Question about hourly rent studios

[Bizzacore]

Hello there!

 

**TITLE SHOULD READ: Question about hourly rent radio/podcast studios

 

I was wondering if anything like this existed near anyone's locations.

 

If so, do they do good business?

 

If not, is it something one who doesn't own their own studio might be interested in?

 

Thanks for the info everyone!

 

Chris

[Brutish Sailor]

I've seen a couple come and go.

 

If you have the setup already, and know what your doing, its not a bad idea.

 

What I would recommend:

 

Hit up all the unpublished bands forums and market your business venture there. When i used to hit up small "under-the-table" studio producers during my band days, they wanted $100 for 2 hours. This block wont hold the hour worth of swearing them out like I did.

 

But back to the unpublished bands thing. I would drop a line to some bands. Tell them you listened to their music, and you liked it but the recording sounds like garage ridden hell. Then work with them on fees.

 

In my personal experience with all the unpublished bands I keep in touch with, a recording studio is like a tattoo parlor. A demo is like show and tell. First unpublished bands trade and swap demo playings and comment on each others recordings. Then they talk about the good cost and how much they liked/disliked the producer.

 

So you be cool, have some beer in the fridge. Be willing to cut them a first time brake and a "repeat" discount. You swap some stories. Make sure you listen more because their experience at that point of being in a studio will more than likely be the highlight of their music career unless they get picked up by a decent label.

 

And be honest. If they ask you how they sound? Make a random joke, and drop it hard what you would change. But at the same note, dont try to mold them. THEY have to be happy with the final product, otherwise a "bad tattoo" story.

 

But studio time with an unpublished band should be fun for them. Cut them slack, and you should get a fair share of "I heard of you through band X"

 

You dont believe me? The first recording producer I had was Mike Franklin. He was 62, loved vodka, and I attended his funeral. Only two recordings total for our band. Best two days ever, and worth every penny.

 

We got stressed, and he said "STOP!" and we went to his kitchen, had some cheap oven pizza, watched The matrix on this beat up couch (obviously the one for house guest like us he feeds.) Then got in their in good spirits, and WAILED. We had some beers and listen to his stories of meeting Jimmy Hendrix afterwords. Good people.

 

Not quite a tattoo, but I'll swap that story with any unpublished band any day of the week. $150 for 8 hours, plus we restocked the beer afterwords.

[Bizzacore]

Wow, Sailor, that's a hell of a story!

 

See, now I'm half mad at myself because I should have been more specific. I meant Hourly Rent RADIO Studios.. However, another thing of mine has been putting together a demo factory for local unsigned bands.. So your story isn't all for naught.

 

Thanks so much for sharing your insight!

 

Chris

[Brutish Sailor]

That I have never heard of.

 

The reason I would see the rent for podcasting thing tedious and unreliable is:

 

1) I have hit up MANY pod casting sites, because if their is one thing a pod caster likes to do, its have a makeshift, ghetto rigged studio. Perfect tips for low budget SC guys starting out like myself.

 

Most local podcasters from what I've seen on forums LIKE the idea of the makeshift studio. I have never really came across any that are looking for something more. Reason being?

 

Do you realise how many more licenses they need then your typical SC broadcaster to be 100 legal with copyrights? Most that are legal use unpubed bands and magnatunes in their recordings.

 

Its not impossible to really have a good show worth a donation, but to get a good following can be mighty difficult.

 

Podcasters like to be spontanious as thet are hobbiest and put shows together through the day. So for them a price as far as studio time usually goes out the budget window as far as recordings.

 

If you lived in a very well populated area, this might work, but I know for San Diego, it wouldnt fly.

 

 

As far as renting a studio for a SC broadcast like mine, (this is all just personal opinion)

 

Why? I like the idea of being garage non-metropolis sounding radio show.

My bills would be THROUGH the rough if I did recording on a daily basis.

 

Im not trying to say it wouldnt work, but half the fun of broadcasting for guys like me is being able to say," I can go on air right now, and do whatever I feel like within my limitations. Lets push those limitations one step further. Exsternal mixer? Never used one. I'll figure it out. Mic? I'll figure it out" and so on.

 

 

Again, this is just my personal experience. But a guy that buys SAM is NOT going to want to leave his house for recording/broadcasting a show without a deal that is VERY affordable.

 

Same with the SC generation. SC basiclly gave us the unspoken right to say," I hate what is on the radio right now, so I am going to make my own." Its that free spirit that keeps the SC revolution alive.

 

Again, this is just my personal experience.

[Ricardo]

Great story, Brutish. And I'm not surprised by your answer - I'd expect lots of people doing podcasts to be cranking them out from their computers.

 

I used to do some MIDI arrangements for singers years ago, and I know it can be very time consuming "nurturing" people as they try to find their sound, and many of them are very much looking for a bargain.