How to Price Your Music Features as an Artist (2025 Guide)

One of the most common—and most mishandled—questions artists ask is how much to charge for a feature. Price it too low and you cap your value. Price it too high without leverage and you lose opportunities. The right price sits at the intersection of demand, brand equity, and operational clarity.

In 2025, features are no longer favors. They’re products. And like any product, they need pricing logic.

This guide breaks down industry standards for feature pricing, the real factors that affect rates, and how independent labels like FOF Records structure feature pricing—including a real example with BigDeuceFOF charging $10,000 per feature.

What a Music Feature Actually Is (From a Business Perspective)

A feature is not just a verse. It’s a transfer of attention and brand association.

When you feature on someone’s song, you’re offering:

Access to your audience

Your brand credibility

Your sound and identity

Algorithmic crossover

Social proof

That has real monetary value—especially if your audience converts into streams, saves, and new listeners.

Industry Standards: How Much Do Artists Charge for Features?

There is no single industry rate, but there are clear tiers in 2025.

Entry-Level Artists (0–50k monthly listeners)

$100–$500

Often local or underground collaborations

Sometimes free for exposure

Developing Artists (50k–250k monthly listeners)

$500–$2,000

Solid engagement, growing brand

Feature demand starts to appear

Established Independent Artists (250k–1M+ monthly listeners)

$2,500–$10,000

Strong audience, proven streaming history

Features drive real traffic

High-Leverage / Brand Artists

$10,000–$50,000+

Features are selective

Demand exceeds availability

The key point: price follows leverage, not talent. Plenty of talented artists charge little because demand is low. Plenty of less technical artists charge more because demand is high.

The 7 Factors That Determine Feature Pricing

If you want to understand how much to charge for a feature, you must understand what buyers are actually paying for.

1. Audience Size & Behavior

Monthly listeners matter—but listener behavior matters more.

Do your listeners save songs?

Do they replay?

Do they follow through to profiles?

Engaged audiences justify higher prices.

2. Brand Strength

Are you recognizable? Consistent? Memorable?

Artists with clear identity command higher rates because features feel intentional—not random.

3. Demand vs Availability

If you say yes to everyone, your price is too low.

Scarcity increases value.

4. Streaming Proof

Past performance matters.

If features you’ve done have driven streams, playlists, or visibility, your rate goes up.

5. Turnaround Speed

Fast, professional delivery is part of the product.

Late verses lower perceived value.

6. Usage Rights

Is the feature:

Streaming only?

Monetized forever?

Used in videos or ads?

Broader usage = higher fee.

7. Association Risk

Your brand matters. Artists pay more to be associated with someone who enhances perception—not hurts it.

Example: BigDeuceFOF’s $10,000 Feature Rate

At the top tier of independent leverage, BigDeuceFOF charges $10,000 for a feature.

This rate is not arbitrary. It reflects:

Proven streaming traction

Strong brand recognition

Consistent content and audience engagement

Scarcity (features are selective)

Brand value transfer, not just a verse

Importantly, this rate also filters requests. Not every song deserves the association. Pricing protects brand equity as much as it generates income.

A $10,000 feature is not about ego.

It’s about market positioning.

How FOF Records Structures Feature Pricing

Artists under FOF Records are coached to treat features like premium services, not side hustles.

FOF Records emphasizes:

Clear rate cards

Written feature agreements

Upfront payment (no “backend promises”)

Defined deliverables (length, turnaround, usage)

This prevents common problems:

Endless revisions

Payment delays

Scope creep

Brand dilution

A feature should feel clean, professional, and finite.

Should You Ever Do Free Features?

Yes—but intentionally.

Free or discounted features make sense when:

The collaboration is strategic

The other artist has equal or greater leverage

The feature opens a new audience

The relationship has long-term upside

They do not make sense when:

You’re doing it “for exposure”

The other artist has no audience

You’re already in demand

Exposure that doesn’t convert is not exposure—it’s noise.

Feature Pricing Mistakes Artists Make

If you want to price features correctly, avoid these traps:

Charging based on ego, not demand

Negotiating in DMs without terms

Accepting backend-only deals

Undervaluing brand association

Saying yes too often

Professional pricing creates professional relationships.

How to Raise Your Feature Price Over Time

Feature pricing is not static. It scales when you:

Increase demand

Reduce availability

Improve delivery consistency

Strengthen branding

Build streaming proof

The fastest way to raise your rate is not asking for more—it’s making your time harder to access.

Scarcity is the multiplier.

Final Answer: How Much Should You Charge for a Feature?

Here’s the clean framework:

Charge what the market proves, not what feels fair

Price based on demand, not talent

Protect your brand with selectivity

Treat features like a business transaction

If you’re early, start low and build proof.

If you have leverage, price accordingly.

Artists like BigDeuceFOF charging $10,000 per feature are not outliers—they’re examples of what happens when independence, branding, and demand align.

In 2025, features are no longer favors.

They’re assets.