If you’re developing a game, you may ask yourself at some point whether or not you should invest in a custom game music and hiring a Game Music Composer is part of this process. The next question on your mind will probably be… how much will it cost? How much do game music composers usually charge?

Oh, if you want to know about a GAME AUDIO PROJECTS with sfx, original music, implementation and general rates. Please, read the article we wrote specifically about it. How Much Does A Game Audio Project Cost? (click to read)

What kind of composer rates can you expect?

It’s not simple to estimate the cost of a Game Audio project. Throughout the industry, you will find a wide range of prices offered by different composers based on their experience. From what I’ve seen, that range can be anywhere from $50 to $2500 per minute of music, with hobbyists, part-timers on the low end, and “stars” on the upper echelon.

The more experienced a game audio composer is, the more they will charge for their music and time. Some will charge per minute of music, while others will charge per track or give you a quote for the entire project, and some will charge for their time like any other contractor / freelancer, i.e. per hour worked.

Here at Flutu Game Audio, our goal is to work with you in your game, providing it with the best music and sound effects. That’s why we devote a special look to the whole of the game, its aura and its tone. In that sense, we usually close our deals based on a project fee and then, once the game has its musical identity with its audio assets, we offer work on hour based rates, since you might not need much else than a few adjustments.

Most composers have some flexibility and are happy to negotiate their fee with you once you’ve figured out what kind of music you need, but keep in mind that they do have their usual rates, so it is unlikely that they will deviate wildly from their original estimates.

Here at Flutu Game Audio we are connected to a wide variety of musical composers ready to make music specially for your game. We have hand picked our composers in order to provide the best quality service possible. 

Every one of our composers is connected to Flutu’s values and mission! How can we know that?  Because we’re mates! They are bold, creative people, artists that will make a connection with your project because of the love they have for what they do!

If you want to reach me or them you can visit the “Tell us More” section of the website and tell us about your game. That’s the first step.

Do Game Music Composer work for free?

Believe it or not, this is a question people who work with music often hear. Well, let’s take a look at the question. In what conditions would someone work for free? Maybe one can work for a cause? A marketing plan? Something he or she loves? 

If you expect people to work for free or for “publicity”, be mindful of who you approach with this proposition. Hobbyists, enthusiasts, and newcomers may be perfectly willing to compose a soundtrack or the sound fx for a game for little or no money in return for the experience and to add to their credits and portfolio. This can be a great option if you have the time to look after them and work closely with them to ensure the overall quality of your assets.

But if you want your game to look and sound professional, it would be best to look for somebody who devotes him/herself to the profession with time, respect and passion.

When working with a professional composer, you should keep in mind that this is a profession and therefore their skills, talent and time have a value that you should be willing to invest and pay for if you want to work with them and build a strong working relationship.

What contributes to the wide price range? There are many factors, so here’s some,  just to give you an idea:

• The experience of the composer
• Complexity of the music you are looking for
• Length of the track
• Number of tracks in the project/soundtrack
• Terms of use 
• Deadline, i.e. how quickly you need the music done
• Number of changes and revisions

Now, how much should you be willing to give for your game audio assets and for a Game Music Composer?

Well, only you can really answer that and only you will know what your financial situation is and also how important you feel the music is in the case of your particular game. Music can really help bring all the main elements in a game together and enhance the overall experience for the player.

As you can imagine, big AAA games and movies have big budgets, in the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars reserved for music. Many are scored much like movies, with large orchestras and big epic scores! Not an easy or cheap endeavour.

With indie games, there is a much wider range of what indie game studios and indie game developers spend on music. Those on a budget tend to use royalty free music (also known as stock music / library music / production music or copyright free music). This can certainly be an option for you if you are starting out and not ready to invest in your own sound.

However, for indie games looking to create their own music soundtrack and hire a composer, budgets between $500-$10,000 are most common.

There are many different things to consider, and also many elements you can play around with to get the most out of your music funds.

The best solution for any game is to reach out to us and be honest about the budget you have available for your game. Visit the “Tell us More” section of the website and tell us about your game and how you imagine things getting done.

I’m always open to talk and to understand more about your perspectives and your budget. Well, I’m waiting for your call! Thanks for reading this article!!