perfectpencil Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 (sorry if this is in the wrong section, i don't see a jobs section on this forum) I'm an artist mainly focusing in the game industry (my portfolio: [link]). (i play drums in real life, but nothing digital) I've worked on a few games as a concept artist, but i'm going to be starting my own independent game company within the next 6 months or so and will be working on a 2D title right off the bat. I'm looking for a 3 man team (myself included as art/design/writing/management), but realistically will be a 1 man company and will end up contracting a programmer and composer. At least at first. So I guess this is my question to you guys, a lot of the music I hear on this site is fantastic and for a 2D game i can't think of better music then what I find on here. As such, I'm curious how much you all would charge for your work. Depending on the game I make, i will probably need about 12 songs or so. How much is the going rate for this service? My budget isn't going to be too big when I start contracting out (probably $10,000 or less) So i'm going to need to budget a lot. The music will need to be original though, as this will be for a commercial product (even if just an indi one) and I can't infringe existing copyrights. If the composer is able, I would even have them do sound effects in general for me, but that'd be a seperate paycheck (and i think seperate discussion). So how much would you guys charge? Ballpark figure if you can. If the sound is good and the game makes me enough revenue for a second project, i'd more then likely hire the same people over again (and second time around paying more). Just a note: I'm not going to be actually contracting out until I completely finish the design and at least most of the art for the project and can (obviously) fill the paychecks. So still a few months away. I'm just planning ahead at the moment and thought i'd ask you guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zircon Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 Hey, I would love to provide music for you! You might already be familiar with my remixes, but also check out my website which has some testimonials and a portfolio of original game music as well. I'm an experienced composer and though many examples on my website are electronic in nature, I can write music in all styles. Besides the original VGM work I've done, I've written dozens of compositions for other media projects, many of which I (unfortunately) cannot post publically for contractual reasons. However, at your request, I can compose a custom demo for you once you have enough of a design sketch ready to know the general type of music you want, just to be sure. If your total budget for the game is $10,000 and you're looking for 12 tracks, a rough estimate might be $1500-2000 - though the exact quote would depend on a few other factors, such as deadlines, length of the music, control of the rights, etc. I am, of course, flexible and will make sure all your needs are met without breaking your budget! The typical going rate for game music starts at around $500 per minute of finished music and goes to $1000 or higher, but since you are a smaller independent developer, those prices are not exactly realistic. Music really can make or break a game, and most indie developers give it very low priority... don't make that mistake! If you decide to go with my services for your project, I will work with you every step of the way and make sure the music is absolutely tailored to your liking. Feel free to PM me, email (admin@zirconstudios.com) or call me (- 215-531-0798 -) if you are interested and would like to discuss details. I look forward to working with you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dhsu Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 Nice cover letter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam_Slight Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 Just out of curiosity, would those rates be similar if you were asked to score a film? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zircon Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 For the same budget, yeah, in that ballpark... but it really depends on a couple key variables, such as exactly how much music is needed. A 60 minute film with a budget of $10k could require 60 minutes of very tightly scored music (eg. an animated film), or 15 minutes of music that doesn't need to be exactly timed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supremespleen Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 What about a 5 minute film with no budget? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickenwarlord Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 You could sing the score a capella yourself, for hilarious justice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddllama Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 You're asking for 1/5 of the game's production cost? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zircon Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 Given that the guy said he is only contracting two people, and he will be doing everything else, I would say that is reasonable. Additionally, as I wrote, on a minute-by-minute basis the quoted price is far lower than industry standard. Consider how lucky the programmer will be, who (in this arrangement) would get 4/5 of the development cost. But regardless, as I said, I'm happy to accommodate his needs and budget as necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam_Slight Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 hahaha, I realised most of this is already outlined on your website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Briggs Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 I will write music for an extremely reasonable price contact me via AIM to chat about it because holy crap I love getting paid to make music Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prasa_U. Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 Well, at least I've learned something today. All I've ever done is music for indy games made by friends, and I usually do it for free because I enjoy it. I didn't realize that people who are in the business charged $500 per minute, especially since considering a lot of the vg music out there consists of, that seems just a bit overpriced. But what do I know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BardicKnowledge Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 Zircon's note about price varying on the tightness of the score is right on -- I entered the TCM Young Composer's competition in 2006, and scoring 60 seconds of silent film took me multiple days to get something to work from, and around a month to finish and produce (admittedly, something longer wouldn't have taken me that much more time -- post production and exact time placement on that kind of thing is really the time killer...not writing the actual score). In contrast, this past spring I was asked to write some music for a computerized version of Risk for someone's comp sci final. No timing, and orchestration / style was basically up to me. Also 60 seconds worth of music, and it took me one afternoon. Garritan samples on Finale was just fine, and so I didn't have to spend a lot of time post-production either. The silent film, with all of the subtle orchestration I'd charge a ridiculous amount to do, while a minute of whatever I feel like would be much cheaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perfectpencil Posted August 13, 2007 Author Share Posted August 13, 2007 Thanks for the ballpark Zircon! i'll copy your email down and get in touch with you when i'm in the market for a composer. Won't be for a few months though, since I myself have a heap of work to do before music is needed. The project itself is still in concept stages so music is a far away step, but i prefer to be financially prepared for each step required. Hiring help isn't cheap (hopes & dreams don't pay the bills) so i'm tackling most of the work myself to help free up more money to pay for help. For personal reference, can you also do sound effects? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zircon Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 Sound effects are not really my specialty... I can cover some stuff like ambience (rain, birds, traffic, wind, etc) but that's about it. I can always improvise in a tight spot of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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