I've been trying to crack into this game for years.
I think the main problem is that I don't have my own premises and so can't call myself a 'studio'; but do have access to a number of facilities on a dry hire basis.
But no one's interested.
Am I rubbish? Am I somehow not marketing myself properly? What gives? Is it quite simply that there are more people out there with more time and potentially more money to put into it than me?
I'd love to know if you're successful (i.e. its your only source of income) and how you manage that. And, do you enjoy it now it's your only line of work?
Cheers!
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If you want to get into jingles/Tv/film a hobby studio would also suffice. I think @Clarky does this
movie trailers / media music, teaching and session work
as always with this stuff it's who you know..
Introductions, recommendations… you have to build / get in with a network of people
and even then it's not easy
If you are not established already then the chances of you getting it off the ground are almost zero.
It isn't down to talent- there are loads of talented people out there scratching around for nickel and dime work.
Things were good in the 80's, OK in the 90's and when downloading became a thing in the 00's things started to go seriously downhill.
I spend roughly 3-4 times what I earn from music on my studio each year but that is because I have another income stream that allows it.
I earn about 1/4 of what I was making in the late 90's from studio work (recording, mixing, VO work, session work).
I keep doing it because I love it.
If I didn't have another income then it would be very hard to stay current with the gear.
The problem is everyone with a MacBook and a copy of Reaper is calling themselves a 'producer'- so much so that the term has lost all meaning.
There are thousands of budding producer/engineers out there- engineering schools churn them out every year.
Virtually none of them can mic up a drum kit to an acceptable level, it makes me wonder what exactly they get taught.
If you want to make any money from mixing audio then get into live work.
it is still insanely competitive but at least you can make a bit from it.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
With so much scope for free promotion nowadays it's easier to get people to listen, harder to make them love.
My suggestion is to look for a more stable career and keep music as a part-time job/hobby.
I haven't found another niche since then but I'm sure there are relatively uncrowded markets out there - maybe music for mobile games, apps, or for low budget YouTube productions?
Once up and running we did get a fair bit of business but a lot of it was soul destroying work .... I have personally recorded and mixed more bad rap than I care to remember .... I've spent hours editing drums into time, days tuning vocals, There's a lot of stuff I can't bear to listen to now
There was a lot of good stuff recorded too .... some great bands recorded whole albums completely live, I worked with an artist who have had a UK number 1 album this year, did some interesting work in the gaming side of audio recording actresses being murdered, huge urban vocal groups, very talented gospel projects. We did all kinds of things, for anyone interested check out 2020studios on facebook
After five years though the loses were unsustainable .... we were skint and exercised a break clause we had built into the lease when we negotiated it. We moved out
I still make my money from music but now it's constant giging .... I do still track and mix bands but only on a live basis ... I'm sick of bands going into studios and being edited into something they can't reproduce live.
My advice is stick to home producing with no overheads. You can still get great results but not have the hassle and expense of running a studio
Then I did alright being a go to guy for ADAT when it first came out and understanding word clock.
I recorded some really terrible bands in the 90s
Did some stuff for Yamaha when they went into the domestic/PC market with the 01x and i88x as well as the Motif integration
Did some original instrumental commissions (art gallery and the likes) and bits of scoring and instrumentation which is amazing considering my level of reading. (turns out I write ok I just can't read particularly well)
More Recently I've done a few albums for 300Ft Gorilla and a Guitarist called Ed Box.
I've always had a home studio and decent kit. I've still got my Manley Reference Cardoid Valve Mic and my Neumanns and a rack full of Neve, SSL and Trident preamps. I toyed with joining Taxi and doing that kind of Ad agency songwriting stuff but I have to be honest with myself.
I'm not quick enough and I don't have the time or the commitment to put it together.
I have a home studio that is under used because I work hard and I play really lazily
Even with all of the above I've never made even a reasonable living out of it
Some money but mainly for the joy of creating and only really work for people of a quality like 300ft Gorilla (Paul Hindmarshes band)
Record as a hobby.
Gotcha, cheers gents.
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However, I do much more recording outside the job (that I don't get paid for) in my attic 'studio'.
I think that if you want to make money out of it, you need to be able to offer something that bands know they can't either (a) do themselves, or (b) get for free elsewhere. That might mean simply doing stuff to a higher standard than is available for free -- I've had some paid mixing work either from people who got frustrated trying to do it themselves, or realised that it's more economic to pay than to spend years learning how to do it. Or it might mean having equipment or skills that are not widely available. Relatively few 'home studio' types are properly set up to record orchestras on location, for instance.
One boring but potentially lucrative market is spoken word. There's actually quite a lot of demand, what with things like talking books and online course materials now being big business, and it's something that is extremely difficult to do well in most home studios, because you need a very quiet and acoustically neutral environment. Be prepared to slit your wrists after a week of tracking TEFL language learning scripts though.
If you're setting up a studio, rehearsal space is a much more reliable moneyspinner than recording, and the two can usually coexist.
Spend time on Gearslutz
There are lots of small studios in the UK and competition is fierce for what little money there is left, even top guys are doing mixing by email at home for lowish prices.
Guys that make money do so by offering things others don't like a great residential & recording space, professional production skills or sexy backline and instruments.
I have never in my life come across such a weird hotchpotch of received wisdom, bad advice, ignorance and plain falshood as is found on that forum. It's bizarre that it is so popular. There are much better web forums for recording like PRW, but they don't get the same traffic.
The only bit of Gearslutz that isn't comically dreadful is the Remote Recording section, which seems to be where the people who actually do recording hang out.
My favourite (and now only) source of advice is the UBK Happy Funtime Hour podcast.
I also find that demos of plugins rather than tutorials are more useful for mixing. And for recording techniques, Creative Sound Recording on Youtube is great.
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Bandcamp
Spotify, Apple et al
I learned a hell of a lot there but you do have to take a critical view of what you read, but that is true of anything.
Some excellent posters there- Bob Ohlsson, Michael Wagener, Tobias Lindell.
There are a couple of relentless gear pimps (*cough* Slate *cough*) but otherwise it is like any other forum- it has some awesome people, a few dickheads.
When I joined in 2004 it was a much different place- it was kinda like this place was in the early days of MR.
Things change.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
Even "who you know" is not enough to guarantee success, it always was a tough business, and the democratisation through technology has made it exponentially harder.
Even offering something unique, residential, etc, it is not enough to ensure survival.
Check out ~ https://www.ridgefarm.com/
They provide for Weddings and celebrations, Business, Holidays and Workshops, hmm, nice...
Now, discovering that was a shock after my time there in the mid eighties, it shows how things have changed, and continue to do so. If you can't survive with a global reputation, a superb facility, and a client list like the one below !
Control room in 1981, the studio was in the barn.
Client list of artists, musicians and producers by year
... Ridge Farm sadly follow the suit of many other large studios in the UK and close its doors as a residential recording studio ~ and become yet another business and wedding venue !
A sad but true story