Ensuring revenue from audio during the Credit Crunch.

[Captain Caveman]

Step 1.
Make fantasic music and sounds.


Step 2.
------------


Step 3.
PROFIT!!


:D

[Jonesy]

Lets hope that at least some of us will still strive toward quality, hopefully clients will still be able to differentiate and appreciate and be prepared to pay for work from composers, engineers, designers and producers who put in real effort and dedication to their craft.

[Daryl]

...... hopefully clients will still be able to differentiate and appreciate and be prepared to pay for work from composers, engineers, designers and producers who put in real effort and dedication to their craft.
Hmmmm. I doubt that. I saw some Idents that I did yesterday, and on two of them the music was in the wrong place, and on another two the music was not only in the wrong place, but they used the early, un-mixed demo instead of the final mix. :(

D

[Jonesy]

Hmmmm. I doubt that. I saw some Idents that I did yesterday, and on two of them the music was in the wrong place, and on another two the music was not only in the wrong place, but they used the early, un-mixed demo instead of the final mix. :(

D

Don't you love it when the receptionist picks out which files to send for production?:eek:

[Daryl]

Don't you love it when the receptionist picks out which files to send for production?:eek:

The sad bit is that one of the finished Idents has a really dodgy edit between a demo file and the final version. It sounds terrible, and the sound doesn't match up at all. I was thinking of only supplying dodgy mp3 files for demos in future, but I have no guarantee that they won't use them. :(

D

[number6]

i got stuck at step 2. :(

[dcwave]

The sad bit is that one of the finished Idents has a really dodgy edit between a demo file and the final version. It sounds terrible, and the sound doesn't match up at all. I was thinking of only supplying dodgy mp3 files for demos in future, but I have no guarantee that they won't use them. :(

D

Mark the demos with a beep every 5 seconds. I do that with my corporate gigs otherwise I am sure they would use the wrong ones and/or just use them without paying my invoice.

[Daryl]

Mark the demos with a beep every 5 seconds. I do that with my corporate gigs otherwise I am sure they would use the wrong ones and/or just use them without paying my invoice.

I've tried that. They just give the gig to someone else. :>(

D

[kdm]

Just my .02 in general - I think it's going to be critical for composers, engineers and studios to maintain standards for rates and proper compensation, licensing, etc. The temptation may be to drop rates to encourage more business, but we are already headed down that road due to competition, changing perceptions of the value of music as a creative work, and what seems to be a declining ear of discernment in newer film/video producers/directors - no need to make it worse.

[Jonesy]

Don't know how it would apply here, but an owner of a big hotel chain, during the last financial slump period here in the 90's said to a family member of mine: "When things get tough, never drop your prices, it is too difficult to put them back up later on. Instead, add something extra for free to encourage customers to your business".

[shelter]

A few ideas for the round.

Step 1
From our experience your core customers don't change horses unless you
become totally unreasonable or change something that's important to
them.

If they like the quality of your work they'll come back for more of that but,
they particularly like being understood and once you know what they want
and how they operate they feel confident and the uncertainty goes away.

They also like being treated as your most important customer so, don't
leave them alone with your trainee or someone they are not familiar with.

Acquiring new customers is a little more difficult these days but referrals
and reference visits are proven methods for growing the base.

Step 2
Be innovative but without taking your customers out of their comfort zone
or driving yourself over a cliff.

Help them to reduce the cost of artists studio time, in production that's a
key cost driver these days.

In post try to reduce the time to print by improving workflows and by
removing non value add items of equipment, processes, tools etc.

Step 3
Ensure that your brand logo is on everything that goes to a customer and
anything that is published or released. Image is every bit as important as
quality.

Slap your copyright and retain the rights on everything you can lay your
hands on. Retain all originals wherever possible. Get your customers to
allow you to use parts of their material for marketing purposes.

Choose your margin levels wisely. Once you have enough profit to pay
for your wife, your childrens education, your house, your pets, a little
food, some electricity and the occasional pair of new trousers (pants),
you might want to think about capping your prices.
If you insist on adding your mistress, your yacht, your house on the Cote
d'azur and those shopping trips to New York then things might get a little
difficult.