Collaborate: Arrange Existing Music
“Chris Massa brings a vast amount of knowledge and experience to a piece of music, and at the same time, he has the sensitivity and understanding to know how the song needs to be. Chris isn’t interested in leaving his mark, he’s only interested in making something beautiful. He is the rare blend of immense talent and no ego. His priority is always to serve the song, not the other way around.”
Ben Hardt
Bandleader and Producer, New Victorians
Chris is available to arrange existing work for any ensemble, vocal and/or instrumental. As is the case with commissioning new works, please complete the Questionnaire.
There are (at least) two distinct types of arrangements: (a) those that are essentially transcriptions of an existing piece, and (b) those that use existing material as the jumping-off point for a piece. In instances of the former, the fee for completing the arrangement is $40/hour; in instances of the latter, since it is actually closer to an original work than a arrangement, it will be treated as a commission, with a lump fee rather than an hourly rate. On the basis of the proposal, Chris will respond (usually within a week) with an email that will either (a) accept and confirm the proposal, (b) ask questions about, or suggest changes to, the proposal, or (c) decline the proposal, and, in instances where the proposal is more of a commission than an arrangement, he will also ask that you propose a commissioning fee. Once the terms of the have been accepted, a contract will be sent that must be signed and received before work begins, and a signed copy will be sent to you as well. Please be aware that, from time to time, it is necessary for Chris to decline proposals, usually due to timing and scheduling constraints.
Due to the need to adhere to U.S. copyright laws, any and all pieces that are submitted for arrangement consideration must be either written by yourself or in the public domain. If, during the course of arranging, it is discovered that the source material is not in the public domain, the arrangement will cease, the work will be destroyed, and you will be billed for the time spent on the arrangement thus far.
Is this not quite what you were looking for? You may want to try Commission New Music or Copy/Transcribe/Edit Existing Music.