Initially I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to post this or not, but in the end I decided I should. I wanted to let everyone know what it takes financially to do a high production studio album, and keep in mind this is just an EP. Maybe this will help other bands make decisions on what they choose to do and how they choose to spend they’re money. Either way here it is:

Living Illusion Suffering Album Budget
Studio/Producer: $7,500
Mixing: $2,700
Mastering: $2,400
CD Duplication: $2,200
Remixes: $700
Drummer: $600
Pre-Pro Jam Space: $600
Album Cover Art: $400
Hard Drives: $350
Album Layout Design: $300
Drum Skins: $200
Cello Player: $150
Barcode: $50

Subtotal: $18,150

Additional Expenses:
Marketing Videos (EPK, Suffering): $900
T-Shirt Artwork: $390
CD Release Party Live Drummer: $300
T-Shirts & Hoodies Printing: $1,500

Subtotal: $3,090

Total: $21,240

So there it is. That is the money that was actually spent on the album. Yah, there were some other costs in there that weren’t directly related to the album itself ie. T-Shirts, but that being said you get the gist of it. You roughly need 15 – 20k to do an album with high end production values.

Now I just need to find a way to pay it all off.

MUSIC IS FREE.

FML

Shane Lamotte
shane@livingillusion.com
http://www.livingillusion.com