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This question may seem rather stupid, but I wonder how do you thank people for letting you record at their place or their stuff. Some days ago I came by a local scrapeyard and asked the guy in charge if I could record some stuff they had there. He was very friendly and let me ran around and since I want to go there again in the near future I was wondering how to say thank you.

So what do you do? Do you just say "Thanks" or do you do something in exchange?

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6 Answers

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a bootle of good red wine can be a nice way to say thank you :)

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Ok, it seems that alcohol is the best payment =). Thanks for all your answers – Michael Manzke Apr 24 2011 at 22:35
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A good bottle of red wine is always a safe bet.

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If it is a museum, I often make a tax deductible donation.

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The main thing is that whatever you do, you need to have them on your side so if you get back to the studio and discover you need to do a second or third recording session, that (a) they will be happy to have you back again and (b) you haven't set such a high precedent that you can't afford to return!

It also depends how much of their time/resources I've used.... Most (non-professional) vehicle owners I've used are usually happy with $100 for a few hours of their & their vehicles time.... I often find vehicles to record by finding someone selling one, so to get an extra $100 for a vehicle they are selling can help them out, and usually people are interested in what you're doing & why.... Also think of their hourly rate, as you will be using their time... (If I ask them for a figure I always pay them more than they ask)

But if its a small thing or a favour then I agree with Iain, a nice bottle of red or bubbles or a dozen beer depending on their likely favourite, but appreciate some people dont drink and will appreciate something else (petrol voucher? chocolates?)

Being a scrapyard they are probably beer drinkers - did you notice any crates of empties? You definitely want to reward them as you may go back there again in the future....

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 My first thought was that I should buy them some beer, but I was wondering if it was a bit too clichee =) I never recorded cars, but giving somebody who wants to sell their car some money seems to be a good idea indeed. Maybe I should rent a second recorder and give it a try – Michael Manzke Apr 24 2011 at 22:33
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 @Tim What did you tell them when they asked "You're not going to rev it up above 6,000 RPMs, right?"? Hehe. :-) – Utopia Apr 27 2011 at 20:06
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I work mostly in video games. Folks love free video games.

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Take the money and run..metaphorically…joke..

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...recording bank vaults? =) – Michael Manzke Apr 25 2011 at 10:51
I was actually in a bank vault the other day at work, several of them in the basement of a close'd down bank though I was unable to record anything without my recorder. – Chris Apr 25 2011 at 16:14
All those potential sfx...gone! :C – JP Neufeld Apr 25 2011 at 17:13
Luckily, I work there on a semi-regular basis and now know that there exists a bank vault underneath. Zoom H4n powerup time. – Chris Apr 25 2011 at 17:44

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