A new studio just opened up a few miles from myne!

  • Thread starter Thread starter wjgypsy
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Lets look at a harmless analogy to your situation. Answer me these questions three...

What is your quest?
What is your favourite colour?
What is the capital of Assyria?

Did that help? Lets try another then.

Have you eaten at every restaurant within a 25 mile radius of your dwelling?
If no - why not? Maybe because you didnt know about them. Lesson - the restaurant owner needs to advertise better.

Or maybe there is another reason. Would you eat at a restaurant if you walked in and saw rodents trampling over the counters and falling through the ceilings? The lesson - the owner needs the right look & credibility.

Or - if you were thinking about going to a restaurant but saw that the cook's hands were covered in dirt - youd prolly not go. The lesson - the cook need to learn to impress upon people that he is confident in his skills. He cannot do this if he looks like he is incapable of cooking a fine meal.

You may be the finest chef in the world. You might put Emeril to sheer shame - but if no one knows about it, it's not going to bloom into a business. And people won't know firsthand unless they eat there. And you wont get people to eat there unless you get them in the door. And you wont get them in the door just because you know you are good. Dont give up, keep honing your skills - but you also need to hone your business skills and learn how to appeal to people.

Additionally - on a side note - I can only steal something from you if it was yours in the first place. He isnt stealing people from you - that would be your quest.

Good luck.
 
Hmm. Someone who records in a Trailer.....















Why does that sound familiar? :confused:
 
c7sus said:
The difference is he's an adult and you're not...
Click to expand...
BINGO!
Ding - Ding - Ding - Ding
We have a winner!

Being an adult, he has a certian amount of credibility that you lack. That credibility may only be percieved, but its there, and it gives him an edge over you.

If I were shopping for a studio, and one was run by a kid, the other by an adult; guess which one I'm going to choose.

Also, lower pricing ISN'T ALWAYS an effective marketing strategy.
There is a percieved value in any consumer good or service.
To many people, less expensive = lower quality.

Find your market niche, target that, and let the chips fall where they may.
 
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Scinx said:
Lets look at a harmless analogy to your situation. Answer me these questions three...

What is your quest?
What is your favourite colour?
What is the capital of Assyria?

Did that help? Lets try another then.

Have you eaten at every restaurant within a 25 mile radius of your dwelling?
If no - why not? Maybe because you didnt know about them. Lesson - the restaurant owner needs to advertise better.

Or maybe there is another reason. Would you eat at a restaurant if you walked in and saw rodents trampling over the counters and falling through the ceilings? The lesson - the owner needs the right look & credibility.

Or - if you were thinking about going to a restaurant but saw that the cook's hands were covered in dirt - youd prolly not go. The lesson - the cook need to learn to impress upon people that he is confident in his skills. He cannot do this if he looks like he is incapable of cooking a fine meal.

You may be the finest chef in the world. You might put Emeril to sheer shame - but if no one knows about it, it's not going to bloom into a business. And people won't know firsthand unless they eat there. And you wont get people to eat there unless you get them in the door. And you wont get them in the door just because you know you are good. Dont give up, keep honing your skills - but you also need to hone your business skills and learn how to appeal to people.

Additionally - on a side note - I can only steal something from you if it was yours in the first place. He isnt stealing people from you - that would be your quest.

Good luck.
Click to expand...
Good stuff!
 
Michael Jones said:
Also, lower pricing ISN'T ALWAYS an effective marketing strategy.
There is a percieved value in any consumer good or service.
To many people, less expensive = lower quality.

Click to expand...
I am in a total agreement with you, Michael. When I told him to compete price wise I was simply referring to "beating" the other guy's price. I can see how a band would rationalize his lack of quality by 1) The $10 difference in cost, and 2) The much younger age (I just came to realize how young he is!)

Offer quality but at a lower (not drastically) price.

Beat the competion but don't advertise a sense of lower quality. ;)
 
zeke

You should change your pricing to a hourlly rate ,like say $7. $15 for 5 hrs comes out to $3 an hour that screams-NEWBIE. Raise you prices a little and when someone calls, tell them that your running a special(like C7 said) this month like:
3 song demo, includes 15 hrs(additional hrs at set $7/hr price) & 10 cdrs--> for $75. ITs all about making the client thinking hes getting a deal. they will save $30 this month with your "months special".
Just beacuse youve been recording for a couple of years does not mean you have experince and skills. Ive been recording for a few years, currently im running a digi 001, with aphex107 pres, and some decent mics, i have some nice sabian cyms, mesa recto head, and marshall 4x12 etc, that im willing to let clients use and im charging $8/hr. And ill spend extra unpaid hrs working on mixes, why? because you need to do good work to recieve more customers. word of mouth travels.
 
Some more things to keep in mind:

Every successful business transaction results in two happy parties. If you decided to open up a recording studio with the hopes of learning as you go, then why would anyone want to spend their hard earned money on you? Consider that every dollar that you take in was probably earned flipping burgers for many hours. When people are shopping for a service they don't look at the lowest price, they look at getting the most for their money. These are related but different concepts.

There are several other guys around here who are in their infancy years as recording engineers, and I'm not aware of any of them who just opened a studio and expected clients. No, most of them are starting very small...doing work for free...getting out of the house and recording live bands...stuff like that. Once they start building a name for themselves they start charging for their expenses, and maybe after a good while they start making a real profit. But that profit just seems to be icing on the cake, because really they didn't get into it with the hopes of it turning into a "good job", or at least that wasn't the driving factor.

I think at this point in your life you need to get out there. Offer to record high school jazz bands...friends...hang around the music stores and make some contacts.

Personally the whole trailer thing would totally turn me off. Unintentionally but by design trailers just plain sound like shit :(

Slackmaster 2000
 
So do you think that i should do some freebees first or just do that monthly special thing? I Thank all of you for your replys. I've learned alot all ready. I'll put all of them together and see what comes up. :)


Oh, and slack: The trailer is looking great. i'll send you some pics when it's done. maybe it will change your mind about Studio Trailers! :D


Z
 
And i've also came up with this: "If your are not Completely Satisfied, you pay nothing!" (ofcorse i'll run it through a spell check before i post it a my web site :D) So basicly, what i'm saying is" If you don't like the sound of your finished product, then you don't have to pay nothing." (But you don't get to keep the project or nothing.)


Will that help?

Z
 
the problem with that is that people will presume it means they can keep asking you to make little tiny changes in the mix for months after you're done, for free.
 
ZEKE SAYER said:
So do you think that i should do some freebees first or just do that monthly special thing? I Thank all of you for your replys. I've learned alot all ready. I'll put all of them together and see what comes up. :)


Oh, and slack: The trailer is looking great. i'll send you some pics when it's done. maybe it will change your mind about Studio Trailers! :D

Z
Click to expand...
You even liked my neon billboard about free beer? ;) (j/k) Pics would be good.
 
heres an idea

you should hook your trailer studio to a truck and park it right infront of his so people that booked him and going to his studio actually go to yours thinking it's his heh heh. Umm no but seriously... maybe you should start puttin' out some money for a real domain name and advertising in the yellow pages and stuff... trust me you'll make your money back... those are my idea's.
 
I'm working on my website. I useing each peice of advice you give me you guys, so keep'em com'n!


Z
 
The problem with this is that he's nice and cool but he brags about how high end his studio is and stuff. and it is pretty high but not that high. not Neuman,joe meek, pro tools high. more like behringer,nady,marshall. (about like me.)

But when i get my studio back on it's feet, i plan to post ads in the newspaper, internet, put up signs in town, anywhere i can.

Z
 
OK, I must admit I don't know much about where you live or the recording biz but here's some common sense advice I guess from my experience in another industry.

Perhaps most importantly, you can't underestimate the importance of gaining contacts in the local music community. Is there a gig scene in your town? If so you should try going to see bands there as often as you can, get to know the regulars, offer your services to some bands/artists. Put some flyers into local venues etc. After a while bands will get to recognise you and it pays off. The scene in my town is pretty good and after a while you get to know who people are, even if you don't really know them personally e.g. "There's that guy who owns a studio down in ...' or 'Oh you're looking to record a demo? I know this guy...'

Emphasise your strengths - when a band/artist make a demo or whatever they want to know that the end product is going to be as good as it can be for the price. Let them know that you have the knowledge, and equipment of course, to do that for them. Let them hear some of your better products if you still have copies (make sure the demos are of a similar style of music if possible). Discuss their needs with them.

Image - what kind of music is popular in your area? Now here's a toughie, in your honest opinion, do you think you come accross as a person looks like they are familiar with those genres? My point is that if you live in LA for example, where most bands or artists are of the rock variety, if you wear Wranglers, check shirts and snakeskin boots and are blatantly into country, local rock bands understandably might not prima facie think you would understand much about the kind of music and sound they are going for. They may be wrong of course but first impressions are important. Also, your ads etc should be tailored as much as possible to appeal to your target audience.

Pricing - always difficult. You need to cover your costs but too expensive and you lose to the competition. Too cheap and bands might wonder about the quality of your studio or your own experience. I would personally price in-line with your competitor but have a price match/beating policy. Also, dont put pricing on ads bt rather invite them to call you to discuss their needs. You can say rates are 'competitive' but I personally have always found that ads are more effective when they entice the client to call you and then you can discuss prices with them at that time, see what other quotes they've had etc. If you put prices on ads it can have several negative effects - a common one is that even if you know your rates are dirt cheap the layman may look at it and think 'seems expensive' before they have bothered to investigate what the general going rates are. They then mentally file your business in their head under 'expensive'. Later, when they have investigated, and found rates to be higher they may ask themselves 'now what was that studio I saw a while back charging?...' to which they conclude ' oh can't remember... i think it was expensive though'. Thus foolishly they go with a more expensive competitor.

Ok... this post is becoming an epic... hope it seems applicable to your situation and some of it helps.


PS having now been arsed to read some of the other comments I can appreciate two other impediments to your little business venture. 1) your age... nowt you can about that really. 2) Website - the pics of your studio are NOT one of your strengths (supra). Until you upgrade your gear etc and it looks more formidable I would merely list your equipment rather than show pics of it because to put it in perspective the first piece of gear I ever bought was (and still is) superior to the gear you have now. Nothing wrong with that of course, you're likely a much better engineer than I'll ever be, but I can now appreciate why the other guy's studio may look the business.
 
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Now that's the kind of reply i needed. thanks alchemist3k. After i get the studio done, i'll take better photos and maybe hire someone to design my website. do you know of any one?
 
Of anyone who can design you a webpage? I could design you a simple but professional looking one. I'm not great at grpahic design though so if you can find someone else who is good at graphic art then we could be on to something.
 
Zeke,

There have been many good comments. Certianly the age issue can work against you. Naturally, your best best would be to try to market to younger people who may be able to relate to you better than an older guy down the street.

Making yourself visible (called networking) is very important. Studio work is all about word of mouth. While some people may pick a studio becauase of an add - I would be willing to guess 90% of studio bookings are from word of mouth.

Do you gig? Or do you sit in at any jam sessions? These are good ways to meet other musicians. Most of the work I get at my studio comes from musicians who know me from the gigging scene, or who got my name form other musicians I know.

Remember, it can be very difficult to "compete" with other studios, who may have better gear or better ambiance or better people skills, or better connections, etc. All you can do is work at your skills (with the gear you have) to make sure you can deliver the product when you get clients in the door.

The key is, record because you love doing it. Have fun and let the business side of it develop at it's own pace.
 
By 'graphic design' I mean anything that is not to do with the programming of a webpage i.e pictures, graphics, photographs, logos, flash animations etc i.e. people who are good with Photoshop etc.
 
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