Being a successful artist means making good music, and that usually requires long hours in a traditional recording studio. Sure, home studios have gotten much better throughout the past several years, but almost all of the songs that reach a mass audience from artists who make a living making music are created in professional recording studios.
Many musicians would probably love to spend their days in the studio doing nothing but making new music…but studio time can be expensive! Affording the thousands of dollars it takes to rent studio space is one of the biggest hurdles that musicians face early in their careers.
So how much will studio time actually run, how many hours should you book, and what other costs are associated with creating a complete album and putting it out into the world? Read on below to find out, and then let’s start talking about how we can make your next release a hit.
In This Article:
How Much Does Studio Time Cost?
How Much Time Do You Need?
What Dictates The Price Of A Studio?
Choosing The Right Studio
Other Costs Involved In Making An Album
How Much Does Studio Time Cost?
The cost of renting a studio so you can record new music varies by quite a bit, and there is usually something to fit every budget. Booking a studio can run you anywhere from $25 per hour at the low end of the spectrum to $3,000 per hour at the very most. Of course, those $3,000 per hour studios aren’t within reach for most acts, but in many places you should be able to locate something for around $100 an hour. Anything less than $100 an hour might still be serviceable, but it may not give you everything you want or need.
How Much Time Do You Need?
If you’re only going into the studio to record a song, you might be able to finish everything in eight hours, possibly running as high as 12 hours. Those estimates are for complete bands, as it takes time to set up every instrument and make sure they sound great. If you’re only recording vocals, that cuts thrings down considerably…but please don’t assume you’ll be done in just one hour.
The average album recorded in a studio takes between 90 and 150 hours to complete, so you can expect to multiply that number by the hourly cost of a studio rental.
What Dictates The Price Of A Studio?
The price of studio time depends on a variety of factors, including the caliber of the equipment in the studio, the size of the recording space, the location of the studio, its legacy (it can cost you a lot more money to be able to brag that your latest song was recorded at the same studio where many No. 1 smashes were made) and so on.
To avoid spending too much on a studio, make a band budget for what your group is willing to spend and choose a studio accordingly. Make sure to add promotion into that budget! If you’re not sure what that will cost, we can help you figure that out.
Choosing The Right Studio
Before you sign a contract and book any studio, do some research. You’re spending a lot of money here, and you want to make sure that not only are you making a smart purchase, but also that when you’re done, you’ll have a finished product that makes you happy.
Don’t just pick the recording studio that’s closest to you or the one that pops up first when you conduct a Google search. Look around! Find lists of local options and compare them. Reach out for quotes from a number of places, and enquire if they have any discounts if you book a certain number of hours at once. You never know what you can get until you ask!
Also, feel free to speak to other musicians, labels and managers you may know (or even strangers) in your general area and see if they have any suggestions. They might be able to hook you up with something really great, or perhaps help you steer clear of what looked like a good situation, but which actually could wind up being a waste of cash.
Other Costs Involved In Making An Album
Please, please, please (!) keep in mind when booking a studio that this may be one of the largest costs associated with creating an album…but it certainly isn’t the only thing to worry about!
Rehearsal Space
Before you begin the booking process, you may need to find a rehearsal space. If you’re part of a band, you do not want to waste time in a studio practicing and making sure you have the tunes perfect, as that’s a fantastic way to ensure you rack up an astounding bill. Instead, you will likely be able to find a spot where you and your fellow musicians can work on your to-be-recorded cuts and perfect everything at a lower cost per hour. In fact, you might not even need to pay per hour, as you may get a deal by renting something for the week, the month or the year. If you are looking for tips to getting the most out of band practice, look no further!
Mixing, Mastering, Audio Engineering
Once the album is recorded, you still need to hire mixers, mastering professionals and engineers. You don’t want to skimp out on these processes, as then you’ll be spending a ton of money to record your songs in an excellent studio, but the final product won’t sound as good as it should.
You absolutely need the help of an audio engineer, who will be able to assist your band while you record to ensure that you have the correct audio levels and to assist you by mixing and editing audio levels after the recording process. You can expect the cost of an audio engineer to be about the same as the cost of the studio rental itself. Depending on the rate that the audio engineer charges for their services, you can expect to pay between a few hundred and a few thousand dollars.
Album Art and Distribution
After the music itself is completely ready, you may need to shell out more cash to get the album art ready, which may include corresponding covers for several singles. You will also have to think about pressing CDs or vinyl, if you’re at that stage in your career, as well as digital distribution to platforms like Spotify, Apple Music and online storefronts like iTunes and Amazon.
All these costs are just to make the music and put it out into the world, and they don’t take into account promoting it with shows, advertising, marketing, or PR, all of which come with their own price tags.
Have new music ready? Want to share it with the world? Planetary can help you promote it to radio, blogs and magazines everywhere. Just give us a call: (323) 952-5050.
