How to Budget for a Music Video

I get about 15-20 people that call me each week asking the same question.  How much is a music video?  Although I established a starting point (or price I should say)  There is no exact answer to this until I know exactly what we are going to be filming, how long it’s going to take, and what you wanted to add or subtract during post production.  So as you can see, asking me a price before I even know what you are trying to accomplish puts me in a hard position.

After asking me a price the person usually decides that the price is too high and then they try to haggle with me.  I don’t understand why this takes place every single time but I’m starting to understand that it’s just part of the business (Unless you are dealing with a more established artist, and even then his/her management will try and talk you down to save on their overhead).  So I decided to write a blog to show artist things they can economize on in order to save up the $600 to $1000 dollars it cost to pay for a Music Video (that actually looks professional).

Before I begin my money saving techniques I just wanna say that once upon a time I was an aspiring rapper.  So I know the expenses that you incur when trying to sell music (especially now in days with the Music Economy in the toilet).  I used to spend thousands of dollars recording my music, securing features, duplicating, promoting and marketing.  I wasn’t making enough profit to cover my expenses which is the reason I no longer do it (just keeping it honest).  But if your convinced that you wanna be an artist then at some point down the line your going to have to get a music video.  It won’t be cheap.  But it will definitely set you apart from your competition.  So here are a few ways you can save up enough money to afford one.

- Quit smoking.  Cigarettes cost way too much money now in days.  A pack is almost 10 dollars.  That’s 70 dollars a week right there.  That’s $280 a month!  Quit smoking

-Stop going clubbing or out drinking for a few months.  This is a big money sucker.  If you go to clubs it’s $25 just to walk in.  That could be $100 in entrance fees alone.  When you start adding up those $6 beers you can really be in a world of trouble.  You can save about $300 a month just from sacrificing a little.

-Get a Job.  If your not working of course it’s gonna be hard to afford a Music Video.  So get a job and save up.  That’s a big factor. Even a part time job can pay for a Music Video in no time!

-Shop at Marshals or T.J. Max.  If shopping is your thing then you can be wasting a lot of unnecessary dollars on brand names.  These stores sell brand name clothing at a discount.  A pair of sneakers alone can set you back $125.  So before you buy them new Jordans ask yourself, Music Video or Jordans?

-Get Investors.  If your good with your sales skills you can get people to put the money up for you.  Especially if your the type of person that is part of a team or has a lot of people that say they support your movement.  Use these people to your advantage.  Ask them if they can help assist you in paying for your Music Video.  If they really believe in you they should have no problem forking over a couple hundred bucks.

-Trade.  There might be something that you have to offer that someone else needs.  For instance, the other day somebody was selling a PS3 with 5 games and 2 controllers.  I didn’t have the 400 dollars but I have a camera.  So I offered the person (who I knew was a rapper) a trade.  I wanted to swap him the PS3 for the Music Video.  He turned it down but at least I gave it a shot and so should you.  The worst thing someone can tell you is no.

-Dip into your savings account – Instead of taking a trip to Bermuda, use the money you saved up for your Music Video.  A vacation comes and goes and all you have is still pictures and a few memories.  This won’t help you to advance your music career.  If your confident that the money earned will help attract people to your music and in the long term provide monetary gain then don’t be afraid to invest.

-Cook – Eating out is a real pocket buster.  It’s one of the slickest forms of you spending your money because we don’t think twice about $7 for a number 5 at Mcdonalds.  The truth is if your doing this multiple times a week your spending a good amount of money on eating out.  You can easily spend between $50 to $100 on dining out in one week.  Take that same money and go food shopping with some coupons.  You’ll have food (that’s healthier) for half the month and you can save some bucks for your new Music Video!

There are just some of my ideas on how to save up some cash for your much needed music video.  There are thousands of ways you can cut back.  The purpose of this blog is to give you some good ideas for you to go and start saving up.  The question you have to ask yourself is, do I really need this music video?  If the answer is yes, then do what you have to do to save up the money.  Don’t try and slick talk the Videographer and try to get him to lower his prices.  It shows that you don’t respect his work enough to think he deserves the money he calculated it will take to film that video for you.  Instead make some changes in YOUR life so you can afford the services you need for your music business.  So there’s a few tips!  Enjoy!

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