Paying backup players??

[tdrake]

I don't know if this is the right place to post this question, but I'll give it a shot.

I'm putting together my first "commercial" CD of my stuff for sale at the cafe-type gigs we play. The songs are all original/mine, everything is being recorded here at home on my gear, and aside from paying Disc Makers or someone to print out 200 or so copies, the entire project will represent my own labor...

with the exception of "my" bassist and harmonica player playing on about half the tracks, each.

I have no illusions about this project rocketing us toward fame and assume that we can sell maybe half a dozen discs a show etc. Not including recording equipment or even the PA, I assume I'll personally fork out about $600 to get them produced.

Also assume I'll be using these discs long after we've split up, or at least I'll be selling the discs when I play some shows solo or just with one of the other guys etc.

In short, we've approached this project as "them playing on my disc" etc. and we all seem happy with that.

So, the question is, how do/should I compensate the other two guys? What is fair, equitable and most likely to maintain the good mojo of three friends playing music together down the road?

Thanks!

td

[Howard Emerson]

Originally Posted by tdrake

I don't know if this is the right place to post this question, but I'll give it a shot.

I'm putting together my first "commercial" CD of my stuff for sale at the cafe-type gigs we play. The songs are all original/mine, everything is being recorded here at home on my gear, and aside from paying Disc Makers or someone to print out 200 or so copies, the entire project will represent my own labor...

with the exception of "my" bassist and harmonica player playing on about half the tracks, each.

I have no illusions about this project rocketing us toward fame and assume that we can sell maybe half a dozen discs a show etc. Not including recording equipment or even the PA, I assume I'll personally fork out about $600 to get them produced.

Also assume I'll be using these discs long after we've split up, or at least I'll be selling the discs when I play some shows solo or just with one of the other guys etc.

In short, we've approached this project as "them playing on my disc" etc. and we all seem happy with that.

So, the question is, how do/should I compensate the other two guys? What is fair, equitable and most likely to maintain the good mojo of three friends playing music together down the road?

Thanks!

td

TD,
Why don't you look up what session scale is these days and give them half of that hourly rate, in cash.

HE

[FLDavid]

Or, why not play on each other's recordings - quid pro quo

[tdrake]

Originally Posted by Howard Emerson

TD,
Why don't you look up what session scale is these days and give them half of that hourly rate, in cash.

HE

Yeah, something along those lines makes sense. OTH we've been sort of mixing band practice and recording, so it's hard to parse. I poked around online and found some threads suggesting a flat rate per song, but essentially the model you suggest. Thanks!

Originally Posted by FLDavid

Or, why not play on each other's recordings - quid pro quo

Ironically, that would work with everyone else I hang and play with, except these two guys, cuz they only play with me.

td

[Christian Reno]

I guess I have a slightly different take on this - the pro's rarely pay each other for guesting on a recording, but they do pay for studio musicians if they use them. They pay hourly scale, and that is usually all they pay.

In your situation, I assume the 2 musicians you mentioned are friends of yours? If so -

1. the music is your original stuff
2. the guys recording with you are friends
3. you are being realistic in that you will probably not recoup the costs you are shelling out (at least not soon) for the packaging, copying, and the equipment used to make the recording.
4. unless there was a 'deal' going into the recording, it can be assumed that the other musicians are playing on it to either help you out, or they like being on the recording.

I don't think you should feel that you have to pay them anything, but if you WANT to pay them something, I would not do it until I have recouped the other costs.

As you said, you have no false expectations that this will be anything other than a few sales at gigs, so I would hope the guys you used are happy to simply be on the recording with you.

[tdrake]

Originally Posted by Christian Reno

In your situation, I assume the 2 musicians you mentioned are friends of yours?

Yeah, these guys are friends and also bandmates. The gray area is that we'll sell the discs at our shows and I assume I'll get the cash for the discs (since it's my stuff and yeah I'm shelling out the $$ to produce them)...so I don't want to create bad blood by not paying these guys *something* for their contribution.

True enough it'll probably take a full year to recoup my own costs, but maintaining goodwill is probably more important in both the short and long run.

Thanks for your input!

t

[Christian Reno]

Originally Posted by tdrake

Yeah, these guys are friends and also bandmates. The gray area is that we'll sell the discs at our shows and I assume I'll get the cash for the discs (since it's my stuff and yeah I'm shelling out the $$ to produce them)...so I don't want to create bad blood by not paying these guys *something* for their contribution.

True enough it'll probably take a full year to recoup my own costs, but maintaining goodwill is probably more important in both the short and long run.

Thanks for your input!

t

Ah... then I would tell them that as soon as the costs are recouped, they will get x.xx per CD sold. One of the ways you can do this is to break out the CD profit (after cost) in shares.

Writer gets one share
singer gets one share
each musician gets one share

So, if you are the writer, singer, and a musician on the CD, you would get 3 shares. If someone simply played bass, they would get one share.

Looks like this could break out to be 5 shares per CD. So if you can make $5 profit on each CD sold, each share would be $1.

Just a suggestion - good luck!