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Hi,

Im in talks with a client to do sound design for his project involving augmented reality (AR) which he intends to sell to niche high end clients for their weddings. I cant divulge any more details than the fact that by the discussions, it looks like a big project involving dancers, elaborate sound design, AR, HD projectors, etc. and ofcourse the married couple, which can be afforded by rich and affluent only. Duration of sound design is 3 mins.

I have never heard of AR being used for this kind of project and it looks very classy and unique and could have a big market among the wealthy and i have this feeling that once this clicks, they will get more clients requesting customized for their weddings, baby showers, etc.

Now that i have realised the project scope and work involved, since im not sure whether sfx from my sound library will suffice or if i will need a studio to record foley like effects, im wondering should i charge him a big one time fee or a smaller fee with royalty for his every sale to wedding couples.

How can i track and ensure i get correct and timely royalty? Do sound designers get royalty at all?

For projects like games, etc. which are sold to multiple clients, do sound designers receive royalty as well or just a one time fee?

Please reply soon as I have to send a audio rough cut for animation guy to create all VFX in next 2 days.

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For projects like games, etc. which are sold to multiple clients, do sound designers receive royalty as well or just a one time fee?

Depends on what you agree on. If the employer is a big company that employs many artists, then they almost always want to claim all rights for a fixed one-time fee (or pay a monthly wage), even from 3rd party contractors, because tracking and paying royalties is a lot of paperwork. If the employer is an individual or a small group and the project doesn't employ many artists, then it might be feasible to have royalties.

One-time fixed fee is the easier approach, but if you want to test whether you could rake in more by having a contract based on royalties, then it's always just a matter of negotiation.

How can i track and ensure i get correct and timely royalty?

By making a solid contract. If it's not paid when it should, then it's a contract infringement that leads to sanctions, which should be seen in the contract as well.

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  • Are the royalty paid out monthly or based on their no. of sales?
    – Aural Chef
    Commented Feb 24, 2013 at 13:58
  • @Aural Royalties are usually tied to listening times or sales (e.g x$ per 1000 listening times/products sold). For obvious practical reasons they are paid to the recipient e.g. monthly or less frequently, rather than making a payment every now and then when a product is sold. Depends on the contract, those are totally negotiable details.
    – Internet Human
    Commented Feb 24, 2013 at 14:25

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