Please! Don't ask me the rate. Just tell me what you want to pay.
If you are an indie artist and/or if you are self-financing your record, please don't ask me the rate for a certain producer or mixer. If you have real plans to record or mix a record (as opposed to someone who is just window-shopping... looking for info for a project that might happen some day), just tell me what you are prepared to pay. Tell me what you have budgeted for your project.
Why? Because I don’t really enjoy haggling. I’m in this business because I like music… not because I like making deals. I also like efficiency. So let’s just cut to the chase and see if we can work something out.
Here are some other reasons why you should tell me what you want to pay:
Anchoring
The first person to give a number sets the bar for negotiations. It’s called “anchoring.” So why am I telling you this? Check out these two scenarios…
Scenario 1: You ask me for a price. Usually I’ll discuss it with my client, and then I’ll come back to you with a figure of, say, $10,000. (That’s the anchor.) Then you tell me you only have $2,000. I have to go back to my client and give him your number. In his mind, you’re asking him to take an $8000 pay cut!
Scenario 2: Instead of asking for a price, you just tell me in our initial conversation that your budget is $2,000. (That’s the anchor.) I’d discuss THAT with my client, and though it might not be what he wants to get paid, there’s a better chance that he’ll look at the situation as an opportunity to make $2000.
It’s all about perception. In #1, we start at $10,000 and go way down to $2,000. In #2, we start off with nothing and are presented an opportunity to make $2,000.
Opportunity
I am more interested in finding great opportunities for my clients than I am in squeezing every last penny out of a deal. As an artist, you might represent a unique opportunity for my client. Maybe he really likes your music and thinks that you have incredible potential.
If you ask me for a price, and I give a number that’s too high for you, I run the risk that you’ll walk away. I don’t want that. So once again: tell me what you want to pay.
Respect
Don't worry about insulting me or my client with a low budget. Ultimately you're going to have to tell me what you can spend anyway, and it's better to get that out of the way earlier, rather than later.
If you don't, here's what happens: You ask me the rate, and I tell you it's $10,000 and THEN you tell me you only have $400. My client and I both are left to think: "What the hell? Did this person think my rate was LESS than $400? Because otherwise, why would he/she ask the rate? Or is this the kind of person who gets some thrill by trying to get a 96% rate reduction?" THAT is when we are insulted.
If you are straightforward about your situation, that will show respect. And in turn, you will earn ours.
Credibility
A guy walks into a car dealership. He asks the price of a new car, and the salesperson tells him it’s $50,000. The car shopper is visibly shocked, and explains to the seller that he only has $4,500. This doesn’t really get the relationship off to a good start. The seller probably won’t take this customer seriously… mainly because the customer seems kind of clueless.
So maybe you’re new to this world, and you have no idea how much producers or mixers charge. Fair enough. We all have to learn at some point. But just be up-front and say that. You’ll win us over with your honesty.
And that brings us back to the main point: don’t ask how much, just say what you want to pay. Let’s apply that to the car-shopper…
A guy walks into a car dealership and finds a salesperson. The shopper explains that he’s got $4500, and asks if the dealer can give him some options. Maybe the salesperson will just laugh. Or maybe he’ll try to point the guy toward a reliable used car. But in any event, it’s more likely to be a productive conversation.
If you’re a major label or established artist or just well-financed, by all means, feel free to ask what the rate is. But if you ask that question, you should generally be able to afford somewhere in the ballpark of the rate.
Efficiency
As I mentioned, I love efficiency. It drives me nuts when artists do what I call the “price dance.” The price dance has seven steps:
1 - The artist asks me the rate for a very experienced producer/mixer.
2 - Rather than give a rate, I ask: “What can you afford?”
3 - The artist tells me their life story, tells me they don’t have major label money, and tells me that they’re paying for it themselves.
4 - At this point, I’m already tired of the back and forth, and I give the the artist the best rate that I’m willing to offer up given what I know about the situation.
5 - The artist says “Wow… that’s way more than I can afford.”
6- I respond by asking (again) “How can you afford? Give me a number.”
7 - At this point, the artist finally offers a price, which (more often than not) is a tiny fraction of the rate I gave them.
Conclusion
Just tell me what you want to pay. We might not not be able to help you. Or we might suggest an alternative (i.e., would you consider doing 5 songs for your budget instead of 10?). But in any event, if you're up-front with us about your budget, you're more likely to have a friendly, productive conversation with us.
