How to become A Music Studio Owner

Musicians possess talent, instruments, and a song or a collection of them. Still, to evolve into recording artists and give their art a saleable form, they must approach a Music Studio Owner. In their privately owned establishments, Music Studio Owners provide the necessary space and equipment to take the recording process from the first trial to the final edits. Their work may depend on studio size and their involvement, but their aim is always client satisfaction.

• Recording Studio Owner

What do Music Studio Owners do?

A Music Studio Owner would typically need to:

• Buy, remodel, or construct a recording studio and run it as a business based on a business plan, typically hiring designers, managers, maintenance engineers, and other staff but keeping creative control and having the final say in decisions
• Furnish the studio with all the equipment necessary for every step of the recording process; create a welcoming and comfortable ambience in the studio
• Have in-depth and extensive knowledge of the music industry and audio engineering, including recording techniques and skills; have a vast network in the music industry to ensure initial clients
• Ensure smooth and profitable studio operations; manage budgeting, booking, payrolls, and payments; negotiate deals with clients
• Promote the studio to potential clients by advertising it in local and regional publications, on websites, and in music stores or at live music venues by distributing flyers, pamphlets, or business cards
• Display excellent customer service skills while coordinating with artists, producers, managers and labels to schedule recording sessions
• Listen to an artist's demo tapes; decide the appropriate equipment as suited to the music to be recorded, and work with the artist to produce the required sound; offer musical advice when needed
• Serve as the lead recording engineer; have expertise in sound equipment and audio engineering to be able to buy studio equipment
• Operate technical equipment including mixing desks; carry out specialised tasks, such as audio editing, sound design and ghost production
• Employ and supervise studio staff, including recording and mixing engineers, assistants and other technical and creative team members; assign specific projects and tasks to the staff
• Work with record producers, bands, individual singers, session musicians and singers, and record label execs involved in album creation
• Schedule recordings; arrange convenience facilities for recording artists and staff, such as catering, toilets, entertainment, and insurance
• Track current projects to keep them on schedule and in sync with clients’ specific needs
• Liaise with organisations and artists in case of live events

Typically, Music Studio Owners would prefer to set up a business where recording equipment and studio space are available at a reasonable cost. You could choose to open up a large, medium, or small studio, depending on the results of the market research you have conducted and your investment. The music studio is the typical work environment of a Music Studio Owner who is likely to have an independent workspace for administrative work, separate from the rooms meant for various aspects of the recording process. Local travelling or trips to other areas may be required to meet designers, builders, clients, and prospective studio staff, visit prospective venues for live events, or source and buy equipment and other studio requirements. If you have multiple studios across the country, you will likely need to travel a fair amount to manage them.

As an entrepreneur and business owner, you set your own working hours, which can tend to be long and include working on evenings, weekends, and holidays. You would need to deal with technical and administrative tasks and support your engineering staff during projects of well-known or upcoming artists. However, the nature of the music industry is such that you would have intensely active periods, depending on projects, interspersed with downtime. You may even stay on call 24/7 to attend to emergency requests.

Finding a new job might seem challenging. Aspiring Music Studio Owners can boost their job search to acquire experience by asking their network for referrals, contacting companies directly, using job search platforms, going to job fairs, leveraging social media, and inquiring at staffing agencies.

Music Studio Owners are generally employed by:

• Community Film or Video Projects
• Theatre Companies
• Artists & Bands
• Digital or Internet Channels

Professional associations and organisations, such as the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), are crucial for Music Studio Owners interested in pursuing professional development or connecting with like-minded professionals in their industry or occupation. Membership in one or more adds value to your resume while bolstering your credentials and qualifications.

• Erratic nature of projects and thereby income
• Stressful environment due to demands on your time from artists, venues, and other stakeholders, and the work will often require an all-hours approach to meet deadlines
• May need to travel overseas, sometimes at short notice, to meet clients, resulting in extended absence from home

Competition within the music industry being intense, aspiring Music Studio Owners would do well to engage in music production early. Student societies, theatre and film, or local artists provide avenues for you to produce your own work or the remixes of others. Through volunteering and on-the-job training in a recording studio, you can also acquire practical experience in operating recording equipment, such as digital and analogue recording consoles, Pro Tools workstations, microphones, and outboard gear, and managing other aspects of the business.

As you acquire experience, you will also build your network in the industry. Make sure to have an online presence if you produce your own work using Soundcloud or similar sites.

It is not mandatory but beneficial for aspiring Music Studio Owners to have an education in the music business, recording arts, or related fields. Courses in accounting, finance, marketing, and business administration are handy to manage your business.

Rather than take expensive university-based courses, you may find it more economical to opt for online courses in music production. Choose classes that help you build practical skills, provide technical resources, and help you create a network in the industry.

While you do not need certification to become a Music Studio Owner, you will need relevant business permits and tax licenses to open up a recording studio, according to local legislation. You may also need to fulfil the requirements of any local safety inspection to qualify for a business occupancy permit.

Starting as an intern at a recording studio to acquire experience, an aspiring Music Studio Owner may advance to Head Runner, Assistant Studio Manager, or Booking Manager positions if there is a vacancy.

Before you open your studio, you may diversify into music administration, business management, and music production as the music director for the radio or theatre to acquire more experience. Simultaneously with music production, you could take up other projects or even take up music education or community work in the field of music.

With sufficient experience, technical skills, a solid network, financial capability, market research, a business plan, and a suitable facility to rent, buy, or construct, you can plan to invest in your studio. Keep in mind the intense competition in the music industry. Although recording projects may not be assured, the ones you work on are likely to have fixed timelines.

Once you own your studio, you can keep expanding its scope as per your vision and resources. Some Music Studio Owners may open up branches in multiple locations and create a nationwide chain of studios, requiring them to travel often and provide leadership remotely.

Growth plans would require you to find investors so that you can expand current studios to allow multiple projects to take place at the same time and construct or buy new facilities. Formulating a marketing or brand strategy would be a crucial step.

A well-equipped, comfortable and welcoming studio and knowledgeable technical advice from the Music Studio Owners who also possess a diverse skill set will enhance a studio’s profitability and popularity and build the owner’s reputation in the music industry.

Initial training and expertise are crucial, given that studio equipment and techniques are complex and must be learned to yield professional and high-quality outcomes. You may receive this training as an intern or a runner at other studios.

However, given rapid technological innovation in the music industry paired with changing audience tastes and music styles and trends, you will also need to update your technical skills continually.

Once you are a Music Studio Owner, much of your professional development is likely to occur as you go about your job. You may take courses in specialised areas of music production, such as software programmes for recording using DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations), producing live events, or sound engineering, or diversify into other arts.

Continuing professional development is the holistic commitment of professionals towards enhancing personal skills and proficiency throughout their active careers through work-based learning, a professional activity, formal education, or self-directed learning. There are many CPD courses, seminars, and workshops out there to help professionals in the field.

CPD allows individuals to upskill continually, regardless of their age, job, or level of knowledge. It prevents practical and academic qualifications from becoming outdated, enables individuals to identify any knowledge gaps, and allows professionals to progress to a new specialism.

Studio Design

You can choose to design and build your studio yourself if you have the training to do so or use the services of a studio designer and builder. Studio designs and floor plans are diverse but generally include performance and audience rooms, a soundproof control room, and isolation booths.

Typical Equipment Needed

The size of your studio, your budget, and potential clientele will determine the equipment with which you furnish your studio, at least at the beginning. Typically, you will have microphones, headphones, recording devices, a mixing console, play-back devices, and cables, stands and accessories, as needed.

Music studios increasingly rely on computer software for recording, signal processing and mixing, using one or a variety of digital audio workstation (DAW) programmes.

You may have worked as a recording engineer or a producer, or may even have been a recording artist, but there may come a time when you want to launch your own studio that reflects your experience and values. If you recognise the unique needs, styles, goals, timelines, and expectations of each client that comes to you and find the most productive way to fulfil them, your studio will have even more artists and bands queuing up with their projects.

As a Music Studio Owner, be prepared to wear numerous hats, depending on the situation. You are an entrepreneur and businessperson, a record producer and an audio engineer, likely a music industry veteran. In addition, you must also be a tactful psychologist and mentor for your clients, an efficient scheduler and project coordinator, a skilful communicator and storyteller, and more.