How much do they get paid?

[DrOscillator]

i was wondering-

does anyone know about how much money big name producers (timbaland, pharrell, etc.) actually pull in a year? i know they're probably pretty rich, but exactly how rich?

what about the lesser known producers (alchemist, hi-tek), are they still getting mad loot?

also, do the producers usually get paid more or less than the MC for a given song or album?

just curious mang

 

[Svenghali]

It's a combination of your track record, success and the artist's budget (not to mention the volume of work that you're getting plays a factor). Cats like Pharrell & Timbaland pull down anywhere from $100,000.00 to $350,000.00. I'm sure after receiving royalties and residuals from record sales, radio, television and film. I would venture to say the "super producer" a couple million a year on average.

Don't get it twisted, some of the lesser cats get paid too. It depends on their track record and number of hits. Hi-Tek would get more cheese than Alchemist because he's charted more and his work has appeared on numerous platinum and multi-platinum selling albums. Where (for example) Hi-Tek could command anywhere from $20,000.00 - $75,000.00 (or more), Alchemist (beacuse he hasn't charted as much and doesn't have as many platinum plaques if he has any at all) would probably only be able to command between $10,000.00 - 25,000.00 (more or less).


As far as the emcee question is concerned, that's not how it works. It would take too much time to explain that aspect of it to you but in short, the artist will receive an advance (100% recoupable to the record label by the way), that advance pays for studio budget, producer's fees and many many more "miscellaneous" items. So, it depends on the amount of the advance, radio play (residuals) how many records you sell, how many people are "back-ended" on your deal and so on and so on. So it is certainly plausible for a "super producer" to end up (in the end) getting paid more than the artist.

Try coppin' The Business Of Music 8th Edition. That will help you understand from the very basic to the most complex questions about "how it works".

 

[DrOscillator]

thanks man, thats exactly what i was wondering. props on the knowledge.
i'm def going to have to check out that book too