quick industry question.

zakhopper316

zakhopper316

Silver Member
Hey all, long time no talk,
I still attend the Manhattan school of Music and have been very busy lately but am going to
try and get back on these forums because there are some very knowledgeable people on here.

Anyways one thing i have been wandering about and have not been able to get an answer for is in regards to studio work. Lets say John Doe is a studio drummer and he is hired to play on Lady Gaga's or Matt Nathanson's albums. Does he only get an hourly rate for his time in the studio or does he get royalties from air time and also album sales? i'm guessing there are different ways but i'm really wandering whats the "standard". i'm guessing they will cover this in my Practical issues for performers or studio techniques classes but thats not until next year and even then it may be more instrument related. i'm really bummed they don't have a music business class here.

thanks.
 
I'm no expert but If it's John Doe not under contract with label he would probably get paid for the time and maybe his/her name on the album credits. If John Doe is a signed artist under contract, it may be a different story.
 
I've only personally known a few session guys in my travels. All of them were paid for the session only. They had no claim or entitlements to subsequent royalties.
 
Typically:

Hourly or may negotiate a flat fee (per song or per album).

The only way to get royalties from sales is to be IN the band and signed to the label.

The only way to get royalties from air time is to be credited as a writer of the song and hold the publishing rights. (or buying the publishing rights from the song writer).
 
Other people who sometimes get royalties are producers, some of them negotiate percentage points as part of their fee for an album, which means they get say 2% of the writers' rights assigned to them and collect royalties for that portion of it. Session players would typically get a flat fee as far as I know. I guess if you're a union member you can demand more for the time if it's appropriate.
 
Payment is union scale (single, double or triple) or a flat fee for the album, or a flat fee per day of tracking. It's all negotiable and depends largely on the particular drummer, and what the artist will pay that drummer.

There are typically no royalties for "sidemen", although some artists may bonus them if the album does well, and should send Gold and Platinum awards. The only official future payments would occur if the session was a union date, and if one of the tracks was eligible for "re-use" by being used in a movie, for example.

zakhopper316 said:
i'm really bummed they don't have a music business class here.
Click to expand...

It's a shame, that's the most important information an aspiring musician needs to know. That's why my clinics deal with 'real world' topics like auditions, finances, studios, touring, etc. Nobody else talks much about that stuff.

Bermuda
 
If you're at Manhattan go talk to Bobby Sanabria or Duncan Patton,or Chris Lamb or Erik Charleston, or Claire Heinrich or any of them. I'm sure you'll get the info you're looking for. You're with some of the greatest percussionists in the world. They'll have way more recording experience then you'll find on any forum.
 
It's a shame, that's the most important information an aspiring musician needs to know. That's why my clinics deal with 'real world' topics like auditions, finances, studios, touring, etc. Nobody else talks much about that stuff.

Bermuda[/QUOTE]

Actually a place like Manhattan is all about that stuff. Just in the orchestral world. You're dealing with some of the greatest working percussionists on the planet on a daily basis. Juilliard,Manhattan, Boston U, Eastman, Curtis, and Temple are staffed by the top working pros in the world.
 
hey guys thanks for your timely answers.
and believe me i pick my instructors brains every chance i get but when you have so many questions
about the industry its hard to get them all in during your improv development one on one time without seeming un focused in a way...i don't know maybe i'm paranoid... anyways don't get me wrong i have learned more in the last year here than i have probably in the last 11 years previous. Honestly i have learned the most by just watching these guys play. also realizing that there is just no 1 right way to do things. in my high school years i was way to focused on emulating peoples techniques like jojo and verdi down to the mili meter that i missed what worked best for me and i think it takes seeing 4 world class players in a day accomplish the same artistic excellency in such different ways for some people (like me) to realize that. the same goes for their different styles as well. there's such a wide range of styles between everyone its kind of mind blowing.
 
It bout broke my heart to find out that many of the musicians, even on very, very popular music, probably saw a couple thousand for their time and then were on their way.

As a kid, I’d hear a song on the radio and think, “WOW, all these musicians getting royalties! This song is played ALL the time!” hmmph. Little did I know... very sad.
 
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