Don’t Believe The Hype
Public Enemy wasn’t kidding. This page is here to finally put to rest myths and rumors about the negatives of working “on the card.”
The Great London Myth
It is commonly assumed that recording vocals in London is cheaper than staying in Los Angeles. FALSE!
The numbers don’t lie. Add in travel expenses and you’re officially the Waterworld of music budgets. Save yourself the stress and time. Hire us!
But it’s so expensive….
Again, FALSE! From student films to major blockbusters, SAG-AFTRA has rates to fit any project. Simply go to our Rates page.
Package Deal? Know your terms.
While a composer’s package deal might say that the musicians they hire come out of their fee, SAG-AFTRA singers are NOT musicians…at least not contractually speaking.
SAG-AFTRA singers are “principal performers,” and therefore should come out of production’s budget. As far as the contract is concerned, it’s more appropriate to think of us as off-camera actors.
Do productions make directors pay for on-camera actors? Of course not. In fact, they provide it! The same should apply to composers who need off-camera actors (us!). The only way productions get away with it is by knowing their composer doesn’t know the contractual difference.
The “R” Word (Residuals)
When you hire union singers for a film or TV project, YOU ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYING RESIDUALS. Singer back-end compensation comes out of the same pool as the actors, NOT the music budget. The singers are considered part of the “cast list.” So if a film or TV project already has SAG-AFTRA actors, adding SAG-AFTRA singers will NOT add any back-end payment obligations for the producer. The residuals “pie” will simply be cut into smaller “slices” to accommodate the singers, as well as the actors.