The Deal & Budget

Once you've found your composer, you settle the deal before the creative work begins — because a clear, fair agreement is what lets both of you focus on the music instead of worrying about money or rights. Composer deals for indie films often take the form of a package fee: a single agreed price to score the whole film, which the composer uses to cover their time, any musicians, and production. This is simple and predictable, which is great for a tight budget — you know the number up front. The most important thing to nail down (and the point where this course connects to the Music Licensing course) is ownership: will the deal be work-for-hire, where you commission and own the music outright, or a license, where the composer retains ownership and grants you the rights to use it? Either is legitimate, but it must be explicit in writing, because paying a composer does not automatically make you the owner — the contract decides that. Beyond fee and ownership, a good agreement spells out the practical scope: what the composer will deliver (how many minutes of music, in what form, with stems), the deadlines and milestones, how many rounds of revisions are included, and any credit and royalty arrangements. Get all of that clear and in writing up front, and the collaboration that follows can be purely about making the film sound great.

What the deal covers

The terms to settle before scoring begins:

• The fee (often a package). Indie composer deals are frequently a single package fee to score the whole film. Clarify what it covers — the composer's time, and whether musicians and production costs come out of it or are separate.
• Ownership: work-for-hire vs. license. Decide and write down who owns the music. Work-for-hire = you own it outright; license = composer keeps it and grants you rights. Paying doesn't equal owning — the contract does (see Music Licensing course).
• Deliverables. Specify what you get: the finished cues, the format (stems and a mixed master), and roughly how much music. Stems are important — they let sound and picture teams balance the score in the final mix.
• Deadlines & milestones. Agree a schedule — themes/demos by one date, drafts by another, final delivery by another — so the score keeps pace with your post-production timeline.
• Revisions. Define how many rounds of changes are included. Composers expect feedback and revisions, but unlimited free revisions is unfair — a reasonable, defined number protects both sides.
• Credit & royalties. Agree the on-screen credit, and clarify PRO registration/performance royalties (which come from broadcasters, not you). A fair credit costs nothing and means a lot to a composer.

Clear terms make a happy collaboration

The guiding principle here is that a clear, fair deal isn't a barrier to a good creative relationship — it's the foundation of one. Vagueness about money, ownership, scope, or deadlines is what poisons composer collaborations: the filmmaker who never pinned down ownership discovers they don't control their own film's music; the composer who was promised "a couple of tweaks" gets buried in endless revisions and grows resentful; the score that had no deadline arrives late and holds up the whole finish. Every one of those problems is prevented by settling the terms up front in writing, which frees both of you to pour your energy into the music rather than into anxiety or disputes. Two elements deserve special care. The first is ownership, because it's the highest-stakes term and the most commonly botched: you must decide explicitly whether the deal is work-for-hire (you own the music) or a license (the composer owns it and licenses it to you), and put it in the agreement — this is exactly the point the Music Licensing course drives home, that commissioning music gives you the cleanest rights only if you nail the ownership in writing, since "I paid for it" does not by itself make you the owner. For most indie films that want full freedom with their music, work-for-hire is the cleaner choice, but a license can work too if it covers all your uses; either way, don't leave it unstated. The second is fairness, because your composer is likely an emerging artist doing you a real service at an indie-friendly rate, and treating them fairly isn't just decent, it's smart: a defined and reasonable number of revision rounds (rather than "unlimited," which is exploitative), a realistic deadline, prompt payment, and a good on-screen credit all cost you little and buy you a motivated, generous collaborator who'll go the extra mile for your film. That good-faith foundation pays dividends across the whole process and even into future films (the final chapter is about building that lasting relationship). So approach the deal not as a hurdle but as care for the collaboration: agree the package fee and what it covers, decide and document ownership, specify deliverables including stems, set deadlines and a fair revision count, and lock in the credit. For anything significant, a simple written agreement — and, for larger budgets, a quick review by an entertainment attorney — is worth it, exactly as with any rights matter. (As always, this is general educational information, not legal advice.) With clear terms in place and the money and rights settled, you and your composer can turn fully to the creative work — which begins with sitting down to watch the film together and decide where the music goes: the spotting session, next.