Who here owns a studio in a building

[Sacred One]

I'm trying to find out all the pros and cons, bills, etc and all, trying to start like a recording so that I can rent it out to artist, make some money fill me?

 

[breal]

I'm trying to find out all the pros and cons, bills, etc and all, trying to start like a recording so that I can rent it out to artist, make some money fill me?

I think depending on what part of the country your from and if you are in a urban
area.I would think it could be a real money maker.

 

[Cleverwon]

Bro if youre going to get into business like that, youre required to carry Workers Comp insurance which is expensive as fuck. So unless you seriously think youll make good profit, id stick to home studios and such.

 

[Relic]

I have one.....In an apt building ..lol..
I wanted to do it but it seemed too damn complicated ,expensive, and too far away when I get inspired in the middle of the night.
One things for sure though.. People LIKE to give you money if hyour in a bldg.
Regardless of the fact that you can do pretty much the same shit in a home studio with the same end result, people(here) do NOT want to pay for home studios.

 

[Ash Holmz]

that shit expensive .. if u want ur studio to compete u had better have some nice gear in there ... ... i know a couple guys with pretty nice studios and none of them are making money like that. studios are double egded swords ... if ur rates are low .. then u will get teenage wannabe rappers and rockers coming through fuckin up ur equipment and making ur life hell. if ur rates are high, then there is a chance u will not atrract enough clients to keep ur bills paid... but any business is a risk go for it if you think u can do it!

 

[thedreampolice]

ya most engineers I know would make better money working at the factory. it is simply not a money maker these days. The overhead on your own build is insane, just think your rent will be (depending on where you live) $2000-$10000 a month. Just think how many hours you will need to bill just to pay rent let alone your other bills and maybe even yourself. I have to do video/compositing/producing/engineering just to make it and some years I hardly take home pay myself.

 

[Sacred One]

ok thanks for the input, I feel what yall are saying.

 

[Da IllFellaz]

i would do it. clev might be right about the workers comp thing but ive been thinkin bout opening up shop fo real. once the clientele is built and people know about your rates and what kinda sound you gettin, then shit is constant chedda. NEVER Do IT ON CREDIT THOUGH!!!

number one thing bout going into a building is that people will take you much more seriously.

like holmz said, all businesses are involve risk.

 

[Ash Holmz]

i think people take u seriously based on the type of equipment u have and more importantly the deameanor in which u carry urself ... i know a cat upstate that has a basement studio but the shit is legit... nice trident console, outboard gear up the ass, drum and vocal booths... nice selction of mics... proper sound treatment....etc. he also has a credit card machine,.. security system etc ... if u got a studio in a building but u got "home studio" gear than whats the point... if im paying somebody to record me they better have a high end mic running through a high end preamp into a nice console or converters ... and all that costs MONEY ... the initial investment is gonna be big if u wanna do it right... of course this all depends on location and circumstances... im sure if ur out in a more suburban or rural area than it would be easier to get away with it... but in a place like nyc the competition is too fierce.. u got commercial studios closing left and right cuz people are recording at home studios... even alot of established artists with big budgets are recording at home nowadays.

 

[KurtisRich]

It would be nice to lease out a building for a studio. If I had the money, that's what I would do. With me, I just don't like people coming over my house to record and know where I live.

 

[thedreampolice]

"i think people take u seriously based on the type of equipment "

I agree, but that is the wrong attitude. I have recorded in million dollar studios and in bedroom/basements and guess what I am expected to do just as good of job either way. Its just like producing its not the gear that makes a great recording its the engineer. Roger Nichols who has won 7 grammies for engineering http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Nichols_(Recording_engineer) is famous for saying "you guys get so caught up in the great give me three sm57's and a roland recorder and I will knock your socks off" or something like that. The longer I do this to more I am conviced of that. A good engineer will rock any equipment.

 

[open mind]

"i think people take u seriously based on the type of equipment "

I agree, but that is the wrong attitude. I have recorded in million dollar studios and in bedroom/basements and guess what I am expected to do just as good of job either way. Its just like producing its not the gear that makes a great recording its the engineer. Roger Nichols who has won 7 grammies for engineering http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Nichols_(Recording_engineer) is famous for saying "you guys get so caught up in the great give me three sm57's and a roland recorder and I will knock your socks off" or something like that. The longer I do this to more I am conviced of that. A good engineer will rock any equipment.

WORD! well said.

 

[Ash Holmz]

"i think people take u seriously based on the type of equipment "

I agree, but that is the wrong attitude. I have recorded in million dollar studios and in bedroom/basements and guess what I am expected to do just as good of job either way. Its just like producing its not the gear that makes a great recording its the engineer. Roger Nichols who has won 7 grammies for engineering http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Nichols_(Recording_engineer) is famous for saying "you guys get so caught up in the great give me three sm57's and a roland recorder and I will knock your socks off" or something like that. The longer I do this to more I am conviced of that. A good engineer will rock any equipment.

i hear ya loud and clear... the same goes for beat making and production...I started out making beats with just reason and a mouse!.. no midi controler or anything! .... but at the same time if ive never heard of u and i pay to come into your studio and u have an mbox with a mxl microphone plugged into it im asking for my money back! ... of course if u got skillz and reputation i would pay u for my services regardless of ur equipment .. but what we are talking about here is STARTING OUT a studio as a business venture ......unfortunately first impressions mean alot... even though he said that i bet roger nichols doesnt use a roland recorder lol...and roger nichols is most likely out of any of our budget range too lol ....... 57's are used everday on hit records so i dont doubt that he uses those...but in my post i also said that more important than the gear is the matter in which u conduct urself professionaly.... if i come into ur studio and i see plaques on the wall i dont give a fuc if Im rapping into the built in mic on your computer! .. but if i dont know u ... and ur rep doesnt proceed u ... then i wanna at least know that u got some quality equipment .. esp hip hop ... hip hop aint rock its simple (for the most part).. beat.. vocals... the beat isnt made at the studio (usually) .. so all we are doing is recording vocals and mixing for the most part. If im payin I want to record with a high quality mic through a high quality vocal chain period. I get great results at home so for me to go to a studio they gotta offer something worth my while whether thats experince or gear or hopefully both

 

[thedreampolice]

oh ya, I %100 agree!

 

[Blue77]

WORD! well said.

I'm no engineer, but I think the main thing is just building up your clientele first and I mean ,you could do that with the gear you got right now and wherever you record at now.The way I see it everybody on this site hopes to have that big studio one day if they don't already, so if youv'e got the bread, then do you.I'm sure that most people with all that gear didn't buy it all at once.Everytime you buy equipment your making a good or bad investment on that studio.But the Brooklyn dude has a point.Once you open up a studio like that,the majority of people will be looking at what kind of gear you got.

 

[eldiablo]

i got a lab in a building that i share with how many bands and etc. there are 5 rooms total.
around here you cant really have a nice set-up in your crib cuz you will get jacked quick. this is my second safe lab. dont get me wrong i have had set-ups in my apts and or houses but i never really told anybody where i lived and if people started to find out, and i needed to go out of town or something i would always have some of my peoples staying at my house when i was gone. its nice to have a studio/lab in a building,,,,,, no noise complaints, and if you build your shit correctly the chance on getting robbed is drastically reduced.
plus i dont ever rent out my studio. its for me and my krew. usually if someone doesnt own something they dont show the equipment or anything else for that matter the same respect as you would owning it.
everyone around here sucks dog balls anyway.

peace or at least a piece,
ELDIA

 

[robb_lowe]

I mean you can also look into getting a grant. You could get you a small grant and buy a decent sized building. (Nothing too fancy) I'm looking into that myself. There's so much free money out there that the government just gives away. You also got to make sure you're going for the right grant also. But, in order for you to even be consider for one of those is if you have a business plan. I have a book and a "cd rom" that i ordered. It tells you everything you need to know about grants and what kind of grant suits your needs. I'm still working out the kinks, but if i find anything else that is required, i'll holla...