I'm a composer for film (which if anyone is looking for music, keep me in mind... you can check out my reel and samples at
http://www.bydavidrosen.com /endplug)...
I've been arguing about this article (and other similar articles) with my composer friends a lot lately... I've been meaning to get more involved on this board, so this seems like a good place to start.
This theory of "never work for free" is crap. I've scored one feature (and am attached to score three features later this year), almost thirty shorts, and dozens of trailers, corporate videos, commercials and other kinds of video projects... As well as games, jingles, and even more kinds of projects. Every year I try to change the balance of what is paid and what is not paid. It started out at 0% paid and 100% unpaid. Because quite frankly... Who in their right mind would hire someone with no samples or experience? I sure as hell wouldn't hire a web designer with no examples of his work. Or a costume designer who just "says" they can do the job but the only proof they have is a picture of their friend all done up on Halloween. No. Not going to happen. But if you can't get hired for paying jobs without experience, what do you do? You start off working for free.
So every year that I gained more experience and worked on more stuff, I started turning down free jobs or pushing harder for pay. And now, I'd say I'm somewhere around 80% paid and 0% free. Technically I've been on this path for over a decade, but I've only
REALLY been actively working for the past 6 years or so.
Now, I have two things to say about this whole situation.
1) Are people who are constantly working for free and/or very little money bringing the industry down? Yes. There's really no argument that can be made. If people think they can get work done for nothing, they're going to try to get it done for nothing. Most people will even sacrifice quality if needed... But ESPECIALLY if they can get similar quality for nothing, they're going to go for it.
2) Is it OK then, to work for free when you're starting out? Yes. Because there's really no choice in the matter when you're starting out. If I was working for free all the time at this point in my career, I'd be an idiot and an a-hole. Once in a while is fine if there's some good reason for it or it's a project I just really want to work on, or it's a favor or something. But for people starting out, you simply are not going to get paid anything resembling a fair price for your music. It's not going to happen. So don't let angry old composers (like me on a bad day) tell you you're ruining the business by working for free.
This was all kind of stream of consciousness here, so sorry if I'm kinda all over the place haha. The moral of the story is beginners... Don't listen to these grumpy old farts. Do what you gotta do to make a career and name for yourself. And filmmakers... Try to leave some budget for music.