sessions with MU as far as i know. But a call to them, someone might be of help. I do work For a Composers Collective in LA using Tinternet with FileZilla FTP . They send me a guide track, [no Bass] and a JPEG with notation or chords, or a bit of both. About 2 or 3 a month, not much really. But i get $100.00 a track. paid into my Paypal account about a month later. With the way the pound is at the moment, thats just over £65.00. I just send them back one 24 bit mono track. What ever you do, make sure you agree the fee before you do any work. Garry Edited November 23, 2008 by lowdown Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBod Posted November 23, 2008 Share Posted November 23, 2008 For local stuff, it can vary a lot but somewhere between £50 - £150. It all depends how long it takes, and the overall budget/profile of the project. I'd expect considerably more for a "name". On the other side, one of my projects recently used a very well respected US player for a few tracks - something like £300 in total, using paypal. I was surprised he agreed to do it for so little, but I guess it didn't take him too long! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowdown Posted November 23, 2008 Share Posted November 23, 2008 [quote name='BassBod' post='334962' date='Nov 23 2008, 04:18 PM']On the other side, one of my projects recently used a very well respected US player for a few tracks - something like £300 in total, using paypal. I was surprised he agreed to do it for so little, but I guess it didn't take him too long![/quote] Would that be Dean Parks ? A friend of mine used him a few times, And was very surprised at the very reasonable fees he charged. Garry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakenewmanbass Posted November 23, 2008 Share Posted November 23, 2008 (edited) Anything from nothing to a lot. If I am recording for unsigned projects I will do it for points and make sure I have the details recorded for PPL. Sometimes it's for points and part payment, and sometimes for payment outright. A very good drummer friend of mine had a buyout session for which he was paid £300. The album sold 15million copies in America. If recording for major labels and developing artists (in other words through a producer) £300-£500 is not unreasonable for 3 hrs. Developed artists will have bigger budgets and it's usually down to whether they want YOU or just a bass player. Edited November 23, 2008 by jakesbass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3V17C Posted November 23, 2008 Share Posted November 23, 2008 hmmm these internet based paid sessions sound good - any recommended sites etc to get hooked up with people? peace c Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveK Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 If it's an established artist, then my general rule of thumb would be to ask for the same rate as the keyboard player/drummer/guitarist etc. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHRISDABASS Posted November 24, 2008 Author Share Posted November 24, 2008 cheers for all the advice guys!! well we finally agreed on what im being paid! at first i was offered 1000 Dollars for 10 tracks! i was cheeky and said i wanted 1000 Pounds! he agreed to it so im pretty happy! i dont call that bad considering its my first paid work and its not taking very long to do! i reckon this should open some doors for me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rasher80 Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 i'd love a bit of that but unfortunately i'm a sh*t player :wacko: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 Sounds interesting ... What recording gear do you need to do this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARGH Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 [quote name='OldGit' post='335294' date='Nov 24 2008, 09:14 AM']Sounds interesting ... What recording gear do you need to do this?[/quote] A Bass...A DI etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-soar Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 Do you have a music lawyer? Have you given this person the intellectual rights to your music. Say if one of your bass lines was to be used on a video game or sampled into a huge hit or used in a TV campaign, what sort of deal do you have with this person. I think £1000 for 10 tracks is a good deal for the guy in the US. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 [quote name='jakesbass' post='335092' date='Nov 23 2008, 07:19 PM']A very good drummer friend of mine had a buyout session for which he was paid £300. The album sold 15million copies in America.[/quote] Paul Chambers got about $350 for 'Kind Of Blue', it has sold over 3 million copies. In fact, all those classic Blue Notes were done for scale. Gil Evans recorded one LP and. unitl the day he died, he still OWED the label money for the session! That's JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAZzzzz! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHRISDABASS Posted November 24, 2008 Author Share Posted November 24, 2008 [quote name='OldGit' post='335294' date='Nov 24 2008, 09:14 AM']Sounds interesting ... What recording gear do you need to do this?[/quote] i currently use a trace elliot v-type pre to send my bass to a MOTU 828mk2 that then sends the audio signal into logic pro on my mac! the sound then comes back at me via some Event TR8xl's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHRISDABASS Posted November 24, 2008 Author Share Posted November 24, 2008 [quote name='steve-soar' post='335339' date='Nov 24 2008, 10:40 AM']Do you have a music lawyer? Have you given this person the intellectual rights to your music. Say if one of your bass lines was to be used on a video game or sampled into a huge hit or used in a TV campaign, what sort of deal do you have with this person. I think £1000 for 10 tracks is a good deal for the guy in the US.[/quote] nah i dont have a lawyer. wouldn't this cost me a lot of money? im pretty happy with the £1000 to be honest and so is the artist! my plan is that if i keep him sweet he'll come back to me for his next record which will have a bigger budget and i can then charge more for my time! and there's a chance of a tour at some point too so that'll be fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakenewmanbass Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 [quote name='steve-soar' post='335339' date='Nov 24 2008, 10:40 AM']Do you have a music lawyer? Have you given this person the intellectual rights to your music. Say if one of your bass lines was to be used on a video game or sampled into a huge hit or used in a TV campaign, what sort of deal do you have with this person. I think £1000 for 10 tracks is a good deal for the guy in the US.[/quote] The copyright laws surrounding basslines are very shaky indeed some saying there is no cover for it. Unless you are the published artist then PPL will be far more useful than a lawyer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakenewmanbass Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 [quote name='CHRISDABASS' post='335266' date='Nov 24 2008, 06:45 AM']cheers for all the advice guys!! well we finally agreed on what im being paid! at first i was offered 1000 Dollars for 10 tracks! i was cheeky and said i wanted 1000 Pounds! he agreed to it so im pretty happy! i dont call that bad considering its my first paid work and its not taking very long to do! i reckon this should open some doors for me! [/quote] Its a decent start, I would aim for around £300 a track eventually, but congrats on getting some decent work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakenewmanbass Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 [quote name='jakesbass' post='335448' date='Nov 24 2008, 01:33 PM']The copyright laws surrounding basslines are very shaky indeed some saying there is no cover for it. Unless you are the published artist then PPL will be far more useful than a lawyer.[/quote] which reminds me Chrisdabass, register as a performer with PPL, just ring them up and ask for a PID (performer Identity Number) and they will collect and deliver to you your performance fees from radio play etc. Their number is 020 7534 1000 They are a licensing body and all the work they do is good stuff IMO. It would also be in your interest to join the MU and get the standard session contracts and get your guy to sign them, this will ensure you get your rights as the aforementioned PID is recorded on the contract. Jake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 [quote name='CHRISDABASS' post='335390' date='Nov 24 2008, 12:26 PM']i currently use a trace elliot v-type pre to send my bass to a MOTU 828mk2 that then sends the audio signal into logic pro on my mac! the sound then comes back at me via some Event TR8xl's.[/quote] Forgive my techie numptyness but ... So they send you a logicpro file and you add a track to that and send it back? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowdown Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 (edited) PPL is a must... Just remember, If you shove a MU contract under someones nose. Thats just a minimum fee... They might find that more attractive And that aint always good..might be less... From my experiance i am not sure they have a contract For Internet sessions with clients overseas.Still a grey area. Gigs and shows yes. Garry Edited November 24, 2008 by lowdown Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3V17C Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 i say again........ these internet based paid sessions sound good - any recommended sites etc to get hooked up with people? peace c Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHRISDABASS Posted November 24, 2008 Author Share Posted November 24, 2008 [quote name='jakesbass' post='335459' date='Nov 24 2008, 01:41 PM']which reminds me Chrisdabass, register as a performer with PPL, just ring them up and ask for a PID (performer Identity Number) and they will collect and deliver to you your performance fees from radio play etc. Their number is 020 7534 1000 They are a licensing body and all the work they do is good stuff IMO. It would also be in your interest to join the MU and get the standard session contracts and get your guy to sign them, this will ensure you get your rights as the aforementioned PID is recorded on the contract. Jake[/quote] Thats great advice!! thanks a lot mate! i'll get on the phone tomorrow and have a word! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHRISDABASS Posted November 24, 2008 Author Share Posted November 24, 2008 [quote name='OldGit' post='335469' date='Nov 24 2008, 01:51 PM']Forgive my techie numptyness but ... So they send you a logicpro file and you add a track to that and send it back?[/quote] he sends me MP3's which i import into logic, i then record my bass, send him an MP3 of his track with my bass on so he can make any suggestions or comments! then when he's happy i bounce just my bass track down in his preferred file format and send it across! we talk most days on ichat to keep up to date with how things are going! that way we both know exactly whats going on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 This is very much how I've communicated my bass parts for the FSOF album to our Mixing guy! I recorded on cubase using a focusrite preamp and sansamp etc, then mixed them down and FTP'd them to him! Anyway, with regards to your situation Chris, I would be slightly inclined to do five tracks, receive the £500, then carry on with the other five tracks! That way if he's gonna screw you over, you've only done 5 tracks, slightly pessimistic i know, but keeps you somewhat covered! Good luck, post some links when it's all up and finished Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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