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I think if you are talking about BG TV cues, I try to not have more than a few hours into each piece. These are not trailer pieces, just cues around 2 mins long. Rock, country, bluegrass, etc. I am a full time musician, but a part time composer. I shoot for one 2 min cue a day (5 a week). I usually have 1-2 hours in each one. That way if it’s a work for hire for $100 (not as often as I’d like), I’m making $50 an hour or more, plus back end. Some cues that have taken 3 or 4 hours haven’t made a dime, while ones that took 30 minutes have made a few thousand dollars! I think most full time library writers would say you need 500-1000 cues to make a decent living, I think that’s on par with my income. I’m at around 180 cues right now, I was at around 100 9 months ago. The way things look right now, I’ll hopefully average $10,000-$15,000 this year. If I was writing full time, I’d be aiming for 3 cues a day. (Around 750) a year! I’m shooting for 250 this year at my 5 cue a week pace. Hope that helps!
If I was writing full time, I’d be aiming for 3 cues a day. (Around 750) a year! I’m shooting for 250 this year at my 5 cue a week pace. Hope that helps!
Thanks OverDub. I know of writers who have done 5 to 10 cues per day (or more). But I think your assessment is realistic for BG TV cues, on the reality TV level.
There is a completely different library universe, other than trailers, where multiple cues per day would not work. So, writers need to know we’re talking about the NE (or now exclusive) libraries that do gratis deals, and sometimes RF when it comes to cranking them out.
My personal opinion about RF is that your tracks are less ephemeral there. They can have a long life. So, it could be worth it to put in more time, if for no other reason than to be competitive and offer a better product. The RF user is actually paying for your music. It’s not gratis, so maybe in some cases the buyer is a little more discerning. Of course, if your in a $1.99 library your music is as disposable to the buyer as an empty burger box.
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