What things actually cost
Most artists have no reference point, get quoted a number, and have no idea whether it is normal. These are broad independent-market ranges in United States dollars. Region, experience and reputation move all of them, and the top of each range keeps going well past where this table stops.
The expensive part is the optional part.
Rough shares of a typical independent single budget, to show the shape rather than to be quoted. The part that decides whether you are paid is the sliver on the left; the part that decides whether you are heard is everything else. Spending nothing on the left and thousands on the right is the common mistake.
| Thing | Common independent range | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Studio time | $40–$150 an hour | Day rates are usually cheaper per hour. Ask what is included: engineer, gear, session files |
| Mixing | $150–$800 a song | That is the experienced-freelancer band. Name engineers start around $1,000 and go up with no ceiling. Ask how many revisions are included before it becomes billable |
| Mastering | $50–$200 a song | Automated online services run $5–$25 and are genuinely fine for some material. Most engineers discount per song across an EP or album |
| Cover artwork | $50–$1,000 | Premade and template covers sit at the bottom, commissioned custom work around $200–$500. Get the layered source file and written permission for commercial use |
| Photography | $200–$1,000 | Licensing is separate from the shoot fee. Confirm you can use the images in ads |
| Music video | $500–$10,000+ | The range is genuinely this wide and the top has no ceiling |
| Distribution | $0–$50 a year | Or a percentage. Both models are normal; paying both is not |
| PR campaign | $1,500–$8,000 a month | Independent publicists at the bottom, established firms at the top, and a single-release campaign commonly runs six to eight weeks. Ask for the last three campaigns and what they actually produced. Nobody can promise coverage |
Every registration in section three is free or nearly free. Everything in this table is production quality and promotion, which is optional and scales with ambition. It is entirely possible to have spent five thousand dollars on a record and nothing on the registrations that let it pay you, and it is a very common way round to get it.
A mixing engineer quotes you $900 for one song. Is that a rip-off?
On its own, that number tells you almost nothing. It sits at the upper-middle of the independent range, which could be exactly right for an experienced engineer with credits you recognise, and steep for somebody starting out. What decides it is what comes with it: how many revisions before it becomes billable, whether you get stems, whether mastering is included, and how long it takes.
Ask to hear three mixes they have done in your genre. That answers the question far better than the price does, and a good engineer will expect to be asked.
Nothing here is legal, tax or financial advice. Rates, statutory splits, platform rules and organisation fees all move, and every figure was checked in September 2026 against at least five independent sources. This is written from a United States starting point. If something is wrong, tell us on the forum and it gets fixed.