Viability of Recording Studio in 2012

[tonymite]

[b]Viability of a Recording Studio[/b]


Given today's economic situation and technological advances which have made broadcast quality recordings within everyone's reach - is the idea of a fully blown recording studio as a commercial business a viable idea and are punters willing to pay what the room/s are worth - OR -
would most sacrifice a bit of real estate in order to achieve comparable results in a '' cosier' environment??

A few years ago, I had plans to open a commercial facility 12km from Melbourne's CBD in an ex- Squash Courts building consisting of 3 adjacent (double brick cavity) courts.
[b]
Please see attachments & links:[/b]

http://s300.photobucket.com/albums/nn29 ... 0Proposal/

http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewt ... =1&t=10426
[/u][/b]


Years later... I haven't given up on the idea but just upon going full steam ahead, something made me Google the question:

"Viability of a recording studio'' which led me to


[b]the following:[/b]

http://www.electricalaudio.com/phpBB3/v ... =6&t=54301

http://stereosociety.com/recordingstudio.shtml



and perhaps there isn't the same demand for such a studio and even if my studio is the next Abbey Rd, clients may not be willing to pay for it - AND - If I could squeeze the studio idea into ONE single court

(kinda like Steve Albini's Electrical Audio (studio B) :

[b]see:[/b]

http://www.electricalaudio.com/StudioB/studioB.php


and leave the rear two courts for development into apartments... perhaps I can have a steady income and work from the front court which must remain commercial.


I don't have a list of clients as yet (this was one of the reasons for the studio idea) and even once complete... will still take me a good couple years to develop a reputation as a facility/engineer/producer.

For those of you out there constantly in the business of recording/mixing/mastering etc... what are clients (bands/ad agencies (are ad agencies mainly in-house or out sourcing these days??)/engineer/producers) paying these days for facilities??What's the going rate??

Are there $800/day rooms in existence any more or are those rooms now $300/day rooms??

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks - Tony

[jkhuri44]

I'll shotgun an engineer job at that place when you open, thanks.

[tonymite]

glad someone still believes in me

[wez]

Please don't take this the wrong way... but are you seriously thinking about sinking a shit load of cash into a 'commercial facility' with neither a solid client base, nor extensive knowledge of exactly who your competition are, how much they are charging, or who their clients are?

I wish you well with your endeavour, but i would suggest that you might want do a bit more research (and i don't think posting a question on a forum counts).

But hey, good luck!

[Drumstruck]

Didn't they just outsource Oz's audio industry to chigrendia?

[jkhuri44]

dont you mean Chindophillands?

[tonymite]

thanks Wez ... I am 80% there ... own the building .. and most equipment (it's never enough) icl.
MCI/SONY MXP-3000, Studer A827, Alesis HD24XR... shitload of mics

done business plan - spoken to some people ... things have changed in those years excepted my progress...

minimal overheads ... but ... it seems I better go the 'project' way and have the best Home Theatre system of al my friends

[Chinagraf]

I'd scrap the commercial recording studio idea and put in band rehersal rooms with the facility to record, maybe a separate small control room with recording system and tie lines into each of the rehersal rooms.
You could use it as a mix room when bands don't want to record stuff. I get a lot of younger crew asking me to mix stuff, cause they are happy to track it terribly by themselves, but get a bit flummoxed when it comes to mix time.

Although if it were me, I'd be redeveloping the building into apartments and setup my own awesome home studio with the wad of cash I'd make from the developement..

[rick]

can anybody tell me where prince is recording tonight in sydney ..?
.. well its not 301
so yes there is always going to be a viability for a large recording studio in capital cities
if you have some clue about what you are doing and your the right sort of bloke

but its harder then one would imagine if you dont have that clue

just get on with it tony .. life has no guarantees

[ChrisW]

Rehearsal studios are a better bet than a recording studio IMO.
I think recording studios need a vibrant record scene to survive. At the moment records are 'free'.
I wouldn't go to a commercial facility unless it offered me something I couldn't get at home - a kick ass, world class drum room, or a big space to record an orchestra or big band.

[Manning]

Well I started my project on the assumption that it would never generate dollar one, and that I would forever be pouring money into it.

I have a non-music related business which earns me a very respectable income, so I can afford the expense. Plus I'm still spending less than if I poured money into a different form of "extravagant self-indulgence", such as owning a yacht (which also involves no revenue and forever pouring money in).

I'm a LONG way from breaking even - frankly I don't ever expect to. If we can get to where it earns enough to just cover a weekly salary for my engineer, thus leaving him time to do non-revenue earning work for my other projects then I'll be happy. He's a good engineer and he's got a facility he couldn't have afforded to put together on his own, so we're both content.

I have a (completely unfounded) theory that developing and producing new artists will be more lucrative than trying to be a rental facility to poverty-stricken musicians, so that is where I'm ultimately trying to go. Even if it completely fails, at least it might be enjoyable. However as noted, I'm fortunate enough to be able to afford total failure.

[Drumstruck]

can anybody tell me where prince is recording tonight in sydney ..?

nah, he's down here Rick






as if ......

[Senad]

so yes there is always going to be a viability for a large recording studio in capital cities
if you have some clue about what you are doing and your the right sort of bloke

but its harder then one would imagine if you dont have that clue

just get on with it tony .. life has no guarantees

I read many of your posts Rick, and lately you just seem to come across a bit more positively, which is great.

I'd scrap the commercial recording studio idea and put in band rehersal rooms with the facility to record, maybe a separate small control room with recording system and tie lines into each of the rehersal rooms.

Good advice...something that's crossed my mind lately as well.

[wez]

And as for "viability"... just ask the guys who've been doing it for 20 years with a huge client base, and see how long it takes them to stop laughing and wipe the tears from their face...

But if you're in it for other reasons (ie not to make money) then its a different game.

Seriously, i'm not trying to be negative.... just honest. Maybe you've got the personality and people skills to make it work... because that's where it's at. Having all the money/gear/property/plans in the world adds up to nothing if people don't love working with you. I speak from direct experience here.

Anyway, it sounds like you are already well into the project... probably no point asking for opinions now, as you're already there in your mind, and nothing anyone says will stop you. Again, i've been there... i mean, i should've listened, but where's the fun in that? Some times you've just got to find out for yourself.

[tonymite]

[quote="rick"]can anybody tell me where prince is recording tonight in sydney ..?
.. well its not 301
so yes there is always going to be a viability for a large recording studio in capital cities
if you have some clue about what you are doing and your the right sort of bloke

but its harder then one would imagine if you dont have that clue

just get on with it tony .. life has no guarantees[/quote]

life v1.0?

[rick]

so yes there is always going to be a viability for a large recording studio in capital cities
if you have some clue about what you are doing and your the right sort of bloke

but its harder then one would imagine if you dont have that clue

just get on with it tony .. life has no guarantees

I read many of your posts Rick, and lately you just seem to come across a bit more positively, which is great.


- oh good more positive , from the places I have been that has
To be good .
Onwards and upwards

[geareyes]

@ Rick - Turning.

[Thirteen]

technological advances which have made broadcast quality recordings within everyone's reach -

Can anyone tell me when I will be able to hear something broadcast that is "broadcast quality" from Mr. Everyman?

[Manning]

technological advances which have made broadcast quality recordings within everyone's reach -

Can anyone tell me when I will be able to hear something broadcast that is "broadcast quality" from Mr. Everyman?

I have lots of gear so my Grammy can't be far away. I also have Microsoft Word, so I can add the Nobel Prize for literature to my collection.