How to Mix Bass and Kick Hip Hop
November 27, 2020
How to earn money from mastering
Ever wonder how to make money from mastering? How to attract clients and use your mastering skills to earn even more from other sources than mastering songs?
You surely did since you’re reading sound production orientated article.
It this article I’ll walk you through:
– how to earn money from different mastering jobs
– what you should charge for your mastering
– and how to start getting paid for mastering
So how to earn money from mastering? To earn money from mastering you have to keep expanding your client base, nurture your existing clients and actively look for ways you can offer your service to musicians. You can earn money not only from mastering songs but also advertising jingles, audiobooks, YouTube content and more.
Those are just a few examples where you can use your mastering skills to earn money.
In this post, I’ll highlight all the ways you can monetise your skill.
Making Money from Audio Mastering
While mastering isn’t the easiest of the post-production skills it’s definitely one of the most flexible ones when it comes to the variety of the work you can get.
While recording requires you to spend a lot of time with the artist setting up the microphones, getting the levels right and finally record, mastering takes about a 1/5th of the time to earn the same money for your time.
The same goes for mixing. To mix one song you have to spend anything between 3-10 hours, often with the band, just to finish off one song.
When it comes to mastering you mostly work alone in your studio and can have mastered song ready in about 30-60 minutes.
You obviously have to take to the count the revisions you might have to do for the artist but that’s just small tweaks and usually easy to fix tasks.
As you can see the mastering can be very lucrative but you have to know where you can look for paid work and how to diversify your skills to make sure your schedule is booked.
Music industry isn’t the easiest of the industries but mastering is one of the best ways to make money.
Let me point out a few ways you can utilise your mastering skills.
Mastering Songs
This is the most obvious way to earn money from mastering – mastering songs.
This is when you or a potential clients reach out and both of you agree on a certain rate to master their music.
It’s important to mention that even quick, one song master might lead to a lot of paid work from the same artists along the way.
So treat every client like the one and only client, make them feel special and they will come back for more.
Remember to offer bundles for your clients. If they want you to master the whole album make sure you offer them a good deal and not charge them your usual fee per single song.
That way you’ll build a relationship between them.
Mastering for Video
The video format is getting more and more popular each year. With more and more documentaries films getting released the need for music is higher than ever.
And since the need for music is high the need for mastering is there too.
Good practise is to follow music composers on social media and even reach out to them from time to time offering your services.
Since they are not the ones making the decisions they might point you out to the right person to enquire about the job.
Mastering Jingles
You know that to enter the marketing world you don’t have to be a big media company anymore right?
Now, thanks to social media and the internet, everyone can produce advertising material with jingles which have to sound as good or even better as the next advert.
This is a tremendous opportunity to dip into that market.
As many marketers will be aware of the power of high-quality audio in their ads you can step in and take this worry off their shoulders.
Mastering Audiobooks
Audiobooks are a multi-million dollar market at the moment. Mostly thanks to membership services like Audible.
But did you know that everyone, not only accomplished and published author can release their audiobook via Audible?
As this might not be very musical of the jobs it still requires audio knowledge and skill to prepare the audio for publishing, meet the required RMS and noise floor levels.
Mastering YouTube Content
YouTube became the number two most popular search engine.
With over 100 hours of video uploaded every minute the amount of work available for mastering engineers is unbelievable!
Vlogs, shows, product reviews, all need professional sounding background music and this is your BIG opportunity.
Reach out to YouTubers, show them your portfolio and build a relationship.
YouTube will only get bigger and bigger so you can’t go wrong with this one.
Re-mastering
Another great way to get more mastering work done is the process of re-mastering.
Re-mastering is basically a process of taking older recording, usually pressed onto vinyl, and make them sound more appropriate for the modern listener.
You can get in touch with record labels and ask them if they need any re-mastering done of their old records.
This could be a really good source of work for you.
Mastering is needed everywhere. Just look around.
Mastering Live Performance
Releasing live performance has been popular since the early days of ’90s and it still grows strong.
That’s mostly due to the fans who want to see their favorite musicians perform their songs live.
And as with all the music ever released commercially live performance needs mastering too!
Mastering for iTunes and Spotify
With the music being so widely accessible via streaming services the need for professional mastering and especially mastering required by iTunes and Spotify is growing everyday.
Without the specifically mastered music artists are exposed to potential penalties from the streaming companies.
Help them out and you’ll gain clients for life.
Mastering for Vinyl
We all know that vinyl records are making a big comeback.
But to release on the vinyl you do need your music mastered specifically for vinyl!
Different dynamic range, different peak volume, different mono requirements.
This is a big chance for you to tap into the vinyl market and make connections.
How much should I charge for mastering?
When it comes to mastering, there is no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to how much you should charge.
It really depends on many factors, such as the track length, the complexity of the mix, and the amount of time you put into mastering.
Generally speaking, most professionals charge an hourly rate for mastering services, with rates ranging from $50 to $100 per hour.
If you are just starting out in mastering, it’s best to start at a lower rate and build up your experience before charging more.
Additionally, you may want to offer packages or discounts for multiple tracks or longer projects.
Ultimately, how much you charge for mastering is up to you – just make sure that your prices are competitive and reflect the quality of work that you provide.
Do mastering engineers get royalties
The question of whether or not mastering engineers get royalties has been debated for years.
Generally speaking, the answer is no – mastering engineers do not receive royalties from their work.
This is due to the fact that mastering is considered to be a service rather than a creative contribution, and therefore does not entitle the engineer to any royalties.
That said, some record labels may choose to pay mastering engineers a bonus or fee for their services.
Ultimately, it depends on the individual contract between the artist and label.
Whats the best way to learn audio mastering
The best way to learn audio mastering is to either get a mentor or learn on the job by observing and practising.
Alternatively, you can learn audio mastering by taking an online course.
By learning audio mastering online, you can digest information in your own time at your own pace.
Asking for Recommendations
After working with the client, make sure you ask for recommendations.
I know this sounds really basic but this is the easiest way to get high-quality clients going your way without spending any time marketing your services.
Each of the artists that you worked with will be happy (assuming you did a tremendous job with their music) to recommend you to their friends who also need mastering.
Nurturing relationships is key in every business. And mastering is a business.
Really good paid business if you know how to go about it.
Hope that was helpful.
If you got any questions head over to my contact page and fire me an email.
Happy to help.
Tom
I’m Tom S. Ray and I’m head mastering engineer at Audio Unity Group. I also hold a bachelor with honours degree in music from Kingston University in London, I lecture mastering to students in Edinburgh College and to my online students via my Mastering Mastery audio mastering online course.
