Unpaid Studio Internships: Working for free?

July 2006

Unpaid Studio Internships: Working for free?
Studio time is money
by Dan Richards

If you're looking for an internship at a recording studio - and you're serious about it - I just wanted to crank some numbers for those who think that an "unpaid internship" is working for free.

I spent a number of years working in commercial studios in New York City, and hiring and training interns. Even as an engineer it wasn't just about earning money for me. It was more about getting access to the gear. And if you're serious about recording and making music, spending time around a lot of sweet gear will be a high priority.

Instead of working for "free", let's turn it around. Instead of an "unpaid" internship, let's pay you. But let's also have you pay for the studio time and instruction you receive.

Do the math: You're hired on as an intern. You are "unskilled" labor at that point. Let's give you $10 an hour. You work 20 hours per week as an intern. $200/week.

You're there for instruction and also to be able to use the studio. The average engineer is around $25/hr and the average good commercial studio would be around $60/hr.

In a given month you'd work interning for 80 hours. If you had "the meter on" you would have earned $800. Let's give you a six-month internship with three 8-hour shifts per week. Total value if you were paid in cash: $4800

Let's turn "the meter on" for the engineers who instruct you and the studio time you'll use. Even if you are sitting quietly in a session in the back of the room ‚ you are "being instructed" by the engineer. And the studio and engineers are taking a chance on having an inexperienced intern in the studio - especially during sessions.

Month 1: You mostly clean and do errands. But you show demonstrate your dependability.

Month 2: You use a little downtime during your shifts to start using the DAW. Two engineers spend an hour each with you giving you instruction and answering your questions. You use 20 hours playing around in the studio. Studio time: $1200.

Month 3: You start using downtime at the studio. You use 5 hours per week. 20 hours of studio time in a month is $1200

"If you do the math you're hardly working for free. And, in fact, the studio has invested more time and money in you than you've invested in the studio."

Month 4: You bring in a friend and record some singer/songwriter material. You use 20 hours of studio time, and two different engineers each spend an hour with you. Studio time: $1200.

Month 5: You continue using downtime. You also work on mixing practice with a song file that's in the computer at the studio. You use 30 hours. Studio time: $1800.00

Month 6: You've proven you're a good egg. The owner gives you a set of keys to the studio. You start working on recording a friend's band late at night on the weekends. You use 16 hours of studio time every weekend that month. You're wiped out, but you're having fun and learning a lot. 64 hours of studio time: $3840.00. Additionally, two different engineers spend 5 hours each with you over the course of the month answering your questions, and even doing some tweaks on your recording project.

So ‚ after 6 months you've used $8800 worth of studio time. And you've had several engineers give their time to you talking, answering questions, and giving you instruction. You also have keys to the studio and are starting to really learn your way around. Over the course of 6 months you received 120 hours of instruction @ $25 per engineer is $3000.

If you do the math you're hardly working for free. And, in fact, the studio has invested more time and money in you than you've invested in the studio. You've exchanged $4800 worth of your time over 6 months for $8800 worth of studio time, as well as additional instruction from the engineers at roughly $3000 for a total of $11,800.

So, hey, if you'd rather get your $4800 @ $10/hour in cash and then pay the studio and engineers for the $11,800 worth of time you use, I'm sure the studio owner would be more than happy to work something out.

In that light, working for "free" in a nice studio starts to sound like a pretty sweet deal.

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Dan is the editor of Studio Reviews Magazine. He is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, engineer and producer. He was a 115th AES Panelist in NYC for the tutorial seminar, "All About Microphone Preamplifiers". He is interviewed in the Nov/Dec 2004 issue #44 of Tape Op magazine.
Dot is currently producing and engineering The Listening Sessions where he has spent the last few years using and listening to over 100 preamps/DI's and over 200 mics, and recently completed recordings with Terry Bozzio and Ronan Chris Murphy. He co-moderates the Recording Forum with Ronan Chris Murphy at Studio Forums.