This random lady came up to me when I was in front of my house and got my contact info. She asked me if I could write her song on paper so she could take it to a recording studio. For her song, I wound up charging $250 to write 250ish bars. I feel it was a massive discount for her considering how long it took to make sure everything was perfect. If I was charging by my hourly rate, this would have easily been a $500 job. Is time spent writing any different from teaching? What would you charge, flat rate or hourly rate like lawyers? I found it to be very time consuming and the next time I do it, I'd want it to be worth my while.

A "song"? As in with lyrics and all that? Solo piano?

Copying goes around 100-150$ per minute of music. Copying not transcribing. For 250 bars you could be copying an entire Beethoven Sonata. What would you charge for that? how much time would it take you to copy (not transcribe) an entire 20 page Sonata? with dynamics, both hands, articulations, legato slurs, tempo marking and God knows what else...

Copying and transcribing is usually charged by the page or by the minute. Depending on the difficulty of music, the orchestration, etc.

I don't think this would be considered copying. It's a single vocal line, but its an original composition. She makes it a little harder for me when she sings in a different key and the rhythm isn't exactly the same each time she sings. She knows this and will accept what I think the right rhythm is. She came by today and wanted me to fix a couple parts where the melody was off.

Ah...

In which case it's a single staff with rather minimun details. I would imagine that 250$ is fine or so for both of you. Just make sure you don't end up revising stuff again and again ("Oh this is an F, I just sung it wrong", "Here I mean...")

DD, as you are in the USA, you might check with the musicians' union and find out what the going rate is for this type of work.

Aurora is also in Ontario Canada. I was surprised to find it I think in Chicago? So not from USA here

I wouldn't imagine the fees to be far of for these two countries. If we were discussing LA vs New Delphi then by all means, but Ontario vs US seems reasonably close I think. Plus I just offered advice and I'm from Greece... heh...

You could just approach it from the point of view of having an hourly rate, and that's what your time costs, no matter what the task.

Yes I would go with the hourly rate because transcribing from a slightly unreliable singer is a bit unpredictable compared to a recording. Also you can make a judgement about how good you are at it and adjust the rate accordingly. Keep in mind that those who are good at this can write a melody with one pass, at tempo, away from the keyboard (providing it is neither too fast or strange tonality, and not vague singing). If you have to do a little hunting and checking this is probably slower. But yes, the vague and unreliable rhythmically wavering sung line is the worst to transcribe I have done it a few times for student and we get a, say, 3 minute song down in one lesson (messily in pencil). This of course is no guarantee that the song wont be a little different next week (which is where all your extra time comes in I bet!).

It sounds like you have done this person a big favour so perhaps you just have to feel good about your good deed this time

I was thinking Aurora, Colorado!

I have a friend who charges $25/hour (US) to write charts, and he's quick at it.