How Much Does It Actually Cost to Make a Song? ($8,320)
The Internet can be a great marketing tool, but it is ruining the livelihood of many artists. This we all know. 
Jena Ardell
Ventura County-based photographer John Mueller penned an insightful post titled This Photograph Is Not Free, in which he determined the actual cost of producing one of his pictures. (This was a response to the requests photographers often receive for free usage of their work in exchange for "exposure.") He determined someone would have to spend $6,612 to shoot the same photo he shot.
And so, we decided to apply this concept to the recording industry, as musicians also often feel pressure to give away their music for free. Thus, how much would it cost someone to recreate a song from scratch?
We chatted with bassist Danny Bengston from the L.A.-based scuzz pop band Pangea to discuss some numbers.
See also: Stand Back: These Los Angeles Bands Are About to Blow Up
First, we determined Pangea's (approximate) equipment costs:
Erik's drum kit: $400
William's Squire guitar: $500
William's amp: $500
Danny's Squire bass: $200
Danny's bass amp: $600
Chad's Fender guitar: $900
Chad's guitar amp: $1,000
Then we added up the small things (approximately):
-Effects pedals: $50-100 each
-Patch cables: 5 each
-Mic stand: $20
-Mic cable: $20
-Instrument cables: $50 each
-Drum sticks: $10
-Guitar tuner: $50
-Guitar picks: $5 pack
-Gas money to get to studio: $15
-Copyrighting song(s): $45
When you reach the studio, you're going to have to pony up at least $450/day, so if you're lucky, you can have an album recorded in a week, which will cost roughly $3,150 in the studio. Mastering your album will cost about $500 and duplicating the CDs will cost about $250, for 100 CDs.
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