Recording Studio Policies

  • Services and Rates:

    • Production Services: For any Recording/Producing, Editing, Mixing, or Mastering (including Project Management) services, Artist agrees to pay a rate of eighty dollars ($80.00) per hour. This rate is all inclusive of room rental, engineer fee, and cartage.

    • Custom Music Creation: Twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per instrument, per song (up to $150 per song). This includes arranging and recording virtual instrument programming involving more complex articulations and/or permutations outside of basic performances. Artist pays outside session players directly at their agreed upon rate.

    • Stems and Session Transfers: Any work on a session that requires bouncing or recalling projects will be charged the standard hourly rate of eighty dollars ($80.00) per hour.

  • Unless otherwise agreed beforehand in writing, each recording session shall be booked for a minimum of three (3) hours. Sessions begin at the scheduled time, whether the Artist is present or not. If Artist chooses to end a session early, Artist shall still be charged for the remainder of the time. If our studio engineer chooses to end a session early for their own reasons, Artist shall pay only for the time used.

  • Artist agrees to provide notice of any cancellation or postponement of a meeting or studio session scheduled at least one (1) business day prior to that session. For any no call/no show cancellations, Artist shall be billed 50% of minimum session time. This is to compensate our staff for their time spent setting up for the scheduled session. Session cancellations on the same day may be rescheduled up to one time with no charge. Emails regarding cancellation should be addressed to studio@vanguardartscenter.com using the subject “Studio Cancellation”, prior to the session start time.

  • For initial in-person sessions, the agreed-upon session minimum shall be prepaid. Artist shall receive an email with the contact number to provide a credit card to keep on file and to pre-pay the session fee. Any time in excess of the minimum shall be prorated and invoiced following the initial session.

  • Payment is due at the end of the session. Payment for services rendered without the Artist present shall be due no later than 3 business days from the invoice date, and prior to receipt of any new project deliverables. The credit card stored on file will be charged for session payments. This is the primary and preferred payment method. If Artist wishes to use a different credit card the Artist will give at least 1 business day advance notice. No cash can be accepted. For the safety of our staff and our clients, we do not keep cash on hand or anywhere on the premises. A detailed invoice and timesheet will be included with payment receipt.

  • For any and all remote (virtual) studio or consulting sessions, the agreed-upon session minimum shall be prepaid. If session exceeds the minimum booking fee, Artist agrees to pay the pro-rated balance electronically at the end of the session via stored credit card.

  • If payment card is declined, after thirty (30) days, and no other arrangements have been agreed upon, a fee amounting to 10% of the outstanding balance shall be added to the Client’s account each month until paid. We reserves the right to suspend all work until accounts are made current.

  • We will make every effort to deliver products that meet or exceed its clients’ expectations; however it has a “No Refund” policy on any and all services.

  • Artist shall retain 100% of the rights in the Master Recording(s). . Artist shall also retain 100% of the rights to the Composition(s), unless VACRS makes fundamental contributions to the Composition(s), which must be authorized by Artist beforehand, and the percentage of which shall be agreed to by both Parties in writing via a Split Sheet prior to the completion of the Recording(s). VACRS shall be assigned a share of the Publishing equal to that of any assigned Writer’s share. Artist agrees to release VACRS from any liability arising from the commercial release of cover songs or portions of previously copyrighted material contained in Recording(s) produced by VACRS.

  • Appropriate credit shall be given wherever produced recordings are publicly displayed (including physical media, YouTube, and any and all streaming platforms hosting Artist’s recordings involving our services) in the event our staff perform one or more of the following roles on Artist’s recordings: Producing, Engineering, Recording, Mixing, Mastering, Writing , Arranging, and/or Performing, using the format “{_________} by [Name], Vanguard Arts Center Recording Studio, Chantilly, VA., www.vanguardartscenter.com”. Our staff reserve the right to remove their names and assign all credit to Artist on a per song basis.

  • Studio equipment is available for Artist’s use during sessions under VACRS’s supervision. Artist agrees to handle all equipment with care. The Artist will be held financially responsible for any damage to equipment caused by negligence or misuse during their session. Equipment may not be removed from the premises without prior written consent from VACRS.

  • For scheduling, questions, concerns, and requests you may email studio@vanguardartscenter.com or call the studio line at (703) 758-3271.